Funny you should ask. For years now, followed by moths am I. In every home, always one or two for company, the powdery trace left on my desk. Moths are the less glamorous echo of butterflies, but in truth moths "evolved long before butterflies; and this type of Lepidoptera are thought to have co-evolved with flowering plants" which, in my view, adds to their magic. Of course for some, moths have positive economic significance in the form of the precious silkworm, for others the flutter of their wings is the clarion of ravenous pests of both forests and orchards. Whatever one might say about them, or their rich legend and lore, one cannot remain indifferent.
Whether nourrished by fruit, forest, cloth fibers or their inner selves, the fibers woven by these messenger moths invite transformation, a metaphorical ressurection, or perhaps a reclamation of what one's soul loves. As I admire them, I am reminded to dance lightly as I near the glow amidst darkness. In their own patient way, the moths have drawn out of me a tinkering wordsmith, ore maker, alchemist who shines best under torrential columns of studio skylight. Moths, ideas, powdered sky flowers: transient, fragrant, seraphic.
Work Cited "Evolution of Moths and Butterflies", Chichuan Desert Nature Center, Wayback Machine Digital Archive. This website was published by Carina Costom Contemplative Arts - CCCA in 2021. Lepidoptera. Credit: Nataly Paint. Moth Wallpaper banner. Credit: Irina Lobenko. Vyazma, Russia.