source: boldt.us/places/nyc/
source: www.kaboodle.com/
source: www.artq.net/exploretags1.
source: http://www.josephine-wall-imagination-art.com/Figurines/Figurine%20Gallery.htm
Edward Burne-Jones
The theme of the butterfly has been a constant since beginning of 2009.
I have done some research on the meaning of butterflies, which varies from culture to culture. Here some of the most prominent attributions:
General:
- personification of a person's soul.
- rebirth, 'cocoon'.
- good luck.
- wandering spirit.
- choice to be transformed.
- there is beauty in passing.
- period of transition/major change.
- breath.
- stages in life.
- order.
- spiritual growth.
- infidelity.
- inconsistency.
- female energy.
- homosexuality.
- sensuality.
- temptation.
- marriage.
- creativity.
- feeling in the pit of one's stomach: nervousness, excitement, infatuation.
- Japan: when seen behind a bamboo screen, it means the person you most love is coming to see you/ a swarm of butterflies in Kyoto was a bad omen, referring to the revolt of Taira Masakado.
- Russia: refers to a 'bow tie', woman, grandmother, cake.
- Greece: refers to the soul or mind.
- China: two butterflies flying together are a symbol of love. Also: immortality, joy, leisure.
- Philippines: Jose Rizal said "the Oriental Chrisalis [...] is about to leave its cocoon", referring to the emergence of a new Philippines. In his life in exile, Rizal was referred to "the weary butterfly with sun-burnt wings". Also: black butterfly or moth in the house means someone in the family has died/will die soon.
Quotes/Poems about butterflies:
- 'Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you', Nathaniel Hawthorne
- 'The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough', Tagore.
- 'Butterflies are self-propelled flowers', R.H. Heinlein.
- 'Love is like a butterfly: It goes wherever it pleases, and it pleases wherever it goes', Unknown.
- 'I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free', Charles Dickens.
- 'Not quite like birds, as they are not quite flowers, mysterious and fascinating as all indeterminate creatures', Elizabeth Goudge.
- 'To clap the net over the butterfly of the moment...', Vita Sackville-West.
Related literature:
- The Ugly Duckling.
- Metamorphosis by Kafka.
- Metamorphosis by Ovid.
Thoughts/Ideas:
- Butter flies!
- Butterflies flying by...
- To make a serious of adapted Edward Burne-Jones Paintings (oval canvas).
This self-portrait of mine as a mermaid has semblance with Burne-Jones' Venus Looking Glass
Love in a Tangle
Here some more inspiring images with butterflies (off the internet):
-Butterflies, block, incubator, flower.
-sketches.
-poems.
-illustrations.
The Butterfly and the Chrysalis
The metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly holds a haunting allure – it appeals to something raw, something primal inside us: a promise of rebirth.
When the time comes, a caterpillar first protects itself from the world, wrapped inside a chrysalis. Protected inside, it grows and strengthens itself until the day it is ready to emerge as a new being, whole and strong. When that day comes, it discards the protective shell, for it no longer needs one.
Perhaps that is the lesson. There will be a time we need to set our boundaries, to give ourselves a safe space to cherish, strengthen and heal ourselves for the journey towards health and compassion. And there will come a day it stifles us, and we have to relax them, or drop them altogether.
This is a really nice video with meaningful quotes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcfMvyIzVas
