Butterfly Medicine
by JoAnne Dodgson
mentor at the Wise Woman Universit
Inside the stillness of the morning sun, the woman heard the soft pattering of wings. A delicate shadow fluttered by, dancing across the ground, brushing over her shoulders. 
The woman traced the path of the dancing shadow, curious who it belonged to. She spotted a brilliant butterfly touching down on a yellow wildflower. Taking flight again, the swallowtail butterfly beckoned the woman to follow.
Landing in cluster of red blossoms, the swallowtail butterfly crept inside a flower to drink in the nourishing nectar. He walked along a broad green leaf, reaching around with his antennae, sensing with every step. “There's magic happening here,” Swallowtail whispered. “Come see.”
The woman leaned in toward the blossoming plant and noticed a small pod dangling beneath the leaf. The glistening shell of the pod split open. Delicate spindly legs reached out from the inside. Slowly and steadily, a purple-winged butterfly began emerging from the chrysalis.
“There's something unstoppable calling her out,” said Swallowtail. “The seasons of the earth. The purpose of her being. The passions of her life. Can you feel it?”
The woman's amazement soon turned into worry as her mind cluttered with fears. The poor little butterfly seemed to be struggling. It was too much, all the changes. It was too hard, coming into the world on her own. The woman reached toward the chrysalis, compelled by the impulse to help make things better. Swallowtail fluttered wildly around the woman's face, intentionally distracting her.
The purple-winged butterfly kept moving in her own unique rhythm and pace, finally freeing herself from the chrysalis. She rested in the warmth of the sun, opening and closing her wings until they fully took shape. Then suddenly, as if she'd flown millions of miles before, the purple butterfly gracefully took flight. “Now it's your turn,” the woman heard the butterfly say.
by JoAnne Dodgson
mentor at the Wise Woman University
Stories by JoAnne Dodgson
About JoAnne Dodgson
JoAnne Dodgson, Ed.D, is a healer, teacher, medicine storyteller and weaver of webs of balance in ancient Peruvian medicine ways Ka Ta See, ‘living in balance from the heart.’ She has a doctorate in counseling psychology and over twenty years experience offering transformational counseling, ceremonial gatherings, holistic healing, workshops and community outreach. She teaches at Southwestern College in Santa Fe. JoAnne lives in the enchanted desert mesas of New Mexico.
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