The Fundament of the Butterfly-Movement
the metamorphosis of the caterpillar
into the butterfly.
The caterpillar
The caterpillar corresponds to the currently dominant world economic system with all subsystems programmed for economic growth: Health, Education, Politics, Food, Agriculture, Production, Research, Military, etc.
Imago
The imago (the "image") is the sexually adult insect that has emerged from the juvenile stages. This is usually a completely new creature, which matches the original "image" of the animal. It is consequently called "imago".
The butterfly is therefore the imago of the caterpillar.
Recognizing characteristics of the caterpillar are its values and concepts: Hierarchy, competition, power and power struggle, patriarchy, profit orientation, performance principle, exploitation, oppression, functionalization of man, homo economicus, a purely rational view of all areas of life. Growth exclusively measured by the growth of the gross national product.
The caterpillar's form of communication is accordingly also the verbal form of (power) struggle: discussion and debate.
The caterpillar's monetary system (caterpillar money) is rooted by its structure in the belief in unlimited economic growth and enforces the implementation of the caterpillar ideals on a structural level.
New forms of communication
Imago cells communicate on a different level (in a different frequency) than caterpillar cells. The most important identifying feature of "human imago cells" is mindful communication in a circle. Also: slowness, the ability of not knowing and the willingness to let go, tools of collective wisdom, lived spirituality, absence of ideology, diversity, artistic expressions, abundance.
Imago - Movement
The story Butterfly - a Tiny Tale of Great Transformation by Norie Huddle has become a world-wide popular metaphor for social change over the past decades:
In the body of the continually growing caterpillar, emerging imago-cells already carry the imagination of the butterfly.
Imago-cells, imago-clusters and imago-networks
The metamorphosis
During the metamorphosis of the caterpillar to the butterfly, the insect changes from its larval form to the adult animal. Inside the cocoon, which remains in complete rest when viewed from the outside, a fundamental process of digestion and restructuring takes place during this time. The original larva is almost completely dissolved by its own digestive juices and dies. Only some special cells, which did not fulfill any function during the larval stage, are unaffected by this process and form the bases for the newly developing organs.
In the early stages, these self-reproducing imago cells (imaginal cells) are attacked and killed by the caterpillar's immune system. However, these attacks cause the imago cells to become increasingly resilient, creating a resistant structure through the formation of clusters and networks, from which the butterfly later emerges.
The metamorphosis in terms of humanity is the transformation process of society as a whole - turning away from the hostile approach to the planet and society, which is exclusively focused on economic growth, to a way of life and economy that preserves life and diversity in the long term. Similar to the inner processes in the cocoon, a struggle of the conservative forces, which preserve the old forms, versus the imaginative forces of renewal is taking place here. This transformation as well as the struggle takes place collectively and at the same time in each individual of us.
We can see ourselves in this process of transformation both as assistants for dying and as helpers for giving birth.
By these we mean people, communities and networks which, as outsiders within the currently still dominant "caterpillar-economy", already carry the imagination of the butterfly within themselves and already live and experience its values. These networks are identifiable by a desire for mindfulness and collective wisdom and only develop their guidance, structure and focus on this basis.
Imagos therefore sometimes seem outrageously slow and absent of goals from the perspective of prevailing thinking, they usually feel alienated in the growth-oriented caterpillar-economy and sense its structural violence with special intensity. They are - as in the metaphor - quite often attacked by the caterpillar's immune system.
Many imagos are fundamentally rejecting the calculating culture of money and wish for an interaction between people outside of any logic of exchange.
The Butterfly
The butterfly symbolizes all Imago-cells, Imago-clusters and Imago-networks after the transformation of society towards a socially and ecologically sustainable way of life for humanity. This world already exists in our dreams and visions and can be felt and explored in every encounter and every step of the butterfly movement.
new ways of networking between
imago-cells,
imago-clusters and
mago-networks
they enable
The Imagination of the Butterfly world
The butterfly money generates an Imago-internal market with an economic balance of the diverse human abilities. Thus an economic permaculture is created as a counter design to the monoculture of the current caterpillar money (Euro, Dollar, Yen etc...) with its exclusive focus on economic growth.
Due to its characteristics, the Imago - compared to the current monetary system - is particularly attractive for the large number of people whose talents are disadvantaged or even suppressed in the current monetary system. This especially includes abilities that enable a healing process of the ecological and social trauma caused by the current monetary system. Euro, Dollar, Yen etc. are no longer without alternatives for people with such abilities.
Life and economy within the Imago-internal market becomes colorful, diverse, co-creative, cooperative, life-friendly and thus attractive.
