From Caterpillar To Butterfly

While in Salt Lake City yesterday, in between business meetings, I picked up the local Catalyst magazine – one of my favorite new age publications dedicated to healthy living and creating a healthy planet. I happened to turn right to an article entitled, Spontaneous Evolution, written by one of my most admired authors and scientists, Dr. Bruce Lipton. In this article as well as his latest book, called Spontaneous Evolution, Dr. Lipton speaks about our ability to evolve, spontaneously rather than slowly. He references that our planet is facing “what scientists are calling the Sixth Great Mass Extinction. The previous five being caused by objects from outer space, such as comets hitting the Earth. This time, the cause comes from ‘inner space’ – our own invisible beliefs.” On one level, if you have been paying attention, this is not new information. Scientists, Astronomers, Physicists, and ancient cultures have been telling us that we are on the verge of a major shift in human evolution. The solar system is changing, our earth is changing, the polar caps are changing, our DNA is changing, our physical bodies are changing, our government systems are changing, and the environment we live in is changing. In many cases, what used to work for us, is no longer working – requiring us to adapt and change. We have a choice as to how we want to evolve as a species.

I found Bruce Lipton’s analogy of the caterpillars spontaneously transforming into butterflies, an inspiring comparison and model to look towards regarding our human choice and behavior. Hopefully, you will find it equally as powerful and relevant.

“Imagine you are a single cell among millions that comprise a growing caterpillar. The structure around you has been operating like a well-oiled machine, and the larva worlds has been creeping along predictably. Then one day, the machine begins to shudder sand shake. The system begins to fail. Cells begin to commit suicide. There is a sense of doom and gloom.

From within the dying population, a new breed of cells begin to emerge, called imaginal cells. Clustering in community they devise a plan to create something entirely new from the wreckage. Out of the decay arises a great flying machine – a butterfly – that enables the survivor cells to escape from the ashes and experiences a beautiful world, far beyond imagination. Here is the amazing thing: The CATERPILLAR AND BUTTERFLY HAVE THE EXACT DNA. They are the same organism, but are receiving and responding to different organizing signals.

That is where we are today. When we read the newspaper and watch the evening news, we see the media reporting a decaying caterpillar. And yet everywhere, human imaginal cells are awakening to a new possibility. They are clustering, communicating, and tuning into a new, coherent signal of love.

We are now between two worlds – the caterpillar world where our future is limited by our creepy-crawly past, and the butterfly world where humanity can soar to reach its highest potential. Unlike the shift from caterpillar to butterfly, transformation of humanity is not inevitable. It requires our participation. We have the choice to live in and reinforce the limitations imposed by fear and past programming. Or we can attune ourselves to the new signal of love and live that instead.” – By Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman in the Catalyst (January, 2009), pg. 15-17.

This week, please join me in choosing love rather than fear; harmony rather than discord; and honesty rather than deceit. Our single cell behavior impacts multi-cell organisms that can change the world. Our spontaneous evolution is up to us.