Even though I already left a comment earlier in a Re-stack, something pulled me back to this Metanoia piece again tonight. I had a dream about butterflies, vivid enough to stay with me when I woke up. I have always been an avid believer in synchronicity. In the metaphysical realm, coincidence feels like a polite word people use when they do not want to acknowledge alignment. So I returned to this post and read it again slowly, almost like pressing fruit to draw out the last drop of nectar. From the vantage point of someone who has spent real time in the discipline of shadow work, what you describe here rings true. The chrysalis stage rarely receives reverence because the process of dissolution frightens people. Yet anyone who has truly faced themselves understands that the dismantling of identity is the workshop where the soul quietly rebuilds its architecture. Reading this again after that dream felt like encountering a mirror placed in the dark.
What I appreciate most about this reflection is the dignity it gives to the versions of ourselves that carried the unbearable weight. Shadow work teaches a person that the earlier selves, even the ones we once judged harshly, were actually the engineers of our survival. They absorbed the fire so the present self could walk with steadier breath. When you frame those past selves as companions rather than discarded skins, you touch a deeper layer of metanoia. Integration. The butterfly image becomes richer when we realize that the caterpillar never truly disappears. Its memory becomes structure. Its struggle becomes wings. That dream of butterflies did not feel accidental to me, and returning to this post felt like honoring the quiet conversation between symbol and soul that was already happening beneath the surface. Sometimes the universe whispers through images before the mind catches up. And sometimes the only proper response is exactly what you did. Go back. Read again. And pull a little more wisdom out of the chrysalis. 🦋🔥
I love how you talk about synchronicity because I am also a firm believer, and your comment at the end about the connection between symbol and soul being a conversation aligns with my own beliefs about it because to me the power of synchronicity lies in our relationship with the universe, the physical world around us, and ourselves. Because the messages that we receive through observation means that everything around us can become a teacher and there’s hidden wisdom and it. And it also means that when synchronicities arrive, they only do so in the way that you, with your unique perspective and experience, are suited to be able to understand. And that was so divine about it because it comes at the exact moment of your journey of your growth that allows you to fully receive it.
The analogy about the fruit was really well placed as well because when you do become an observer of all things, it means that you are detached enough to see the full picture and the beauty of things long after other people have already moved on. Because so many other people are caught up in the one moment. When you are aligned with your spirit, and you recognize the connection between a metaphysical and physical, you are able to grasp deeper meanings of things and see meaning and therefore beauty in everything.
It’s interesting that you use the phrase “mirror in the dark “. Because in my opinion, this perfectly describes the connection that we all have with one another. We are all one is not just a concept or a phrase is the very definition of the foundation of who we are and what we are. As unique perspectives of the same source experiencing itself in different ways, we all become microcosms of this great macrocosm. And many of us spend most of our lives, trying to understand that. A byproduct of this connection is that we are all in mirrors of one another; all different versions of one another tapped into different frequencies. And frequency is one of the major things that differentiates us. And is also one of the things that connects us the most.
This publication, Way with Words, was founded on the basis of shadow work. The dark night of the soul is something that we all must go through if we really desire to become more of who we really are and align with that. In my opinion, shadow work is the act of trying to understand the darkness in our own shadows while we’re going through the process. Integration is the next possible step because only through integration can you become whole; both shadow and light not one or the other. Once deconstructed, you can only use what is left behind as a foundation to create something much more than ever before.
Thanks for sharing your dream and your reflections. I hope you can continue to get more of what you need from my work 🙏🏾
Even though I already left a comment earlier in a Re-stack, something pulled me back to this Metanoia piece again tonight. I had a dream about butterflies, vivid enough to stay with me when I woke up. I have always been an avid believer in synchronicity. In the metaphysical realm, coincidence feels like a polite word people use when they do not want to acknowledge alignment. So I returned to this post and read it again slowly, almost like pressing fruit to draw out the last drop of nectar. From the vantage point of someone who has spent real time in the discipline of shadow work, what you describe here rings true. The chrysalis stage rarely receives reverence because the process of dissolution frightens people. Yet anyone who has truly faced themselves understands that the dismantling of identity is the workshop where the soul quietly rebuilds its architecture. Reading this again after that dream felt like encountering a mirror placed in the dark.
What I appreciate most about this reflection is the dignity it gives to the versions of ourselves that carried the unbearable weight. Shadow work teaches a person that the earlier selves, even the ones we once judged harshly, were actually the engineers of our survival. They absorbed the fire so the present self could walk with steadier breath. When you frame those past selves as companions rather than discarded skins, you touch a deeper layer of metanoia. Integration. The butterfly image becomes richer when we realize that the caterpillar never truly disappears. Its memory becomes structure. Its struggle becomes wings. That dream of butterflies did not feel accidental to me, and returning to this post felt like honoring the quiet conversation between symbol and soul that was already happening beneath the surface. Sometimes the universe whispers through images before the mind catches up. And sometimes the only proper response is exactly what you did. Go back. Read again. And pull a little more wisdom out of the chrysalis. 🦋🔥
I love how you talk about synchronicity because I am also a firm believer, and your comment at the end about the connection between symbol and soul being a conversation aligns with my own beliefs about it because to me the power of synchronicity lies in our relationship with the universe, the physical world around us, and ourselves. Because the messages that we receive through observation means that everything around us can become a teacher and there’s hidden wisdom and it. And it also means that when synchronicities arrive, they only do so in the way that you, with your unique perspective and experience, are suited to be able to understand. And that was so divine about it because it comes at the exact moment of your journey of your growth that allows you to fully receive it.
The analogy about the fruit was really well placed as well because when you do become an observer of all things, it means that you are detached enough to see the full picture and the beauty of things long after other people have already moved on. Because so many other people are caught up in the one moment. When you are aligned with your spirit, and you recognize the connection between a metaphysical and physical, you are able to grasp deeper meanings of things and see meaning and therefore beauty in everything.
It’s interesting that you use the phrase “mirror in the dark “. Because in my opinion, this perfectly describes the connection that we all have with one another. We are all one is not just a concept or a phrase is the very definition of the foundation of who we are and what we are. As unique perspectives of the same source experiencing itself in different ways, we all become microcosms of this great macrocosm. And many of us spend most of our lives, trying to understand that. A byproduct of this connection is that we are all in mirrors of one another; all different versions of one another tapped into different frequencies. And frequency is one of the major things that differentiates us. And is also one of the things that connects us the most.
This publication, Way with Words, was founded on the basis of shadow work. The dark night of the soul is something that we all must go through if we really desire to become more of who we really are and align with that. In my opinion, shadow work is the act of trying to understand the darkness in our own shadows while we’re going through the process. Integration is the next possible step because only through integration can you become whole; both shadow and light not one or the other. Once deconstructed, you can only use what is left behind as a foundation to create something much more than ever before.
Thanks for sharing your dream and your reflections. I hope you can continue to get more of what you need from my work 🙏🏾
I have a butterfly tattoo. This was amazing. Thank you! 🙏
Ha ha love that! Butterflies are not just aesthetic they’re also symbolic, which only adds to their beauty 🫶🏾
This was wonderfully wise
Thank you so much for reading! Hope you received what you needed 🙏🏾
I did! Xx
I enjoyed reading this, especially how you depicted the dissolving so powerfully. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed the experience 🥰