Judeo-Christian scripture passages from the King James Version (KJV); alternate versions and notes from The Jerusalem Bible (JB); Upanishad passages from The Thirteen Principal Upanishads, edited by Robert Earl Hume
British spellings (realise, colour, centre, etc.) are retained when used by various authors.
“If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” —Jesus (Matthew 6:22)
“Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings; it is the Lord who rises with healing in his wings.” —William Cowper
“I have finally found a way to live / In the color of the Lord.” —Eric Clapton
Introduction
I must admit that it first struck me as odd when I heard the line “in the color of the Lord” in “Presence of the Lord”. However, with study of the scriptures of different traditions it has come to make perfect sense. References to perceptions of color abound. They reveal a kaleidoscopic array of images which stimulate the reader with their perceptions of color and other phenomena in their attempt to convey their perceptions of the Divine. Their abundance in the Judeo-Christian scriptures, as well as the Upanishads and Buddhist texts lead me to the conclusion that this cannot be coincidental or imaginary. The traces of the scriptural record must be uncovered, specified, and examined for what they are. Furthermore, conclusions must be drawn from the evidence to develop a unified conception of the reality behind the phenomena. Short of the experience itself (which should be sought and prayed for) this is the only adequate and honest response which should be made to so great a revelation. Sonic images are here as well, much as thunder accompanies lightning, and, in Judeo-Christian accounts of a voice from heaven.
Does God have a color? That may seem like an impertinent question, but it is a serious one. The spiritual reality can be shown to mirror the natural one. In human culture, color of dress (red, orange, and saffron) is one expression. Literary representation is another. These do not negate, but rather serve as markers for visionary experience. We long for the glorious vision, yet know that it has been granted to only a select few throughout the historical/scriptural record. Might it not be possible through a sort of backward engineering, to appropriate the vision through the power of symbol? There is a strong historical precedent. It is the case with the color of clothing chosen by devotees, the lighting of candles and the burning of incense, the ringing of bells, gongs, and brass bowls. Indian tradition utilizes arati, the waving of lights and incense. Iconographers of the orthodox churches do this through their shining artwork. These artists knew this as they incorporated metallic paints into their work.; so did the artisans who worked in stained glass, who know the effects of light refracted through the colored lenses of their creation. Some have described the worship atmosphere as a feeling of heaven on earth. Let the colors be brought into play: bronze, gold, silver, the hues of the rainbow—anything which can bring us into a closer, more intimate contact with the divine, our offering in praise. While it is not certain that we will be granted such a direct revelation emanating from the Divine Person, we can nevertheless respond by incorporating what we have found into individual and corporate worship and life.
Perceptions of light, sound, and color cross spiritual traditions. The following is taken from Initiations and Initiates in Tibet (1931) by Alexandra David-Neel, describing an account by Milarespa, disciple of the guru Marpa: “Then Marpa, in the middle of the circle, exhibited various marvels….to finish, the disciples contemplated divers sparkling apparitions. Note that, with regard to this latter sort of apparition, these silent fireworks, composed of moving images of different luminous colours, are often contemplated by those who follow the yogin system of training…..What we regard as more interesting than the wonders wrought by Marpa is the declaration which, according to Milarespa, he made to his disciples on this occasion: ‘All these apparitions are but mirages, magical formulations devoid of reality.’ ” [and from the Appendix] “The perception of these images as unreal is in keeping with the prevalent Hindu/Buddhist philosophy of maya, so this view is not surprising; in the Judeo-Christian revelation, this reality is not questioned….The inner light having shone within us, it would be a matter of regret if we allowed it to flicker out amid trivial preoccupations.”
The Upanishads have their accounts: “The form of this Person is like a saffron-colored robe like white wool, like the [red] Indragopa beetle, like a flame of fire, like the [white] lotus-flower, like a sudden flash of lightning.” So does the Bible: (Acts 2:20) “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” Or, (Daniel 7:9) “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.” Then there are the encounters of Moses with God, Ezekiel’s famous visions, and the Transfiguration of Jesus.
Color perception is the principal manifestation of the phenomenon (I hesitate to call it a disorder) called synaesthesia. Graphemes (letters of the alphabet) or numbers visually presented in black typeface can initiate the experience of color. Composer Oliver Messiaen said, “When I hear music, I see colors,” and to the listener his music seems to be pulsating with vibrating colors. It is reported, for example, that for Kanye West, pianos are blue, snares are white, and basslines are dark brown and purple. Orange is a big one for Frank Ocean. All of these artists—along with Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Mary J. Blige, Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes, and more—have synesthesia, in which a person’s senses are joined. People with synesthesia related to music may also have perfect pitch because their ability to see/hear colors aids them in identifying notes or keys. The colors triggered by certain sounds, and any other synesthetic visual experiences, are referred to as photisms. In psychological study, although synesthesia has been well documented, it is unknown whether these experiences, reported as vivid and realistic, are actually being perceived or if they are a byproduct of some other psychological mechanism such as memory. This conversation is brought into the narrative because it plays a large part in the prophetic vision, regardless of how its manifestation may be interpreted in philosophical, theological, or psychological terms.
The Rainbow and the Colors All Together
While the original, unqualified state is represented by the pure, white light, its emanation in the colors of the rainbow, as with the physical, is the first to be considered. The most enduring artistic representation I have seen (since replaced in a remodeling) was on the chancel wall of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Marina, California. Fortunately, a printed description still exists and I would like to quote from it: “Light is the central idea. The use of light as a symbol encompasses God’s entire plan of creation, redemption and sanctification—from the very beginning to the very end….The theme of light is expressed in two ways by the design. The first is in the colors of the spectrum. Light is composed of colors. Colors are the component parts of light. We do not really know or understand a thing until we examine its parts…..This is how we know God’s light—by the beauty of color which is created as that light shines into and is divided by the darkness of our material world. We often make the mistake of thinking that the color of a thing is in the thing itself. But the redness of an apple comes not from the apple, but from the light that shines on it. What the apple itself does is to ‘absorb’ part of the spectrum of the light that comes to it and sends back the remainder to our eyes. White light shining on the apple minus the part of the spectrum the apple’s surface takes away, leaves the color red….The rainbow separates the colored portion of the design from the outer darkness. This darkness will be represented by the dark wood paneling which is permanently installed on the chancel wall. The darkness represents the chaos that existed before creation, before light was made. It also represents the darkness of man’s sin. The darkness is associated with water. In ancient man’s mind water was the formless substance which existed as a kind of prototypical matter before anything else was made….But water, the symbol of natural chaos, darkness and destruction, has the subtractive power….of separating light into its component parts when light shines on it in a certain way. This produces a rainbow.”
The “Rainbow Bridge” as a passageway for humans and for their animal companions has been spoken of by many, including the author (unknown) of the following: “Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….”
