Hello from Heaven

I thought I'd come back and write a second post. I didn't pick a card for this one. I chose one instead. For this post, we have the Ace of Butterflies. As I probably said before, The Favole comes without any information about suit elements, so the reader can therefore choose which element he or she feels fits with each. This might come as a shock for those who can't work without a 453 page guidebook, but I found it refreshing. I laid all of the court families out and decided which I felt went with water, air, fire, and earth. I have a different arrangement to some I have read of on the internet, but it makes sense to me. I attribute the suit of Butterflies to air.

This suit became stronger for me today. After hearing the sad news about Julie this morning, I took my coffee into the garden, while I waited for my friend to arrive. I was thinking about my boyfriend's aunt and almost asking for some kind of sign - something to show me that all of the pain had now passed for her. I was hoping that the wind might blow or something would fall from the trees, but instead, out of the bushes next to where I was sitting, a beautiful butterfly suddenly spiraled into view and rested beside both the pond and I. Now, the reason that I noticed this butterfly was because this is not the first time something like this has happened to me. When I was 19, my friend's mother, who I was very close to, also died of cancer. On a cold day, we made our way to her funeral and stood around the graveside. As the priest began to speak, a single butterfly dropped from nowhere and began to flutter above the grave. Everyone stopped and watched it as it eventually rested on the coffin. Afterwards, many who I spoke to mentioned the little butterfly.

Another friend's mother had the exact same experience. She was so mesmerised by the butterfly which stole the show at her own mother's funeral that she had a small one tattooed on her shoulder as a constant memory. I grabbed my Blackberry this morning and moved nearer to the pond, eventually taking a photograph of the beautiful creature. It sat there, still as anything, for a good ten minutes before eventually flying away.

After taking the picture, I went onto Google to see if anything was written about all of this and was surprised to find many links about people seeing butterflies after the death of a loved one. Apparently, it is called ADC (After Death Communication). It isn't only limited to butterflies, but it seems that they are one of the most often seen creatures in this situation. On one site, authored by Bill and Judy Guggenheim, it says " People frequently ask a Higher Power, the universe, or their deceased loved one for a sign that he or she still exists. Many receive such a sign, though it may take some time to arrive. Occasionally these signs are so subtle they may be missed, or they may be discounted as mere "coincidences." Common signs include: butterflies, rainbows, and many species of birds and animals. According to our research, the purpose of these visits and signs by those who have died is to offer comfort, reassurance, and hope to their parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandchildren, other family members, and friends. They want you to know they're still alive and that you'll be reunited with them when it's your time to leave this physical life on earth – and they'll be there to greet you when you make your transition".

The butterfly is a well know symbol of transformation, due to it's impressive method of metamorphosis. I have read that the butterfly is linked to the soul by some cultures, including those in Greece (Psyche , which actually translates as soul, was represented in the form of a butterfly), the Mexican Aztecs and those in Central Asia. It makes sense to me as an 'after death communicator' since it has released itself from it's earthly baggage.

Of course, all of this could be purely coincidental and you could quite easily argue that people see what they want to see in times of grief. However, regardless of this, seeing something as beautiful and simple as this butterfly has provided a lot of people with peace of mind. In that sense, it can cut through their despair and bring new understanding. This is the main reason why I have chosen to write this post, because it reminds me of the Ace of Swords in traditional tarot. In this deck, Swords have been replaced by Butterflies. When I next get this card, I have so much more to think about. I will remember how that beautiful little creature spiraled into my morning and brought sunlight into the darkness. This card is like that, because it cuts through the densest fog with clarity. You could call it a hello from Heaven.


Illustration from The Favole Tarot by Victoria Frances