Home         Diary         Building Projects         Calendar         Links      www.strawbalestudio.org

  

Imaginal Cells: A Metaphor of Transformation

by Deanne Bednar, published in the Ecologic, Spring 2009.  

 

The term “imaginal cell” is given to those formative, embryonic cells embedded within the caterpillar which imagine and create the butterfly.  Beyond the “Presto-Chango” transformation of caterpillar to butterfly inside the chrysalis we so commonly hear about, I’ve been exploring the scientific details of metamorphosis ~ where truth is perhaps more amazing than fiction. When the Imaginal Cells present in the caterpillar become active, they coordinate the entire construction of the butterfly from the decayed body of the caterpillar that has been broken down almost entirely to ooze by its own digestive juices!  What an image! And there are yet more fantastic facets to this true story, this powerful metaphor, so read on, my fellow Imaginal Cell!  

 

 

From its birth, a caterpillar is a voracious consumer, eating so much and so fast that it outgrows and splits open its outer skin several times during its life. Each time this molting reveals a new soft inner skin that has formed under this becoming-oh-too-tight exoskeleton. Then at a point when the caterpillar matures, its hormones change and

it suddenly . . .  stops.    Stops eating.    Stops growing.

 

 

Wandering about for a while, it locates a safe place, often on the underside of a leaf, and creates a sticky attachment pad with a liquid, extruded by a gland near its mouth, which turns to a silken thread upon contacting the air. Attaching to the pad with hooks on its back legs, caterpillar then drops its body down into a “J curve”. The twitching seen at this stage is the inner caterpillar, now in its “pupa stage,” twisting and wriggling to separate from its old outer skin. Eventually the old exoskeleton splits apart, but this time instead of new skin, a harder shell called a “chrysalis” is created. 

 

 

Inside the protective casing of the chrysalis, the turmoil of transformation is taking place as the body of the caterpillar is being self-dissolved, from the inside out, by its own digestive enzymes! Imaginal Cells (also called imaginal buds, imaginal discs, or histoblasts) are some of the few components of the original caterpillar that are not broken down.  Instead, the Imaginal Cells are called to action, full engagement, to bring forth that which they have long awaited and held in their imagination. From the chaos of decay, and with their innate inner knowing, the Imaginal Cells connect, coordinate, and self-organize to create a butterfly that has an entirely new nervous system, digestive system, heart, legs and wings! 

 

 

Please pause to ponder this...

 

 

Although transformed, butterfly it is not yet ready for flight.  In order to assure that fluids will flow from its thorax into the wings, helping them to unfurl and expand, it is necessary that the butterfly struggle . . . squeeze . . . its way out of the chrysalis. Then the butterfly waits and is still for a brief but necessary resting period as fluids continue to pump into the wings, filling them out to their full size.  Now the transformation is complete and flight is possible. 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

I have been reflecting on this story for several years now, and it resonates profoundly with how I feel and what I am observing in the world. The metaphor helps me focus on the potential for a positive outcome amidst concerning, and potentially fearful changes. Elizabet Satoris reminds us that “The caterpillar is a necessary stage but becomes unsustainable once its job is done. There is no point in being angry at it, and there is no need to worry about defeating it. The task is to focus on building the butterfly the success of which depends on powerful and positive creative efforts in all aspects of society and alliances built among those engaged in them.”¹

 

 

Perhaps, like the imaginal cells, we know within, beyond words, how to coordinate our Great Turning toward a life-sustaining civilization.² There is a strong sensing that we have turned a corner . . . that the old order is naturally breaking down.  Within dissolving structures we see new and unexpected collaborations happening at an ever increasing speed between commerce, governance, food and energy production, education.  Vision and creativity are rising. There is a sensing, a calling, which feels like it is coming from an “innate intellique”, the kind of knowing that acorn has for the oak tree within, that imaginal cells have for the butterfly latent in its DNA. That which is needed for future unfolding, is present.

 

 

It is happening at all levels from global to national events, community to personal. World-wide movements and actions. A new president with new visions. Eco-Fairs, Transition Town Conferences, Connector Cafes. Stores moving in together -- the hardware sharing space with the motorcycle shop. An intensity of desire to gather locally, get to know and support each other, to barter, collaborate.