The spiritual rainbow, counterpart to the sign given to Noah, appears in Revelation 1o:1: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”
Ezekiel’s visions, when “the hand of the Lord was there upon him”, are a treasury of images: “a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.”;. the appearance of the four living creatures, where the soles of their feet “sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.”; “their appearance was like burning coals of fire…and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning; The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl”; “Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go”; “And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal”; “And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads”; “And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within It”; and in 1:27-28: “As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.”
The colors of light (plus sound in Tibetan Buddhism) are described by Sogyal Rinpoche in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: In the first phase of the death experience, “space dissolves into luminosity.” There is an awareness of “a flowing vibrant world of sound, light, and color.” It can be described as clear, radiant, transparent, and multicolored. Also, there is no perception of any kind of dimension or direction; it is “shimmering and constantly in motion.” These are the colors: space is perceived as blue light, water as white, earth as yellow, fire as red, and wind as green. These have no separate existence from the nature of mind. Their brilliant light is blinding and dazzling, “the sound is tremendous, like the roaring of a thousand thunderclaps, and the rays and beams of light are like lasers, piercing everything. The radiant sphere is compared to a canopy of peacock feathers. This is accompanied by a display of simple, comforting, cozy sounds, less challenging and overwhelming. These dim lights—smoky yellow, green, blue, red, and white—are our habitual, unconscious tendencies., lure us toward rebirth, determined by the particular negative emotion that dominates our mindstream. We must not delight in it, for we will fall into the human realm and miss the chance, where we will again experience the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and again miss the chance to emerge from reincarnation.”
Then there is the matter of the hita, or the “hundred and one channels of the heart”. Sanskrit philosophy extends to physical anatomy as well as the intellectual. Robert Ernest Hume describes them: “…. We have here no reference to arteries or veins, nor on the other hand to nerves or analogous filaments of the bodily structure; the details of the description preclude any anatomical identification. These vessels are stated to be minute as a hair divided a thousandfold…. They conduct the prana, or life energy; they have a special relation to the phenomena of sleep; one of them is the means of egress from the body at death; and so on.” Their colors are linked to those of the sun: “They’re white and black and brown and blue; they’re tawny and of pale red hue. Aloft arises one of these, which piercing through the sun’s round disk, on to the Brahma-world extends.” They form a pathway to the eternal.
Various colors in the Sanskrit scriptures associated with the gods: (red) “Brahman as the divinity, is red in colour, and one who meditates over it constantly, goes to the abode of Brahman.”; (black) “Vishnu as the divinity, is black in colour, and one who meditates over it constantly, goes to the abode of Vishnu.; (brown) “Ishana (Shiva) as the divinity, it is brown in colour, and one who meditates over it constantly, goes to the abode of Ishana.; (crystal) “…it is dedicated to all the divinities, goes into the ether when it manifests itself and resembles a pure crystal in colour; one who meditates over it constantly, he goes to the nameless abode and it is the origin of the Om-sound….”
A description of color gradations similar to that of a rainbow which radiated from an appearance of Jesus is reported in Phillip H. Wiebe’s Visions of Jesus: “He stood there for a moment, appearing much as he does in traditions portrayals of him, and in a manner similar to that in which any normal person would appear, and then he began to change. A radiance enveloped him in a pure white light that gradually increased in intensity. As this radiance intensified, it extended farther and farther beyond him and in various shades of yellow, orange, and amber beyond the whiteness.”
Prabhupada divides devotional service into twelve types, each with a different color: “The colors are white, multicolored, orange, red, light green, gray, yellow, off-whitish, smoky, pink, black and cloudy. The twelve different kinds of transcendental humors are controlled by different incarnations of God….The fact is that in any of the above-mentioned twelve transcendental humors of devotional service, everything is transcendentally pleasing.”
While most likely not visionary, the colors represented in Martin Luther’s seal are worthy of note. Following is the description in his own words. It follows the cross in its blackness, representing sin, in its center: “….But this heart is fixed upon the centre of the white rose, to show that faith causes joy, consolation, and peace. This rose is white, not red [the red heart surrounding the cross representing the love of God in sending His own Son to give his life for the salvation of the elect.], because it is the ideal colour of all angels and spirits. The rose, however, is fixed in a sky-coloured ground—to denote that such joy of faith in the spirit is but an earnest and beginning of heavenly joy to come, as anticipated and held by hope, though not yet revealed. And around this ground base is a golden ring, to signify that such bliss in heaven is endless, and more precious than all joys and treasures, since old is the best and most precious metal. Christ, our dear Lord, he will give grace unto eternal life.”
In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna sees “thy vast form, reaching the sky, burning with many colours, with wide open mouths, with vast flaming eyes, my heart shakes in terror: my power is gone and gone is my peace.” Bede Griffiths comments, “It is very dangerous to ask to see God. In the Old Testament it is said that no one can see God and live. This aspect is brought out particularly in the Book of Job, where Yahweh reveals the wonder of his power in all creation, Job is overwhelmed by the revelation and cries, ‘I had heart of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee and I repent in dust ashes’ When we ‘realise’ God, we surrender ourselves. We can no longer pass judgement. This is the realization of the terrible aspect of God.” It finds a parallel in Hebrews 10:31: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Alexandra David-Neel, in the previously cited work, describes apparitions connected withthe mystic syllables Aum-A-Hum as white, red and blue respectively. She writes, “To finish, the disciples contemplated divers sparkling apparitions. Note that, with regard to this latter sort of apparition, these silent fireworks, composed of moving images of different luminous colours, are often contemplated by those who follow the yogin system of training. In a declaration made by Milarespa to his disciple [supporting the Buddhist view], “All these apparitions are but mirages, magical formulations devoid of reality.”
A Voice
Auditory manifestations must be considered. They make several appearances in the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Nowhere do we find as complete record of auditory as well as visual imagery than in the Book of Ezekiel. In Chapter 3 he not only hears “a voice from the firmament that was over their heads”, but “the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing” (3:13). Earlier, in 1:24, he hears “the noise of the wings”. To this are added the visual images of the faces and wings of the creatures, “a whirlwind, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness…” And, summing up in 1:28, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”. Throughout the narrative, Ezekiel is a passive participant, lifted up and carried about, with “the hand of the Lord strong upon me” (3:14). Finally, “the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet” (3:24), once more being spoken to, his future actions being directed.
Moses, of course, was a witness to the voice of God. In Deuteronomy 4:12, “And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice [with reference to the voice also heard in thunder].
The New Testament bears witness to a voice which validates the person and mission of Jesus in the Transfiguration. In Matthew 17:5-9, “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. Mark 9:7-8 contains a parallel: “And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.” And in Luke 9:34-36: “While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.”
The voice of the Father makes its appearance in the garden of Gethsemane (John 12:27-30), where Jesus speaks, “ ‘Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.’ Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, ‘An angel spake to him.’Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.’ ”
The voice makes a final appearance in Revelation 10:2-6: “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices [JB notes: “The voice of God.”]. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not [JB notes: “Because the time of their fulfilment has not yet come.”].”
