Lughnasadh 2009 (1)

DRAGONFLY & MONARCH:
SHAPE SHIFTERS & VOYAGERS
BETWEEN REALMS ©
by Lady Raven Ariana

I was sitting in my garden this evening contemplating the wild visitors when I noticed a very regal Dragonfly perusing my small bit of wild. I pointed her/him out to my mate and observed that he/she seemed to be looking for a place to perch. The Dragonfly then moved on. I live in the City with a tiny yard, though I’m close to canyons and streams.

My gardening styles of organic, xeriscaping, naturalizing, and attracting local flora and fauna were definitely seen as unpopular, non-conformist, and “bringing down the local property values” type of behavior from my neighbors. Many years later there are more xeriscaped lawns in our neighborhood while there continues to be a plethora of lawns and the chemical keepers to maintain them. The times are slowly changing.

Later in the evening the gorgeous Dragonfly returned. She/he decided to settle on the main power line that enters our home. It was an electric sight, the cable twined where Dragonfly crouched. The day’s last light haloed the wings to perfection. When I pointed this out to my mate, we were both reminded of the phalanxes of Dragonflies that would patrol our street. Last year they began to return after a hiatus of a number of years.

Dragonfly has an ancient heritage. He or She might be a harbinger of fate, good luck, and/or hope renewed. The Ancestors sometimes use Dragonfly as personal eyes to look over their line and make sure that their magical progeny are being true to the ancestral work. Where Dragonfly flies Ancestors watch. Dragonfly also brings some of Dragon’s archetypal magic and energy, offering protection and transformation. They are shape-shifters; their life cycle is lived in 2 very different elements.

Dragonflies are creatures of water and air. Eggs are deposited in water. The nymphs or naiads (young Dragonflies) feed on mosquito larva during their aqua phase. They continue this predation after their transformation into their adult flying form, feeding on many, many mosquitoes and other insects in the air. They aid in controlling mosquito numbers, thus helping to protect humans from mosquito vectored (carried) disease. Dragonflies and their relative Damselflies species, like frogs, can indicate the health or dis-ease of an environment. Both are sensitive to pollution, toxins, pesticides, herbicides, and environmental poisons of many types. If these creatures vanish from an area, this might indicate an environmental threat to people and other species, especially concerning water.

When Dragonfly comes to us it is important to examine our lives and our relationship to our environment. Do we have clean water to drink? Are we taking precautions to remain healthy when illness might be about? What might we need to change to better protect our spiritual growth? We may also need to consult with the Ancestors on how to best use our magic and transformational energy to further our spiritual work.

To learn more about Dragonflies and Damselflies:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/uniramia/odonatoida.html

http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Odonata

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/odonata/odonata.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

Butterflies and moths are viewed in many cultures as a symbol of transformation. Many myths are told incorporating the dramatic changes between the caterpillar, chrysalis, and emergent butterfly. Different species have/had stories that correspond/ed to the peoples and places they live and have lived. Magic is always a strong theme.

I have been carefully cultivating a patch of milkweed over the last few years. Year by year it has grown and I was pleased to see a pair of Monarch Butterflies dancing around it the other day. Milkweed species are the feeding plant for Monarchs. It is where they lay their eggs so that the caterpillars can eat and grow. There is good news and bad news about milkweed. Milkweed can be a victim of modern agriculture. Many herbicides are geared to kill it and pesticide gene-modified pollen can fall on it from corn by roadsides or spread via the wind, poisoning the Monarch caterpillars feeding on the contaminated plants. The good news is that milkweed is becoming more and more popular in butterfly gardens and an increasing number of people are cultivating it.

My milkweed is organic. Some of my neighbors think it is undesirable, though the flowers are beautiful. A special red beetle feeds on it, too. These red beetles were our first regular milkweed visitors.

Monarchs are one of the most popular of butterflies and are called “The Wanderer” in Australia because of their amazing seasonal migrations. North flow migrations begin in the spring in the Northern Hemisphere, while South flow migrations begin in the fall. Migrations generally span the lives of several generations. The last generation of Monarchs experience a phase called diapause causing them to go into a non-reproductive state. At this time they will over-winter in colonies. Monarchs can also survive a trans-Atlantic flight. The largest threat to the survival of the Monarch is habitat destruction and loss of its only food-source, milkweed species.

Monarchs journey across land and the elements. They are sensitive to the seasons. They begin their lives in the land realm and take to the air as adults. They are creatures of Earth and Sky. They are dependent on a particular family of plants for survival. Monarch can herald great change, initiations, journeys, pilgrimages, or a need for these in a person’s life. Monarch can also indicate a need for an examination of one’s system of physical survival. Where are we getting our food? Does this nourish us? Are we keeping our Spirits well fed, too? Are we living in an environment where we can thrive? Are we willing to change to grow and develop? Further Monarch might be telling us that we need to take a time out. How do we know what message Monarch brings? We need to listen carefully with our whole Being.

To learn more about Monarchs:

http://www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Cycle.htm

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/

http://www.monarchwatch.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)

To learn more about Milkweed:

http://www.geocities.com/bttfly9/growingmilkweed.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed

Red Milkweed Beetle:

http://www.cirrusimage.com/beetles_red_milkweed.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraopes_tetrophthalmus

Dragonfly and Monarch Butterfly share the qualities of shape shifting, magic, and journeying between realms, elements, and places. They both signify transformation, change and a healthy relationship to the natural environment. A special lesson these two guardians share is their ability to demonstrate the impact of one space or element on another. They both show connection. Wind can carry poisonous modified corn pollen to milkweed plants, which then poisons the earth-bound Monarch caterpillars. Air and earth can bring contamination to waterways where Dragonfly nymphs are poisoned. Habitat destruction will kill both species in all forms.

We learn from Monarch Butterflies and Dragonflies through developing our relationships to the very places we live, observing through the seasons all the creatures and habitat around us. We can apply the many lessons that these guardians brings to us both internally and externally; transforming the way we think, what we desire, what we feel, how we behave, and what we need to change. We might plant a butterfly garden or help clean up a waterway. We might make a sacred pilgrimage or experience an initiation. Gratitude and understanding is important in working with any of our guardians, champions, totems, or Ancestors. When we open our hearts in a sincere and grateful fashion we allow ourselves the space to hear with our spirits the messages they bring.