By Jill MacDonald

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation, as described in Hidden Treasures, teaches that:

“Everything is either coming into physical form or going out of it.”

The first time I read that, I got totally hung up on the word transmutation. I mean, how often do we use that word in everyday life? It felt like a science textbook term that I had to wrestle with before I could even understand the point.

Then one day, a thought came to me: Just swap it for a word you actually use. That was the key. I needed to translate it into language that made sense to me.

Here are a few words and phrases that help capture the essence of transmutation:

• Change

• Alteration

• Shift

• Metamorphosis

• Transformation

• Moving from one state to another

• Something being drawn to you

Out of all of these, metamorphosis is my favorite. I love picturing a caterpillar inside a chrysalis. (In case you’re wondering, a chrysalis is like a cocoon—or you can think of it like a tightly wrapped package. The present is inside… you just can’t see it yet.)

The idea that a crawling little caterpillar could become a butterfly is still magical to me.

When I was in elementary school, our class studied the butterfly life cycle. My teacher ordered real caterpillars so we could watch it happen with our own eyes. She placed them in an aquarium, and we fed them and watched them grow. After about a week, she added a small branch, explaining that soon the caterpillars would climb up, hang from it, and spin their chrysalises. Inside, they would be transforming.

I was completely fascinated.

But then… came the waiting. And more waiting. Day after day, I watched them—and nothing seemed to be happening. Eventually, I asked my teacher if they were dead. She smiled and reassured me, “Oh no. They’re very much alive in there. Just be patient.”

She promised that soon, I’d see butterflies.

And she was right. A few days later, I saw movement. Then, one by one, the chrysalises began to crack open. I actually laughed out loud—I was so awestruck! We rushed to get our coats, and our teacher led us outside. She picked a couple of kids to lift the lid of the aquarium, and we stood in silence as the butterflies emerged, stretching their wings and fluttering into the sunlight.

It was pure magic. I still feel the wonder of that moment all these years later.

That experience left a lasting impression on me. And now, every time I think about the Law of Perpetual Transmutation, I think of those butterflies.

I remember asking if the caterpillars were dead—because I couldn’t see anything happening. But of course, so much was happening… just out of sight.

And that’s exactly how this law works. Even when it seems like nothing is happening, transformation is taking place beneath the surface. The law states that everything is either coming into form or going out of it—which means we are always either drawing our desires to us or pushing them away.

But when we can’t see movement, we tend to doubt. We tell ourselves our goals are silly or impossible. We let go of our dreams too soon. And when we do that, we interrupt the process. We push away what was coming.

The key is to believe in the process—like my teacher did. To trust that something beautiful is forming inside your chrysalis, even if you can’t see it yet.

So when things feel still, don’t assume your dream is dead. Hold onto your vision. Be patient. Be excited. Something amazing is on its way. Let the unseen magic do its work—bit by bit—until one day, your butterfly breaks free.

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