We Are the Rainbow

It seems that almost every culture has a story about the rainbow.

Some Native American tribes believe the rainbow is the path that souls take on their way to heaven. The Christian bible portrays the rainbow as God's promise to Noah that He would never again send a flood to destroy the earth. There's a story from Germany which claims the rainbow is actually the symbol of the Greek goddess Iris. And who can forget about Irish leprechauns and their legendary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

In these challenging times, so many of us are busy chasing rainbows that we completely overlook the fact that we never lost them at all.

Within each of us are spinning wheels of energy called chakras, which correspond to a specific color of the spectrum, as well as an emotional issue:

Red (root chakra, located at the base of the spine) is used for energy, grounding and passion.

Orange (sacral chakra, located two inches below the naval) promotes joy and sexuality.

Yellow (solar plexus chakra, located below the breastbone) helps counteract depression and stimulates mental activity.

Green (heart chakra, located at the center of the chest) represents compassion, healing and balance.

Blue (throat chakra, located at the throat) deals with communication and artistic expression.

Indigo (brow chakra, located at the Third Eye area, between the brows) activates intuition.

Violet (crown chakra, located at the crown of the head) represents spirituality and inspiration.

I find it interesting that not only do our bodies house the full spectrum of rainbow rays, but our entire lives are associated with the rainbow as well. According to Lilian Verner-Bonds of the International Association of Colour, "Human lifetimes can be monitored in phases of development using the seven spectrum colors of the rainbow as a growth chart."

These stages are:

Birth to 10 years = red (physical expansion)
10 to 15 years = orange (movement, dancing, athletics)
15 to 20 years = yellow (mental ability, education, study)
20 to 40 years = green (relationships, love, children)
40 to 60 years = blue (transition from activity to contemplation)
60 to 70 years = indigo (perception)
70 plus = violet (visionary, no limitations)

I understand why humanity looks to the rainbow as its symbol of hope and inspiration. But must we continue to struggle along that yellow-brick road in pursuit of rainbows, bluebirds and a wonderful wizard's bag of answers?

We are the rainbow, Folks. The answers are right there inside us, right in our own backyards.