Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess of Japan, became angered by her vulgar, disrespectful brother the Moon. She despaired at the sadness and ugliness in the world, and so she hid in a cave, refusing to come out. All the gods came to the mouth of her cave, and begged her to come out. But Amaterasu Omikami would not.
And so, the world began to die.
Hoping they could trick Amaterasu to come forth, the gods placed a mirror before her cave, and the little Goddess Uzume began to dance. Her dance was so bawdy, so funny, so absurd.......that everyone gathered just had to laugh, in spite of their dire circumstances. They laughed and laughed and laughed.
When Amaterasu heard so much noise outside, her dark meditations were interrupted. The truth is, her curiosity got the better of her. She peeked out, and saw her radiant, life-giving face reflected in the mirror. She saw how beautiful she was - and saw again how much joy and laughter there was, still, in the world. And that is how Amaterasu Omikami left her cave of despair, forgot her anger, and promised to never leave the world again.
There are caves of darkness into which we all retreat. For a day, a month, or too many years. Sometimes, we have to be tricked away from abysses of the heart, to see againhow beautiful, how valuable, how light filled, and how important, each of us really is. Then we can find the the courage to rejoin the hilarious, heartbreaking dance of Life.