Why Butterflies are a popular theme in Cremation

The beauty of the butterfly lies not just in its bright coloring or its delicate wings.  Its significance on earth does not just come from how it manages to pollinate flowers and bring forth blossoms in the warmth of spring.  Its preciousness lies not just in its brief lifespan, lost all too soon.

What makes a butterfly so important to us lies not just in these things, but in their everlasting symbolism of change, rebirth, and the purity of spirit.  Butterflies are so commonly desired as a cremation design because of what they represent.  For years, butterflies have meant more to humanity than just simply what they are and how they exist.

Mourning family members adore butterfly cremation urns because of the butterfly’s transformation in life.  The delicate creature is born from a process of growth, beginning life as a seemingly insignificant caterpillar, sheltering itself in its cocoon, only to emerge a short time later, bright and colorful.  This is a transition that so many people can relate to in life itself.  We come from a place of insignificance, find our purpose in life, and grow into something entirely different.  It is not an easy process, it is not a process without struggle, but it is indeed a transformational process that reflects what we’ve endured in life.  The transformation is where we discover our truest selves, find that which we truly value and cherish in life, and where we reveal our character.  The transformation reflects the challenges we’ve made it through. Butterfly cremation urns and jewelry often represent just that same notion. 

It might be a cremation urn with delicately engraved butterflies, that sits atop your mantle, or an elegant butterfly cremation pendant, hung gracefully around your neck. Perhaps it’s a butterfly cremation tealight sitting on your bedside table, that you glance at each night before bed.  Regardless of the form it takes, we still know the significance: this loved one of mine also went through transformation; this loved one of mine grew into something beautiful; this loved one of mine experienced change that defined the person they became, the person I will forever remember them as.

The butterfly is a creature of simple beauty, known for emerging at the start of spring to welcome the blooming and the sunshine and the warmth, after a long period of rain and darkness. Thus, this is another reason why they are so often chosen for the memorialization of a loved one lost.  One might similarly miss the warmth and happiness they felt during every moment spent with those who are no longer with us.  They might remember one for their ability to take you from a place of darkness and into a place of light and happiness. Perhaps your loved one was someone who made a cold, icy winter day feel warm and bright, regardless of the weather outside.

It is this everlasting symbolism of the butterfly that makes it such a well-adored creature for memorializing the recently deceased. When it comes time to choose your cremation style, is the butterfly the right choice for you?