Symbolism of the rainbow
During the coronavirus pandemic the rainbow became a symbol of the UK’s support and solidarity for our NHS workers, but the spiritual symbolism of the rainbow stems back to the beginnings of civilisation and goes way deeper than our message of hope to those on the frontline
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From the mythical pot of gold, to God’s promise to Noah after the Flood, to the Buddhist ‘rainbow body’, we always have been – and always will be – transfixed by the symbolism of the rainbow, that glorious arc of light that appears magically after the rain.
Mythological symbolism of the rainbow
In numerous cultures the rainbow was seen as a bridge to heaven, only reached by gods or warriors or the most virtuous. In Norse mythology a burning bridge (Bifrost) connected the world of the gods with the earth.
Indra, the Hindu god of thunder and war, uses the rainbow to shoot arrows of lightning, killing the Asura Vrta, a primordial demon-serpent.
According to Irish folklore a ‘pot of gold’ is found at the end of a rainbow, fiercely guarded by a leprechaun, for the person lucky enough to find it.
In Greek mythology Iris was goddess of the rainbow, the messenger bringing news from the gods to men, dressed in rainbow colours and with golden wings. One of Iris’s tasks was to fill a golden jug with holy water for Zeus, king of the gods, who made misbehaving gods take a most binding oath on this holy water.
The Japanese creation story has Izanami and Izanagi descending on the floating bridge of heaven (a rainbow) to create land from the ocean of chaos.
The light after the Flood
In the Bible God created the great Flood to wash away man’s corruption. After 40 days and nights of continuous rain, during which Noah sheltered in his Ark filled with animals, God placed a rainbow in the sky – as the sign of his promise that he would never again destroy the earth with flood (Genesis 9).
Angelic light colours
In spiritual circles the colours of the rainbow correspond to angels or ‘beings of light’ who appear to us in meditation or dreams. Angels present in a wide variety of colours (or vibrations), each symbolic of their role in our life and the message they are here to convey.
The seven chakras
The colours of the rainbow also correspond to each of the chakras, or energy centres, in our body. Each chakra (Sanskrit for ‘wheel’) is thought to be responsible for the health of its related organs or systems (such as our hormones), and keeping the flow of energy within our chakras is crucial to a balanced and healthy mind and body.
Rainbow body
In Tibetan culture the ‘rainbow body’ is when a Buddhist monk achieves the highest level of enlightenment and consciousness. Over 160,000 Buddhists have reportedly reached this pinnacle of consciousness through a lifetime’s dedication to teachings and meditative practices known as dzogchen. As they die this enables transformation into a metaphysical state where their physical body is transformed into rainbow light.
New beginnings
For the majority of us rainbows are uplifting and cheering, representing peace, serenity and, above all, hope. For some they are seen as a symbol of new beginnings, a spiritual signal that urges us to break from our current path and make changes, perhaps moving from level of spiritual development to the next.
Maybe next time you see a rainbow you’ll take that leap of faith to make a change you’ve not dared til now…?
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