About Golden Butterfly
Golden Butterfly is envisioned as a dream. A space where stories which touch the truth within us are brought alive with music, art and poems, A space where those who wish to live by their own light come together to offer their creativity and skills to children. A space which unfurls and grows like a plant seeking light towards the new, the unchartered, the spontaneous.
About Urvi
I am Urvi Shah. I was born in Kolkata, a city in Eastern India. Ever since I was young there was one question that perturbed me and that was, “What is the purpose of life on Earth?”. Very soon, I realised that this is a question that many did not ask and even when they did our systems and ways of life would silence them very quickly. In seeking answers outside of myself, wanting to make this world a better place, I was led to pursue a Liberal Arts education in college.
After working in the development sector in a corporate setup for a while, I felt something fundamentally amiss. The changes I sought outside me needed to be first found within me. This led me to various pathways of inner enquiry which provided me with very rich and valuable experiences. Simultaneously in my outer life, I became very interested in alternative education and pedagogy which I felt was trying to put to practice new ways of living and being. Especially in Waldorf and Integral education, I found the use art, music and stories as beautiful means of reaching the child. In the process of being with children and my own inner explorations, I also began writing stories, poems, creating songs and artwork. The creations started to emerge quite spontaneously, sometimes out of my own experiences, sometimes inspired by my interactions with the children I teach (and more recently even with the adults, I interact with). I founded Golden Butterfly in the year 2020 as a platform to make my work for children available to a wider audience.
A Note on Stories
True stories are born somewhere deep within us. They emerge out of us spontaneously, like a bird’s call, a flower’s movement towards the sun, a cascade of water down the rugged rocks. The stories that are published here are the songs of the soul. The songs that sing in our ears, showing us the way, sometimes loudly, sometimes as a faint whisper. They are like golden threads of light we can hold on to on a dark night. In these times, as our lives go through changes that old paradigms can no longer explain, we need stories that speak to the deeper truth within us. Stories that help us understand the seemingly inexplicable changes that our minds can no longer grasp . The striving at Golden Butterfly is to make these newer stories available to children and adults, opening up new vistas and creating bridges that enable us to leap into the new world quickly and joyfully.
A Note on Teaching
Over time, I have come to understand that there is no one correct way to be with a child. Just like the myriad creations of nature, each one of us is very different and each child requires something different. All methods and ideologies are pointers but can never become the whole or only truth. True teaching for me is spontaneous and intuitive. The skills of teacher combined with her inspiration, her own inner knowing and connection with the child allow for a beautiful symphony to arise. However, like all good things, this too takes time as we are very conditioned by the should and should-nots especially when it comes to educating a child. I imagine Golden Butterfly to be a space where through the stories, art and music (and much more!), the conditioning is stripped away and slowly the children and all those who come in touch with it to co-create, awaken to their truth, and something beautiful and gentle is set in motion.
Gratitude
My personal journey in life is deeply intermingled with my work and expression in the world. It has been greatly impacted by the following individuals. Their presence, offerings and gifts have allowed me to go deeper into my own being, understand the nature of life on Earth, and in turn, discover my unique gifts:
– Jacqueline Fay:Hobbs who anchors the Purification Space at this current moment on Earth, (www.oraclegirl.org) helping people shed deep seated patterns.
– Ariela Sophia who holds beautiful and magical frequencies, in whose presence one is moved to touch the truth again and again
Thank you also to the countless children and various beautiful adults who have crossed my path. So many of you have inspired me to respond to your radiance and truth through my creations. I am grateful!