Butterflies and Writing

Some of my friends and family know that I like butterflies and they have often bought me one as a gift for birthday or Christmas - not a real one I hasten to say! Some of the lovely items that contained a butterfly include:  a brooch, a candle, painted on a shawl, embellishment on a jewellery stand, a picture on a notebook. These are only the things I can think of immediately. Many of my gorgeous cards contain a butterfly, or two.

Well my dear friend, Catriona, surpassed herself the other day when she handed me a gift to celebrate publication of my first novel, Dangerous Deceit. She has always been hugely supportive and that was more than enough. Besides which, her husband bought my e-book for her right away so she could read it on her computer! So I opened the beautiful white box in mounting curiosity to find, nestled amongst white tissue paper, a heavy filligree hanging butterfly!

What a lovely, unexpected surprise, especially since we were supposed to be celebrating her birthday, which was my treat. One of the reasons I was so touched is because my friend knows that I consider myself a butterfly writer, and she actually wrote that on the card. How lovely that she knows me so well!

So, a butterfly writer. Why? Well the symbolism of that little insect who changes from a crawling catterpiller through different stages to such a colourful creature with wings, is a powerful image of a fledgling writer learning to make their words soar. Then there is the fact that I write anything and everything from short stories, articles, children's stories, and even poetry, to novels. I flit happily from one kind of writing to another, staying for a while before moving on to the next.

I also love the symbolism of butterflies in some cultures. In Greek mythology, Psyche, meaning 'soul', is represented by a butterfly. Even in Christianity, a butterfly often symbolises a person's soul crossing to the hereafter, and it is depicted in many works of art. In Chinese and Japanese culture the butterfly is often a symbol of joy and happiness. No wonder so many people use the butterfly symbol in some way!

Here are two little quotations to leave you, from my little gift book, Songs of the Earth:

"The butterfly flitting from flower to flower ever remains mine, I lose the one that is netted by me." Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet (1861-1941)

"I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man."
Chuang Tzu (369-286 B.C.), Chinese sage