IMAGINAL CELLS
The collective intelligence of the imaginal cells
"Collective intelligence is the capacity of human communities to evolve towards higher order complexity and harmony, through such innovation mechanisms as variation-feedback-selection, differentiation-integration-transformation, and competition-cooperation-coopetition"
The first time I heard of "imaginal cells" was from my friend Jamei Tierney. I went and googled the term and found mostly bio-science references, except one webpage that had some thought-provoking excerpts from Butterfly, a book by Norie Huddle, published on Earth Day, 1990.
I thought if fans of collective intelligence are a little bit like me, then they'll appreciate Norie's beautiful story about the butterfly's imaginal cells. It evokes images of possibility to advance to a higher level of intelligence and expanded consciousness, with a deeper connection to nature and wise innocence.
Here's the story:
"The caterpillars new cells are called 'imaginal cells.' They resonate at a different frequency. They are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that his immune system thinks they are enemies...and gobbles them up--Chomp! Gulp! But these new imaginal cells continue to appear. More and more of them! Pretty soon, the caterpillar's immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. More and more of the imaginal cells survive. And then an amazing thing happens! The little tiny lonely imaginal cells start to clump together, into friendly little groups. They all resonate together at the same frequency, passing information from one to another. Then, after awhile, another amazing thing happens! The clumps of imaginal cells start to cluster together!.., A long string of clumping and clustering imaginal cell, all resonating at the same frequency, all passing information from one to another there inside the chrysalis."
"A wave of Good News travels throughout the system-- Lurches and heaves...but not yet a butterfly."
"Then at some point, the entire long string of imaginal cells suddenly realizes all together that it is Something Different from the caterpillar. Something New! Something Wonderfull!....and in that realization is the shout of the birth of the butterfly!"
Happy Birthday Butterfly!!!
"Since the butterfly now "knows" that it is a butterfly, the little tiny imaginal cells no longer have to do all those things individual cells must do. Now they are part of a multi-celled organism-- A FAMILY who can share the work."
"Each new butterfly cell can take on a different job.----There is something for everyone to do. And everyone is important. And each cell begins to do just that very thing it is most drawn to do. And every other cell encourages it to do just that."
"A great way to organize a butterfly!"
"Collective intelligence is the capacity of human communities to evolve towards higher order complexity and harmony, through such innovation mechanisms as variation-feedback-selection, differentiation-integration-transformation, and competition-cooperation-coopetition"
The first time I heard of "imaginal cells" was from my friend Jamei Tierney. I went and googled the term and found mostly bio-science references, except one webpage that had some thought-provoking excerpts from Butterfly, a book by Norie Huddle, published on Earth Day, 1990.
I thought if fans of collective intelligence are a little bit like me, then they'll appreciate Norie's beautiful story about the butterfly's imaginal cells. It evokes images of possibility to advance to a higher level of intelligence and expanded consciousness, with a deeper connection to nature and wise innocence.
Here's the story:
"The caterpillars new cells are called 'imaginal cells.' They resonate at a different frequency. They are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that his immune system thinks they are enemies...and gobbles them up--Chomp! Gulp! But these new imaginal cells continue to appear. More and more of them! Pretty soon, the caterpillar's immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. More and more of the imaginal cells survive. And then an amazing thing happens! The little tiny lonely imaginal cells start to clump together, into friendly little groups. They all resonate together at the same frequency, passing information from one to another. Then, after awhile, another amazing thing happens! The clumps of imaginal cells start to cluster together!.., A long string of clumping and clustering imaginal cell, all resonating at the same frequency, all passing information from one to another there inside the chrysalis."
"A wave of Good News travels throughout the system-- Lurches and heaves...but not yet a butterfly."
"Then at some point, the entire long string of imaginal cells suddenly realizes all together that it is Something Different from the caterpillar. Something New! Something Wonderfull!....and in that realization is the shout of the birth of the butterfly!"
Happy Birthday Butterfly!!!
"Since the butterfly now "knows" that it is a butterfly, the little tiny imaginal cells no longer have to do all those things individual cells must do. Now they are part of a multi-celled organism-- A FAMILY who can share the work."
