Butterflies, as a symbol, often used by basic NPCs as tattooes to mean "spiritual growth" actually don't mean that at all. They symbolize transformation.
And "Transformation" is not "Growth". They are two separate things. The butterfly and other insects undergo transformation as part of their life cycle, and that's where the comparison stops and the confusion begins.
Transformation means changing forms.
Ice does not grow spiritually when it changed from water. Water does not grow spiritually when it changes to ice. Both of these are on a timeline, that is to say, there is great significance to the passage of time. In this case, it's what is needed for the change to occur. That means that the ice, or the water or vice versa, gets older, that is, it witnesses passage of time during its transformation, but is it improved? Or does it simply change?
Transformer robots change from robots into other things. A jambox, a car, a plane, a gorilla for some reason, a dinosaur, and possibly other stupid things.
Which is better, a robot or a car? The answer is: I don't give a sh*t. No doubt many of you already feel this way about my little rant here.
The robot nor the car experience spiritual growth in the change. Not just because they are vapid fictional entities with terrible trite dialogue, but because there is nothing about the change that is of any significance.
They are simply shape shifters.
And this is the key in my whole schpiel.
The butterfly is a symbol of being a SHAPE SHIFTER, not "Spiritual Growth"
Spiritual Growth requires a stable identity that improves because it retains milestones of where it was before.
The woo woo crystal crowd confused an entire generation of girls and gays (trans) into thinking this was a Positive GOOD symbol, when it's really NOT a good symbol.
It's kind of an evil symbol.
And that is why hollywood uses it, as a kind of secret submliminal symbolic neuroprogrammatical weapon against people. They, however, are using it correctly.
Because I will remind you that hollywood is replete with spooks.
And one thing spooks excel at is weaponized social psychology. They are EXPERTS in this field, because their primary goal is not protecting their nation from foreign spies. Their main goal is STATUS QUO, CROWD KONTROL and SUBJUGATION OF SOCIETY at the behest of the aristocratic caste.
They / Hollywood / Intelligence crowd (as well as wall st class / dynasties they serve) are very well aware that the butterfly represents shape shifting, because that is what THEY do all day.
They shape shift.
They co-opt the popular and then shape shift it should it become a threat to their order.
They create sleeper cells and personas using Monarch (butterfly) mind kontrol techniques. Which are really torture techniques.
When accused, they shape shift and trick the past, and turn the accusation back on the accuser.
They borrow, steal, and mutate narradigms, tropes, and change the form of things in order to create a status quo preserving chaos (ordo ab chao).
Think about the current "noticing" of how Netflix makes historical reenactments where they've flipped the historical white figures into black people. This is an example.
Is the show improved? Or just 'reimagined' so as to both create content AND more highly engaging social friction?
I will close with this. It's called a MONARCH butterfly that everyone uses in their tattooes... since tattooed people love their freedom so much they're putting a symbol called a 'monarch' on their body...because "no kings" and "anti fascism". It's almost like the tattoo is a permanent state of transformation, ensuring you never know anything or actually grow or actually change because you the tattoeed NPC are too busy NOT being yourself but whatever else the butterfly pushers demand you to be.
I'm not really getting the parallels. A caterpillar becoming a butterfly is quite a bit different than any of the other examples considering there is no concrete transformation that occurs. Yes water changes to ice, and it can change back. Transformers can pick and choose their form, some even their gender. I think the difference with the butterfly is that it marks a second stage of their lifecycle. They have grown through the perilous portion of their life where they can get stepped on, eaten by birds, picked up by kids... to move on to a new phase of life where they can get stepped on, eaten by birds and picked up by kids. But at least in that second phase of life they have the freedom to do it in style by flying.
But in all seriousness, I think the bastardization of it as a symbol of hippy bullshit is over done. However, spiritually, I think there's a case to be made that it is a pleasant example of new life to life reborn.