The more integrally economic circulations can be closed within the Imago-networks, the more inclusively it will be possible for people to economically operate within the Imago-monetary system and thus be more independent of the current monetary system.
The caterpillar money system gradually loses strength and power.
The Imago thus enables human society to unfold into its full potential.
What has started as a series of Imago-Gatherings with a few active people, becomes through the implementation of the Imago-Money System the Imago-Movement.
This butterfly-money will allow economic cycles to be closed within the Imago-networks, will enable increasing independence...
At repeated
Imago-Gatherings, within the already existing local and global Imago-Networks, we co-create new economic connections based on mindful communication and collective wisdom - an „imago-currency-system".
The Imago-Movement (the butterfly-movement) is a precise and achievable transfer of this metaphor into the reality of our society. The Butterfly-Movement aims to give strength to a metamorphosis of the social organism - towards "the more beautiful world our hearts already know" (Ch. Eisenstein).
Imago-Gathering
At the Imago-gatherings, networkers from local, regional and global Imago-networks engage in the co-creation of an Imago-monetary-system. The seek is less the development of a perfect monetary system, but rather a consensual and realizable solution.
We understand interpersonal connectedness as the most important demand on the way to a system of connectedness. Therefore, we prepare a fertile ground for our conversation about money by integrating body and soul through being in touch, playing, making art and music, dancing, etc. And because innovative solutions emerge from collective wisdom, silence, deep listening, mindful dialogue, and collaborative decision-making tools are important fundaments of Imago-gatherings.
Currently, we envision a series of gatherings that can continue for several days if needed.
An important part of these gatherings is - inspired by the citizens’ councils - an
Imago-council
The Imago-Council will be a series of gatherings over an extended period of time where creation, coverage, construction, organization and maintenance of the Imago money system will be developed and defined by collective wisdom.*
The Imago-council involves exclusively people from the Imago-networks.
Within the Imago-networks, the Imago-council aims to achieve the widest possible range of attention and participation in order to ensure widespread use of the butterfly money as early as possible and thereby make the Imago-money-system a stable alternative to our current monetary system.
Butterfly Money
The butterfly money is the intentionally created economic connection between imago-cells, -cluster and -networks with the intention to generate economic power for the maturation, birth and unfolding of the butterfly.
Money is an economic medium of connection that enables the specialization of work within a complex society and thus the formation of specialized organizations.
The butterfly money (the "imago") is inspired by the new connections between the imago clusters that develop in the caterpillar's body, since this interconnectedness also enables the specialization of cell associations, and thus the formation of the butterfly's organs.
Monetary systems we regard as "conscious networks" or as matrix, which by construction economically advantage or disadvantage certain ways of acting and values and thereby unfold a subtle but extremely powerful directing effect within a society.
By consciously designing its structure, the Imago-money-system provides an alternative matrix in the form of a monetary infrastructure, which ties supply and demand between Imago-cells, -communities and -networks with a new quality and gives economic power to the values that are already practiced there.
This makes its actors more independent of our current monetary system, the "caterpillar money" and its growth imperative. This allows them to focus on their intrinsic motivation and the multiple tasks in the cultural transformation process.
The creation, coverage, construction and organization of the butterfly money is the result of a collective design process within repeating imago gatherings.
The DNA of the butterfly money (Fundament)
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The butterfly money is decided in collective wisdom (e.g. consensus) and is permanently open to change and adaptation.
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The butterfly money is anchored by its construction (e.g. coverage) in values that support a grandchild-friendly economy and life on our planet. Thus, it gives economic power to these values.
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The butterfly money allows economic stability without depending on growth.
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The butterfly money counteracts the concentration of capital and power and thus promotes cooperation and encounters at eye level. It enables economic circulation and at the same time corresponds to the dialogue in circular form.
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The butterfly money can also support the transition to a gift economy.
...from the current caterpillar-money and a turning away from its growth imperative.
Caterpillar-Money
The caterpillar-money characterizes the currently existing global monetary system. It corresponds in its construction to all values of the caterpillar and advances these. It operates as a connecting circulation system of the caterpillar and itself carries a growth imperative, which can also be regarded as a growth hormone that stimulates the cells (people) and organs (organizations, companies, states) of the caterpillar to grow. It therefore also flows easily in the direction of all activities that promise economic growth. One of the most aggressive forms of this growth is war.
By construction-related concentration of capital and power, caterpillar-money also creates a communication and language of imperative at the interpersonal level, and thus makes it difficult to encounter at eye level.
The design and creation of the butterfly-money gives economic power to the values of the butterfly-movement and thereby provides increasing resilience.
Through new ways of communication and