The Significant Dragonfly

Welcome Back!    You may wonder why I begin this post about a dragonfly, but there is a reason behind it. Stay with me as we encounter this wonderful little insect who illustrates its own world in the cause and effect of change and light, which can be applied to our own.

On a warm sunny day, I noticed a dragonfly who had decided to visit my patch of the world and lit upon the deck railing to take a look around. I very quietly approached it with camera in hand. The little insect didn't seem apprehensive with my human invasion and spread out its wings even more as if posing to show off and display its colored transparency. My "new friend" stayed long enough for me to get my fill of camera shots and then quickly took to the air in a remarkable fashion with twists and turns, seemingly able to move in all directions at once.  It then hovered in front of me, as a stand-still airborne helicopter and then sped off in amazing speed to explore life elsewhere.

There is much to be said about dragonflies and I would encourage you to read up on these fascinating insects estimated to have been around for some 300 million years according to fossil records.  Symbolism and mythologies have been attached to the dragonfly, from the profound to the ridiculous.  The "dragon-fly" has been blamed negatively because of its name and superstitions.   If it had been called the "I-can-fly", it would be more accepted without misgivings.  A few facts about dragonflies:
-  Research finds they can be useful for the biological control of mosquitoes. Be grateful if you see dragonflies in your area.  They keep mosquito populations under strict control by feasting on them when they are in abundance.  Another name for the dragonfly is "Mosquito Hawk".
-  They're also fascinating, beautiful and quite harmless - they have no sting since they don't have stingers.  Their long, abdominal tail region has often been mistaken for a stinger but it is actually called a "clasper" since they use it for mating and egg laying. 
-   The dragonfly has two large eyes which have about 30,000 lenses giving a 360 degree visual field, extremely sensitive to movement and a contributing factor in their predator prowess.  There is behavioral evidence that dragonflies have color vision and are sensitive to polarized light.

What is interesting is that the dragonfly crosses and combines with that of the butterfly which represents 
change, renewal and new life.  As metamorphosis changes a cocooned caterpillar into an emerging butterfly, so does the dragonfly emerge out of an underwater nymph state, transformed into an iridescent dragonfly. 

  A dragonfly represents growth and change and are reminders that we are light and can 

reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.

The dragonfly exhibits iridescence on its body and both wings.  Iridescence is the ability of colors to change based on the reflection and refraction of light which puts on a show of color magic as they fly through the air.  Light is essential to the adult dragonfly.  Without light, it cannot fly and will land briefly even if a cloud passes by. 
It is said that the dragonfly lives life to its fullest.  It instinctively knows that its adult lifespan is short, only long enough to reproduce then they die off when winter arrives.  Since a dragonfly lives a short life, it knows it must live its life to the fullest with the short time it has - which is a lesson for all of us.  As the dragonfly represents change, growth and clarity in the deeper meaning of life, so does God's Light do the same for us in the epiphany of His abiding presence.

  

We are currently in the Advent Season of Christmas in celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Son of the Father of Lights.  "Let there be light" is the divine prompting to use as a force within your life.  It seems appropriate to conclude with this a song which, incidentally, is called 'Father of Lights'.   The beautiful lyrics can be an instrument of prayer in daily living and a reminder that He is but a breath away....
This YouTube video is presented by Galations5.   Music and song by Jesus Culture 

You can also view this video at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDy3oMPJ_RA

Join me on Monday, December 17th for next week's post.