Publisher's Synopsis
Butterflies are very fragile transient forms of life entrancing people the world over with their delicate fluttering movements As humans we live a bit longer but only minuscule compared to the age of the earth. Throughout history butterflies have been related to the afterlife and souls The greek word for butterfly psyche means soul.The sight of thousands of monach butterflies returning after a thousand mile journey back to the very trees that their ancestor came to could easily make you think of returning souls of relatives and children coming home. The Aztecs believe their arrival tell us all is well with the dead Some Japanese believe butterflies especially white ones symbolise souls black ones elsewhere indicate spirits. In germany butterflies have been linked with souls of children. In Ireland in the 1600s it was an offence to kill a butterfly in case it was a child's soul and they also represent souls in purgatory.Mayan cultures saw butterflies as dead warriors coming back to earth The chrysalis of a butterfly is seen by some Christians as the tomb which held jesus which broke open to indicate the resurrection or new life like a new butterfly.The chrysalis has also been linked with Egyptian mummy wrappings. Many homeless or ill people are as vulnerablre as butterflies seeking shelter to survive. This set of stories covers such people often fallen on hard times. A vicar after the war joins the numerous homeless people in the first story. The second concerns a small Oyster at the bottom of the sea overpowered by its neighbours and fighting for its very survival. The third involves a woman who sees a vision in the corner of a church which changes her life. In the fourth story a shepherd imprisoned on a ship in the river Medway escapes to rescue trapped souls on Deadmans Island. The fifth story addresses the poor care of the elderly leding to too many arriving in heaven at the Pearly gates. God send down two angels to sort this out.Some gifts are often thought inadequate and in the sixth story a little shepherd boys fate leads him to a task he would never have dreamt of doing. The seventh story relates the events that occur after Jesus Christ's crucifixion as seen by a spider in the tomb. The last story depicts the sadness often caused by infection by TB and follows the fate of two children sent to an infirmary by the seaside.
