Tell a wise person, or else keep silent,because the mass man will mock it right away.I praise what is truly alive,what longs to be burned to death.
In the calm water of the love-nights,where you were begotten, where you have begotten,a strange feeling comes over you,when you see the silent candle burning.
Now you are no longer caught in the obsession with darkness,and a desire for higher love-making sweeps you upward.
Distance does not make you falter.Now, arriving in magic, flying,and finally, insane for the light,you are the moth and you are gone.And so long as you haven’t experienced this: to die and so to grow,you are only a troubled guest on the dark earth.
~The Holy Longing,by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Have you ever felt such a beautiful and terrifying longing--for the light, for love? If so, Moth may be one of your totems. No one can ever be sure why moths--or humans for that matter--are willing to get their wings singed, but it seems to have something to do with their lunar natures: moonlight beckons them from out of their day-time slumber into the mysteries of the night where anything can happen. Moths dance on the edge of shadow and light, are otherworldly, and have always been heralded as keepers of secret knowledge. They represent concealment, allurement, seduction.
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Arkansas Luna Moth[/caption]
Like butterflies, Moths are symbols of transformation: those times in our lives when what has been hidden is revealed, and our mercurial souls long to mold into new shapes, giving birth to illuminating creations. Moths differ from their colorful counterparts who flitter around sunny gardens in that they are fully awake in the dark. Are YOU willing to navigate through your darkest hours, through the dark night of the soul? This requires a strong willingness to be vulnerable. Moths must trust their extra sensory perception, and develop sensitivity to the field: heightened awareness of feelings and sensations inside and all around. It takes great courage to face the unseen; the unknown. It requires faith.
The next time you see a moth determined to get as close to the light as she can, ask yourself, “What am I longing for right now? What would I risk everything to obtain or accomplish? What goal or desire is worth my very life to try and reach?
Then…consider flying straight toward it!
