It rained very heavily in the early hours of the morning and when I was on my way to school I noticed the loveliest rainbow in the sky. Excited I was to snap a shot of this phenomenon of nature that I drove quicker than usual to school. When I reached school, I noticed that I could see a beautiful semi-circle arch right above. Actually, there were two rainbows instead of one. It was truly a magnificent sight and I stood mesmerised. But I also knew that I could act fast and whipped out my camera. Unfortunately, I could only take half of the rainbow as the place I stood was too near to it. I read an article in the latest issue of World of Feng Shui byFeng Shui Guru, Lilian Too, that if one were to see a rainbow and be able to "catch" it in ones palm, something good would happen to the person. Ahem! Excuse me, the hand in the last picture belongs to me.Well, I surfed the web and found that there are quite a number of myths and legends about the rainbow. I found out that it is also known as "The Gateway to Heaven" as it resembles a giant bridge or gate.
Below are some beliefes about the rainbow:
- In Irish folklore, the leprechaun's secret hiding place for his pot of gold is usually said to be at the end of the rainbow. This place is impossible to reach, because the rainbow is an optical effect which depends on the location of the viewer. When walking towards the end of a rainbow, it will move further away.
- In a Chinese folktale, Hsienpo and Yingt’ai are star-crossed lovers who must wait until the rainbow appears to be alone together. Hsienpo is the red in the rainbow, and Yingt’ai is the blue.
- Some Buddhists believe the seven colors of the rainbow relate to the seven planets and the seven regions of the earth. They also say the rainbow is the highest state of samsara before the clear light of Nirvana or heaven.
- Many people believe the rainbow is a ray of light falling to earth whenever Saint Peter opens the gates of heaven to let another soul in.
- In Hawaii, Polynesia, Austria, Japan and among Native American Tribes the rainbow is the path souls take on their way to heaven and has been called a bridge or ladder to higher or other worlds.
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