The metaphor of dragonfly is a very interesting symbolic resource for understanding life cycles, sometimes this type of reference is very useful where the literary mixes with the mystical, the anthropological with the undisputed force of certain beings of the natural world.
Wolves, cats, butterflies, elephants? Animals and their attributes always offer us good lessons that can inspire us.
- Dragonfly is one of them.
- Traditionally presented as a totem that encompasses two basic processes: adaptability and transformation.
- This insect has always caught the attention of humans as a creature belonging to three of the spheres of this world: earth.
- Water and air.
His transformation processes, from nynfa to dragonfly, lead him to be in contact with these essential scenarios of nature itself.
It is a creature of great beauty and fragility that has long belonged to this planet, before the emergence of the human being as a species, in fact, and out of curiosity, we know that dragonflies already existed in the carboniferous era (more than 300 million years ago), but they were a little different: they had a large wings and their wings reached 90 cm.
This gigantism has been greatly reduced to the point that we know it today, they are ethereal and almost magical creatures that border any region where there is water and from which we can learn various lessons.
“The dragonflies remind us that we are light
The anistopters or dragonflies are one of the most fascinating insects in the realm of invertebrates, they are incredibly fast, reach 85 km/h, for scientists and the curious one of the most attractive aspects of them are their eyes.
They have about 30,000 hexagonal facets and each has its own lens and retina. All this with one goal: to offer the animal one of the most perfect views of nature, which allows it to see 360 degrees around it with a single glance.
However, in addition to its anatomy, impressive colors and extraordinary flight, there is its symbolism. The metaphor of dragonfly is rooted in several cultures, which have observed in their life cycle a resemblance to our own existence. look at it in detail.
Dragonfly has a very special life cycle, goes through three very specific phases in its metamorphosis, from the hatching of the egg, through the nympha phase to becoming a spectacular dragonfly, this journey lasts between 3 and 6 years, but it is interesting to note that the shortest stage is the last.
The dragonfly stage lasts only a few weeks, much of its existence is lived as an aquatic creature, a nympha that breathes through the gills and feeds on worms and tadpoles, over time begins to transform and this journey of change forces it to undergo about 15 skin changes until the wings appear.
Dragonflies and we adapt to this vital journey of change where almost nothing is static, they understand that to survive in any environment it is necessary to change, change skin, abandon the old methods, only then can we be what has always been in us and what we dream.
The dragonfly metaphor teaches us a valuable lesson: the need to make the most of everyday life. When the nympha changes its last skin and the wings emerge, it is aware that its existence will be fleeting. Then it’s time to embrace the wind, travel, explore, discover a world away from your old comfort zone: water.
We must also be able to enjoy life with the same passion and delicacy.
Over time, there is an aspect of these invertebrates that has fascinated virtually every culture: their wings; In addition to its tones, chromatic games and sparks, its refined flight maneuvers are remarkable. Dragonflies are powerful and elegant in the air, although they have spent much of their lives in the water.
Out of curiosity, they move their wings about 30 times per minute (unlike mosquitoes, which do it about 600 times), they have 20 times more strength in their wings than other insects, and their flight maneuvers are very impressive and precise.
Japan is one of the most revered cultures of this insect because, for them, it symbolizes exactly the balance of life.
For Native Americans, the dragonfly metaphor represents a guiding spirit, for them these invertebrates remember the final journey of every human being, that place we go after leaving the world of earth and water to become creatures of the air. in this other sphere, where we become spirits, free souls.
As we see, they are interesting and suggestive concepts, meanings in which symbolism mixes with the magic of the animal world and cultures that see nature as a mirror in which we see ourselves reflected, reflections that deserve to be taken into account.