"Each new butterfly cell can take on a different job.----There is something for everyone to do. And everyone is important. And each cell begins to do just that very thing it is most drawn to do. And every other cell encourages it to do just that."
"A great way to organize a butterfly!"
Have you ever had a vision for how your local community or state could make some changes to clean up the environment, ease traffic congestion, keep the teenagers out of trouble, or help the homeless - only to have the local politicians and officials bury your ideas in red tape? Have you ever had spiritual ideals that were incredibly inclusive and loving, yet people were so contracted that they couldn’t even see the beauty of what you were envisioning for them? Have you ever pinpointed the root causes of your family’s dysfunctional behaviors and been chastised as the "problem child" or "the crazy one" or "too sensitive?"
After a caterpillar buries itself inside its cocoon, it waits to morph into a butterfly. The caterpillar does not simply shrink a bit and sprout wings. Instead, it disintegrates into a puddle of ooze within the cocoon. If we were to open the cocoon halfway through the process, we would not find a half-caterpillar half-butterfly type creature, but a blob of goop. The goop is made up of a bunch of individual cells that are all basically the same type of oozy cells. After the caterpillar has turned into ooze, a new type of cells start appearing. The original ooze cells are NOT changing into these new cells, but rather the new cells seem to come out of nowhere. They just appear out of thin air so to speak.
These new cells are called imaginal cells and they are so completely different from the original ooze cells that they are thought to be a virus or some other form of enemy so the ooze cells begin attacking the imaginal cells. However, even though the imaginal cells are being killed off for not fitting in, they still keep showing up, more and more of them. Eventually, the imaginal cells begin to find each other and cluster together. Like attracts like, and the clusters begin to join up with other clusters. The original ooze cells still keep attacking them but the imaginal cells continue to multiply and cluster together.
Eventually, they become a large community and they switch gears from simply being a group of like-minded cells into the programming cells of the butterfly. Some imaginal cells start changing into wing cells, some start changing into antenna cells, some start changing into digestive tract cells, and so on. They are no longer imaginal cells but become butterfly anatomy cells. As we all know, if left alone to do his thing, the butterfly eventually emerges as a completely new entity from the original caterpillar. Do they hold the same memories, life lessons, and consciousness? Who knows? One would think that for survival of the species, the butterfly would still retain whatever knowledge the caterpillar had learned before entering into the cocoon state.
Sometimes we are led to play the role of imaginal cell in our little corner of the world. Being one of the very first of the imaginal cells can be a painful road to travel. It is different later on down the road as your cause begins to gather steam and becomes more popular. Imagine what the first women who were fighting for our right to vote went through compared to what we go through today trying to get equal pay and respect for a job well done. This gives me a moment to pause and give thanks to our ancestors who's every step has brought us, in some mysterious way, to this moment right now.
Thank you, ancestors! I pray any dreams that you held are fueled with my dreams for a more compassionate, kind and loving world.
I hope that you will hold true to your visions and believe in your dreams. I hope that you will never ever allow anyone to stop you from making your dreams of a better world come true. If you are an imaginal cell in your family, in your workplace, in your community, in your political system, in your spiritual viewpoints, in your global world; know that you are not alone and know that what you do to improve life for your fellow human(s) does matter! You may feel like you are completely alone in your battle, but know that there are others who support, who are even dying for your cause, or who are so inspired by seeing you put it all on the line that they are finally brave enough to step forward making their agreement with you known.
If the imaginal cell is a quiet little thought somewhere in the back corner of your mind telling you that you could make huge changes in yourself to become less like the caterpillar and more like the butterfly, then know that you are not alone. Many people have done it before you and many more will follow your lead. You will know if you are meant to grow, morph, and change into some new and improved version of yourself by the reoccurring theme of those tiny little imaginal cells creating inspirational thoughts within your mind. The reoccurring thoughts will both haunt you and inspire you. They will cluster together creating themes of healing change, themes of growth, and themes of becoming something completely different then who you used to be. You may experience great paradox, feeling lonely and excited, groping in the dark while full of light, unsure of what is you and very clear what is not you. You will claim that which is beautiful within and you too will escape out of your self-imposed prison to strengthen your wings so that you can fly for the entire world to see, inspiring others to look within at their own imaginal cells.
