An Irish legend tells that at the end of the rainbow, there is a pot of gold. This little story hides a profound symbolic message that is present in different belief systems and philosophies. The seven colors of the rainbow are a perfect analogy to symbolize the seven levels of consciousness that lead humans from ignorance to enlightenment. The reward that awaits at the end of the rainbow is the brute soul transmuted into gold at the very end of the evolutionary journey.
The Seven Levels of Consciousness
If you understand how a light spectrum works, you will understand how the human evolutionary process works. A single ray of white light can be broken into seven perceived colors because it contains all the frequencies that determine each one of the colors within it. Since consciousness is pure energy, when it manifests itself in the physical world, it is also split into seven different parts – each one of them has its own frequency, color and characteristics even though they are one consciousness.
The rainbow arc becomes visible whenever the sun reflects its light into the drops of water in the air. In theological symbolism, the sun represents God – the divine light which is immaterial, imperishable and eternal – and the water represents the physical world which material, perishable, mutable. Without the water drops, however, the sun would not be seen or perceived, this is why the immaterial (God) needs the physical world to reveal itself. So, from this perspective, humans are a divine mirror.
The Seven Colors
Each of the colors of the rainbow corresponds to one level of consciousness that ranges from the most material (red) to the most sublime (violet), representing the evolutionary journey of humans. According to mystical traditions of the ancient world, such as the Egyptian, the Chaldean, and some of the eastern schools of thought, humans need several incarnations in different bodies until they can finally reach their spiritual ideal (which is the equivalent to reaching enlightenment or nirvana in Buddhism), and merge with God's consciousness, which is said to be the final destination of every living creature.
Each step towards enlightenment hides a specific virtue or faculty that needs to be learned, each virtue is represented by one of the rainbow colors, namely:
- red – the control of the physical body;
- orange – the control of the energetic field and creative power;
- yellow – the control over emotions and personal power;
- green – forgiveness, ability to release resentments;
- blue – ability to verbalize, communicate, express things intelligently;
- indigo – intuition, unconditional love, compassion, and;
- violet – consciousness of the divine, spiritual awareness, inner peace and wisdom, which is the final step before one attains complete freedom.
The Seven Chakras
Many traditions before Paul's Christianity taught that the physical body is a microcosm of the universe, and therefore, we are a miniature of God's potency. This means that we have the universe's mysteries inside us – they are being slowly unlocked as we walk through the evolutionary path.
The seven chakras are energy centers located in the body which are physical imprints of this universal path. Each chakra is associated to one of the colors of the rainbow in the exact same order. Practitioners of yoga or chakra meditation believe that by aligning the chakras, they may remove the energetic obstacles that stop them from being in tune with their spiritual nature .
There is a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
When the soul learns all lessons and acquires full control over the seven virtues, the consciousness does not need to incarnate in the physical world anymore, becoming completely free from the chains of the physical existence. The pot of gold symbolizes the golden spirit that emerges from the experience through the seven colors of the rainbow.
Sources:
- Charles Webster Leadbeater. The Chakras. Quest Books, 1972.
- H.P.B. The Voice of the Silence. Theosophical University Press, 1889.
- The National Center for Atmospheric Research & the UCAR Office of Programs. Accessed April 2011.
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