The Butterfly Witch

I wrote this Meditation a few days early – I usually do my research for posts and schedule them ahead of time to keep on top of everything.

Today’s meditation is about the Peacock Butterfly and Protecting Your Magic. I spent a lot of time today, Sunday, reading about the Pulse Nightclub tragedy in Orlando.

Like the Peacock Butterfly, queer communities and queer resilience are vivid, beautiful, and remarkable. Protecting the magic of human diversity is vitally important and the work that is done by members of the LGBTQIA community and allies cannot, must not, be undervalued.

It feels weird to write an affirmation about being safe when it’s quite clear that it’s harder for some people than others to feel safe in daily life and different spaces.

The Peacock Butterfly uses mimicry to blend into its environment as one of its protective mechanisms. If the rest of the world was able to incorporate the deep love and fortitude found in so many queer spaces, the world would look quite different.

Below is my original post. I just needed to make sure I said something about this. I hope you are well, safe, and loved – all the things you deserve to be.
______

Happy Monday! How is the Neptune Retrograde treating you so far?

I have to admit, I was inspired by this period of increased dream-divination-psychic energy while choosing the butterfly for this week’s Monday Meditation. What better time than now to be reminded that we must protect our inner magic?

The European Peacock butterfly is a great symbol for protective energy. It has an amazing set of natural defenses! When its wings are outstretched into the beautiful, vivid pattern seen below, it’s simultaneously being protected. Note these vibrant spots on the wings:

These are what are referred to as eyespots, which protect the butterfly against avian predators. How? By imitating a set of eyes! It’s a little more obvious when looking at it from upside down. The eyespots (paired with its head, thorax, and abdomen) give it the illusion of being the face of an owl:

Mimicry never fails to amaze me, especially when it manifests in such a beautiful form. What a wonderful reminder that our protective strategies can also create and inspire beauty!

The Peacock butterfly is also notable for its defensive strategies during mating. After overwintering hibernation, the species awakens and the female Peacock butterfly becomes receptive to mating. Choosing the right habitat becomes exceptionally important to the male butterflies. Male Peacock butterflies will perch and observe their territory, chasing down other male butterflies that enter their space. Once the mating season is over, the male butterflies will even send the females of the species packing!

What can the Peacock Butterfly symbolize for us?

While I don’t want to encourage the idea that we be territorial in our daily lives, it’s nonetheless important for us to be aware of who, and what, we let into our physical, mental, and spiritual spaces. We all have people in our lives who may drain us, overstep their bounds, pick at us, etc. Every situation is different, and we can’t always cut these people out of our lives altogether. What becomes especially important, then, is creating healthy boundaries, engaging in restorative self-care, and shielding or grounding ourselves when necessary.

Peacock Butterfly Affirmation: I create healthy boundaries and protect myself against negative energies. I am part of the Universe.

We are each of us deserving of safety and security. The Peacock butterfly encourages us to work our own unique magic and protect ourselves against that and those which deplete it. The natural defenses of the Peacock Butterfly must work well – its territory and population numbers are expanding!

Thank you for joining me for this week’s meditation on the protective Peacock butterfly!