NATURE ALCHEMY ~ Journey through Spirit in the Natural World
RADIANT RAINBOW
~ Gift of Enlightenment ~
He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. – Tao Te Ching
Intermingling with the waterfalls of the world, Rainbow blesses us with the communion of water and sunlight in a magickal display of shimmering iridescent colours. Rainbow is a visual and meteorological phenomenon, sparking the mind of man to heights of wonder and illumination. Natural rainbows are caused by refracted light in atmospheric water drops at a specific angle relative to the sun’s rays, appearing as a reflected spectrum of coloured light in the sky.
Transparent crystal is another organic element emanating prismatic Rainbow light. Its mineral structure of flat and sharp angles offer white light waves the ability to bend in two ways: by refraction, where rays are transmitted through the crystal and dispersed; and reflection, where rays are mirrored and bounced back outwards.
Rainbow covers a continuous spectrum of approximately 100 detectable hues, with the seven primary colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet – being the most visually prominent. It is this stunning chromatic marvel that has delighted us since time began. Even before the classic Greek scholar, Aristotle, first took note and devoted serious attention to Rainbow, we have been enamored with all forms of her magickal marriage of translucent water and light, gifting us with a miraculous visual display of dancing coloured jewels.
~ RAINBOW SPIRIT POWER MESSAGE ~
I am here, shining for you!
I am the reflection of you,
In all your sparkling colour!
You shower forth bright light into the world –
Your True Soul alight!
And all your gifts are colours shining forth
Into the brilliant Light of Love,
For all to see.
And, behold…
You are One with Me!
~ RAINBOW ELEMENTS AND SYMBOLOGY ~
Through the physical and spiritual realms of the Five Kingdoms in Nature:
Celestial, Elemental, Fauna, Flora, and Mineral
Goddess Iris – the beautiful and benevolent Greek Queen of the Gods, and archetypal Goddess of the Rainbow. Iris is also a deity of the sea and sky, as she supplies the clouds with water, thus creating rainbows. Often portrayed with wings, and hailed as being “wind-swift footed”, Iris was revered as a Messenger of the Gods, traveling on
Rainbow while carrying messages from the gods to mortals, linking them from the profane to the sacred. Journeying to the lower realms from the heavens, Iris manifested the celestial, radiant grace of Rainbow, blessing and pouring her light upon humanity with compassion, beauty, and love in the understanding of the heart through the emotions. Thus, Goddess Iris was the embodiment of feelings, expressing her divinity as the multicoloured, faceted Radiant Rainbow of human qualities of consciousness. The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, wrote, “There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart.” As we look to the compassionate Goddess Iris in the brilliant Rainbow light of our heart, we can see that our beauty, too, is infinite, with no beginning and no end, extending outwards and touching all life. This is the natural expression of our True Self, in the highest form of who we really are. As Radiant Rainbow showers us with infinite blessings of the heart, our eyes can behold the miracle of this sacred truth.
Prismatic Light – the dispersion of white light into separate colours as expressed in the study of optics in relationship with a transparent element of matter, i.e., water droplets, crystal minerals, etc. The division of colour by a prism is achieved when a white light wave bends and refracts, or reflects like a mirror, into its spectral components – all colours of Rainbow. Radiant Rainbow’s prismatic light is synonymous with the infinite qualities of our Spirit within, shining outwards. These beautiful facets of our soul are Love in all its forms: joy, grace, blessings, gratitude, peace, harmony, unity, truth, beauty, wisdom, freedom, abundance, praise, inspiration, magick, power, glory, etc., uniting us to our spiritual source. When we begin creating and feeling the expansion of these virtues, they in turn are reflected outward and gifted back into the Universe. Our lives can then change in the most exquisite ways. We feel en-lightened, as a lightness of Spirit enters our lives, and inner and outward radiance becomes the norm. “Nirvana or lasting enlightenment or true spiritual growth can be achieved only through persistent exercise of real love”, shares M. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and author of the best-selling book, “The Road Less Traveled”. Radiant Rainbow is the alchemy of Love – the white light of our divinity creates the beautiful colours of self, illuminating outwards. This transcendent light of the soul does not discriminate on whom it shines – all who are in its path receive its glorious colours of reflection. In the charming 1960 Disney film, “Pollyanna”, a sweet, endearing girl gave the brightest light of herself to whoever was within her life field. She made it her personal goal to visit a grumpy old woman, Mrs. Snow, with an endless list of self-imposed ills due to her negative temperament. In her ever-optimistic, effervescent nature, Pollyanna hung crystals in Mrs. Snow’s bedroom to share the joy and brightness of rainbows. The crystals shone with a vibrant luminosity throughout the room, reflecting Pollyanna’s inner glow, and in time, her light could not be denied by Mrs. Snow, who embraced the child with love. By her very lightness of being, Pollyanna reflected the essence of spirit outward and touched endless lives. This is the Gift of Enlightenment offered to us all.
