Peacocks & Butterflies: The Personal Symbolism Behind My Books

How Two Magnificent Creatures Inspire My Storytelling

May 21, 2025 | 7-minute read

Have you ever wondered why certain symbols resonate with you? Why particular creatures, colors, or patterns seem to speak directly to your soul?

For me, two magnificent creations have always captured my imagination and heart: peacocks and butterflies.

These aren’t just beautiful creatures I admire from afar. They’re powerful symbols that represent my journey as both a person and an authoress. They embody transformation, authenticity, and the courage to display one’s true colors — themes that run through all my stories, regardless of which pen name they’re written under.

Today, I’d like to share the deeper meaning these creatures hold for me and how they’ve subtly influenced the stories I write across all my pen names.

The Majestic Peacock: Beauty in Full Display

Peacock with full tail spread in display.

Few sights in nature are as breathtaking as a peacock in full display. Those iridescent blues, purples, greens, and teals arranged in a perfect fan – it’s a masterpiece of design that stops us in our tracks.

But what draws me to peacocks goes beyond their obvious beauty.

A Symphony of Colors

My favorite colors have always been red (for warmth), blue (for serenity), and purple (which beautifully blends the two and happens to be my birth month color).

Now, look closely at the peacock pictured. What do you see?

Well, I hope you see what I do — the perfect blending of my favorites.

Every color you see, especially in his brilliant tail feathers, resonates with me and most of which is present in my brand palette — from the mocha tones of their upper feathers and “eyes” to the teal, blue, and purple of their magnificent tails.

The way peacocks combine blues and purples with stunning teals makes them especially meaningful to me. Even the golden highlights that appear when sunlight hits those feathers echo the metallic accents I love to use in my designs.

Want to know the best thing about a peacock? It doesn’t hide its colors — it displays them proudly in a breathtaking array, showing that beauty doesn’t have to choose between elegance and boldness.

Unexpected Glory

Did you know a peacock’s feathers aren’t actually blue? The color we see is created through an optical illusion called structural coloration — microscopic crystals that reflect light in specific ways. What looks solid blue is actually transparent, refracting light to create that stunning color.

This reminds me so much of how God works in our lives — creating beauty through unexpected means, turning ordinary moments into reflections of His glory.

The Transformative Butterfly: Beauty through Change

A peacock butterfly on a leaf, its body of red is enhanced by peacock "eyes," those circles at the tops of feathers. On the butterfly, those "eyes" are blue, purple, and yellow accented with black.

While peacocks represent beauty on full display, butterflies represent something equally powerful: transformation.

From Caterpillar to Glory

The butterfly’s journey from crawling caterpillar to soaring beauty has always been a perfect metaphor for my own spiritual journey.

In my testimony, I’ve shared how I once was that caterpillar – earthbound, limited, consumed with consuming. But God had other plans. Through His patient work, I entered my own chrysalis — a time of painful change, of breaking down old patterns and building new ones.

And while I’m still very much a work in progress, I can look back and see how He’s given me wings to rise above my former self.

Every Christian knows our transformation is never really complete. But we can celebrate how far we’ve come while acknowledging the journey that remains.

This ongoing metamorphosis keeps us humble — a constant reminder that being saved doesn’t make us any better than anyone else.

God loves everyone — saved and unsaved alike. In fact, His heart is perhaps even more tender toward those who haven’t yet found Him, since He died a horrible death to ensure no one has to spend eternity separated from Him.

This perspective of continual transformation helps me approach both my life and my writing with humility and grace.

A Rainbow of Varieties

Just as my different pen names express various facets of storytelling, butterflies come in countless varieties — from the bold Monarchs that might represent my A.J. Strickland novels to the delicate pastel-hued species that better reflect my Alicia Jane sweet romances.

How These Symbols Influence My Writing

These aren’t just creatures I admire — they represent themes that have subtly woven themselves into the very fabric of my stories.

The Peacock Principle

In my books, you’ll often find characters who must learn to display their true colors — to stop hiding their authentic selves behind façades. Like the peacock, they must learn that their unique beauty is meant to be seen.

This is especially true in my A.J. Strickland novels, where characters often struggle with vulnerability and authenticity in relationships. The journey from hiding to honest display mirrors the peacock’s confidence in displaying God’s handiwork.

The Butterfly Effect

The transformation journey appears throughout my stories as characters undergo their own metamorphoses. Whether it’s:

  • A journey of faith (finding wings through relationship with God)

  • A journey of healing (emerging from the chrysalis of trauma)

  • A journey of self-discovery (discovering their true identity and purpose)

From Querida’s healing journey in Unconditional Love* to the Swallowtail Four* kids’ journeys of self-discovery to the transformations my future characters will undergo, the butterfly’s path reflects the core message of all my books: We are not meant to remain as we began.

Finding Your Own Symbols

Perhaps as you’ve read this, you’ve thought about symbols that resonate with your own journey. What creatures, objects, or patterns speak to your soul? What reminds you of God’s work in your life? What symbolizes the person you’re becoming?

These personal symbols can be powerful touchstones in our lives — reminders of where we’ve been and where we’re going. They can help us articulate the deeper themes of our own stories.

Until next time, embrace your colors and never stop transforming. I’d love to hear what symbols speak to you — share in the comments below!

P.S. Next time you read one of my books, see if you can spot these themes of transformation and authentic living. While you might not find actual peacocks and butterflies on every page, their spirit — of becoming and displaying — is woven into each story I tell.

Related Topics: symbolism in literature, author inspiration, spiritual transformation, brand imagery, personal branding, writing influences, creative inspiration, character development, faith in fiction

* NOTE: I referred to my first romance novel, Unconditional Love, and to my latest release, The Adventure in the Magical World.

If you’d like to purchase a copy, click here for Unconditional Love and here for The Adventure in the Magical World.

Post image courtesy of Meta’s AI. All other images courtesy of Pixabay artists. Spread-tail peacock by Papa Smurf, and peacock butterfly by Couleur. SEO image peacock by Michael Reichelt, and butterflies by Magdalena Bednárová.

Alicia Strickland

Hi! I write across multiple genres under various pen names. But for nonfiction, I write as myself. As a designer with a love of Old Hollywood and all things creative, I bring diverse perspectives to my storytelling... and to my blog. In the unlikely event that I’m not writing, I enjoy crafting, gardening, or spending time with my flame-point Siamese, Hunter.

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