We are all familiar with the scene – deep inside the dark dank cave, water dripping down the rock face, a stumble and fall, the torch thrown, the light goes out. Feeling around in the dark, a match strikes, a chink of light shines on the outline of a wooden trunk, lid half open, jewels sparkle in the flickering light; rich red rubies, clear blue sapphires, bright green emeralds, shiny gold coins scattered amongst the cache. The find, the excitement, the treasure.

Maybe?

But, without any light inside the cave the jewels will not sparkle and the gold will not shine. What good will this treasure do you anyway if you cannot get it out of the cave? A rock fall and the entrance to the cave is blocked. No way out. Still you have your treasure, the elusive, long lost treasure that you have spent a vast part of your life looking for. You have found it now, so celebrate. Be happy, enjoy.

I suspect the treasure will not bring you happiness because you were looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing.

Stand at the entrance of the cave and rather than walking deeper inside in desperation of finding what you think you are looking for – turn around and see that the light is at the entrance of the cave, not hidden deep inside.

Without the light, nothing will grow. Without the light, the jewels could be any colour, you will not see their beauty, you will not see their sparkle, you will not see things clearly, you will only see shadows.

The crack is where the light gets in.

What is this light I am talking of? Am I talking in riddles, metaphors?

Not really, all I know as I stand at the entrance of the cave is that the treasure is outside in the light, not deep inside buried in a trunk. In other words, the treasure is not what I imagined it to be. It is not fairy-tale ideals, it is not a lottery win, it is not Prince/Princess Charming, nor a knight in shining armour. It is right here, right now and it is acceptance and real understanding of this, not just something you tell yourself but a deep "knowing" that you are what you seek.

We are the precious treasure that we seek, but often we cannot see it because we are looking in the other direction for something else, something other than what we have.

Perhaps the real treasure – the light - is in accepting yourself as you are right now. How much energy or time is spent, wasted, stolen from you by yourself, wishing you possessed qualities other than those which you have?

Step out into the light and accept yourself, in doing so, you may find it easier to accept others as they are too.

Millie

A Moodscope member.