Regarding synaesthesia, can a voice come from the light? The Letter of Peter to Philip, one of the scrolls discovered at the Nag Hammadi site, relates that after Jesus’ death, the disciples were praying on the Mount of Olives when ‘a great light appeared, so that the mountain shone from the sight of him who had appeared. And a voice called out to them saying “Listen…I am Jesus Christ, who is with you forever.” Then, as the disciples ask him about the secrets of the universe, “a voice came out of the light” answering them. The Wisdom of Jesus Christ tells a similar story. Here again the disciples are gathered on a mountain after Jesus’ death when “then there appeared to them the Redeemer, not in the original form but in the invisible spirit. But his appearance was the appearance of a great angel of light.” Responding to their amazement and terror, he smiles, and offers to teach them the ‘secrets [mysteria, literally, “mysteries”] of the holy plan’ of the universe and its destiny.” [Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels]
Fire, Flame, Burn
Images of fire and burning are prevalent in the literature of the divine vision, again, crossing spiritual traditions. Daniel describes his vision in 7:9-14: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame [JB: “his throne was a blaze of flames”], and his wheels as burning fire. This resembles the description of the “Indragopa Beetle” in the Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad, where “The form of this Person is like a saffron-colored robe, like white wool, like the [red] Indragopa beetle, like a flame of fire like the [white] lotus-flower, like a sudden flash of lightning. Verily, like a sudden lightning-flash is the glory of him who knows this.” It may also be compared to Moses’ encounter with God in Exodus 3:2-6 (the burning bush), Exodus 33:18-23 (the vision of the glory of God), Ezekiel’s vision of the wheels of fire in 1:4-28, the burning coals and the cherubim in Ezekiel 10:1-22, the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:3, and in Buddhism the shining of the Buddha in the Dammapada, verse 367.
Luke 12:49-50 quotes Jesus as saying, “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [KJV notes: “Or, pained.”] till it be accomplished! [JB: “ ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!’ “; JB notes: “This fire symbolises neither the spiritual struggle that the coming of Jesus provokes nor, strictly speaking, the Holy Spirit. It is the fire that is to purify and inflame men’s hearts, the fire lit on the cross. John 12:32 has the same thought in different words.”]
Luke 24:31-32 is notable for documenting the internal experience of Jesus’ followers as they recognized the risen Lord: “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? [JB: “ ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ ”]
Acts 2:1-4 is well known in the Pentecost liturgy of the Church: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind [JB: “and suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven”; JB notes: “The Spirit is like the wind, and the same word is used for both ‘spirit’ and ‘breath’.”], and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Anthony Campbell includes an extensive account by R. M. Burke in his book Seven States of Consciousness: “I had spent the evening in a great city, with two friends, reading and discussing poetry and philosophy. We parted at midnight. I had a long drive in a hansom [cab] to my lodging. My mind, deeply under the influence of the ideas, images, and emotions called up by the reading and talk, was calm and peaceful. I was in a state of quiet, almost passive enjoyment, not actually thinking, but letting ideas, images, and emotions flow of themselves through my mind. All at once, without warning of any kind, I found myself wrapped in a flame coloured cloud. For an instant I thought of fire, a great conflagration somewhere close by in that great city; the next, I knew that the fire was within myself. Directly afterwards there came upon me a sense of exultation, of immense joyfulness accompanied or immediately followed by an intellectual illumination impossible to describe. Among other things, I did not come merely to believe, but I saw that the universe is not composed of dead matter but is, on the contrary, a living Presence. I became conscious in myself of eternal life then; I saw that all men are immortal; that the cosmic order is such that without any peradventure all things work together for the good of each and all; that the foundation principle of the world, of all the worlds, is what we call love and that the happiness of each and all in the long run is absolutely certain. The vision lasted a few seconds and was gone, but the memory of it and the sense of the reality of what it taught has remained during the quarter of a century which has since elapsed.”
Here are two passages on fire and burning from the beloved Bhagavad Gita: (11:30) “The flames of thy mouths devour all the worlds. Thy glory fills the whole universe. But how terrible thy splendours burn!”; (11:24) “When I see thy vast form, reaching the sky, burning with many colours, with wide open mouths, with vast flaming eyes, my heart shakes in terror: my power is gone and gone is my peace, O Vishnu!”
Many Christians keep in their minds the memorable verses and individual lines from hymnody. They serve, along with scripture, to inspire and guide. The one which stands out in my memory is the closing line from Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart: “My heart the altar and thy love the flame.”
Amber, Brass, Bronze
There is an understandable confusion here which must be clarified. Amber is treated as a separate topic because the word amber in biblical references apparently denotes a metallic substance (bronze, brass) and not the gemstone itself. Here is the scientific background: Overall’s Dictionary of Chronology describes the mineral: “Its property, when rubbed, to attract light substances was first observed by Thales, B.C. 660, who attributed a certain life in it. By some it is held to be a vegetable resin or gum; Others consider it a mineral oil. Easton’s Bible Dictionary goes further: In Hebrew hashmal, [electron, electrum] is “a metal composed of silver and gold. Some translate the word as ‘polished brass’, others ‘fine brass’.” The website bible-history.com gives the theological background: “Bronze typifies the divine character of Christ who took upon himself the fire of God’s wrath, holiness and justice by becoming a sin offering. Bronze [Hebrew nechoshet, Greek chalchus] [is] an alloy of copper and tin, translated “brass” in KJV, more correctly translated “bronze”, since the alloy used was copper and tin. In some scriptures “copper” is meant. “In ancient Israel there was no such metal known as brass. the one Hebrew word for copper and bronze was rendered brass by the KJV translators because at that time bronze had not yet been introduced into the English language. (It was later introduced to distinguish it from brass, copper, and other metals.) Like amber, brass is yellowish in color and is used as an imitation of gold. The composition of brass is copper and zinc, with tin as its main additive among other elements. The color of copper itself has been described as reddish-bronze.”
