Spiritually Speaking

I do believe that God began sending me messages through butterflies. I have never doubted this and after the past few years, I believe it even more. Not because I have been receiving these messages lately, but because when I do, I get a sense of peace in my soul. It warms my heart to know that there are others who also receive messages of hope such as I do. Here is a story that is just one example of many about the spiritual symbol that is the butterfly.

Butterfly, by the way, is another word for “soul” and “Psyche”.

Probably the most famous mythological story is that of Psyche and Eros (Cupid). In Greek Mythology, Psyche (Greek for “butterfly” and “soul“), the beautiful princess who, because of her beauty, captured the attention of the worshippers of Venus, the jealous godess commanded her son, Eros to make Psyche fall in love with the most hidious looking man.

When Eros saw how beautiful Psyche was, he fell in love with her instantly. But he didn’t want her to see how handsome he was and so he hid her in a remote place and when he visited her, it was always in the dark. One night she lit a lamp and when she looked closely at him, a drop of oil fell on him and woke him up.

Eros was so angry that he left her. She searched the entire Earth for him until Aphrodite captured her. When Eros rescued Psyche, Jupitor made her immortal and then Psyche and Cupid were married.

This is just a short version of the story. I believe I found the best version at Myths-Dreams-Symbols.

Life is full of lessons, if you look at it that way. Some prefer not to see the lessons. Some may say that things happen and that’s the way it is. No lesson to learn, it’s just life.

I choose to see everything as a lesson for me. This includes the people who come into my life. Whether I like them or not, they have crossed my path for a reason. It may be just in passing or it may be for a few years or many. The lessons aren’t always clear and sometimes it may take longer than others to know just what those lessons are.

On DailyOm, there is a spiritual message called, “Life-Your Perfect Teacher“. I don’t have one specific teacher. Everyone I come across has the potential to teach me an important lesson. I like the words that are suggested to be said in the morning:

“I acknowledge and honor the teacher that is my life. May I be wise enough to recognize the teachers and lessons that I encounter today, and may I be open to receiving their wisdom.”

Wise words.

The message offers some examples of lessons that could be learned through others:

“A difficult phase in your relationship with your child may be teaching you to let go. The homeless person you see every day may be showing you the boundaries of your compassion and generosity. A spate of lost items may be asking you to be more present to physical reality. Trust your intuition on the nature of the lesson at hand, work at your own pace, and ask as many questions as you want. Your life has all the answers.”