(Cicada shell attached to the stucco wall by our back door.)
To those who in love of Nature
hold Communion with Her visible
forms, She speaks a various language.
~William Cullen Bryant
Cicadas! On my grandparent's farm, I loved to collect empty cicada (locust) shells off the old oaks in her front yard. Just a child, they reminded me of prehistoric bugs, eyes bulged, serrated claws. They were both scary looking but amazing. A living creature had burst out, free, leaving only an imprint.
This summer begins a 17-year cycle, so Elliot and I expected many of these strange looking graduates. But this has been the only one so far. And, how odd to cling to the stucco wall by our back door instead of the tall rough bark of the old camphor tree.
The sighting seemed like a deliberate message so I did a little research on the life cycle. Turns out that cicada symbolizes resurrection and rebirth. Their story begins when the mother makes a cut in the bark of a tree. She lays her eggs, as many as 100. When the babies hatch they fall to the ground and dig a deep hole where they spend most of their lives.
Over time, their bodies gradually change, and after 17 years, they dig their way out of the dark. Their bodies keep changing until they develop a hard shell to protect them. They keep on growing as they climb a tree. With the hooks on its legs, it clings to a tree. Soon they are too big and the hard shell splits by making a narrow opening in the back. Now the struggle to emerge from the hard casement makes them stronger until finally they are free in a new body with large wings! The empty shell having served its purpose, is left behind as the cicada flies to a new beginning.
The cicada visitor seemed to mirror what humanity is going through these days, a metamorphosis as we struggle to wiggle out of our hard material shells and spread out wings to new spiritual heights. It's an exciting time to be alive.
Enjoy your day with the Angels.
Love and joyful blessings,
Rae Karen