Dragonflies Have Always Fascinated Me
“Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change, the messages of wisdom and enlightenment,…it may be time to break down the illusions you have held that restrict your actions or ideas.” pg. 145, Medicine Cards, Jamie Sans and David Carson, St. Martins Press, New York, 1999.
Dragonflies have always fascinated me. HUGE dragonflies used to come and land on the dock when I had summers by the water, fascinating me as a child and adolescent. Back then, when I looked at them, and in my child’s mind, I wondered how they stayed together.
I had not been in ministry long when I stumbled upon the book, Water Bugs, and Dragonflies. While the subtitle says Explaining Death to Young Children, I quickly learned that all age groups responded to and appreciated the story, a bereaved person often seeking me out to tell me that they have seen a dragonfly in a remarkable circumstance after the loss of a loved one. In every case, the person reporting the sighting asserted that they were sure it was their loved one bringing a message of comfort, reassurance, and/or support.
My family moved to Bloomington, Indiana. We lived in a small, renovated farmhouse that looked out on ten acres of “back yard,” filled with seasonally appropriate wildlife, year-round.
One year I was walking past the kitchen window and an odd, shimmering movement caught my eye. I moved back to look and saw, with amazement, thousands of dragonflies “dancing” in the pre-dusk light. I was mesmerized. After that, I tried to be aware to catch them every year.
Two separate times I saw them successive evenings in a row. I considered myself blessed by this seemingly magical display of shimmering exuberance.
When my youngest brother died, my family started wearing a Dragonfly necklace, created by friend Ken Kantro of Lovell Design. When my next youngest brother died, the symbol took on more meaning. I began collecting Dragonflies ~ entomological renderings, a large stained glass
piece of two dragonflies dancing, hand-thrown pottery lamps, earrings …. You name it. People who visited our home called it “the dragonfly house”. I have always found myself awed in the presence of dragonflies.
Then came the day that I realized the meaning of the dragonfly as a symbol of transformation, change, adaptability, and self-realization. What other does coaching encourage but these important opportunities for growth?
| Transformation Illumination Adaptability Power Joy Self-Awareness |  | Maturity Change Wisdom Clarity Poise Introspection |