In teachings attributed to the Yaqui sorcerer don Juan Matus, Carlos Castaneda writes about the variations of the color of luminosity in living beings: “A human being, or any other living creature, has a pale yellow glow. Animals are more yellow, humans are more white. But a sorcerer is amber, like clear honey in the sunlight. Some women sorcerers are greenish. The Nagual said that those are the most powerful and the most difficult.” “What color are you, Gorda?” “Amber, just like you and all the rest of us. That’s what the Nagual and Genaro told me. I’ve never seen myself. But I’ve seen everyone else. All of us are amber. And all of us, with the exception of you, are like a tombstone. Average human beings are like eggs; that’s why the Nagual called them luminous eggs. Sorcerers change not only the color of their luminosity, but their shape. We are like tombstones, only we are round at both ends….The Nagual told me that human beings are frail creatures composed of many layers of luminosity. When you see them, they seem to have fibers, but those fibers are really layers, like an onion. Jolts of any kind separate those layers and can even cause human beings to die.” (Carlos Castaneda, The Second Ring of Power)
In another of Phillip H. Wiebe’s accounts in Visions and Appearances of Jesus, following an appearance of Christ, one of the interview subjects “suddenly lost all sense of heaviness, and felt as though he was floating away into an amber light. The euphoria that accompanied the experience was like being drunk. He took hold of himself in order to do his work, but the experience left him changed. All feelings of guilt and inadequacy mysteriously left him. It was only later in the day, when listening to a Christian program about Jesus Christ’s taking away sin and guilt, that Chris [the participant] put this interpretation on the event that had transpired.”
Here is the Judeo-Christian scriptural record: Ezekiel sees “the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire” (1:4), “a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire”; (1:7) [Ezekiel beholds the likeness of the four living creatures] “and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass [JB: “glittering like polished brass”].; (1:26), [again] the “color of amber” and “the appearance of fire”; (1:27) “And I saw as the colour of amber [JB: “I saw him shine like bronze], as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward…”;. (40:3) “And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass [JB: “a man who seemed to be made of bronze. This ‘man’ is clearly an angel who explains the prophet’s vision to him. Angelic interpreters are a feature of late prophetic literature.”]; (Isaiah 60:17) “For brass [JB “bronze”] I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness
The prophet Daniel is renowned as a visionary and an interpreter of dreams. Daniel 10:5-6 gives us a combination of images in his vision of a man who is more than human, “whose loins were girded with fine gold, his body like beryl, his face as the appearance of lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like polished brass [JB: “his eyes were like fiery torches, his arms and his legs had the gleam of burnished bronze”]
The prophet Zechariah’s vision (6:1) includes mountains of brass [JB: “mountains of bronze”], which the JB notes state is “an image borrowed from Babylonian mythology, where these mountains flanked the approach to the abode of the gods.”
Finally, Revelation (1:14-15 and 2:18) describe in two nearly identical images the Son of God, with eyes like a flame of fire and feet like fine brass, “as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
Gold
Gold, too, must be treated as a separate topic due to its extensive appearance in scripture.. Its spiritual value mirrors its economic importance in the material world.
Gold makes its first New Testament appearance with the visit of the Magi to Jesus. In Matthew 2:11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Most important, it serves as an image of spiritual refinement has been celebrated by the scriptures from ancient times. Gold as a theme was addressed by the Old Testament writers: Zechariah 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.”; In the Book of Wisdom 3:4-7 [JB] ”If they experienced punishment as men see it, their hope was rich with immortality; slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be. God has put them to the test and proved them worthy to be with him; he has tested them like gold in a furnace, and accepted them as a holocaust. When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out; as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.”; Malachi 3:2-3 attributes the role of the Messiah to that of fire: “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
In the New Testament 1 Peter 1:7 addresses the refinement of the believer: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:12-18 contains a vision of the Lord: “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps [JB: “tied at the waist”] with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire…”; Revelation 4:2-6 describes the elders sitting around the throne as having on their heads crowns of gold.; Finally, Revelation 21:18 contains a description of the Holy City: “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.”
Passages from the Upanishads reveal its wealth of gold imagery. Of particular interest in the “Eternal Real”, the “Golden Person”: “Now, that golden Person who is within the sun who looks down upon this earth from his golden place, is even He who dwells within the lotus of the heart…”;” the golden hall of the Lord”; “How did it all begin? Who or what (if anyone or anything) created it? Did it begin as a golden embryo? [the Hiranyagarbha, Golden Germ or Golden Egg]”; one should perceive Him, who has all forms, the golden one, all knowing [Hume comments, “Or…‘all finding.’]; “Having taken to himself light, there returns to his place the golden person, the one spirit…”; “by a golden effulgence”; “In the highest golden sheath is Brahma, without stain, without parts. Brilliant is It, the light of lights…”; [and relating to sound] “He who knows the gold of that Saman [chant] comes to have gold. The tone, verily, is its gold “As a goldsmith, taking a piece of gold, reduces it to another newer and more beautiful form, just so this soul, striking down this body and dispelling its ignorance, makes for itself another newer and more beautiful form…”; “With a bowl wholly of gold the mouth of truth is covered…”; “With a golden vessel the Real’s face is covered o’er….That do thou…uncover unto the Eternal Real.”
Gemstones: beryl (chrysolite) /crystal/ diamond/ emerald/ glass/ jasper/ ruby/ topaz/ amethyst/ sapphire/ turquoise/ agate / lapis lazuli / silver / malachite / amethyst / pearl / carbuncle (red garnet) / glass / diadem (crown) / jewel
The images of these precious stones and metals are grouped together as they frequently occur in combinations. Notes are taken from Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Eason’s Bible Dictionary, Strong’s Concordance, Wikipedia, and other sources.
Zechariah 9:16 provides a keynote to the discussion: “And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown [JB: “like the flashing jewels of a diadem”], lifted up as an ensign upon his land.”
beryl (chrysolite): colors of beryl can be emerald (green), aquamarine (greenish blue to blue),morganite (pink to orange), red beryl (red), heliodor (yellow to greenish yellow), maxize (deep blue), goshenite (colorless), and green beryl (light green). Although heliodor has no specificbiblical reference, as it is a form of beryl, the following from http://www.crystalvaults.com provides insight as to the spiritual power of certain stones: Described as “a crystal of golden light, Heliodor radiates the warmth and power of sunshine, the illumination of higher thought, and a centered, more vibrant physical well-being. Its name literally translates from the Greek asa gift of the sun. Heliodor invokes the celestial Golden Ray of knowledge and learning, to stimulate the higher mind and enable the brain to function more efficiently. It is a stone of true nobility and selfless leadership, and allows one to make decisions based on wisdom instead of emotion or reaction. While Heliodor and Golden Beryl are the yellow varieties of Beryl, the Beryl family also forms in other colors used as gems, such as green Emerald, blue Aquamarine, pink Morganite, Red Beryl or Bixbite, and the colorless variety, Goshenite. Heliodor’s golden yellow energy connects the mind and the will, and aligns one’s personal will to Divine Will. It activates in us the traits we associate with the Christed One—spiritual love, awakened awareness, clairvoyance, the power of transmutation and ultimately the vibrational quantum leap called Ascension. It is the surrender of will that leads to the highest spiritual development, and helps eliminate confusion of purpose. It aids in one’s path of service and in understanding the lessons and benefits behind obstacles faced on the life path. Golden Beryl may be used to provide insights into the rites of ceremonial magic. It promotes the will to succeed and follow through, even if one’s courage fails. The message of Golden Beryl is as long as one remains open to a solution, there is no obstacle in any circumstance that confidence and conviction cannot resolve.”
