The “rainbow,” a progression of colors in the order of the frequency of visible light, is a common representative theme. Currently, one of its homes is the “Pride movement,” where it no doubt means differences despite unity. Or something like that. The motif is handy for describing different things that nevertheless have something in common. We have a Rainbow (Army) Division, a “Rainbow bridge” for our fur babies, a trout, a symbol on several national flags, and corporate logos for NBC, Apple, the United Way, Skittles, Dickhouse, Care Bears, and lots of others. Beyond doubt, all of those things will eventually pass but we can count on the rainbow as a symbol living on as long as we have color vision.
Today, I am thinking of the color red.
Today is Pentecost, a Christian celebration of the coming of the “Holy Spirit” the “spiritu sancti.” Christians are supposed to wear red on this occasion. The color is pictured as a representation of the “tongues of fire” brought by the Holy Spirit and sometimes the blood spilled by martyrs. I do not know if wearing red on Pentecost gets you any favored position in the pantheon of eternal possibilities. Red is also the color of shirts/tunics/whatever that the Spartan warriors wore. If they bled, their enemies could not tell that they were hurt.
The "tongues of fire" thing is confusing. All the time, I’ve thought that fire was orange, yellow and occasionally blue, although different things can give off other colors when heated. Red is considered an “active” color, even though something painted red just sits there unless some external force, such as a human, causes it to move. It’s not that the color IS more active, the magic comes only from our association.
If there is a message hidden in the message of this ink-stained wretch, it is that the symbol does not equal in any place outside the human mind with what is represented. We just associate it – in our minds. Simple example: Few people have a neutral reaction to the Confederate battle flag (red flag, white stars within the large “X”) or the “Stars and Bars,” the lesser known official flag of the briefly existing Confederate national government. Those represent things - disunion; the Lost Cause; slavery. But other than the connections in our minds, those symbols are meaningless. How about having a nice blue flag with a large white star in the middle? Does that either offend or thrill many people? Why not? Because it means the same as the battle flag & the Stars and Bars.
For those into meditation, thinking in color or of colors is a nice device. There are several videos made to guide a rainbow meditation. It was the memory of that application that put me into the mood to write this modest screed.
I cannot describe that mediation feeling. I suppose you have to experience it. If you try it and it works you have useful knowledge. If you try it and it doesn’t work, now you know one thing that will not lead you into that zone of mediation. If you don’t try, no problem. This is still a free country. (If that causes you to want to comment with some version of your political beliefs, please sit on your hands and don’t bother. This has nothing to do with Trump, Biden, or any of their loyal/dangerous co-conspirators/patriots. Jeez, does ever f.ing thing need to be political?)
By the way, the part in the title “Stave the First” implies that there will be further chapters (staves). Not necessarily true! I am a creature of both predictability and whim; and of both seriousness and smoke. It beats me if there will be future chapters.
Mizpah!
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