The Monarch and the Afterlife

Have you ever experienced the presence of a deceased loved one through nature?  Maybe it was the kind gesture of a total stranger that came when you prayed for a sign from above.  Or it was a bird that landed nearby and peered at you the moment you began thinking of that loved one. 

 

The monarch butterfly has a centuries-old symbolic connection to the afterlife in many cultures.  I was fascinated by this fact, and so I started asking people about their personal experiences.  I was amazed to discover how many said they’d had a personal connection with a butterfly after a loved one died. Perhaps at the funeral, or later when they thought of the person, a butterfly appeared. 

 

So I included this element in my new novel, THE BUTTERFLY’S DAUGHTER, through a few of my characters who have there own experiences with the comforting presence of a deceased loved one during a monarch sighting.  Little did I know that shortly after writing those scenes I too would have my own experience.

 

My father- in -law passed away during the writing of this book.  My son and I ceremoniously released three butterflies I had raised in his honor.  Two flew promptly away, as they all want to do.  But one butterfly lingered for a long time, alighting on my arm and my son for a long time.  He seemed reluctant to leave.  I was astonished. It was just as I’d described it in my novel!  I released many butterflies that summer but this was the only time one lingered so long.  It was memorable and poignant.  I believe we have connections with nature that we simply do not understand.

 

Have you had a similar experience with a butterfly?