This is from a blog I wrote a few years ago...

August 10, 2008 - Sunday
the butterfly
Current mood: fascinated
I may seriously be off my rocker here but...

Today Jason and I were making some changes in our decorating namely in the living room. We have always had an affinity for asian inspired stuff so we bought some new things yesterday for the walls and in the process decided to change the whole color palette of the room from the blues to reds. We use to have a blue couch and a lot of stuff was based on that but earlier this year we changed out that old couch for a new brown leather one. The blue worked well enough with it but we weren't really feeling it as much as we use to. We have been making changes all over the house recently and will be getting another brown sofa so we can move our tan one into our spare room. So with all the brown and black in the room, navy was just too much. Plus we have this awesome red buddha that was Jason's grandma's and it just didn't have a place with the old stuff. So we moved out our blue chair too which I am hoping I can find a nice home for since I really hate to throw something perfectly good away. Moving the chair left room for us to shift the dragon/asian trunk we found to right below the window. I thought why not put that red buddha there sitting on the trunk framed by red curtains that I moved from another room to replace the blue ones that were there before.

Here is where the butterfly comes in, the only window in the living room that has the curtains drawn is the one where the air conditioner is which is also the one above Buddha. I noticed there was a shadow of a butterfly on the window. I took this as a sign for a few reasons. One, butterflies always remind me of asian things. Two, the symbolizes change and transition. Three, I couldn't help but feel like it was the presence of a loved one around us. One reason I was thinking that was because right before I noticed it Jason and I were discussing where we should put the Renoir painting we had of his grandma's as once again it has too much blue and just doesn't fit with the new living room. It was like saying that it was ok to change things. I know I sound like a freak with this but even though I am not religious, I am very spiritual. Especially lately feeling my lost loved ones around me constantly. Also ironically the song I use for Jason on my cell phone is called "Sleeps with Butterflies".

I found an interesting thing that talks about what butterflies mean to different cultures/heritages. It speaks for itself.

Many of the ancient civilizations believed that butterflies were symbols of the human soul.

The Greeks believed that a new human soul was born each time an adult butterfly emerged from its cocoon.

Butterflies have been used by the Chinese and Japanese cultures for centuries as symbols of joy and the essence of happiness. Both cultures have added them to manuscripts, paintings and drawings for centuries.

Early Europeans believed that the human soul took the form of a butterfly so, they viewed the butterfly with great respect and often with fear.

Northern Europeans throught that dreams were the result of the soul-butterfly's wanderings through other worlds.

In southern Germany, some say the dead are reborn as children who fly about as butterflies, resulting in the belief that they bring children.

The Irish believe that butterflies are the souls of the dead waiting to pass through purgatory.

Native American Indian legends told that butterflies would carry the wishes to the Great Spirit in heaven to be granted.

Shoshone Indians believed that butterfles were originally pebbles, into which the Great Spirit blew the precious breath of life.

Native American Zuni tribes believed that butterfles could predict the weather. The Zuni also believed that the white butterfly predicts the beginning of summer.

The Blackfeet Indians believe that dreams are brought to us in sleep by a butterfly.

The butterfly is a symbol of the fertility of the earth among some tribes of Mexico.

Born out of the caterpillar in the chrysalis, butterflies were a symbol of rebirth, regeneration, happiness, and joy to Native Americans in Mexico.

The Maya looked upon butterflies also as the spirits of dead warriors in disguise descending to earth.

A dying man in the Solomon Islands has a choice as to what he will become at death and often chooses a butterfly.

Among the Nagas of Assam the dead are believed to go through a series of transformations in the underworld and are finally reborn as butterflies. When the butterfly dies, that is the end of the soul forever.

The Aztecs believed that the happy dead in the form of beautiful butterflies would visit their relatives to assure them that all was well. These butterflies flew around the house and around bouquets of flowers which were carried by Aztec men of social rank.

Metamorphosis of butterflies and moths is one of the mysteries of Nature. The ability of these insects to change from the crawling caterpillar to the flying adult is almost magical.
Many people are so awe inspired by the metamorphosis that they believe that butterflies and moths could never have evolved over millions of years without a God behind it.

The night butterfly [the moth] attracted by the flame, like the soul attracted by heavenly truths, burns in the flame, reflection of the trials that must be endured to eliminate the fleshy sink-stones before knowing the joys of the beyond.

Hmm... maybe I am not so crazy about this butterfly thing afterall.

Lady Gaga has over 10 million fans on facebook???

Wow! Apparently I am the only one that hates her. I think she is terrible and I wish she would disappear. She is a perfect example of why I can't listen to music on the radio. I don't have much else to say about her but when I heard on the Today Show that she is the first person to reach 10 million fans on facebook, I couldn't believe it. 2012 must really be the end of the world afterall. Oh great the Today Show is doing a whole piece on her now... click... Ok I seriously just heard someone on tv say that her music breaks barriers. Get the fuck out of here!!!