Weekly Free Association : The Rainbow

by Paulo Coelho on September 29, 2008

This celestial configuration was often associated in ancient cultures as a sign of God’s goodwill.

In the Bible for instance the end of the deluge is announced by a rainbow (Genesis IX, 11). In Ancient Greece, Iris, the virgin goddess, was the messenger that transmitted to the earth the orders of Zeus and Hera.

In Ancient China, the rainbow was seen as the unification of the yin and yang and was often represented as a two headed snake. Buddhism also associates the rainbow with the serpent, Buddha being portrayed as going up a ladder while resting on seven-headed snakes.

Now you take the floor: what do you associate with the rainbow?

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{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }

farah October 5, 2008 at 8:15 pm

TANKS FOR EVRY THING
( I do not speak english well!!! sorry!!!)
I am iranian

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Liisa October 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm

When I was 8, the back cover of my religion book at school had a picture of a rainbow against a dark blue sky and there was someone’s quote saying: “Rainbow is a sign of God’s trust in us.”

Ever since this is how seeing a rainbow has made me feel. And rainbows have seemed to appear in moments of taking a risk, going through a change in my life or being in a long journey, etc… When I’m unsure or even when I’m sure I’ve done the right choise, rainbow has appeared to confirm this.

To me, seeing a rainbow is seeing God smiling, and really, you can’t beat that – you’ve gotta smile back. :)

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Leeca October 5, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Well. Moonbows are beautiful of course. They are the ultimate symbol of hope. More mysterious and intriguing however, are moonbows… rainbows at night. They are for me a confirmation that within all people there is light and colour. A child is not born bad. I choose to believe in the goodness of mankind.

“Moonbows are rare because moonlight is not very bright. A bright moon near to full is needed, it must be raining opposite the moon, the sky must be dark and the moon must be less than 42º high. Put all these together and you do not get to see a moonbow very often! To the unaided eye they usually appear, as in the small image, without colour because their light is not bright enough to activate the cone colour receptors in our eyes. Nonetheless colours have been reported and might be seen when the moon is bright.”

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/moonbow.htm

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Damien October 5, 2008 at 2:17 pm

L’Arc-en-ciel

Entre le pluie et le soleil
Par delà les nuages
Plus beau que celui du réveil
Sur terre tes rivages

De ton éclat se rajeunissent
Les profondeurs de tes rivières
Comme du cristal rejaillissent.

A l’heure où le diable marie ses filles
Aux noces de Satan, reçoit leurs jarretières
Tel un merveilleux prsent, couleur jonquille.
Entends l’alliance retrouvée, mes prières:

Toi, l’arc-en-ciel
Reflète ta lumière
Dans le ciel, la mer, esther,
Le feu, le fiel.

Du haut de ton firmament
Lieu, s’il en est artificiel
Le mont Parnasse touche le ciel
L’atlas immobile attends
Seul, le soleil, le vent.

The Rainbow

Between sun and rain
Over the clouds
Nicer than the wakening
On earth your shores

Get younger under your glaze
River’s depth
As cristal reflected glory

While the devil marry his daughters
At Satan’s wedding get their garter
As a wonderful gift, joquil yellow bright
Hear the new covenant, My prayers :

Thy! Rainbow
Shine your light over
The sky, the seea, Esther,
Fire and venom.

At the height of your firmament
Artificial place as it gets
Mount Parnasse touches the sky
Atlas stands still waiting
Alone, the sun and wind.

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Rani October 5, 2008 at 11:44 am

Luck. Rainbows have always brought me great personal good fortune and I love them.

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El Dormido October 5, 2008 at 7:01 am

AH… the primacy of light and the transmutation of being… In Yosemite during the full moon, at the base of Yosemite falls people gather to witness the Moonbow! It is a ghostly arc of white, the moon’s light through the mist of the plunging water hanging in the air… so, even in darkness, light transmutes and gives the promise of transmutation! To become as transparent to light that light shine through casting the colors within to the world around… or something like that…

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Monika October 4, 2008 at 9:54 pm

Hope.

