Day 9 Grace Squared

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"Fourness emerges in our mandalas when our identity is closely aligned with the patterns of the archetype of the Self. This may occur when we feel strong, heroic, and bursting with energy. Oddly enough, the influence of the Self may be most apparent during times of transition when we feel deflated because our customary ego functioning is disturbed or challenged.  At times like this, the fourfold patterning of the Self shines through our mandalas, revealing its function as matrix and guarantor for the ego. The Self acts as a bridge to new ways of being, sometimes rewarding us with lovely mandalas when we badly need encouragement to go on." ~Fincher 

In my own life I have always associated the presence of butterflies with fleeting moments of grace. For me "grace" is experienced in the midst of the most difficult moments, when we need it most and expect it least.
For example: as I was struggling to complete college as a single parent, my commute to and from the college campus was quite treacherous during the winter months. There was a white-out one morning at a point in my journey that did not permit me to turn the car around. As I slowly crested the top of the hill, my wiper blades caked with snow, I entered a gap in the down pour. The sun cascaded through the crystal trees. Prisms of light danced among the branches. The tension went out of me. Still moving forward, the white-out conditions resumed. The elation I felt in that brief instant stayed with me. Bringing with it a confidence in the day and in myself.  That evening as I returned home, I passed five cars that had drifted off the roadway or rolled over into the ditch as they attempted to crest that hill. Hoping that there were no injuries for any of them, I thankfully made my way home to my children.

Traditional symbolism recognizes the butterfly as a symbol of transformation. Christian tradition equates the three stages of its life with life, death, and resurrection.  The Greeks believed human souls became butterflies while searching for a new reincarnation. "When you see a butterfly in your mandala, you might find that it is an affirmation of the power of the psyche to continually create itself anew (Jung). It may also reveal your departure from a dark night of the soul. A butterfly could be the announcement of a dramatic shift to a new way of being. Butterflies in your mandalas reflect your beauty, spirituality, and self-renewal." ~Fincher

It was a difficult day today. I actually had to rest a while before approaching the table to draw. The drawing began as a circle inside of a square bisected to identify the center point. I then added four over-lapping circles which crossed the lines of bisection. It is here that I saw the butterfly and found the determination to complete today's self-imposed assignment.