The Butterfly Cluster

NGC 6405 Cluster

The Butterfly Cluster is another amazing and beautiful Messier object which is to be found in Aqrab. Truly this star-family is rich with Nebulae and Messier objects! 

The Butterfly Cluster, which is cataloged as Messier 6 (M6) and as NGC 6405 is an open cluster of stars found in the scorpion. It is called the Butterfly Cluster because its shape gives a resemblance to a butterfly (see the second image above).

In the first photo (above), the Butterfly Cluster is distinguished with a blue highlight, just to locate the specific stars. In the third image (directly above this text), the surrounding colors are shown, increasing the beauty and likeness.

The Butterfly Cluster is located above the tail of the scorpion, which makes for an amazing spiritual lesson. The tail of the scorpion represents the "sting" of Eternal Death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). But, in Christ we find victory over the serpent and deliverance from his sting! We are transformed from being counted among the seed of the serpent, as we saw in yesterday's blog, to being among the changed and Spirit-in-dwelt people of Yahweh.

The placement of the Butterfly Cluster above the scorpion's stinging tail shows us the transformation that takes place as we are changed from a self-centered, worldly being to a Christ-centered, beautiful new Creature.

In our fleshly state, which is the seed of the serpent, we are like a spiritual worm. We are selfishly motivated. We are not a creature of blessing and our characters are far from lovely.  In this analogy, victory over sin is likened to flying. The worm certainly can’t fly. As the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 22:6 “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”

Paul also described our unsaved state (as seed of the serpent), in Romans 7:23-24:  

“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

But in this constellation family, we see the way of deliverance. Yahshua, Who is our Strong Man that defeats the serpent and took the sting of Death for us is our WAY of Salvation.  As it says in John 14:6:  

“Yahshua saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”

This star family shines in the night sky, beckoning to sinners and drawing them toward the Saviour, Who is saying, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden (burdened as the enslaved seed of the serpent), and I will give you rest (freedom, healing, and deliverance)” Matthew 11:28.  

But amidst all this star-family's powerful messages of deliverance, we also find the call to victory and transformation. We can’t come to Yahweh and still keep part of our hearts in the world. Whatever is of the realm of sin must be left behind in order to enter into a deep relationship with God.  We cannot maintain in a state of "mingled seed" as spiritual hybrids, where we have a part of us that is mixed with the seed of the serpent and a part of us that is choosing to be of the seed of Abraham. We are being called to be all-in, 100% turned away from the serpent and his ways.

As it says in James 4:8: 

 “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

As it explains in Romans 6:6-13: 

 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin…  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Yahshua Christ our Sovereign.  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

Having victory in Christ and deliverance from the serpent and his sting of Death involves being new creatures - and having a new life and lifestyle. As the Bible tells us in Romans 6:3-4: 

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Yahshua Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” 

This point is further explained in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

What is the significance of the Butterfly Cluster in this spiritual message? To understand its significance and its placement in the sky-picture, we must first look at the spiritual meaning of a butterfly. 

In nature, before a caterpillar can become a butterfly, it must actually change on a molecular level into that lovely new creature. To do this, it first has to die to being a caterpillar and submit to the transformation.  We must do the same. The experiences we go through in being transformed from the spiritual seed of the serpent into becoming the spiritual seed of Abraham is our spiritual chrysalis phase. We undergo a change. We are not to go back to being the selfishly motivated creatures we were before.

While the Mozanaim (scales) constellation and star-family shows us the steps of Justification (being made just-as-if-we-have-not-sinned through the Atoning Sacrifice of Yahshua) the Aqrab star-family, shows us the process of Sanctification.  Sanctification is being set apart for holy use.  In this stage, we experience new life as a new Creature, as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  

This new life is compared in our analogy to becoming a butterfly. 

The butterfly can fly. In our analogy, the butterfly’s ability to fly is likened to the ability to gain victory over temptation and sin.  Many Christians say that we cannot get the victory over sin, but the Bible tells us in Jude 1:24, that Yahshua is able to keep us from falling.  Worms cannot fly.  But, a butterfly can.  The transformation in us is the indwelling power and Presence of Yahweh.  And He can fly (or overcome sin). Our victorious-through-Christ-flight is a demonstration of faith and works. 

The beautiful and powerful message of Aqrab with the Butterfly Cluster shining from above the scorpion's stinging tail is this: in Christ, we have the power to live as new creatures... as spiritual butterflies! This is what it means - on a practical and personal level - to find true victory in Christ. 

So, when you go out and see the constellation of Aqrab shining in the night sky, look above the scorpion's tail and see the Butterfly Cluster. And as you sight it, remember the transforming Message. In Him, you can be the butterfly!

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