I was talking recently to a friend about challenges that come up in our lives that feel like hard-core tests. My friend and I both believe the universe is always here to support us and wants only what’s best for us. So why would we be put through a hard test that makes us feel scared, weak, and defeated?
I’m not sure I know the answer. I myself have been on a roller coaster of emotions the past couple of weeks, compounded by tragedy in the news, changes in my life, and hardships I see friends go through. And then I remembered the moths.
One night during an emotionally and physically intense week of soul work with horses in Costa Rica last April, I returned to my cabin with a usual dose of anxiety. My cabin was last on the trail so I’d have to walk by myself in the dark, listening to sketchy jungle sounds along the way.
So that night in my dash to my cabin, I arrived to find a mob of gigantic moths covering my front door. There was also one lone moth flapping his enormous wingspan in the light fixture above my head. (By the way, every insect I saw in Costa Rica seemed outrageously huge. These guys looked prehistoric.) Now, being a certified intuitive animal communicator doesn’t mean I’m fearless in the face of a gang of mammoth moths. As my shaky hand put the key in the lock, I told them no one was allowed to follow me inside the cabin. Just then, the one in the light fixture dive-bombed into my head, flapped his wings in my hair, and I let out a blood-curdling scream. I jumped into my cabin, slammed the door behind me, and thankfully found none had flown in.
Weeks later as I was struggling to process the deep work I did on that trip, I looked up the meaning behind the moth spirit animal: transformation, keeping the faith in your journey, and understanding that what seems confusing now will become clear eventually. The moths were showing me that the challenges of that trip would benefit me later—and I’m still feeling the shifts from it unfold in my life now.
I do believe the universe has our backs, but it’s hard to remember that when you’re in the thick of a challenge, alone in the dark. I also believe that extremes in life are what result in real change and growth. So when you’re feeling helpless or lost, know it’s OK to not understand in the moment why your struggle is happening. I promise, just like prehistoric moths, you’ll be flapping around in the light soon enough.
It’s all about the magic. 🙌