The idea that human beings are spiritual is prevalent in most of the world's cultures and religions. Many agree that the essence of each individual is intangible and is the core which the physical form - the body houses.
There are many ways of looking at this idea but in most cases, symbolism is used to represent this essence. Butterfly tattoos are among the few objects that are associated to it. This is rooted in the idea that these small fluttering creatures are the representations of the human soul. The question is why butterfly tattoos refer to the man's spirit?
Butterfly tattoos which are representations of butterflies are usually linked to the human soul. This is a notion that is present in various cultures. The Greeks adhere to the idea that butterflies symbolize the exodus of the human soul. This may be based on the life of these creatures. The Irish has a similar idea. They believe that they are the spirit of the departed. This idea is shared by the Japanese and even certain African cultures. This means that regardless of certain cultural perspectives, this kind of body art refers to that person's spirit.
In general, the diversity, frailty, intrinsic dynamism and magnificence of butterflies are strikingly similar to the nature of the human spirit. Although a soul is intangible and there is no specific idea of its attributes. The particular aspects of a person's personality attest to this. There are many variations of the butterfly tattoo that people opt to get. Each one is a unique yet potent representation of the facets of human spirituality.
Aside from what various cultural constructs state about the butterfly and its connection to the human soul. There is a repeating idea. This is common to most if not all cultures and belief systems. There are aspects about the butterfly that can be sensibly associated with a person's spirit. The widely accepted idea is that human existence is the pursuit of one's ultimate purpose or self actualization according to Maslow. The transformation of a pupa into a wonderful butterfly is a good representation of the attainment on one's purpose in life. A butterfly tattoo communicates a person's adherence to this idea.
Butterfly tattoos also represent the journey of a person's spirit, through various phases of transformation. Eastern philosophy has this idea that the soul is bound to a material form; a person's body to experience life and thereby be enriched and evolve. This evolution is a form of transcendence to a higher state of existence.
When a person opts to get a butterfly tattoo designs, this could connote that he or she would want a representation of the human spirit inscribed into his or her skin. And even if he or she does not consciously have this idea the mere fact that they are getting this meaningful and universally known design is a manifestation of a soul's nature. This is to express itself. In this particular and mundane detail butterfly tattoos validate its deep connection with the soul. Amy Johns