After a caterpillar buries itself inside its cocoon, it waits to morph into a butterfly. The caterpillar does not simply shrink a bit and sprout wings. Instead, it disintegrates into a puddle of ooze within the cocoon. If we were to open the cocoon halfway through the process, we would not find a half-caterpillar half-butterfly type creature, but a blob of goop. The goop is made up of a bunch of individual cells that are all basically the same type of oozy cells. After the caterpillar has turned into ooze, a new type of cells start appearing. The original ooze cells are NOT changing into these new cells, but rather the new cells seem to come out of nowhere. They just appear out of thin air so to speak.
These new cells are called imaginal cells and they are so completely different from the original ooze cells that they are thought to be a virus or some other form of enemy so the ooze cells begin attacking the imaginal cells. However, even though the imaginal cells are being killed off for not fitting in, they still keep showing up, more and more of them. Eventually, the imaginal cells begin to find each other and cluster together. Like attracts like, and the clusters begin to join up with other clusters. The original ooze cells still keep attacking them but the imaginal cells continue to multiply and cluster together.
Eventually, they become a large community and they switch gears from simply being a group of like-minded cells into the programming cells of the butterfly. Some imaginal cells start changing into wing cells, some start changing into antenna cells, some start changing into digestive tract cells, and so on. They are no longer imaginal cells but become butterfly anatomy cells. As we all know, if left alone to do his thing, the butterfly eventually emerges as a completely new entity from the original caterpillar. Do they hold the same memories, life lessons, and consciousness? Who knows? One would think that for survival of the species, the butterfly would still retain whatever knowledge the caterpillar had learned before entering into the cocoon state.
Sometimes we are led to play the role of imaginal cell in our little corner of the world. Being one of the very first of the imaginal cells can be a painful road to travel. It is different later on down the road as your cause begins to gather steam and becomes more popular. Imagine what the first women who were fighting for our right to vote went through compared to what we go through today trying to get equal pay and respect for a job well done. This gives me a moment to pause and give thanks to our ancestors who's every step has brought us, in some mysterious way, to this moment right now.
Thank you, ancestors! I pray any dreams that you held are fueled with my dreams for a more compassionate, kind and loving world.
I hope that you will hold true to your visions and believe in your dreams. I hope that you will never ever allow anyone to stop you from making your dreams of a better world come true. If you are an imaginal cell in your family, in your workplace, in your community, in your political system, in your spiritual viewpoints, in your global world; know that you are not alone and know that what you do to improve life for your fellow human(s) does matter! You may feel like you are completely alone in your battle, but know that there are others who support, who are even dying for your cause, or who are so inspired by seeing you put it all on the line that they are finally brave enough to step forward making their agreement with you known.
If the imaginal cell is a quiet little thought somewhere in the back corner of your mind telling you that you could make huge changes in yourself to become less like the caterpillar and more like the butterfly, then know that you are not alone. Many people have done it before you and many more will follow your lead. You will know if you are meant to grow, morph, and change into some new and improved version of yourself by the reoccurring theme of those tiny little imaginal cells creating inspirational thoughts within your mind. The reoccurring thoughts will both haunt you and inspire you. They will cluster together creating themes of healing change, themes of growth, and themes of becoming something completely different then who you used to be. You may experience great paradox, feeling lonely and excited, groping in the dark while full of light, unsure of what is you and very clear what is not you. You will claim that which is beautiful within and you too will escape out of your self-imposed prison to strengthen your wings so that you can fly for the entire world to see, inspiring others to look within at their own imaginal cells.
IMAGINAL CELLS AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
A Story for Our Times
When a caterpillar nears its transformation time, it begins to eat ravenously, consuming everything in sight. (It is interesting to note that individuals are often called “consumers” and one of the largest manufacturers of heavy construction machinery is called “Caterpillar,” Inc.) The caterpillar body then becomes heavy, outgrowing its own skin many times, until it is too bloated to move. Attaching to a branch (upside down, where everything is turned on its head) it forms a chrysalis—an enclosing shell that limits the caterpillar’s freedom for the duration of the transformation.