 

 

Perhaps you know what I am talking about when I say that . . .

… increasingly I meet people with whom there is an instant sense of “recognition”.  We look in each other’s eyes and somehow know we are part of a larger process of creating a future as beautifully different from conventional life as the Butterfly from the Caterpillar. While some have held these visions for a long time, others are newly awakening. Now we are all moving. Coming together. As quickly & with as much grace as possible.

 

 

Yet another level of connection is emerging. At night, while asleep, I am often having a reoccurring dreams about “creating a good local life” where children are building their own play areas in a wooded meadow . . . folks are hanging out, conversing and having a little commerce exchange in a thatched-roof home next to a sweet little city park . . . where delightful private areas and shared gardens are created in the spaces between beautiful small homes. . . where city streets are as enchanting and vital as my image of Old World Europe. These are happy dreams. 

And since I am getting a chance to experience this new way of being in my dream time, I feel more confident (when awake) that we can bring forth this kind of life where we as humans, and the world of nature in which we are embedded, can thrive. 

 

 

Perhaps you are having, or will have, dreams like this, too. Do they perhaps connect to a larger field of consciousness that is activated now and moving through these times? Could it be that we, like imaginal cells, are assisted by the flow of the life force, by DNA within . . . and helped to move from individual visioning to a shared wholeness we are co-creating?

 

 

	I am wondering, do you feel it ?     the “Imaginal Cell-ness” within… the sense of knowing… the feeling that we have turned a corner…   … that transformation has begun …   Do you feel it, too, this “Imaginal Cell-ness” within?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Great appreciation to Norrie Huddle, who wrote the book Butterfly which inspired Depak Chopra and other individuals who are promoting this concept of "imaginal cell".  She was kind enough to answer some of my questions engendered while researching this subject. 

 

Footnotes:

* http://vimeo.com/1280489   Chrysalis formation. 20 second Timelapse video

* http://www.yournaturephotos.com/Butterfly-Metamorphosis-Video.htm   Time-lapse video, entire metamorphosis

 

 

Article Footnotes:

 

 

1)  Elizabet Sahtouris: “Skills for the Age of Sustainability: An Unprecedented Time of Opportunity”,  transcribed in Tachi Kiuchi’s Tokyo newsletter, The Bride, May 2002.  Page 1. located at http://www.ratical.org/LifeWeb/Articles/theBridge0502.pdf

2) Johanna Macy:  “The Great Turning is a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.”

http://www.joannamacy.net/html/great.html

 

 

Text Box Footnotes

 

 

1) Deepak Chopra, Article: Metamorphosis. Resurgence Magazine, March, 2007.  

    Information for this article is drawn from Norie Hubble’s book, Butterfly.

 

 

2) Depak Chopra Interview with Larry King Live, January 22, 2005 - 21:00   ET.  Page 1. 

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0501/22/lkl.01.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further links & expanded writing on Imaginal Cells can be found at http://strawbale.pbwiki.com/Imaginal-Cells

 

 

 

 

 

“Transformation can sometimes be drastic.” “There is no better example in nature to reflect this than metamorphosis of the caterpillar into butterfly; an incredible transformation in functionality, appearance, organization of components and purpose “ 1)  “And soon these imaginal cells start to connect with each other, and as the rest of the body of the caterpillar dies, they use the dying carcass of the caterpillar as their nutritive soup. And when that connectivity reaches a critical threshold, then a genetic code wakes up, which has the information for wings, a new metabolism, a new creature that seeks its way to freedom.” 2)   Depak Chopra

 

 

 

 

 

“The caterpillar is a necessary stage but becomes unsustainable once its job is done. There is no point in being angry at it, and there is no need to worry about defeating it.  The task is to focus on building the butterfly the success of which depends on powerful and positive creative efforts in all aspects of society and alliances built among those engaged in them.” 3)               Elizabet Satoris

 Home         Diary         Building Projects         Calendar         Links      www.strawbalestudio.org