"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
— Anonymous

Why Butterflies?

To bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings, butterflies often symbolize their child's continued existence in another dimension.

Since early times, the butterfly has symbolized renewed life. The caterpillar signifies life here on earth, the cocoon is death and the butterfly is the emergence into a new, beautiful and freer existence.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who studied grief and the process of dying, movingly tells of seeing butterflies drawn all over the walls of the children's dormitories in the World War II concentration camps. Since Elisabeth believes in the innate intuitiveness of children, she concludes that these children knew their fate and were leaving us a message.

Grieving parents embrace the butterfly as a symbol - a sign of hope to them that their children are living in another dimension with greater beauty and freedom - a comforting thought to many.

Please share the symbols you have found helpful with your healing under Share Your Thoughts.