jasper: Jasper is sometimes used in the scriptures as a word for diamond. Revelation 4:2-6 mentions it along with other precious stones: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. [JB notes: “Lit. ‘the Enthroned One looked like a jasper stone (diamond) and a sardion (ruby) and a rainbow round the throne looked like a smaragdos (emerald)’.”]
ruby: Gr. sardion, from a root meaning “red”), a gem of a blood-red colour. It was called “sardius” because obtained from Sardis in Lydia. It is enumerated among the precious stones in the high priest’s breastplate ( Exodus 28:17 ; 39:10 ). It is our red carnelian. [see cadcod in notes for agate]
chrysolite, topaz: The topaz of the ancient Greeks and Romans is generally allowed to be our chrysolite, while their chrysolite is our topaz. Chrysolite is a silicate of magnesia and iron; it is so soft as to lose its polish unless carefully used. It varies in color from a pale-green to a bottle-green. It is supposed that its name was derived from Topazos, an island in the Red Sea where these stones were procured. Also used for beryl in some passages.
agate: This may be the agate properly so called, a semi-transparent crystallized quartz, probably brought from Sheba, whence its name. In Isaiah 54:12 and Ezekiel 27:16, this word is the rendering of the Hebrew cadcod, which means “ruddy,” and denotes a variety of minutely crystalline silica more or less in bands of different tints. This word is from the Greek name of a stone found in the river Achates in Sicily.
onyx is the Greek translation of the Hebrew shoham, but there is some doubt as to its significance. Some writers believe that the “beryl” is intended; but most are in favor o fsome variety of the onyx. It is not a transparent stone, but as the color of the flesh appears through it on the human body, so the reddish mass which is below shines delicately through its whitish surface of the onyx. There are several varieties: white and reddish stripes alternating form the sardonyx; white and reddish gray, the chalcedony. When polished it has a fine luster, and is easily wrought into a gem of great beauty.
diamond: Sshamir is translated “diamond” in Hebrew. JB notes to Revelation 4:2-6 make this distinction: “Literally, ‘the Enthroned One looked like a jasper stone (diamond) and a sardion (ruby) and a rainbow round the throne looked like a smaragdos (emerald)’.”
emerald: Some suppose yahalom to be the “emerald”. (Strong’s Concordance) Of uncertain derivation; the emerald or green gem so called.
glass: In Scripture, transparency is a greatly valued virtue, representing ”the Lord’s glory shining through (reflecting Himself!).” According to one writer, the “glassy sea” surrounding the throne of God in heaven (Revelation 15:2) “is apparently what reflects the Lord Himself, as manifested (reflected by) His saints. By God’s light, their sanctification/glorification has a spiritual transparency that reflects the image of Jesus Himself. This projects (reflects) the glory He invested in them as transformed (“transparent”) saints. “In this way, the Lord gets all the glory – and believers have the incredible privilege of sharing (reflecting) it!” (Revelation 4:6) “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
coral: Ra’moth, apparently from. ra’am, “to be high”: “Wisdom is too high for a fool.” In Job 28:12-19, various precious things are compared with wisdom. English Versions of the Bible have “coral” (KJV notes “Ramoth“). Despite the traditional rendering of “coral,” the real meaning of ra’moth is doubtful.
agate: a beautifully-veined semi-transparent precious stone, a variety of quartz. Its colors are delicately arranged in stripes or bands or blended in clouds. It is mentioned four times in thetext of the Authorized Version, viz., in (Exodus 28:19; 39:12; Isaiah 54:12; Ezekiel 27:16) In the two former passages; where it is represented by the Hebrew word shebo it is spoken of as forming the second stone in the third row of the high priest’s breastplate; in each of the two latter places the original word is cadced, by which, no doubt, is intended a different stone [ruby]. Our English agate derives its name from the Achates, on the banks of which it was first found. Shebo may be the agate properly so called, a semi-transparent crystallized quartz, probably brought from Sheba, whence its name. Cadcod means “ruddy,” and denotes a variety of minutely crystalline silica more or less in bands of different tints.
carbuncle: A carbuncle is any red gemstone, most often a red garnet. Carbunculus is a word used in Latin for a small coal (or charcoal), and also for any of a number of precious or semi-precious stones, especially those of a red color (red garnet).
pearl: This is the same as the biblical name Peninnah mentioned in 1. Samuel 1. In the Bible the word pninah translates “coral” as well as “pearl” (see Lamentations 4,7). A second word for”pearl” in modern Hebrew is margalith, which is the equivalent to the Greek margarites.
crystal: In the Sanskrit scriptures, crystal is the culmination of a progression of colors associated with different gods: “Its color is white, it is dedicated to all the divinities, goes into the ether when it manifests itself and resembles a pure crystal in colour; one who meditates over it constantly, he goes to the nameless abode and it is the origin of the Om-sound.” The Judeo-Christian scriptures make it equivalent to emerald:
Here is a table of correspondences for your convenience.
| Amber | hashmal | Electrum | heliodor | golden beryl | |
| Brass | nekoshad | chalchus | bronze, burnished bronze | fine brass, polished brass | meaning copper in some OT passages |
| Gold | zahab, ceghor (gold), | chrusos, chrysos | kethem (gold ore, gold of Ophir) | gold of Uphaz | fine gold, pure gold |
| Silver | kesaph, keceph | argurion, arguros | |||
| Diamond | shamir, yahalom | adamant, adamas | jasper, jasper stone | poss. emerald in some passages | |
| Ruby | odhem | sardion, sardius | cadcod | sardine stone | |
| Emerald | crystal | nophek, nopek, benophek | chrysoprasus, chrysoprase, smargados | color of the rainbow | |
| Glass | zekokith | hualinos, hyalinos | Crystal | sea of glass | |
| Beryl | crysolite | Topaz | gold quartz | ||
| Onyx | shoham | ||||
| Sapphire | lapis lazuli | Jacinth | color of the throne of God | ||
| Coral | ramoth, goral | Kore | |||
| Pearl | gabish | margarites (Gk.) | Pninah | margalith (mod. Hebr.) | |
| Turquoise | chalcedony | Nophek | perhaps emerald in some passages | ||
| Agate | sardonyx | shebo | Achates | sardonyx | cadcod (prob. ruby) |
| Amethyst | achlamah | amethystos | |||
| carbuncle | antimony | red garnet |
Revelation 4:2-6 provides a composite of images: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. [JB notes: “Literally, ‘the Enthroned One looked like a jasper stone (diamond) and a sardion (ruby) and a rainbow round the throne looked like a smaragdos (emerald)’] ” The notes also state that John is careful not to describe God anthropomorphically and prefers to give an impression of light. Also, the vision is not unique; it draws heavily on Ezeziel 1 and 10, and Isaiah 6.”
