Post 1/ What is Psyche Butterfly?

Sep 16

*Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss* by Antonia Canova
First version 1787–1793, The Louvre. Pictured above is the original Greek mythological story that inspired the following blog series and its pairing brand.

“Love and the Soul, for that is what Psyche means, had sought and, after sore trials, found each other; and that union could never be broken - Cupid and Psyche.”
— Edith Hamilton

Psyche [pronounced Sigh-Key], the Greek goddess of the soul, is often depicted with butterfly-like wings, symbolizing a wise traveler.

Psyche wasn’t always the goddess of the soul. As a mortal woman, she faced trials from envious gods, jealous of the admiration she received that rivaled even Aphrodite's. Her conscious, resilient responses to these challenges became my inspiration behind this blog. When I discovered her story, it inspired the birth of my Psyche Butterfly concept, and the following, free resources I hope you find value in.

Despite the gods’ malice, Psyche defeats the challenges cast upon her by 1) trusting her intuition, 2) balancing ancient advice from her community, and 3) patiently enduring the trials. Psyche’s calm and intentional responses, in contrast to rapid-fire emotional reactions or triggers, inspired me during a time when I struggled to act the same. I find inspiration in her approach, viewing her “travels” as an allegory for consciously choosing simplicity in her physical spaces to set herself up for success in hardship.

In my blog series, I invite you to join me in creating external, physical simplicity within your own space(s). The aim is to nurture our ability to embrace, with more ease and clarity, the natural, inner complexities of life. Why give energy to your physical space when, where we really learn and grow in life, are the inner complex interactions with our community and minds? I want to lean into inner personal growth, with you, as our more assumed, first position. By embracing this simpler physical approach, we honor our inner complexity and give energy to it. We can focus, each day, on navigating life’s challenges with clarity and intention, rather than being distracted by unnecessary, external, and seemingly never-ending logistical decisions. Simplifying our external spaces is the essential first step to respond more like Psyche, toward achieving The Psyche Butterfly mission: Create Your Conscious Space.

I recently faced my own trials, perhaps what some might call a quarter-life crisis. Psyche’s story didn’t just resonate with me during that time; it became a guiding inspiration as I navigated grief. The year I was laid off from the best corporate job I’d ever had, my body began signaling that it was time to stop pursuing that kind of work, the familiar, the comfortable. Despite the temptation to accept job offers that promised challenges within my comfort zone, I left all three roles I tried to settle into. Instead, I chose to listen to my mind and body, accepting that they were urging me toward something entirely different… something risky and far beyond the world I knew.

To begin reclaiming my peace, I started building a butterfly box with my dad, dreaming of businesses that could one day take flight. Later that year, I unexpectedly found myself standing before Psyche at the Louvre. Her story and approach to navigating challenges inspired how I wanted to respond to my own. Without intentionally seeking her symbolism, I found myself drawn to it. To the family and friends who stood by me during my most reactive and difficult moments, I am profoundly grateful. Psyche became, and still is, a symbol woven through it all. As I write this (about a year after these forced changes) I feel I need to share the light I found in the meaning of Psyche’s story and my intended, free resources to you.

My Psyche Butterfly approach won’t be right for everyone, but I’m here to share what’s working for me. The vision of our "Psyche Butterfly" is to empower you to live physically simply so you can experience your life through an assumed first position, each day, in inner work and community. This is what I like to call the “mental travel” of life. If simplifying your life’s logistics seems to be a needed component of getting to what actually matters in your life, join me here in my attempt to build and share those tools with you.

To begin simplifying life’s logistics, follow the 16 Week Space Refresh Trek to get all your Free Checklists. In each of these weekly blogs, you’ll get:

Transformation photos for comparison and inspiration.
Inspirational quotes.
8–10 contextual and planning paragraphs about the prior week to help you prepare for the week ahead.
Preparation guide.
Optional items to purchase.
Optional tasks to do.
Additional commentary.

Side Note

Although the blogs will provide all the checklists you need to simplify your space, the first tool I created (when I did the trek myself) is the “Space Refresh Trek” Inventory Google Sheet. Finding some Psyche represented in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, this book is where I found my first, tangible momentum to act on Psyche’s responses in my own life. I harnessed the momentum by starting an inventory (not something I know everyone will be even remotely interested in). I decided to inventory every… single… item I owned. While I know this approach isn’t for everyone, I’ll make the Google Sheet available for those who might benefit.

