The beautiful metaphor of the dragonfly and the cycles of life

The metaphor of the dragonfly is a very interesting symbolic resource to understand life cycles. Sometimes, this type of references is very useful in which the literary is mixed with the mystical, the anthropological with the undoubted strength that some beings in the natural world have.

Wolves, cats, butterflies, elephants… Animals and their attributes always offer us good lessons that can serve as inspiration.

The dragonfly is one of them. Traditionally, it stands as a totem that encompasses two basic processes: adaptability and transformation.. This insect has always attracted the attention of human beings for being a creature that belongs to three of the spheres of this world: earth, water and air.

Its transformation processes, from when it is a nymph until it becomes a dragonfly, lead it to be in contact with those essential scenarios of nature itself.

It is a creature of great beauty and fragility that has belonged to this planet long before we appeared as a species.. In fact, and as a curiosity, we know that there were already dragonflies in the Carboniferous period (more than 300 million years ago). But they were, however, somewhat different: they had a large wingspan and their wings reached 90 cm.

That gigantism was significantly reduced to what we know them now. They are ethereal and almost magical creatures that border any area where there is water and from which we can learn various teachings.

The dragonfly metaphor: changes, adaptation and advances

The anisopterans or dragonflies are one of the most fascinating insects in the invertebrate kingdom. They are incredibly fast, in fact they can reach 85 km/h. One of the most attractive aspects for scientists and those curious about them are their eyes.

They have about 30,000 hexagonal facets and each one has its own lens and retina. All of this with one purpose: to provide you with one of the most perfect views of nature, the one with which you can see 360º of your surroundings at a single glance at all times.

However, Beyond its anatomy, its striking colors or its extraordinary flight, there is its symbolism. The metaphor of the dragonfly is rooted in multiple cultures, the same ones that have observed in its life cycle, a similarity to our own existence. Let’s analyze it in detail.

A life of transformations

The dragonfly has a very particular life cycle. It goes through three very specific phases in its metamorphosis, which range from when it hatches from an egg, through the nymph phase until it becomes a spectacular dragonfly. This journey lasts between 3 and 6 years, but curiously the shortest stage is the latter.

Its stage as a dragonfly lasts just a few weeks. Most of its existence is spent as a water creature, a nymph that breathes through gills and feeds on worms and tadpoles. Later, it begins to transform, and this journey of changes forces it to undergo about 15 molts of skin until its wings emerge.

Both dragonflies and ourselves adapt to that vital journey of changes where almost nothing is static. They understand that, to survive in any environment, you have to change, shed skin, let go of old ways.. Only then will we be able to be what has always been inside us and what we dream of.

Live every day to the fullest

The dragonfly metaphor teaches us a valuable lesson. The need to make the most of every day. When the nymph sheds the last of its skin and its wings emerge, it is aware that its existence will be ephemeral. It is time then to embrace the wind, to travel, to explore, to discover a world far removed from their previous comfort zone: water.

We too must be able to appreciate life with the same passion and delicacy.

The dragonfly metaphor: balance

Throughout time there is something that has fascinated almost any culture about these invertebrates: their wings. In addition to its tones, its chromatic games and flashes, its refined flight maneuvers draw attention. Dragonflies are powerful and elegant in the air despite having spent much of their lives in water.

As a curiosity, they beat their wings about 30 times per minute (unlike mosquitoes which do it about 600 times). They have 20 times more strength in their wings than other insects and their flight maneuvers are very striking and precise.

Japan is one of the cultures that most reveres this insect because, for them, it symbolizes balance in life.

The final journey to the afterlife

For Native Americans, the dragonfly metaphor represents a guiding spirit. For them, this invertebrate remembers the final journey of every human being, the one where after a long life we ​​leave the world of land and water to be a creature of the air. A winged being that finally ascends to that other sphere where we become spirits, free souls.

They are, as we see, interesting and evocative concepts.. Meanings where the symbolic is woven, the magic of the animal world and those cultures that see in nature, a mirror where we see ourselves reflected. It is worth keeping in mind.

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