The Sun
This theme has been abundantly addressed in the posts Start with the Sun and Stay with the Sun, but it is worthwhile to include some of the important visionary aspects here: “As the illumining sun shines upon all regions, above, below, and across, So that One God, glorious, adorable, Rules over whatever creatures are born from a womb.” [compare to the Aten theology of Akhnaten and to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”.]
I want to include what I call “an early childhood experiment with the sun” This was a visual impression, nothing more. At the age of around 2, I was in my crib, facing the window. The morning sun was in view, bright and clear. It attracted me; it fascinated me. Facing it, I closed my eyes and allowed its light to stream into view. My visual field was filled with its orange, glowing presence. The feeling, as I recall, was one of fullness, peace, and happiness. Even a simple encounter such as this has real power and points to what lies on a deeper level.
Here is a gathering of images from the Upanishads: ”He who is yonder, yonder Person in the sun—I myself am he. Verily, that which is the sunhood of the sun is the Eternal Real, That is the Immortal, That is Splendor.”; “Now, that golden Person who is seen within the sun has a golden beard and golden hair. He is exceedingly brilliant, all, even to the fingernail tips. His eyes are even as a Rapayasa lotus-flower. His name is High (ud). He is raised high above all evils. Verily, he who knows this rises high above all evils.” [compare to Judeo-Christian references to the attribute of high to the name and person of God and Christ]”; “Having pierced through the darkness, one goes to what is not enveloped in darkness. Then, having pierced through what is thus enveloped, one sees Him who sparkles, like a wheel of fire, of the color of the sun, mightful, the Brahma that is beyond darkness…”; “I know this mighty Person (Purusha) of the color of the sun, beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death.”; “He it is who gives forth heat, who is covered with a thousand-eyed, golden ball, like a fire….Him, assuredly, one should desire to know. He should be searched for.”;.”The thousand-rayed, the hundredfold revolving, yon sun arises as the life of creatures.”
The Judeo-Christian scriptures address, like those of the Sanskrit, the sunlike quality of the Divine Person as well as that of those upon whom this light is reflected: (2 Samuel 23:4) And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.; (Judges 5:31) So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might….; (Psalms 84:11) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”; (Malachi 4:2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” source for “Hail the sun of righteousness” in “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”]; (Matthew 13:43) “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father He who has ears, let him hear.”; Acts 26:12-14, Paul describes his encounter with a sunlike presence: “Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?….”; And in Revelation 10:1: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:”
Lightning, Thunder
In the natural world, there is lightning, accompanied by thunder. This is reflected in the spiritual realm as well. Revelation 11:19 reads “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
Lightning appears throughout the range of color references. In Sanskrit it bears the name vidyut. Similarly, the name Indha is translated as lightning or kindling. The Upanishads provide this reference: (“Brahmaas lightning, etymologically explained”) “Brahma is lightning (vidyut), they say, because of unloosing (vidana). Lightning unlooses (vidyati) him from evil who knows this, that Brahma is lightning—for Brahma is indeed lightning…..As the soul of Truth, the soul of lightning, the soul of brightness—thus, verily, I reverence him. He then who reverences him thus, becomes the soul of all these.”
The flash of light, which could be likened to lightning, as external or internal reality in the Judeo-Christian record should be compared to the psycho-physical ascent of kundalini, the “serpent power” documented in the Hindu scriptures and, especially, in the contemporary writings of Gopi Krishna. Its spiritual manifestation apart from the physical occurrence is worthy of investigation.
At 34 years of age, Gopi Krishna experienced a sudden and forceful Kundalini awakening(an awakening of spiritual energy, emanating from the base of the spine). In his autobiography, Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man he describes this experience, which occurred during a morning meditation: “Suddenly, with a roar like that of a waterfall, I felt a stream of liquid light entering my brain through the spinal cord. Entirely unprepared for such a development, I was completely taken by surprise; but regaining my self-control, keeping my mind on the point of concentration. The illumination grew brighter and brighter, the roaring louder, I experienced a rocking sensation and then felt myself slipping out of my body, entirely enveloped in a halo of light. It is impossible to describe the experience accurately. I felt the point of consciousness that was myself growing wider surrounded by waves of light. It grew wider and wider, spreading outward while the body, normally the immediate object of its perception, appeared to have receded into the distance until I became entirely unconscious of it. I was now all consciousness without any outline, without any idea of corporeal appendage, without any feeling or sensation coming from the senses, immersed in a sea of light simultaneously conscious and aware at every point, spread out, as it were, in all directions without any barrier or material obstruction. I was no longer myself, or to be more accurate, no longer as I knew myself to be, a small point of awareness confined to a body, but instead was a vast circle of consciousness in which the body was but a point, bathed in light and in a state of exultation and happiness impossible to describe.”
Lightning imagery abounds in the New Testament: (Matthew 24:27) “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”; (A parallel in Luke 17:4) “For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”;(Matthew 24:27) “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”; (Matthew 28:1-3) “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow”; (Luke 17:23-24) “And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven [JB: “for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other”], shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.; (Revelation 4:2-6) “…out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings.” [JB “Flashes of lightning were coming from the throne, and the sound of peals of thunder.”] The notes state further that thunder is frequently associated with theophanies, as in Exodus 19:16 and Ezekiel 1, 4, and 13.
Sanskrit scholar Paul Deussen provides background from the viewpoint of the Upanishads: “The essence or nature of the ether in the cavity of the heart is that ‘the highest power’ and the syllable Om. In the form of the syllable (or sound) Om, that power ascends upward with breath and spreads itself, like the smoke curling up, further and further until it penetrates, like the thought of a man who meditates, the universe rapidly, just as the lump of salt penetrates the water or just as the heat penetrates the melted butter. On account of this rapidity, the syllable Om is called ‘lightning-like’; this is here signified by its ‘illumination or brightening up’ of the whole body (according to the commentator, of the whole body of the universe.”
As previously mentioned, The Upanishads have attributed “the form of this Person” to “a saffron-colored robe like white wool, like the [red] Indragopa beetle, like a flame of fire, like the [white] lotus- flower, like a sudden flash of lightning. Verily, like a sudden lightning-flash is the glory of him who knows this.”; Ezekiel records a similar vision in describing the likeness of the living creatures: “…their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.”
Included in the apocryphal Secrets of Enoch 29:1-2 is this passage: “And for all the heavenly troops I imaged the image and essence of fire, and my eye looked at the very hard, firm rock, and from the gleam of my eye the lightning received its wonderful nature, which is both fire in water and water in fire, and one does not put out the other, nor does the one dry up the other, therefore the lightning is brighter than the sun, softer than water and firmer than hard rock. And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the incorporeal ten troops of angels, and their weapons are fiery and their raiment a burning flame, and I commanded that each one should stand in his order.”