Whether you live in a minimalist space, a camper van, a boat, or simply want clarity about your possessions, this tool can help track everything from screws to every last pair of underwear. My partner and husband, Jared and I, keep it updated each time we purchase something. In other words, we keep a live track of the number of everything we own! Since I have re-visited this blog posting since I finished the 16 Week Space Refresh Trek, I can share that we’re currently at 1214 items, as of January 10th, 2025. For me, seeing every item laid out, then documented, incentivized me to continue to tidy and understand my consumption habits, down to the numbers.

Back on Track

That said, following the Psyche Butterfly mission doesn’t mean you need to inventory every item. Instead, it’s about following a weekly checklist to guide you. Here’s where to start:

Download Checklist Number 1.
Identify “Your Why”.
(Optional) Make a copy of the “Space Refresh Trek Inventory” Google Sheet.

Wherever you're headed, join me in simplifying your physical space to create a conscious mental space. And, perhaps, if your soul feels heavy in your current era, remember the hard work in physical transformation can restore impact and effect inner transformation. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, the process may be challenging, but it strengthens us. Let’s physically simplify together.

Following 3 Paragraphs Added At Week 17

Re-visiting this blog from the future, let me tell you, this 16 Week Space Refresh Trek (or "Tidy Marathon" as Marie Kondo calls it) has been transformative. I’m writing this at the start of week 17 in my 9 Month Lesser Consumption Trek, just after completing my 16 Week Space Refresh Trek. I hope my own testimonial can help you rest assured that I feel freer, more present, and more capable of showing up fully for myself and my community. I want this for you, too.

Who knows what you’ll find in yourself at the end of this process! Like many, Jared and I are inspired by diverse ideas, often finding joy in what lights up our community. For years, we’ve envisioned buying land to create space for creativity, rest, and refuge for ourselves, then others [this is what our definition of “community first” is]. Maybe this journey, both the 16 Week Space Refresh Trek and the 9 Month Lesser Consumption Trek, will bring your current dream(s) to life, or perhaps it will lead us and you somewhere unexpected. It’s the, “who knows”, the "open-ended”, and “acknowledging your fear of the unknown and jumping in anyway” that I hope will allow these next treks for you to be transformative, too.

The "Preparation"

Here’s what I plan to bring you:

This section, for each blog here forward, will be called “Optional Items to Purchase”. For the purposes of this first blog, I’ll simply list what you can expect from the Psyche Butterfly mission instead since there are no recommended purchases, just yet. Focus on reading Marie Kondo’s book!

September 16 - December 31, 2024: The “16 Week Space Refresh Trek”.
An introduction to the blog and the physical transformation. I’m designing FREE Canva checklists and a FREE Google spreadsheet with some inspiration from the KonMari Method. They’re always free, here on the blog, but you can also share my Etsy shop. Think “organized abode” meets “average Joe/Jane practicality” and “eco-conscious resource shopping”. I’ve seen the haters and read the backlash on the KonMari Method. We’ll take an updated, Psyche Butterfly approach.
January 1 - September 16, 2025: The “9 Month Lesser Consumption Trek”.
Only buying essentials food, transportation, toiletries, and gifts for others. This will somewhat resemble the ideas from The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. Join me in the New Year for nine months.
September 16, 2025 - New Year's 2026: The “Simplicity in Color Style Guide”
A dive into personal styling, conscious wardrobe choices, and home design selections. We’ll apply joy to practical and sustainable fashion and home goods. We will re-build after the year long journey of what it feels like to deep dive tidy and consume less.

After 2025/2026 Treks conclude, the conversation on how these changes and practices influence our psychological space will continue!

Optional Tasks To Do

Download Checklist Number 1.
Identify Your Why in either the downloadable and free Checklist Number 1 OR the “16 Week Space Refresh Trek Inventory” Google Sheet.
Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - The Japanese Art of Decluttering & Organizing.

Additional Commentary

As Mari Kondo said, “There is one thing I can say in confidence. A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming.”