THE WOMAN AND THE BUTTERFLY

Part memoir, part fantasy, The Woman and the Butterfly deftly imparts the lessons of love and life. Being an allegory, it can be read and reread, touching on a different aspect of truth each time. The Woman and the Butterfly is charming and inspirational, a reminder that there is more to life than what the eye can see.

Inspired by an image of a broom and a butterfly with a broken wing, the story is an allegorical and colorfully illustrated narrative of a woman's journey as she passes through many stages to self-discovery. Each chapter offers a topic for contemplation, and holds up a mirror to some aspect of one's own life.

One day while sweeping her floor, a woman happens upon a beautiful butterfly with a broken wing. From this encounter a relationship develops between the two and the woman soon discovers that the butterfly is the love she assumed to be lost in this world. The butterfly teaches the woman the lessons of love, taking her through the seasons of life where she learns that the world of nature is a mirror for the love residing in her heart. With each chapter, the woman gains a new and deeper understanding of herself and her relationship to the surrounding environment. Once she learns to trust the butterfly and to listen to her heart, she is able to move beyond her fears. Continuing to follow the butterfly, she discovers the beauty that abides within her heart. The butterfly shows the woman a dimension of life she never dreamed possible, a dimension where love abounds in unexpected places.

A teacher, librarian and massage therapist Maire Estar has been a bookseller in Montana for the last decade. She is involved in body/mind/spirit healing participates daily in heart-centered meditation practice.