The Dragonfly And I

Sometimes I wonder about myself.

What I meant is that I was probably quite a different person a few years ago.  Not that I have totally flipped to the other side of the coin but some things have certainly changed.  Not so much outwardly but innately.

Although I have had a dragonfly totem for many years, it all started because it was something I liked and my attention was drawn to it.  Perhaps the dragonfly, as a symbolism, did grow on me. 

The dragonfly knows it has a short life; it knows that it must live its life to the fullest each day.  The life of the dragonfly is really quite simple, though somewhat complicated and unpredictable.  It basks in the morning sun to get warmed up and get started for the day.  It hunts for food for its survival and it looks for a mate to ensure the survival of its species.  Yet it lives very much on its own.  And it has to strive not to be preyed upon so that it will see the next sunrise. 

Anyway, five years ago, I wouldn't have imagined that today I would be chasing dragonflies, spending so much time looking for them and looking at them, learning about them and being contented doing everything on my own.  Nothing had been planned.  Everything simply fell into place by going with the flow of things, being truthful to myself and following the voices of the heart that guide the inner sense of self.

Like the transformation a dragonfly has to go through, similarly it seems to me that my life has "transformed" so much from how it used to be.

I am certainly living a simpler life now, a simpler way of life.  I don't have to concern myself about survival of the species and I don't have to hunt for my meals.  Yet, life, no matter how uncomplicated you try to make it, remains as complicated as it can be in its very being. 

On a day to day basis, what I do seems rather predictable but who knows what tomorrow will bring?  Like the dragonfly, you can never know.  Perhaps it would be another day with the usual trimmings, perhaps not.  The truth is that you will never know what will happen the next day.

So, for today, live it!

 

 

My Dragonfly Ruminations

The Odonata Checklist had been updated again just this morning.  A total of 20 species listed so far.  And there are more than 230 species recorded in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. 

Wow!

I wonder how many would be found in Langkawi?  It would be quite interesting to find out.  And I certainly hope there will be lots...

Quite often, people take up time-consuming hobbies or projects after retirement.  I am nowhere near that, though it does look like I am all set for it.  As it is, I spend many hours, most days of the week, compiling and identifying dragonflies or out dragonfly 'hunting'.  This project will keep my hands full and keep my days filled for many years to come.  Perhaps?

Anyway, a good friend recently asked, "Why dragonflies?"  I could not answer that because I really do not know.  I have had a dragonfly totem for nine years now.  If you had asked me the same question back then, I would not have had the answer either. 

So, of late, I have been asking myself that same question. 

I guess it has to do with nature to start with.  And, what I also do know is that the dragonfly somehow calls to me and puts a smile to my face every time I see it.  Hence, it is more symbolic in nature and for me, the dragonfly bears profound meanings and energies.

Everything happens for a reason.  After all, this is also exactly what nature is about...

 

What Is It About The Dragonfly?

I learned something new about the dragonfly today.

No, it is not another species of dragonfly that I found or the dragonfly life cycle or what they eat.  What I learned today is the symbolic meaning of the dragonfly.  Let us first take a look at some facts about the dragonfly...

Dragonflies are adaptive creatures.  They start their life cycles in the water as nymphs when the eggs hatch.  The nymph feeds on aquatic insects in the pond as it goes through several instars to develop.  Once it is fully grown, it will crawl out of the water when the weather is right, then shed its skin to complete its metamorphosis into a dragonfly.

The dragonfly will hunt for food and upon developing its full colours and maturity, will begin to look for a mate and the whole dragonfly life cycle starts again.  It has a short lifespan and knows what it must do.

Although the dragonfly may mean different things in different cultures, its symbolism is mainly centered on renewal, positive force and the power of life.

The growth stages of the dragonfly is symbolic of achieving a sense of self with maturity.  As a creature of the water and then moving to the air, it represents deeper thoughts coming to the surface, potentially life-altering thoughts, thus making the dragonfly a symbol of our thoughts.  As a creature of the wind, the dragonfly represents change and is a reminder to us to heed where the wind blows.

The dragonfly deals with the mind, dreams, balance, thoughts, awareness and living life to the fullest.  In addition, it is a symbol of strength, happiness and courage in many cultures.

When we look at nature, there are a lot of things we can learn there.  And it looks like the dragonfly too holds some of the greatest lessons on life for us!