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Mirela Baron October 4, 2008 at 8:36 am

For me Rainbow is the posibility to reminde us that ewerything witch is materialform is also light,with the whole spectrum of radiation(sound,color,energy).

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Emi October 3, 2008 at 6:23 pm

HOPE…CONFIDENCE THAT A FRESH START IS ON THE WAY…

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Anneliese Flores Clar October 3, 2008 at 4:22 pm

Raimbow children, the new generation of children that has come to help with the Earth’s transition.

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AFRANIO CARVALHO PINTO October 3, 2008 at 4:09 pm

DETALHES
Resolvi fazer… Depois que decifrei… Parte deste artigo… Embaixo:

Devemos enfatizar a importância do detalhe e passar a pensar nas pequenas coisas.
…Pensar nas pequenas coisas não significa pensar pequeno…
Preocupação exagerada termina eliminando qualquer traço de alegria.
LAO TZU por PAULO COELHO

———————————————–
PRA QUE CAMINHOS
SE OS SEUS OLHOS FECHADOS… ESTÃO
PARA NÃO SENTIR OS PEQUENOS
DETALHES DO BOTÃO

OLHA
VOCÊ NÃO VIU… ELE SE ABRIU
NEM O PERFUME VOCÊ SENTIU
QUANDO EM FORMA DE ORVALHO CAIU

PRA QUE PERGAMINHOS.. SE NEM A PARTITURA
DO CANTO DO TIZIU.. SEU CORAÇÃO OUVIU

OLHA O VÔO TUIUIÚ!… NÃO VIU.

EI… PSIU!… P.Q.P. … PERDEU.
————————————————
———————————————————-
http://afraniocarvalhopintopoesiasecontos.blogspot.com/

FOTO BY AFRA… HELICONEA… COND. PORTO BELLO… ANGRA DOS REIS
TIZIU… Ave.
TUIUIÚ… Ave do pantanal.

Quinta-feira, dois de outubro de 2008… 20h57min.

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J.S.H. October 3, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Billy Soemawisastra October 2, 2008 at 10:11 pm

The ancient people of my fatherland (Java, Indonesia) said: rainbow is a sign that many beautiful angels were down to earth, to give peace and happiness to the world. But for me, rainbow is a symbol of pluralism

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barcelona_20_euros_en_un_cafe October 2, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Nunca había caido en que Arco Iris en inglés es Arco de Lluvia… Mientras que en castellano implica color.
****************************************************************
I never think about that in english Arco Iris is bow of rain…While in CSpanish involves color.

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barcelona_20_euros_en_un_cafe October 2, 2008 at 8:09 pm

Cuando tenía 15 o 16 empecé a escribir cuentos y uno de mis psudonimos más utilizados era Arco Iris Luminoso.
Para mí un arco Iris es una señal de que ya han pasado los problemas y brilla el sol.

***********************************************************
When I was 15 or 16 years old I wrote short stories and one of my most used psudonimos was Arco Iris Luminoso (Luminous Rainbow).
For me, a rainbow is a sign that the problems have already passed and the sun shines.

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Anneliese Flores Clar October 2, 2008 at 6:04 pm

Rainbows remind me of rain, the colors of the chackras, Light, energy, God’s covenant with man, hope, beauty, miracles!

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ZELJKO October 2, 2008 at 4:27 pm

Rainbow, hmmm…. It always reminds of hope, eternal, ever shining, always appears after rain!

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Nia Wind October 2, 2008 at 3:58 pm

I was in a chat…and there i learned something new:

“The rainbow-warriors”

really interesting..

warrior of the lights, the rainbow warriors, etc..

what is happening????

The End.. The End… The End….

Love

Nia

(i hope you understand my little humor)

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Kathleen October 2, 2008 at 12:21 pm

To me it’s almost as though God is being childish. As though he felt like colouring in one day lol. I love it. I still get excited at seeing rainbows.