Rainbow Fish – (Melanotaeniidae) a family of small freshwater schooling fish, whose iridescent scales change colour when light is reflected on them. In the beloved award-winning children’s book, “The Rainbow Fish”, author Marcus Pfister wrote a charming story about a dazzling but selfish fish, who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share his gifts of beauty. Covered with shimmering rainbow scales, he is asked by other sea creatures if they could have one of his scales, but he is proud and refuses to share. As a result, he loses the company of others, and instead lives alone with his own conceit. Soon, he realizes the pain of loneliness and begins to discover the joy of giving, joining the graceful universal flow of giving and receiving. “The Rainbow Fish” is truly a simple tale with a powerful message: Enlightenment is realized through sharing our beautiful and unique gifts of self with others. Our gifts, like those of Rainbow Fish, are multi-coloured, radiating the infinite light of Spirit from within. In “Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Modern World”, the first comprehensive book on Western Buddhism for the modern-day spiritual seeker, Lama Surya Das, American-born lama and teacher wrote, “Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead it’s about becoming more fully human. . . It is the end of ignorance.” This is the essence of our Radiant Rainbow within, as we generously shine our light out into the world to be shared by others, through all the spectral colours of our Beautiful Being!
Iris – (Irideae) a genus of up to 1,000 species of perennial fan-shaped multi-coloured flowering plants. The name Iris is derived from the Greek word meaning “rainbow”, referring to its wide variety of flower colours among the many species. As such, Iris’ beauty is showcased extensively as an ornamental plant in both home and botanical gardens worldwide. Rich in universal symbolism and artistic portrayal, Iris has been portrayed and admired in literature and paintings, as well as used for stylized commercial logos, emblematic flags, and political and family coat-of-arms. Iris’ flower essence is particularly beautiful as a rainbow-bridge between earth and sky, body and soul, and the temporal and spiritual worlds, reminding us of our divine origin and link with the timeless universe. Pondering this truth can inspire us to heights of beauty, grace, and creativity, restoring the magnificent shining light of our beautiful Infinite Self. Iris offers us the flowering of our intuitive soul along the colourful spectrum of feeling, which blossoms in the heart of love. In the revered epic Sanskrit Hindu sacred scripture, Bhagavad Gita, it sublimely states, “To the illumined man or woman, a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same.” This jewel of wisdom points to Iris’ soul, who shows us that all life is One – we are all borne from, and embody, Spirit. This is the brilliant healing path of our inner Radiant Rainbow, guiding us to and through the great Gift of Enlightenment.
Rainbow Opal – a brilliantly hued blue gemstone with curved flashes of rainbow color. Rainbow Opal, the sacred stone of Goddess Iris, is known as the “stone of the Gods”, personifying the mysteries of the cosmos, momentarily revealed to humanity through its sparkles of iridescent light. This is the divine power of Rainbow, as it unites the universe with the earth. As we look in wonder at its luminous, transparent glimpse into the heavenly realm, for a few brief moments we are seeing beyond the physical into the kingdoms of nature and life, and a spark of Enlightenment can unveil itself within. This flash of illumination can help us better understand our intrinsic gift of intuition, and life’s inherent forces of mysticism and shamanism. As such, Rainbow Opal is known to be the most powerful of healing stones. As a stone of hope, it symbolizes a renewed feeling of optimistic expectation, or faith, when we gaze upon the spiritual blessings of Rainbow’s shimmering essence of celestial light intermingling with our world. “To hope and dream is not to ignore the practical. It is to dress it in colors and rainbows,” shares best-selling author Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef, described as having the vision of an eagle, and one of the most important thinkers of our time. This is the essence of Radiant Rainbow’s gift, the proverbial Pot ‘o Gold at the end of the Rainbow! To raise us up, to behold the luminous colourful jewels that life has to offer! So, Darlings…Let us Shine On!
~ CELEBRATION THROUGH SACRED CEREMONY ~
Moving through the spiritual energy of our own totem inner Radiant Rainbow, we can be blessed with the precious Gift of Enlightenment in conscious compassion to all life. Here, within the realm of Divine spectral light, our True Self eternally dwells.
A personal ceremony can be performed to enhance the manifestation and integration with Rainbow’s all-embracing gift. This can be a private celebration between yourself and Rainbow Spirit, or you can invite others to join. It can be as ritualized as you desire, or naturally free-flowing, and include anything you want to say or any object(s) that intuitively feels in harmony with the act of thanksgiving for Radiant Rainbow’s blessing.
