Metamorphosis

“Evolutionary biologist Elisabet Sahtouris says that the caterpillar, at a certain point in its life cycle, becomes a voracious, over-consumptive glutton consuming everything in sight and within reach. At this point in it’s evolution it can eat hundreds of times its own weight, and the more it consumes the more fat and sluggish it gets. At the same moment of developmental excess, inside the caterpillar the imaginal cells begin to stir. Imaginal cells are specialized cells, and in the minority, but when they connect with each other they become the genetic directors of the metamorphosis of the caterpillar. At some point in the caterpillars feeding frenzy stage, the imaginal cells usher in the process in which the over consumptive caterpillar becomes the “nutritive soup” out of which the imaginal cells create the miracle of the butterfly.” 

From The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist

The line that gives me the most hope for humanity is "Imaginal cells are specialized cells, and in the minority,”. I believe this is true for us, as it is for the gluttonous little caterpillar, it takes only a few, the minority to usher us into the next evolution. It’s not about the numbers as much as its about how the human version of "imaginal cells" connecting with one another. 

“The breakdown of the caterpillars old system is essential for the breakthrough of the new butterfly. Yet, in reality the caterpillar neither dies nor disintegrates, for from the beginning it’s hidden purpose was to transform and be reborn as the butterfly.”

From Conscious Evolution, Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential by Barbara Marx Hubbard

This quote is so important to understand that its not about being one or the other, it’s not about destroying, we are not separate, that human beings have consistently proven their ability to transform. You need not be a history buff to understand that, merely paying attention to the present moment, to those who are closest to you, you will witness a deep transformation that is occurring every single inhale and exhale. 

If you are experiencing difficulty envisioning a future that is beyond this moment, a future of transformation, Barbara Marx’s Conscious Evolution is a wonderful place to begin kick starting that beautiful imagination of yours.