Butterfly Symbolism

There is much to say about the Butterfly. Butterfly symbolism is closely tied to the idea of spirits and souls. In many cultures, the word is symbolized for a long life. Other cultures believed that spirits of the dead took the form of white butterflies. In particular, Greek mythology, link butterflies to the human soul, whether they by living, dying, or already dead. The Ancient Greeks also considered butterflies as the souls of those who had passed away. They are a symbol of change, joy, and color and their flight appears as dancing which symbolizes as a reminder not to take things so seriously. They have a sense of lightness and joy and are reminders to get up and move, for if you can move you can dance, and dance brings joy. The butterfly is a powerful symbol for transformation. It leaves the safety of the cocoon in its’ new form. This is an excellent image for anyone contemplating, or in the midst of a major change, such as the healing of a possible terminal illness, like Cancer. We are all small and appear to be the same, such as a caterpillar, but as we grow older, our true beauty shows, such as the butterfly. Like a butterfly, we are all different, and beautiful in our own way. To what I hope to represent in Spirit Gardens, is that each cancer patient staying there would be able to go to the butterfly aviary and see what they can become. They may be sick and in the midst of undergoing treatment at the hospital, but Spirit Gardens can be their place to heal through other means, and find the strength in them to recover. They will come to this retreat as a caterpillar and leave this retreat as a butterfly. I will be incorporating the butterfly into many aspects of my design at Spirit Gardens. There will be a showcase of a butterfly aviary located in the glass dome of the former Conservatory of the Two Sisters that will represent the “Spirit” of Spirit Gardens. I will also represent the butterfly in the design work of my interior spaces by taking different aspects and qualities of the butterfly, and representing them abstractly. I will have lighting design inspired by the structural coloration of the minute scales caused by the result of the scattering light of the photonic nature of the scales. Studies have already been shown that this reflection and scattering light by the scales have led to the innovation of more efficient light emitting diodes. Also, I will abstract the mimicry qualities of butterflies when space planning the interior of the residential spaces. Being that butterflies are so fragile and threatened in their early stages of life and are constantly on defense, much like a person contracted with Cancer having to constantly defend against the deadly disease, have evolved
mechanisms that help in their own defense. These mechanisms has led to the evolution of bright colors of all sorts, which is where I will get my inspiration for the guest rooms, and use the bright colors that you would see in a butterfly to help uplift the patients in their time of healing and defending. Due to nanotechnology research inspired by the structural coloration of butterflies, I will use paints that do not use toxic pigments.