The word metamorphosis is pivotal to my new piece, Tribute. Have you looked it up? I love words. Sometimes when I know a word I will still look it up in the dictionary just to get another feel for it, some fresh insight. On my growing stack of books waiting to be read, I have one that I took to bed last night. The title is Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis by Kim Todd. She describes “metamorphosis [as], the progression of change that revealed new talents, new aspects of personality…”. This will be the primary symbol in this design, the butterfly, not the one that is redundant and trite, but the one that truly seeks transformation.
“Her careful observations made her one of the first to describe metamorphosis, the unsettling process by which a species, in the middle of its life, swaps one body form for another.”
“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
~~~~~Rabindranath Tagore
layers…. intriguing…
The root word “meta” means change. I believe that the “metamorphisis” that we seek, we can not find. But in a magicical moment, it will be thrust on us whether we are ready or not. It is a word that embodies every spiritual quest. And I feel, that Art is a spiritual quest.
But then maybe life itself is a spiritual quest. Oh well, I am getting in over my head.
I like your train of thought here. When I think of metamorphosis I think of Kafka too, and the story of the man waking up to find himself a beetle. I think you are right. The changes we seek we don’t find with intent. It is when we are looking somewhere else that we evolve. I can see you have much depth on the subject. I suppose we could go on for hours…these discussions definitely prompt more openings like Chinese boxes, one after the other. Talking in this vein is exciting.
shifting shapes in a body swap is a powerful image. i see your story is unfolding nicely.
Yes, I think this exchange, this swapping of forms is a key symbol here, particularly in the “middle of its life”. It would seem to fit the story. However, now I am onto another thought…I like your description “shifting shapes” as this would seem to be another vision for expression. Very nice phrase.
The transformation of one thing to another is one of the key things that I love about gardening, cooking, whatever project I might be working on-including myself.
Another word came to mind as I thought about this and looked at what you are doing, alchemy
You are so right. Everything we do includes some form of transformation. All the creative domestic things we engage in without much thought, like cooking for example. Gardening is all about transformation and growth. How we grow and evolve, becoming something else, can be gradual or rather quick, like when you wear an outfit that is completely transforming to one’s persona. I really like your suggestion of the word, alchemy, the magic it implies.