Truly Charmed: The Special Meaning of Butterflies

When experiencing spiritual and emotional changes that demand solitude and a change of heart, a butterfly can assist in your transformation. The butterfly is a reminder that it is alright to take time alone in your cocoon before you emerge with resplendent wings.

Historical Significance

Due to their gentle beauty and transformative lifecycle, many cultures have associated the butterfly with the human soul and with spirits. In fact, Aristotle called butterflies “psyche”, which the ancient Greeks also used to label the soul which escapes the body into the afterlife.

In South American indigenous cultures, butterflies are associated with the morning and souls. In Mexico, the appearance of the Monarch Butterflies with their fall migration is associated with the return of ancestors to visit their descendants.

Today, the butterfly’s colorful patterns associate it with innocence and beauty. It is also used to teach children about metamorphoses and growth in nature.

Uses and Meanings

Starting as caterpillars before resting in a cocoon and emerging in their final form, butterflies are associated with gradual change and hope oriented towards a meaningful end.

Just as the caterpillar is earthbound but takes flight as the butterfly, sometimes our personal transformations seem to transform the entire world as we know it and experience it.

The association with the soul means that butterflies can channel inner change as well as connect us with the history and memory of our ancestors before us.

Butterfly Charm

Butterflies help transform painful experiences—such as mourning or breakups—into opportunities to celebrate life to its fullest. Our butterfly charms are also perfect for venturing forth into new, transformative, environments; making them great for graduates, fiancés, and anniversaries.