It’s late summer/early fall and the Monarch’s are beginning their migration. Each year I look for more research on this blessed event and I’m always left in awe. It is not surprising that I am stunned yet again. Did you know that when a Monarch migrates, a direct descendant will be the one completing the journey? There will be several generations of the butterfly who kicked it off and the returning Monarch will be one that has never been to the original destination. This butterfly will know exactly where to fly, even stopping on the same trees and flowers. Inquiring minds want to know how this can be; could there be an internal clock; is there GPS tracking; will the generation before leave clues; is it harnessing the powers of intuition; or is it simply winks from God?
Let’s start with the idea of GPS tracking, only because I love the image of a butterfly connecting to Google maps by way of their antenna. There is research which tells us that the Monarch will determine where they are on the earth’s surface by using the location of the sun. As someone who is directionally challenged, that would be very difficult for me, say on the days when the sun is hiding behind a cloud. The monarch, however, is able to sense the position of the sun even when it hides and continues moving on the path which has been laid out for it, but how?
Before we go deeper in to the previous question, let’s dive into the internal clock or intuition. I looked back on a post from 2012, Trusting Intuition, and my thoughts still resonate with that. I do however, have some additional insights I would like to add. Imagine or recall a moment when you had an extremely strong feeling, good or bad, and you could not shake it. You felt it in your bones and it affected every sensory center within you. Mostly likely, this caused a bodily sensation, which is often referred to as “having butterflies in the belly”. This will then generate an outward response which can be reaction, action or nothing at all. We can’t know what the Monarchs are experiencing internally, but we can try and determine what is causing the intuition or “butterfly in the belly” affect inside of us.
At this point you’re wondering…where is she going with this…and my answer to that is only God knows! Not even the migrating Monarch knows the path it will travel, but God does, and the Monarch just goes, allowing God to guide. How amazing if we could do the same!
GPS…God’s Positioning Service, then, is the answer! The sun is the tool with which God lures the butterfly towards its intended destination and for us, we move as God winks!
In September, 2012 when I first wrote on this topic, I was learning how to trust those feelings when they arose in me and act upon them rather than argue or ignore. Today, as I reflect back I can see that I missed out on sharing something bigger…intuition equating to God’s Will, and God’s Positioning Service is the method in which we travel along our paths.
So, we know now that the monarch isn’t Googling it’s way, it is being led by God. As much as I would love too, I can’t fly using the sun as a tool from God, but I know another way to utilize my GPS and that’s with prayer!
I have had many conversations with God about his will for me and too many times I wondered if I was following His lead. I’m pretty sure the Monarch doesn’t wonder, it knows to trust and because of that trust, a miraculous event occurs.
I encourage you, when the butterflies flutter in your tummy, to enter into dialog with God in prayer. (in the sunlight if you really want to channel your inner butterfly) In doing so, you will be in tune with God and you will soon be able to pick up on all the GPS signals God is giving you.
Fun Fact! God just so happened to wink at me today when I realized the original post I referenced on intuition, was posted almost 7 years to the date…there is no doubt in my mind that I am on the path intended by God.
Are you in tune with God’s Positioning Service in your life? Please share in the comments.
Kimberly ~ aka Courageous Butterfly
I have had an amazing butterfly experience! As I mentioned previously, I was able to bring home two caterpillars in the hopes of being able to be part of their transformation. I am happy to report that I was able to observe every stage, and at times I felt myself going through every change right along with them.
hang it in the hatching habitat. During this process one of the chrysalis’ came loose and fell to the bottom. I immediately reached for my instructions to find out what to do. The instructions were to gently scoop it up with a spoon and place it on a paper towel. It said most likely the butterfly would still be able to hatch without any damage. Needless to say, worry was setting in.
Once in the chrysalis the caterpillars will hatch within 7-10 days, and I made sure to keep an accurate count. I was even able to set up a butterfly web cam so I wouldn’t miss a trick! Guess what? I missed two tricks! The first butterfly emerged prior to the camera being set up, this was the one at the bottom of the habitat. I was so happy to see it had survived, that it eased my disappointment in not witnessing it. Knowing the second one was just a day behind I stayed close by the web cam. Just as a little kid knows when you are watching, this butterfly took a 7 minute window in the 30 minutes I had been away from the camera to come into our world. Luckily for me the web cam took photos of movement and I was able to view it after the fact.
It’s official! The butterflies are hung, I am home. Change is good, when your prepared. Life is amazing, unpredictable, chaotic, stressful, and full of surprises and it’s one of the reason’s I haven’t written in a while! I never thought that something I was dreading, and nervous about could actually be a positive thing in my life. As I write this tonight, I am sitting in a place where I never imagined I’d be, let alone be ok with it. It’s funny how life works. I have owned a home since 2002 and never set foot inside until two years ago, and just recently I moved in to make it MY home.
Out of the Chrysalis 