Within the chrysalis a miracle occurs. Tiny cells, that biologists actually call “imaginal cells,” begin to appear. These cells are wholly different from caterpillar cells, carrying different information, vibrating to a different frequency–the frequency of the emerging butterfly. At first, the caterpillar’s immune system perceives these new cells as enemies, and attacks them, much as new ideas in science, medicine, politics, and social behavior are viciously denounced by the powers now considered mainstream. But the imaginal cells are not deterred. They continue to appear, in even greater numbers, recognizing each other, bonding together, until the new cells are numerous enough to organize into clumps. When enough cells have formed to make structures along the new organizational lines, the caterpillar’s immune system is overwhelmed. The caterpillar body then becomes a nutritious soup for the growth of the butterfly.
When the butterfly is ready to hatch, the chrysalis becomes transparent. The need for restriction has been outgrown. Yet the struggle toward freedom has an organic timing. And is connected to the breath. One resource states that the butterfly "pops" it's chrysalis by taking a deep, full breath. As the butterfly emerges, it's upside down. It immediately turns right side up and it proceeds to holds it's chrysalis with such reverence, I can "hear" it saying "thank you" to where it came from. When we've been through troubles of trauma, it can be difficult to find the gratitude for where where came from. It may be empowering to pause in this reading and give thanks to your self and to all the sentient beings who supported you through the loss.
The awakening of the global heart results from transforming the cultural values from the unconscious, over-consuming bloat of the caterpillar into a creature of exquisite beauty, grace, and freedom. This coming of age process takes us to a new mythic reality, a larger story, ripe with meaning and direction. It takes us from the naive innocence of childhood into a larger reality of interdependence and reciprocity. It is not a passage that ends in the stark greyness of adult responsibility, denying the colorful spirituality of childhood innocence. Rather, it is a reclaiming of wholeness that denies little, and embraces all. In the loss of the naive innocence, there is a new found innocence that is wisdom. In this new wisdom there is even greater inner connection to innocence, allowing the possibility of holding all in the holographic universe.
Catalysts for the Coalescence of Consciousness
The awakening of consciousness happens first in individuals. It is a shift from third chakra, individual-based consciousness to fourth chakra, relational consciousness, a shift from I to We. It is a realization that we are in this together, that we are interdependent, integral agents, part of a larger unity that needs each of us as individual agents. This awakening could result from spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation, psychotherapy, workshop experiences, disenchantment from one’s “normal” life, or any manner of doorways through which we awaken from the trance of consumption and exploitation to a higher vision of perpetual reciprocity, compassion, and unity. At first such individuals might feel alone or isolated; they might be misunderstood or even attacked by others for their strange ideas.
When these individuals find others of like mind, they are strengthened and reinforced. They feel less alone, more empowered, and inspired. They literally “vibrate” at a higher frequency. They catalyze each other. This is how the imaginal cells come together, organize amongst themselves and become centers of awakening in the new supportive community.
I like that imaginal cells are sometimes called “co-hearts,” people who are simultaneously called by something in their own hearts to share with others, to serve and to save what they love. Co-hearts can be of any kind: healing co-hearts, artistic co-hearts, yoga co-hearts, construction co-hearts, gardening co-hearts, parenting co-hearts. They can be lovers or friends, business associates or volunteers in an organization. Co-hearts share a kin-dom – not a kingdom ruled by a king but a kin-dom where everyone is kin. Co-hearts are like the cells, and kin-doms are the organs of the body called supportive community. We recognize that at all levels we are part of a larger whole.
My workshops focus on awakening the imaginal cells, through personal healing and transformation, and teaching spiritual practices. My group facilitation serves a kin-doms for the awakening of global heart consciousness, by bringing together the imaginal cells so that they are strengthened and can survive the onslaughts of the collapsing cultural values. The groups are like oceans of love: islands of creativity, celebration, and joy in the emerging transformation, and are agents for change in the dawning age of the compassionate heart.
When a caterpillar nears its transformation time, it begins to eat ravenously, consuming everything in sight. (It is interesting to note that individuals are often called “consumers” and one of the largest manufacturers of heavy construction machinery is called “Caterpillar,” Inc.) The caterpillar body then becomes heavy, outgrowing its own skin many times, until it is too bloated to move. Attaching to a branch (upside down, where everything is turned on its head) it forms a chrysalis—an enclosing shell that limits the caterpillar’s freedom for the duration of the transformation.