Kathleen xxoo

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mariangela October 2, 2008 at 1:26 am

Arco Iris prá mim lembra Tesouro, que lembra Sol, que lembra poder, que lembra mente, que lembra luz, que lembra som, que lembra sabedoria, que lembra nascimento, que lembra Amor…..
Beijos,
Mari Raphael.

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Olga October 2, 2008 at 1:25 am

Joy

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Paco October 2, 2008 at 12:26 am

The rainbow is a bridge connecting the physical light of the sun to the metaphysical light of the observer’s mind.
The spectrum it reveals is the full palette of visual potentia.

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Melissa October 1, 2008 at 11:34 pm

Peace. The calm after the storm. And simplicity.. in every way.

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Michelle October 1, 2008 at 9:16 pm

Luck!

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Vanuza October 1, 2008 at 8:34 pm

Oi, Mago!
Quisera poder estar aqui sempre, meditando sobre questões tão prementes que você nos coloca…Com certeza, a maioria das pessoas não consegue se ater a buscarem a sua “Lenda Pessoal”. Jung já nos alertava para isso; para esse cotidiano mesquinho que nos impede e rechaça a criação do Verdadeiro EU…
Carinho Imenso!Bjssss

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krysta October 1, 2008 at 7:25 pm

I’m afraid I’m not so abstract. When you say rainbow, my first thought is gay pride. From there I think “safe spaces” and welcome, family, unity and all that good stuff.

Just today I thought how strange I dress these days – blacks, browns, greys [and I asked my friends, where is MY rainbow?] – to reassure my very new bosses that they made the right choice. As a person generally found in clashing colours of all sorts, I feel I am cheating myself in some way.

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Irene October 1, 2008 at 5:25 pm

L’arcobaleno è il sorriso del cielo…trasmette le vibrazioni che ti fanno sentire parte di un tutto, parte dell’Universo intero…

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atella October 1, 2008 at 3:15 pm

MY COUNTRY – South Africa :)

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aditya October 1, 2008 at 7:42 am

hope, love, joy, beauty.

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lovesthewind October 1, 2008 at 5:57 am

Rainbows remind me of possibilities, pure beauty and wonder. Any time I see one, I smile. They’re like a hug from the sky :)

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Tania September 30, 2008 at 6:44 am

For me its a bridge between heaven and Earth connecting everything .
It is one of the best things to just be in the moment as see a rainbow appear …I love it – Colours shooting across the sky ..
and also it gives hope -cheer also I think of the care bears ;_) love those shows …pots of gold ,dreams and the rainbow serpent.
Lets not forget one of the best songs -somewhere over the rainbow ..Love Tania

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Savita Vega September 30, 2008 at 6:30 am

Once I saw a whole field full of rainbows. It was in the desert–somewhere out around the south-eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. I was on a vacation–a very odd trip to begin with. A friend of mine, who had flown in from London, and I, flying in from Miami, had agreed to meet in Vegas, rent a car, and drive. Our plan was to circumnavigate the Grand Canyon, driving in a huge circle through the desert, but without ever visit the Grand Canyon itself–without even going near the rim. So we met in Vegas as planned, and set out on the backroads mostly, for a ten-day drive trough the desert of Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Then, several days out, we encountered a sight quite unlike anything in my previous experience–a sight that I will never forget. It was getting late one afternoon, and we had been driving for several hours without rest. We were on some small backroad and had ventured so far off the map that we could no longer locate ourselves with any degree of certainty. (This was long before the days of OnStar and GPS.) We were just out there, somewhere, on a narrow and very winding blacktop, when suddenly the weather began to change rapidly. It was mid-February, and we began to speculate about the possibility of snow. Then, sure enough, it began to waft down, huge flakes, swept along by a blindingly cold North wind. The road was rapidly icing over and soon we began to worry. Even if we could pin-point ourselves on the map with any certainty, we were still at least several hours away from the next possible place to stay the night. The desert is a very empty place to begin with, and all the moreso does it seem in such instances, when a sudden weather change can spell misfortune or even disaster. What were we going to do if it really began to snow? We were in a sports car with a sun roof–great pic for a road trip but hardly equipped for ice and snow. And if we couldn’t find our way back out to a main road? Thought began to drift through my mind of possible headlines: TWO FOUND FROZEN IN SNOW DRIFT ON LONELY DESERT HIGHWAY. But then suddenly, just as rapidly as the snow had begun, it ended and all the clouds that had brought it dissipated. It was still light, though the sun’s rays now came at us at a slant. It would not be long until dark, but somehow, as the clouds withdrew, the whole desert suddenly erupted in the most brilliant hues. we came around a sharp bend in the road, and there before, like rose bushes planted in a garden, were a whole field of rainbows. Yes, rainbows! Not one, but many! And not one among them larger than the car we were in, from end to end. As far as the eye could see, and lasting for perhaps three to five minutes, there were dozens upon dozens of miniature rainbows.

