Monday Meditation: The Monarch Butterfly

Happy Monday! It’s back to work for me after a week-long vacation, boo. But it’s also the very first Monday Meditation on this blog! Yay!

I figured the beautiful Monarch butterfly would be a wonderful start to our journey with butterfly symbolism, since so many of us are familiar with this particular species. I, myself, have fond memories of seeing them fluttering through the grass during my childhood in the ancient times of the 1980s.

What makes the Monarch so remarkable? Well, of all the butterfly species in the entire world, the Monarch is the only one to migrate a long distance for their overwinter migration – up to three thousand miles! Typically, those living in the Rockies migrate to Southern California, and eastern Monarchs will fly down to Central Mexico in their search for sunnier climes. During this period of migration, they travel 50 to 100 miles a day, and can conserve their energy by floating on the breeze.

Not only do Monarchs travel a long distance, but generations of the butterflies are known to roost in the same trees. Even more amazing? A lot of them aren’t even the same types of trees!

from WorldWildlife.org

It’s easy to see why, in an article for the journal Natural History, lepidopterist Lincoln Brower called the migration of Monarchs “one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world”.

What can the Monarch butterfly symbolize for us on our own life journey?

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Monarch is how they “know” to use the same trees that the generations before them utilized. There are theories that Monarchs use celestial cues (e.g. The Sun) and/or Earth’s magnetic field to navigate their migration, but the current data indicates that we still don’t know for certain.

The mystery of Monarch butterfly migration can therefore tell us to draw upon our own inner intuition and guidance. So often in life, we already know the answers to the questions we ask, and our true desires reveal themselves to us in numerous ways. The Monarch shows us that we can trust our own path. We are powerful and empowered. We can draw from our inner resources, the knowledge of those that came before us, and our support systems to lead us to where we need to go.

Monarch Butterfly Affirmation: I trust my inner guidance. I am on the right path. I seek only my highest good.

As we consider the Monarch in this context, we draw upon our own knowledge and inner strength to meet life’s obstacles and continue along our journey.

Before I end today’s post, I would be remiss not to mention that Monarch butterflies are currently under threat. Loss of milkweed, loss of habitat, and uses of herbicide are all factors currently reducing their population numbers. If you’re interested in learning more about Monarch conservation, please check out some of these wonderful organizations:

– Monarch Watch
– Monarch Conservation
– Xerces Society
– Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund

or consider starting your own monarch butterfly garden!

Thank you so much for joining me for this meditation on the mighty Monarch! I hope it was helpful to you.

Source: Monday Meditation: The Monarch Butterfly