Lessons I've learned from the Ladybug.

Today I found another Pasqueflower just unfurling its petals, and a Ladybug was once again present on the scene. Since I've seen Ladybugs almost every time I've photographed spring flowers over the past month, I finally GOT the message today (yes, I'm pretty THICK!) to absorb their beneficial qualities into my life. Here are some of the things I've learned.

First, just as the Ladybug's seeming flamboyance and confidence manifest themselves superbly in the bright-hued design of its wing covers, so the time is now ripe for me to act more confidently and flamboyantly in putting my spiritual vision out into the world. Over the past month, several important elements of that vision have clarified, and I am now ready to embody my calling in a new way.

A second lesson arises from the fact that the Ladybug withdraws like a turtle into its shell whenever it feels threatened. Although it has wings and can easily fly away, it more often withdraws into itself when apparent danger arises. This habit instructs me always to maintain my practices of spiritual retreat, meditation and solitude. Like the Ladybug, I too am called to remain with the challenges of life, using them as opportunities for deepening my practice of solitude and spiritual retreat rather than seeking instead to "fly away" from those challenges.

Photo: Ladybug and unfurling Pasqueflower, Lory State Park, CO, March 15, 2015