At the end of its life, the caterpillar undergoes a mind-boggling metamorphosis. Fueled by a deep inner knowing, the caterpillar wraps herself in a thick, silky cocoon to submit her entire existence to an unknowable transformation—a process catalyzed by the imaginal cells buzzing within her DNA. When this alchemical biological miracle ends & a butterfly emerges, the imaginal cells will be the only part of the original caterpillar genetic material remaining. Indeed, without these mysterious foreign emissaries from the future butterfly, no transmutation could occur.

Against all odds, these imaginal cells triumph. Previously dormant and totally unaware of each other, the activated imaginal cells find each other inside the dark mush of the cocoon and work their magic of transforming the darkness into what eventually emerges: a butterfly. It is within the safety of the cocoon, the nourishment of total darkness that they are able to grow strong and catalyze…