When thinking about this quest I wondered what to call it.  I wanted a metaphor; something that might allow people to find their own meaning.

For what it’s worth, this was mine…

Our world is clouded by judgement.  We judge each other and ourselves constantly. Judgement it seems to me is merely a mirror, a reflection of ourselves or a part of ourselves.  Dandelions are judged as weeds.  Yet in their puffball state, they are quite beautiful.  How often we see other people as ‘weeds’ and our own shortcomings as ‘ugly’, yet miss our own beauty or the wonder of others?

Like so much in life, the dandelion has various states.  Green and leafy, golden flowers, puffball seed heads.  As human beings we too have states.  Often a baseline state of self.  Maybe your baseline state is striving, or worrying, or some other label.  Maybe yours is peace, happiness, joy, fulfilment?  Maybe that’s what you would like?

The dandelion’s purpose is to get to puffball state so that it can create new life, new growth.  What’s your purpose in life? Why are you here on this lump of rock hurtling through space?

The dandelion puffball has many parts – each intricate, beautiful, special and full of potential.  So do you and I.

So why ‘illuminated’?

Well, partly because illumination reflects learning; if I illuminate something it becomes clearer to me – as with the seed heads in the puffball, so too the many intricacies of my humanness.

But ‘illuminated’ also because I believe we all need to shine our light.

As author Henry Van Dyke once said…

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there, except those that sang best.

So find out about you and your parts, why you’re here, and then shine your light.