If I had been alone on that trip, I might have attributed what I saw to “road weariness,” “snow blindness,” “food poisoning” or any number of other possible explanations. But I was not alone. I was not the only one to witness what I saw that day.

Now I’ve never understood it, and perhaps I never will. Maybe such occurrences are perfectly ordinary in the desert, after snow, late in the afternoon, in mid-February. Or perhaps such phenomena are perfectly “impossible” from a scientific point of view. This matters very little to me really. I saw what I saw, and to me, that experience has meaning that transcends all material explanation of the phenomena. I truly think such events are gifts from on high, and as such, are to be interpreted in the most personal manner, as messages from another realm–roadsigns pointing the way we are meant to take, whether that designated road is on any map or not.

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Adam September 29, 2008 at 11:07 pm

Rainbow, well it’s funny… Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I think of what I would like to dream about – and always the first thing that comes to my mind is a rainbow. Unfortunatelly, it never appeared in my dream – or maybe I couldn’t ever remember it.

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Hannah September 29, 2008 at 10:38 pm

for me the rainbow is associated with togetherness and love between my sisters and brother.

i fondly recall times when we were not parted by distance as we are now, we used to chase the rainbow looking for a pot of gold so that we could give it to our mother.

even now when i see a rainbow i hope its magic is manifesting itself in the same moment for my sisters and brothers so that for a few seconds we might be together again in spirit and mind if nothing else. xxx

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nho(Spain) September 29, 2008 at 9:47 pm

El efecto climático del arco iris, lo asocio a las palabras que escucho GauTama Buddha en una de sus meditaciones,

“escucha a un maestro que estaba enseñándole a una niña a tocar la Cítara, le dice que si la cuerda esta muy floja no suena, pero si esta se encuentra muy tensa se rompe, la cuerda debe estar en su justa tensión para que pueda dar música y armonía; y en ese momento el buda comprendió el camino del medio, que tanto el ascetismo extremo como la vida de placeres del palacio eran dos extremos y que la verdad se hallaría en el justo medio; ni placeres exacerbados ni ascetismo extremo, todo en su justa medida.”
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_Gautama

Como me encanta esta frase, me gusta creer que el arco iris en un estado de nirvana, donde no es ni lluvioso ni seco, ni caluroso ni frio, ni muy nublado ni soleado, y donde el arco iris se ilumina como la puerta del nirvana.

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Viv September 29, 2008 at 9:15 pm

I like the French phrase, L’arc en ciel, (the arch in heaven) more than the English rainbow.
It’s all very well knowing what causes it, but I still shout to the whole family if I see one, and sometimes we all go out to look at it. I hang crystals in the windows to create rainbows in my rooms when the sun shines. The colours have a newborn purity about them and then, whisht, they’re gone. Bit like life I guess.