Light and its attributes (bright, shine, shining)
Many of us have known someone whose presence seems to emit a glowing quality like that of light. Would that we all could glow like this! This has been seen in the preceding accounts. The final consideration, then, is that of the basic, unaltered quality, that of the pure white light and its attributes of brightness, shining, and other descriptions. It is the most universal of all that is here, and runs through certain other descriptions, as well it should. The Gospel of John is an exultant celebration of this light. It reappears in the Book of Revelation. As previously stated, John prefers to describe God as an impression of light. This recalls the words of Psalm 104, “Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment”.
A wealth of passages from the Upanishads underscores the importance of this quality. My two favorites are from the Chandoga Upanishad: (4:14:12) “Your face my dear, shines like a Brahma-knower’s.”, and more directly in 4:9:2 “…you shine like a Brahma-knower.” Other passages include “He shines and glows with fame, with splendor, and with eminence in sacred knowledge who knows this [the nature of Brahma].”; [the soul of all things] Does it shine [of itself] or does it shine in reflection?’; “Now, the light which shines higher than heaven, on the backs of all, on the backs of everything, in the highest worlds, than which there are no higher—verily, that is the same as this light which is here within a person.; The whole of men’s thinking is interwoven with the senses. When that is purified, the Soul (Atman) shines forth.” [“The Person who is here in a mirror,” “the Shining One]. He who worships him as such becomes shining indeed. His offspring shine. He outshines all those with whom he goes.”, “Truly, it is Life (prana) that shines forth in all things! Understanding this, one becomes a knower. ; “Even as a mirror stained by dust shines brilliantly when it has been cleansed, so the embodied one, on seeing the nature of the Soul (Atman), becomes unitary, his end attained, from sorrow freed. [A well-known teaching of Prabhupada emphasizes the “cleansing of the mirror.”] ;
The subject of light exists in classical mythology: “Straight Light extended from above through the whole Heaven and Earth, as it were a pillar, for colour like unto the rainbow, but brighter and purer….This Light is that which bindeth the Heavens together; as the undergirths hold together ships so doth it hold together the whole round of Heaven; and from the ends extendeth the Spindle of Necessity, which causeth all the heavenly revolutions.” (J.A. Stewart, translator. The Myths of Plato)
“The pure white light” is sought by many as the goal of meditation. A practitioner of Transcendental Meditation describes it in this way: “Three days ago, when I was very deep in the transcendent, I saw brilliant white light. I had a deep feeling of peace and realization that God was present in me. Now in meditation and in activity I feel His presence.”
Brightness, including the image of “the bright cloud”, is referenced in passages regarding the Transfiguration, in the Gospels and in 2 Peter 1:16-18. In Greek, there is Jesus Ziva, the Luminous One, who unites within himself all active, free souls. Ezekiel 10:4 expresses this as none other than God’s glory. “Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory.” [JB notes: “The ‘glory of Yahweh’, Exodus 24:16, is normally described as a bright cloud….here the cloud is accompanied by a brilliant, luminous silhouette in human shape.”];
| The shining aspect of the Divine is worthy of detailed explanation as it assumes several forms, not only that of the Divine itself, but in those who are devotees, as well as in the persons of Christ, Moses, and Buddha. It has been manifested throughout history in many religious cultures. The biblical accounts of the transfiguration of Moses and of Jesus are but two. Following is a passage from Swami Prabhavananda describing a more contemporary occurrence: “And so the light of God pours in upon us until eventually our ‘whole body shall be full of light’. The scriptures speak of great souls whose inner illumination became objectively visible; their bodies actually became full of light. Once I had the memorable privilege of witnessing such a transfiguration. It was in Banaras in October of 1914. Swami Premananda, who as a disciple of Ramakrishna had attained God-realization, used to visit various temples after taking his daily bath in the Ganges. I would accompany him. One day, after we finished worship in the temple of Annapurna, the Divine Mother, the head priest placed a garland of marigolds around Swami Premananda’s neck. When the Swami was about to take the necklace off to give it to me, I placed my palms together, bowed before him and said: ‘No, holy sir, please keep the garland yourself. You look so beautiful!’ The word ‘beautiful’ reminded the Swami of God’s beauty, and he went into ecstasy. His face flushed, and then a light began to emanate from his whole body. Walking slowly, he left the temple, and I followed him. The temple lane was crowded as usual, but on either side of us people stared at the Swami and made way. It was quite evident that everyone present saw him illumined. We continued to walk through the streets of Banaras while crowds stood still, silently watching Swami Premananda. He was completely absorbed in the thought of God and oblivious of his surroundings. As we approached the outer gate of our monastery, Swami Nirbharananda, the abbot, saw us from the veranda. He immediately ordered the monks to prepare a special welcome for Swami Premananda. We entered the monastery grounds to the sound of gongs and conch shells, and the ringing of bells. Then, when we arrived at the veranda, Swami Premananda took the garland off and placed it around the neck of the abbot. Gradually the ecstasy abated, and the divine light disappeared.” [The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta] “The Bright” is a term used by Adi Da Samraj to describe “the spontaneously self-illumined quality of one’s living consciousness.” Even as a young child, he was noted by others for his serene, glowing presence. In his writing, the God-Light is “the reflected and eternal Light of the Heart, or Real-God. The Light of consciousness and of manifestation. The Light of the mind and of all things or forms. The unqualified Light that is above and surrounding the head, The Creative Source of the conditional worlds. He uses the term ‘the Bright’ when talking about the realization or intuition of the ‘man of understanding’, and the term ‘God-Light’ or simply ‘Light’ when talking about the Divine Process in which the worlds are manifest, but ‘it is the same Conscious and Divine Light in both cases’.” The earliest transfiguration account in the Bible is that of Moses in Exodus 24:16-18: “And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. [JB notes identify several visual images: “The ‘glory of Yahweh’, the manifestation of God’s presence, takes the form of a fire, compared to the cloud that accompanies and surrounds it. The fire and the cloud are images borrowed from the great theophanies with a thunderstorm for their setting, but they have a more profound significance. The brilliant light needs no storm for its appearance. It is the same as that which leaves its glow on the face of Moses. It stands for God’s unapproachable majesty. It is the same glory which fills the newly erected tabernacle, and which will fill the Temple of Solomon. On the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem Ezekiel sees ‘the glory’ leaving the city, later returning to the new Temple. For him it assumes a shining, human form, In other texts, particularly the Psalms, the glory of Yahweh simply expresses God’s majesty and the honor due to him, else it indicates God’s miraculous power. In the New Testament it is the glory of Jesus.”] A parallel account describing the glow on the face of Moses appears in Exodus 34:29-35 [JB title: “Moses comes down from the mountain”]: (JB) “When Moses came down from the mountain of Sinai—as he came down from the mountain, Moses had the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands—he did not know that the skin on his face was radiant after speaking with Yahweh. And when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, the skin on his face shone so much that they would not venture near him.”]And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail [veil] on his face.But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” [Compare to the Upanishads “Your face my dear, shines like a Brahma-knower’s”] Jesus’ countenance “as the sun” is documented in the Transfiguration narratives. (Matthew 17:2) “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” A parallel verse occurs in Mark 9:3 “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”; Luke 9:26 “And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.” A similar account exists of the shining of the Buddha in the Dammapada, Verse 387: “By day shines the sun; by night shines the moon; in regalia shines the king; in meditation shines