The Butterfly and Your Footprint in Life

 

 

 As witches, we try to minimize our footprint in life.  We have a beautiful partnership with the Earth and all the souls that live on this Earth, from the people around us to the animals who call this our home.  All of you know that it's essential to clean up after yourself when outside, recycle, and do whatever you can to minimize any negative impact you might have on the Earth and work to heal and extend your positive impact. 

How many of you know what the butterfly effect is?  The butterfly effect evolves from Chaos theory.  The simple way to think about it is that any small change has the potential to give rise to significant changes.    One tiny event can cause a snowball of events with unintended consequences.   Some simple examples would be a final pebble that starts a rock slide, or that last snowflake that starts an avalanche.

The first story I heard to explain this was a fictional one about a man who was allowed to go back in time to shoot one dinosaur.  He had to remain on a boardwalk set up for this event and wasn't supposed to step off or do anything else.  He was just supposed to shoot the one dinosaur.  When he was there, he accidentally stepped on a butterfly.  Well, that particular butterfly would have been a meal for another small dinosaur, which was a meal for another dinosaur, and ultimately changed the entire future of humankind.   The story helps to illustrate things.

Another example is the pesticides used on farms. They are meant to help with the bug population, but they are killing the bats that used to eat the insects on the farms. They now have a bigger issue because they have contributed to eliminating a population that helped them, making the problem worse, not just for them but everywhere.

Consider another simple example of something simple you can do by smiling at someone.  We all have tough days. Having someone smile at you or say something kind can go a long way to turning your day around.  Have you ever had it happen to you? I know I have.  Sometimes, it makes all the difference to experience that moment of warmth.   You never know how far that can go to help someone.

Consider this as you go through every day.   While we often don't think about these things, each action you take affects the world around you and the world we live in.  Use this knowledge to help you minimize your footprint on the Earth.

Have an amazingly magickal day!

Much Love and Many Blessings,

Jasmeine Moonsong