You might recall the beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly I helped transition in my hands while hiking not long ago. Well, another sweet soul found me again on a hike in the Redwoods just this past Thursday.

This time it was a California Sister Butterfly (pictured above and below), also known as Adelpha californica or “sisters” because of their white markings that resemble a nun’s habit. I found that reference particularly interesting since nuns live a life of prayer, contemplation, and solemn vows and my days lately have been filled with prayer songs and melodious incantations of intention. This day, finding her, being no different, as I was stringing together another layer of harmonies and creating woven declarations to move energy and transform it. A bridge being created heart to heart with so many other “sisters” and brothers across the land who have so generously been supporting the collective challenges being faced everywhere.

I also found another mini wasp nest (also pictured above and below) – I found SO many of these on hikes in Lake Tahoe recently that I’ve added to my nest mobile at home. I’ve never actually found any, any other place before but there. So, finding this one felt like another portal connection to work with the Tahoe basin energies toward fire support. I also happen to have with me one smaller raw quartz crystal I found near Star Lake back home – a place where firefighters are creating containment lines to hold any potential fire growth, and this also is acting as a portal of connection to there for Astrid and me, since it accompanied her within the travel carrier she journeyed inside.

But back to the nest significance – although wasps can be connected to all elements – because they can nest in the earth (earth element), can nest hanging in trees and also fly (air element), create hives of pulp and saliva (water element) and hover near water to keep hydrated, to me they are especially fire element connected. This is not only because of their ability to sting and that their sting burns, but because they are independent, reflect the energy of personal power and control, have warrior energy that will attack, and are connected with Spring’s fertile new beginnings and opportunities bursting forth.

So, I immediately was in awe of these two gifts that came to reside in my hands for the entire 6 mile hike we did, as I found them near the start – butterfly first and nest after.

I noted that again, this butterfly had the faintest almost not detectable bit of breath in her – even less than the Swallowtail. I found her upside down on the trail, which again was almost impossible that I saw her since the trail was laced with leaves matching the underside color of her wings. I stopped to pick her up and found her to be in perfect condition, minus one antenna gone (the Swallowtail from before had slightly damaged wings). She wasn’t moving, but after carrying her for a bit I noted again that her legs were holding to me and there was the faintest movement only I noticed. I knew I was to cradle her again with Reiki support for her transition, but that we’d both be gifting each other in these last moments.

Even her colors spoke to me…that earthy brown to embody and anchor, the orange tips of flames and optimistic warmth – both also the colors of Autumn transformation – and the white strokes of purity, innocence, possibility, newness, and spirit.

When I then found the wasp nest and had continued my creative visualization mixed with prayer songs, incantations of wholeness embodied as I wanted to see and experience it, and active processing of fire energies, I put two and two together of their combined purpose. Spirit and flesh merged through transmutational flames of creation to rise anew.

Yes, I was working with supporting the highest possible outcome with the fires back home, but I was also working with reclaiming my own fire parts – and this involved active declarations, vulnerable and raw acknowledgment, and release of fiery anger toward anything I could recall from the start of my life until now. In this way, providing them the access point to move through more fully. Once again, like before with my head injury, working with layers of reclaiming and releasing, but with a different twist and focus.

Energy and emotions aren’t wrong or bad if they’re allowed to flow and be honored. It’s when we block or judge them, or react from conditioning rather than respond with conscious awareness, that they evolve into something different and potentially harmful. Anger can be a precipice for action and change, rather than an instigator for violence, control, or manipulation.

By acknowledging and claiming these things, I then felt the release naturally unfold simply by allowing myself to be okay with stepping into a temporary place of owning it. I became powerful rather than being powered over by them and in that power I could also let them go and move into the next phase of creation.

Alchemy was naturally unfolding in my hands, as well as in my heart, body, mind, and soul.

The wasp nest came to represent my woven fire parts circling round into a connected spiral that had purpose and ability to build something beautiful, nurturing, and new when channeled consciously. The butterfly became the transformational vessel to transmute it and to understand the fluidity of change. Fire, itself, is also transformational and wasps also use their own form of alchemy to change wood to pulp to paper, to make their hives. So they also signify our ability to change and create our own alchemy. A double whammy dose of kapow! And coupled with the inner process I engaged, induced a huge out loud “wow!” from me.

I was in awe again at the perfection of these gifts mirroring the process that I was undertaking and the process I felt guided to work with to support things externally from within myself.

New energy life cycles and potentials I could feel being woven through this alchemy, as I journeyed through the lush Redwood forests.

And every little bit of magick I discovered in my surroundings spoke to the magickal possibilities I held in my hands and heart. We have so much more power to create and affect things than we think we do.

After the hike we stopped to pick something up at the grocery store and next to it was this store:

I marveled at the reflection to my Wonderland post and message just before we evacuated. Another portal sign connecting me to my magickal space back home, the one I carry in heart always, but also messaging me to continue to play in this field of experience, as the ingredients of open-hearted imagination merged with curiosity and playfulness will be the helpful recipe for greater flow of any challenged pieces within the puzzle of life.

And through these recent challenges I’ve discovered another layer of depth and empowerment that’s been so fluid and fun to me – the way I feel things can be if we choose that experience. And it’s simply been another reiteration to surrendering into who I am at heart.

My songs are my power.

My voice is my strength.

My vulnerability is my bridge.

And my faith is my guide to navigate me through.

There are many ways to work with energies and this is just one story – my experience of playing in the field of transformation alchemy.