Personal Transformation: The Lesson of the Dragonfly

In many cultures the dragonfly symbolizes change and transformation, adaptability, maturity, illumination, wisdom, clarity, poise, strength, and happiness. In Japan, the dragonfly is associated with autumn and rebirth. In the Chinese practices of Feng Shui, dragonflies represent new insights and positive changes. I’ve mostly been enamored with the dragonfly as a symbol of personal transformation.

I’m the dragonfly rising on the wings of unlocked dreams on the verge of magical things. ~ Aimee Stewart

The dragonfly has an interesting beginning. It spends most of its life as a nymph or naiad beneath the water’s surface. This stage in the dragonfly’s life can be equated to the human growth and development period marked by immaturity, unconsciousness, or the unenlightened self.

The nymph molts many times over a period of several months to years as it prepares to transform itself. This molting represents the incremental changes we make as we encounter life. We notice that each experience changes us in some material way. We’re growing.

When the nymph is ready to metamorphose to an adult, it climbs up enough to peek its head above the surface of the water and remains there until its respiratory system adapts to breathing air. This is the maturation phase and the first time the dragonfly is aware of life above the surface of the water. For humans, this is the awakening. This is the period when we realize we can be more than what we have been in the past and that life has so much more to offer us. This is when we realize that we must transform to live the life we are destined to live. We now see a world that is expansive and filled with adventure and opportunity. While there may be fear because we haven’t fully let go of the past, there is much about the future that gives us hope.

The dragonfly crawls out of the larval skin, emerges and takes flight. This is personal transformation. This is also a period of self-realization. The dragonfly knows there is no turning back. She cannot survive under the water any longer. She must fly and fly she does with beauty, poise and elegance. For humans, once we’ve experienced the light, we cannot return to darkness. Once we’ve experienced freedom, we will never be happy confined to a life less than what we know we can have and deserve.

The life as an adult dragonfly is short. Every day counts. This is important for us to remember. When we reach a higher consciousness of who we are, what we want, and what we have to offer the world, we must live out our destiny fervently and purposefully. Every day is a gift to treasure.

The dragonfly is a fascinating and insightful symbol of change and transformation. As I celebrate my birthday today, I see the dragonfly as a representation of my own growth and transformation. I am ready for what lies ahead, and I know that returning to my past is not an option.

If you find yourself going through a personal transformation and would like to read more articles like this one, listen to podcasts, and have access to resources to support your journey, visit my website, Your Aha! Life. You’ll also be able to subscribe to my monthly newsletter and read more about my private Facebook group, The Aha! Community. If you’d like to connect directly with me for a complimentary 30-minute conversation, email me at tonya@yourahalife.com.