Within the chrysalis a miracle occurs. Tiny cells, that biologists actually call “imaginal cells,” begin to appear. These cells are wholly different from caterpillar cells, carrying different information, vibrating to a different frequency–the frequency of the emerging butterfly. At first, the caterpillar’s immune system perceives these new cells as enemies, and attacks them, much as new ideas in science, medicine, politics, and social behavior are viciously denounced by the powers now considered mainstream. But the imaginal cells are not deterred. They continue to appear, in even greater numbers, recognizing each other, bonding together, until the new cells are numerous enough to organize into clumps. When enough cells have formed to make structures along the new organizational lines, the caterpillar’s immune system is overwhelmed. The caterpillar body then becomes a nutritious soup for the growth of the butterfly.
When the butterfly is ready to hatch, the chrysalis becomes transparent. The need for restriction has been outgrown. Yet the struggle toward freedom has an organic timing. And is connected to the breath. One resource states that the butterfly "pops" it's chrysalis by taking a deep, full breath. As the butterfly emerges, it's upside down. It immediately turns right side up and it proceeds to holds it's chrysalis with such reverence, I can "hear" it saying "thank you" to where it came from. When we've been through troubles of trauma, it can be difficult to find the gratitude for where where came from. It may be empowering to pause in this reading and give thanks to your self and to all the sentient beings who supported you through the loss.
The awakening of the global heart results from transforming the cultural values from the unconscious, over-consuming bloat of the caterpillar into a creature of exquisite beauty, grace, and freedom. This coming of age process takes us to a new mythic reality, a larger story, ripe with meaning and direction. It takes us from the naive innocence of childhood into a larger reality of interdependence and reciprocity. It is not a passage that ends in the stark greyness of adult responsibility, denying the colorful spirituality of childhood innocence. Rather, it is a reclaiming of wholeness that denies little, and embraces all. In the loss of the naive innocence, there is a new found innocence that is wisdom. In this new wisdom there is even greater inner connection to innocence, allowing the possibility of holding all in the holographic universe.
Catalysts for the Coalescence of Consciousness
The awakening of consciousness happens first in individuals. It is a shift from third chakra, individual-based consciousness to fourth chakra, relational consciousness, a shift from I to We. It is a realization that we are in this together, that we are interdependent, integral agents, part of a larger unity that needs each of us as individual agents. This awakening could result from spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation, psychotherapy, workshop experiences, disenchantment from one’s “normal” life, or any manner of doorways through which we awaken from the trance of consumption and exploitation to a higher vision of perpetual reciprocity, compassion, and unity. At first such individuals might feel alone or isolated; they might be misunderstood or even attacked by others for their strange ideas.
When these individuals find others of like mind, they are strengthened and reinforced. They feel less alone, more empowered, and inspired. They literally “vibrate” at a higher frequency. They catalyze each other. This is how the imaginal cells come together, organize amongst themselves and become centers of awakening in the new supportive community.
I like that imaginal cells are sometimes called “co-hearts,” people who are simultaneously called by something in their own hearts to share with others, to serve and to save what they love. Co-hearts can be of any kind: healing co-hearts, artistic co-hearts, yoga co-hearts, construction co-hearts, gardening co-hearts, parenting co-hearts. They can be lovers or friends, business associates or volunteers in an organization. Co-hearts share a kin-dom – not a kingdom ruled by a king but a kin-dom where everyone is kin. Co-hearts are like the cells, and kin-doms are the organs of the body called supportive community. We recognize that at all levels we are part of a larger whole.
My workshops focus on awakening the imaginal cells, through personal healing and transformation, and teaching spiritual practices. My group facilitation serves a kin-doms for the awakening of global heart consciousness, by bringing together the imaginal cells so that they are strengthened and can survive the onslaughts of the collapsing cultural values. The groups are like oceans of love: islands of creativity, celebration, and joy in the emerging transformation, and are agents for change in the dawning age of the compassionate heart.
