The Ojai Bureau of Pleasure Celebrates our Mother, Psyche

The Greek name for Butterfly is Psyche and the same word means ‘the soul.’ There is no illustration of the immortality of the soul so striking and beautiful as the butterfly, bursting on brilliant wings from the tomb in which it has lain…after a dull, groveling caterpillar’s existence, to flutter in the blaze of day and feed on the most delicate productions of the earth. Psyche, then , is the human soul; which is purified by sufferings and misfortunes and is thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure happiness.

-BULLFINCH

The first stage of Psyche as a young womb-an is represented by ‘the egg’ where all of life begins from the warm, protected, nourishing comfort of the womb. Consciousness is born in this mortality and sets the stage for evolution.

As the most beautiful of three sisters, Psyche is ‘left alone on a pedestal,’ revered…but never touched. Aphrodite, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, sends her son Cupid to poison her with the fate of loving a hideous beast. Upon seeing Psyche, Cupid falls deeply in love. He pleads with his father, Zeus, to allow his union with her, despite her mortality. Zeus agrees upon the condition that she is never allowed to ‘see’ him or to know who he is.

Psyche allows herself to be carried away by an unknown lover who comes to her only at night and is never seen…...a lover who gives her a castle and everything she could ever want. She was really happy?!?!?! Her sisters, visiting one day, became jealous of her fairytale life and poisoned her thoughts with lies about her lover being an ugly, evil beast. After their departure Psyche began to question her so called ‘good fortune’ and she doubted the truth of her love with Cupid. That night she sneaked a peek of her lover…..Cupid awoke and Psyche saw he was a beautiful God…..then he disappeared.

This is the symbolic stage of sub-consciousness represented by a caterpillar…..consuming everything in sight…driven by an unknown force…..just as Psyche is driven by the thoughts of doubt and fear that lead to a massive change in her life.

Psyche soon realizes that the only thing she truly wants is Cupids love. She pleads with Zeus to reunite her with Cupid…..Aphrodite is livid at this proposition. Zeus agrees to the union IF Psyche can pass certain tasks that Aphrodite will design. Aphrodite creates three ‘impossible’ tasks. Psyche surrenders her beliefs about space, time, life, death and reality and trusts completely in her love with Cupid to guide her successfully through the following tasks:

1) To move a pile of grain overnight…….for which Cupid sends an army of ants to help her and the task is achieved.
2) To bring a wagon load of golden fleece from the sheep on Mt. Olympus (who do not allow mortals near them) without harming them…..for which Cupid sends an army of bees to chase the sheep through brambles that catch their fleece, allowing Psyche to retrieve it.
3) To go into Hades (hell) and get a sacred beauty oil from Persephone and bring it back to Aphrodite…..for which Cupid arranges an escort to guide her safely.

This is the symbolic stage un-consciousness represented by the chrysalis….the complete abandonment of the identity of ‘self’ and the surrender to possibility. Caterpillars literally become liquid before their transformation, just as Psyche liquefies her thoughts and merges with the internal rhythm of trust and love.

Zeus is impressed that Psyche went to hell and back again for love, for her hearts desires and a truth that there is possibility and he grants Psyche her ‘wings’ and immortality. She and Cupid are soon married and conceive a child….their daughter, Pleasure.

A butterfly enters the world fully formed and magnificently beautiful….a creature with the same soul and a completely different body….ready to fly. No longer bound to Earth, it’s purpose is to pollinate, copulate and propagate through the vehicle of grace. This is the symbolic space of cosmic consciousness, of liberation from the Earth bound mind…..represented in Psyche’s metamorphosis through mortality and the seemingly limited.