A Rainbow In the Clouds

Seek one. Be one.

John and the Angel (detail), Book of Revelation, from the Augsburg Book of Miracles, c. 1552 (Wikimedia Commons — public domain)

“My heart leaps up when I behold
   A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
   Or let me die!” — William Wordsworth, 1802

There’s a peculiar sense of familiarity and uncertainty about rainbows.

Whenever it rains and there’s a bit of sun shining, it’s natural to look to the sky to try to find a rainbow.

The dark clouds begin to clear — or in some cases, the rain may still be falling — and we crane our necks in all directions to see where that colorful display of light might be.

We’re not always guaranteed to find one, though. The location of the sun with respect to the clouds (and us) might be wrong, or the angle could be just a bit off.

Rainbows, while familiar, aren’t certain. But that glimmer of hope amid or following a storm is enough to make us want to go rainbow hunting.

The search for reassurance amid uncertainty is a natural response. Humans crave control, and when we find ourselves reeling in a world in tumult, we grasp for anything that can give us a sense of hope.

Scientifically and logically, a rainbow is nothing more than the refraction of light through water.

Symbolically, it is much more.