A powerful place to hold the celebration would be in a natural area with a spacious sky among Rainbow’s presence, but physical location is not of prime importance. If you do not have access to this environment, any contact outside facing Rainbow’s auric essence would be helpful. If the celebration is held indoors, being in room with a window is encouraged to enhance the presence of natural elements, but if this is not possible, symbolically facing Rainbow would be beneficial. Even if this locality is hidden or at a great distance, emanations from Radiant Rainbow’s spiritual source are not obscured, as they flow freely throughout the Universe.
As a sample list, any of the following ideas below could be included in your celebration, and verbalized during a Blessings of Intention for Enlightenment affirmation ceremony (see below). Also, any of these offerings may be created and integrated into your ritual either physically and/or symbolically in Spirit.
- Begin with a personal intention of Enlightenment to enhance any general or specific aspect of your life.
- Light a bright or rainbow-coloured candle to symbolize the bright and beautiful essence of Goddess Iris, as she guides you to raise your consciousness into the light of the heavenly realm.
- Visualize the infinite colours of Prismatic Light, reflecting your inner beauty outwards to all life.
- Honor the shimmering Rainbow Fish, who shares the unique light of his great Gift of Self with others.
- Feeling the transcendent essence of Iris, either with a drop of flower essence on the tongue or holding the flower, which can open your heart to the divinity of all life.
- Hold the iridescent gemstone Rainbow Opal, or any other stone resonating the great gift of faith and hope. Other related stones include Pearl, Rainbow Moonstone, Rainbow Quartz Crystal, Rainbow Jasper, and Selenite.
- Proclaim intentional blessings for the Gift of Enlightenment. A simple statement in the form of a heart-felt declaration can attract and summon the heights of magick and power through the fundamental, positive act of intention. By the sincere act of a clear and pure desire, a personalized blessing can call upon the spiritual forces of unity within life – the source of your Infinite Self. You can use any of the following Blessings of Intention affirmations as a guideline to be included into your own personal declaration towards inner harmony and integration with the energies of Heaven and Earth. Written as non-denominational statements, these intentional blessings can be practiced by any single person, or unstructured or organized group, as their own personal form of prayer, charm, chant, invocation, or medicine, etc.
- A devotional affirmation of praise, honor, and thanksgiving, as suggested in Dream Song to Radiant Rainbow (see below). This act of appreciation is enhanced with the powerful personal statement “I Am”, and especially when said aloud, can invoke the creative energies of manifestation radiating throughout the Universe, calling upon Rainbow’s Great Spirit to be infused into your life. All or part of the Dream Song passages can be included in this holy prayer of purpose and gratitude. Their power summon and embrace a wide range of natural spiritual influences, ancient mythology, and alchemical life-force energies from Native American, Deity, Celtic, Shaman, Indigenous, Pagan, and Wiccan cultures.
~ BLESSINGS OF INTENTION FOR ENLIGHTENMENT ~
* With this shimmering candle, blessed by Rainbow Spirit, I embrace the iridescent beauty of Goddess Iris, guiding me to the light of my True Self shining within my heart and soul.
* With the brilliant kaleidoscope of Prismatic Light, blessed by Rainbow Spirit, I
radiate the beautiful colours of Love illuminating my heart and soul.
* With glittery little Rainbow Fish, blessed by Rainbow Spirit, I share my unique
Gifts of Being joyfully swimming in my heart and soul.
* With the intuitive essence of Iris, blessed by Rainbow Spirit, I see that all life is
Divine, and this cosmic connection blossoms within my heart and soul.
* With sparkling Rainbow Opal, (or other resonating gemstone) blessed by
Rainbow Spirit, I feel a renewal of hope and faith softly glowing in my heart and
soul.
~ DREAM SONG TO RADIANT RAINBOW ~
O beautiful sparkling Rainbow,
I see myself in You!
All the colours that I am, are in You!
As I shimmer and flow outwards,
You infuse me with Your radiance,
And I shine this out into the world.
Through Your Divine iridescent light,
I am made whole through Love,
And am One with You.
Thank You, O Radiant Rainbow, for your Gift of Enlightenment
~ From Heaven Sweet Nature Springs ~
BRIGHT BLESSINGS!
References:
http://www.earthlyissues.com
http://www.livinglifefully.com
http://www.liveaquaria.com
http://www.whats-your-sign.com
http://www.asia-gems.com
http://www.annemeplon.com
http://crystal-cure.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
Power of Flowers, by Isha Lerner
The Illustrated Director of Healing Crystals, by Cassandra Eason