1: Metamorphosis

The Butterfly Story

(excerpt)

. . . the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

(Author unknown. Excerpt from: The Butterfly Story )

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I think a primary reason I love the film Shelter as much as I do is the way it chronicles the process of personal transformation. The story is particularly significant for those who've had to emerge from a cocoon of dysfunction in order to free themselves from the bondage of low self-esteem.

Dr. Louise Hart's miraculous book On the Wings of Self Esteem is a perfect "field guide" to the beauty, majesty and mystery of inner growth.

The book offers a step-by-step approach to understanding how an unhealthy family dynamic can contribute to a fractured sense of self. It then provides wonderful insight into how people can allow their hearts to soar, let their spirits take flight and live out their destiny.

In a modern world that constantly forces humans into prefabricated existences and preconceived identities, it is a constant struggle to be an authentic individual. Once authenticity is achieved, beauty abounds. Once beauty is revealed, creativity naturally follows. Authenticity is, therefore, the necessary precursor to creation and creation is the very essence of life.

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"With each pulse, fluid is forced into the soft wings, stiffening them . . . With one final contraction, the excess fluid is expelled from the body. The butterfly has become the magnificent work of art it was meant to be all along. "

- Dr. Louise Hart