The In-Between: The Goo Before the Wings
Did you know that when a caterpillar enters a cocoon, its body turns into a kind of organic soup? That ten-dollar word—metamorphosis—so often used to describe the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is as profound as it sounds. The molecules that once formed the crawling creature completely disassemble and rearrange themselves, creating something entirely new.
From the moment it hatches from a tiny egg, the caterpillar already carries the entelechy—the genetic blueprint—of the butterfly within it. Yet, in its earthbound form, it inches along slow and cumbersome. No uninformed onlooker could watch this creeping creature and predict it’s miraculous future form. It gives no outward sign that it will one day take to the skies and drink the nectar of flowers.
Still, the butterfly is encoded in the deepest structure of the caterpillar. When the time for transformation arrives, there are no alarms, no external bells or whistles—only an innate summoning. The caterpillar simply follows this instinct, seeking a sheltered place to enclose itself in a delicate chrysalis. And there, in that sacred space, it surrenders to the mysterious reordering.
Within the cocoon, the caterpillar deconstructs into something unrecognizable—its very being is reduced to formlessness. It is neither what it was nor what it will become. It is in the pause, the in-between before the wings.
As all that the pupa has known itself to be dissolves into worm goo, it must trust the design—the hidden intelligence guiding its transformation.
There is no instruction manual for becoming a butterfly, no one nudging her forward or holding her hand. In the secret embrace of nature she unfolds her delicate wings, aided only by time, design, and gravity. And in her solitude there are no onlookers or cheerleaders as the butterfly steps into her birthright.
There is only the continued surrender to an ancient process, the trust in the innate blueprint and the allowance of its unfolding.
What eventually emerges is composed of the same organic material, yet it is utterly transformed. The butterfly is no longer served by the ways of the worm and the former, earth-clinging existence has no place in its new reality.
This mirrors our own transformation. There comes a moment when the life we’ve been living feels heavy, ill-fitted to the deeper truth encoded within us. We sense something calling us to transmute, to reorganize the very fabric of who we are.
We recognize when it’s no longer business as usual. The old ways no longer serve us.
In this space, we may feel lost—no longer who we were, yet not quite what we are becoming. I’ve found myself here more than once. When suspended in this in-between, there is a temptation to rush, to pry open the cocoon before the transformation is complete—while the wings are still forming, strengthening, preparing. But this process cannot be forced. A flower cannot be willed to bloom before its time. It must be nurtured—given the right soil, warmth, and water—until it opens on its own timeline.
As we move through our metamorphosis, we are called to leave behind the ways of the worm that no longer serve our emerging form and surrender to this higher order. The one who groveled for life’s crumbs has completely dissolved. That former creeping and clinging was part of the process, but we are something entirely new now—structurally reorganized.
This transformation is not just a shift in form, but a profound reordering of what comprises our beingness. The old patterns, fears, and limitations that once defined us are irrelevant in this new reality. As our wings take shape, we are invited to trust the process, to embrace the unfolding, and to surrender to the blueprint that is our birthright. This is the moment of emergence—the threshold between what was and what is becoming.
Q’s for Self-Reflection:
- Have you experienced a transformation like this in your own life? What did it teach you?
- Where do you feel you are in your current metamorphosis—caterpillar, cocoon, or emerging butterfly?
- What ways of the worm (old patterns, beliefs, or habits) are you being called to dissolve as you prepare for your next evolution?
- Flight is imminent—how will you embrace your new wings, and where will they take you?
