Contemplate: Rainbows![Rainbow Melody](https://kimberlyharrison1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/rainbow-melody.png?w=529)
Sorry for the delay. Guess this blogging thing is not as quick and easy as some may say. Things have been a bit more busy at my B&B so I’ve been making beds and cleaning more toilets and baking and… Well, you probably don’t care about that. Excuses, excuses. I say I am a writer, so let’s write something that someone actually wants to read. (Rule #?)
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
and rainbows have nothing to hide. ~ Kermit – Rainbow Connection
My friend Kermit is partially right, seeing a rainbow does depend on visual perception, but it is far from an illusion. Scientifically a rainbow is the result of three basic principles – diffraction, refraction and reflection. To perceive a rainbow one must be positioned with the sun or other light source behind and water droplets in front. White light rays pass through the water droplets, is diffracted into separate spectrum colors, refracted or bent and reflected off the back of the drop.
Sockrates just informed me that another of our favorite intellectuals, Aristotle, was the first to call attention to the rainbow phenomenon. The Aristotelian Rainbow theory is a numerological analyses based on parallel lines, circles and arcs. While not entirely correct it showed an extent of inventiveness and quantitative reasoning not common in 300 BC.
![Newtonian Rainbow](https://kimberlyharrison1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/newtonian-rainbow.png?w=529)
Newtonian Rainbow
Centuries later the scientist and student of classic natural history Sir Isaac Newton offered his theory of the meteorological phenomenon that proposed a seven-color spectrum. The Newtonian Rainbow consists of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple. Modern rainbow science omits indigo. Some argue that Newton included the transition between blue and purple as tribute to the magical number seven. Who knows and who cares. I personally like indigo and will continue to see it in my rainbows!
So that’s the science. But what really make the rainbow interesting (aside from its spectacular beauty) are all the tales and myths and symbolism attached to the wonder of nature. In the interest of time and space I will mention just a few. Check out The Myth, Magic and Science of the Rainbow as well as the other links I’ve provided for more examples and interesting stories.
In the Bible, God shows Noah a rainbow as a sign of His love for His people and a covenant with them to never again destroy the Earth with a flood.
Some belief systems see the rainbow as a road or bridge between the Earth and the afterlife/heaven.
In some tarot decks, the Temperance or Art card depicts an angel mixing fire and water in a bowl to produce a rainbow – symbolizing the equivalence of proportions of elements to create a thing of beauty.
Seeing a rainbow is thought to be a blessing in itself. Many cultures also believe that special blessing or even an object of good fortune (i.e. a pot of gold) can be found at the “end of the rainbow”.
Rainbow water is belived to contain more nutrients and life-giving elements that ordinary rain water.
And so on. In my research I have found several Rainbow Connections. Have you found your own yet?![rainbow-142701_150](https://kimberlyharrison1.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/rainbow-142701_150.jpg?w=113&h=82)