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Yuliya September 29, 2008 at 9:06 pm

I always loved rainbow! From lessons in school i can understand and can scientifically explain how it works and why it occurs. I know its parts and components … but i still believe in rainbow, believe in magical stories about rainbow, believe as a child would .Without explaining it or trying to understand it. To me it is one of nature’s phenomena that reminds me that it is more important to enjoy something then to fully understand it. And maybe, just maybe there is magic in rainbow. In our right or wrong, black or white world i believe in rainbow i becouse i need colors, magic,hope.
Love Yuliya

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Carolena September 29, 2008 at 7:57 pm

It’s Mother nature showing us that this world is Magical!

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Nitza September 29, 2008 at 7:18 pm

When I was a child, I was taught that rainbows were a symbol of God’s promise. As I grew older, I see rainbows and see a sign of hope from God. It is a beautiful reminder to keep having hope no matter what “life storms” come in your path. And if you see a dobule rainbow, double the serving of hope!

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Alexandra September 29, 2008 at 7:16 pm

i ASSOCIATE THE RAINBOW WITH A GREAT JOY,NOY HAPPENS TO SEE ONE EVERY DAY,SO,WHEN I SEE ONE I FEEL SO HAPPY JUST LIKE IF I WOULD BE A CHILD.NATURE HAS HER LITTLE GREAT MIRACLES,I FEEL THE RAINBOW LIKE A REAL MIRACLE IN THE DULL GREY EVERY DAY LIFE.i KNOW WAS A SIGN OF GOD TOWARD HUMANS,A SIGN OF MERCY ,LOVE,MIGHT,FORGIVENESS.I SEE THE RAINBOW LIKE ONE NATURAL GEM,A JEWEL.

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Mari September 29, 2008 at 6:39 pm

Rainbow is a sign of hope; in yoruba based religions of the Americas, the rainbow is the symbol of the orisha (divine emissary) Oxumare/Oshumare (the serpent rainbow). It also represents the beginning and the end.

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Lia September 29, 2008 at 5:54 pm

It’s a positive sign for me either.It symbolizes the end of the rain, which is a dark period that usually makes me sad,though it’s useful for the earth but anyway it’s not the best thing for my mood…
Love,
Lia

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luce September 29, 2008 at 5:32 pm

For me it represents glory of the Mother Nature !

It represents transformation !

And abundance !

And whenever I see one it makes me smile, it makes me wish to run underneeth (impossible wish, I know), it fills me with sense of wellbeing, and I feel like child again and again as I see it over the hills or over the see.

Even discussing it brought me feelings of joy !

Thank you with love,
Luce

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PSX September 29, 2008 at 5:31 pm

When i see a rainbow………i know that the heavens are smiling…..especially when i see the rare phenomenon of an upside down rainbow (u can see images of such rainbows on google search) ……… its a beautiful smile in the sky……and i know god’s laughing ……i just wonder what the joke could be !! : ))

Keep smiling : )

Keep living life from the heart : )

PSX

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PeregrinaMom September 29, 2008 at 5:13 pm

The transition from the darkness of the storm in our lives to the serenity that comes once the transformation has ocurred… and all is well……

Love…… always and in ALL ways,

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Strength and Spirit September 29, 2008 at 4:56 pm

Happiness!

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Pandora September 29, 2008 at 4:42 pm

Hope

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Joël September 29, 2008 at 2:40 pm

The bridge between the existing wolrd and the other demension

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Cristina September 29, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Rainbow is composed by 7 colours, as we see it in the sky.
The same colours compose (together) the light that we see.
At the same time they also represent the colours of chakras(wheels of energy) inside Human body.
So the same vibrations (colour is a particular vibration of energy), is also the energy that is in our body.
I Agree it is a very positive sign; I had in my life two episodes tha prove (for me) that it’s a positive symbol; one linked to my grandmother and the other to my son’s birth.
Have a nice day.

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Walaa Hamdan September 29, 2008 at 2:04 pm

hmm
A rainbow..
It reminds me of Irish folk tales, of leprecauns, and fairies..
and of course, of pots full of gold ;)

Another thing..it gives a sign of hope..
a ray of hope through the rain that things will get better soon

<3

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