Somewhere over the rainbow

​It’s been a wet few weeks for us here. Whilst mourning my onions, 2 feet deep below the water line at my flooded allotment, I looked up to see a rainbow. I knew it was a phenomena explained easily with science. Light seen from just the right angle, refracting through the raindrops. 

​So why did that rainbow stop me in my steps? Transporting me magically into a little girl filled with awe and wonder. Perhaps the rainbow still has magic to teach us.
 
After the rain, if you are lucky, you will see a rainbow. A reminder of God’s presence in stormy times.
Throughout history the rainbow has been recorded as a sign of the magical. A good omen. A symbol of positive things to come. In Norse mythology, the rainbow is the Bi-frost, a magical bridge that links the realms of man and gods. In ancient Greece, rainbows were the personification of the Goddess Isis, a messenger between Heaven and Earth, her presence was also seen as a sign of hope. In Judaism and Christianity the rainbow is a sign of the covenant between man and God, and a reminder of Divine manifestation in the physical world. Interestingly in Hebrew the word for rainbow is the same a bow, this is commonly interpreted as the bow without the arrow, seen as a symbol of mercy, an arrowless bow is not a threat.
 
“I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13
 
The Kabbalah tree of life and the eastern chakra system align colours with specific areas. A spectrum of shades, where all are equal as well as having individual spiritual gifts and meanings. The term spectrum and the symbol of the rainbow has been adopted in modernity to show support and celebration for the LGBTQ community, reminding us that every individual is a perfectly unique conduit of love. So as I go about our world today, I will remember the rainbow, its magical band of colours, and its ability to show up just when we need a reminder that God works in mysterious ways.
 
“For every storm, a rainbow; for every tear, a smile; for every care, a promise; and a blessing in each trial.”

Stefanie Bridges
Unity office administrator