the arahat [one who has achieved Nirvana] but the Buddha in his glory shines at all times, by day and by night.” An intriguing Buddhist account is recorded by Thera Ananda: “While residing at the Pubbarama monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse 387 of this book, with reference to the Venerable Ananda. It was the full moon day of the seventh month when King Pasenadi of Kosala came to visit the Buddha. The king was then resplendent in his full royal regalia. At that time, Thera Kaludayi was also present in the same room sitting at the edge of the congregation. He was in deep mental absorption, his body bright and golden. In the sky, the Venerable Ananda noticed that the sun was setting and the moon was just coming out, both the sun and the moon radiating rays of light. The Venerable Ananda looked at the shining splendour of the king, of the thera, and of the sun and the moon. Finally, the Venerable Ananda looked at the Buddha and he suddenly perceived that the light that was then radiating from the Buddha far surpassed the light shining from the others. Seeing the Buddha in his glory and splendour, the Venerable Ananda immediately approached the Buddha and burst forth, ‘O Venerable Sir! The light that shines forth from your noble body far surpasses the light from the king, the light from the thera, the light from the sun and the light from the moon.’ To him the Buddha spoke in verse as follows: ‘By day shines the sun; by night shines the moon; in regalia shines the king; in meditation shines the arahat; but the Buddha in his glory shines at all times, by day and by night.’ ” The word effulgence is a revealing term. It means brightness taken to the extreme. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, its first use dates to the middle of the 17th century, when it first appeared in print. Effulgence derives from the Latin verb fulgēre, which means ‘to shine.’ In the context of Sanskrit terms and the Judeo-Christian tradition, it is used to describe the radiance of the Lord. Here is a gathering of passages from the Old Testament: (Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace,: {JB: “May Yahweh let his face shine on you, and be gracious to you.”]; (Job 11:17) “And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.”; (Job 33:29-30 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living” [JB “and letting the light of life shine bright on him”].; Psalms 31:16 “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.”; (Psalms 34:5) “They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. [JB “Every face turned to him grows brighter and is never ashamed.”; (Psalms 50:2-3 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.”; (Psalms 67:1 “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.”; (Psalms 80:3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.; (Psalms 104:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment [JB: “wrapped in a robe of light”]: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”; (Psalms 119:135) “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.”; “Proverbs 4:18-19 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. [JB: “The path of the virtuous is like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fulness of day;”] The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”; (Ecclesiastes 8:1) “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.” [JB: “Who is like the sage? Who else can solve a problem? The wisdom of a man lends brightness to his face; his face, once grim, is altered.”]; (Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”; (Isaiah 60:1-3,5) “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear,and be enlarged [JB: “at this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full”]; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” ; (Ezekiel 43:1-2) “ Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.”; (Daniel 9:17) “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.”; (Daniel 12:2-3) “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt [JB “disgrace”]. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. “ As we move to the time of Jesus, an interesting interpretation of the shining of the Christmas star has been postulated by Rev. Lou Barbieri in his sermon “The Marvelous, Mysterious Magi”. Here, the light which guided the Zoroastrian priests to the Christ child was not a star but the light of his countenance which they perceived. This is supported by the direction of their travel, which was not according to the celestial movement of stars and, accordingly, placed their visit to him not at his birth in the manger at Bethlehem but at a later time [documented by other studies]. It is a viewpoint worth considering. The video presentation of his sermon, along with a far more detailed explanation, may be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/QTYe2n8_kNB. Strong light imagery continues through the balance of the New Testament: (Matthew 5:16) “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”; (Matthew 13:43) “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father He who has ears, let him hear.”; (Luke 11:33) “If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”; (John 1:4-5) “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”; (John 5:35) “He [John] was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. [JB: “John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.”]; (Acts 9:3-4) “And as he [Paul] journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?; (Acts 10:30-31) “And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.”; (Acts 26:13) “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.” The following passage from 2 Corinthians 3:7-18,4:3-7 connects the Old Testament manifestation to the Christian reality: “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away [JB: “by such a brightness that the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses, though it was a brightness that faded”]: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded [JB: “had been dulled”]: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ [JB: “a veil never lifted, since Christ alone can remove it.”]. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart [JB: “over their minds”]. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord [JB: “the brightness of the Lord”; JB notes: “The ‘brightness of the Lord’ is the glory of Jesus, being ‘the glory on the face of Christ’, 4:6.”], are changed into the same image [JB notes: “The contemplation of God in Christ gives the Christian a likeness to God] from glory to glory [JB: “that we reflect”], even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost [JB: “If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to salvation.”]:In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Philippians 2:15 continues the narrative, applying light to the person of the believer: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”; [JB notes to Heb 1:1-4} “. The Son is the brightness, the light shining from its source, which is the bright glory [compare Exodus 24:16] of the Father (‘Light from Light’).”; (2 Peter 1:19) “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” ; (1 John 2:8) “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” Revelation provides its own narrative of light: (Revelation 1:16) And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.; (Revelation 21:22-23) “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof [JB: “since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the lamb was a lighted torch for it”].” (Revelation 21:23) “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”; (Revelation 22:5) “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”; (Revelation 22:16) “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” |
Conclusion
A fitting conclusion to this fascinating and essential topic is the account of the glory of the Divine Person from the classic Sanskrit Text, the Narayana Sooktam: “I worship the Lord, who has thousands of heads, thousands of eyes, who is the source of happiness in the world, the Eternal God. All this is nothing but the Present God. All this lives by Him. I worship Him who is the Self and the Lord of the Universe, the Eternal God, the benign and undecaying Divine Soul, the Supreme Being who is to be known, the Self of all, the Supreme Goal…. In the middle of it there is a great fire with innumerable flames blazing on all sides which first consumes the food and then distributes it to all parts of the body. It is the immutable and all-knowing. Its rays constantly shoot upwards and downwards. It heats the body from head to foot. In the middle of it there is a tongue of fire which is extremely small. That tongue of fire is dazzling as a streak of lightning in the midst of a dark cloud and as thin as the awn at the tip of a grain of rice, golden bright and extremely minute…. I bow down again and again the Eternal Law, the Truth, the Absolute Supreme Being, the Divine Being who is dark blue and reddish, the pure celibate, with extraordinary eyes, who has assumed all forms.”
May we, each in our own way, shine with the glory of God!
Divinepersonhood 