Anyone who has read my writing for very long knows I sometimes ramble. And sometimes I make very little sense. This is probably one of those times, but here you have it.
Did you know that color is actually created by the spectrum of visible light, as it is absorbed or reflected by an object we are looking at? An apple doesn’t really have the property of being red; it absorbs the entire spectrum of light except red, and reflects the red back, so our eye sees red.
As human beings, we only see a very limited portion of the spectrum of light; animals, birds or insects see some portions of the spectrum that we do not see. (Interesting note: It is theorized that the spectrum a species sees is the determined by their food source(s), i.e. bees see ultraviolet, because pollen glows in ultraviolet light.) Humans can be assisted to see other sections of the spectrum, such as infrared and ultraviolet, but we cannot see them with the naked eye. This, of course, limits the way we see color, and on some levels we are at a color disadvantage.
However, humans have a very interesting adaptive ability. If we look at an apple, our brain perceives it as red. If we look at that same apple under daylight, incandescent light, fluorescent light, firelight, candlelight…our brain always perceives it as red, even though its color actually changes under different lighting conditions.
There is something beautiful about color, it makes things come alive, be seen, glow. The fact that we are able to see colors consistently makes items easy to identify, it tells us what to do, it creates art and makes life interesting. However, there is no color without light. Light has a greater purpose than simply illumination. Everything we look at reflects some wavelengths of light, while absorbing others, so that we see it as a certain color. Therefore we can identify a red apple from a green one or yellow one.
So why does any of this matter? We live, we see color, it’s mundane to us. But to me, just thinking about the properties of light and color in the context of spirituality is like opening that brand new box of crayons in elementary school; seeing something old, but new, for the first time.
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.”
“Upon whom does his light not rise?”
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light”
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
That color cannot exist without light puts the Light of the World in a new perspective. Knowing that light has different wavelengths and therefore is seen differently by different creatures, and knowing that all things reflect light differently, well, it causes me to think.
We wouldn’t have all the colors of the spectrum without all the wavelengths of light. Could it be that we all simply reflect different parts of God’s divine spectrum, and therefore we look to be different spiritual colors? Could it be that God realized this property of his light long before any of us were even here to notice our different colors?
None of us would have any color at all without the Light that shines upon us, and I happen to think this was part of the plan.
What do you think?
Rainbows and Peace,
As I sit here reading this it is 6:15 in the morning. I have had no coffee yet. Perhaps that is why my mind is still trying to get traction on this. What it does bring to mind is a time when I was involved in quality control for a clothing manufacturer. Shipments of garments had to be tested to make sure that the colors within a “lot” were relatively consistent in color. Otherwise you would have wildly different shades of red on the rack in the store. Testing involved two factors, the right inspectors and the right environment. We tested potential inspectors for color acuity. I conducted the tests and compiled the results. Here is the test I administered, but back then it was done with plastic chips: http://www.spectralcolor.com/game/huetest_kiosk. (I’ll brag and tell you that I still have perfect color acuity.) The first time I examined the results of a color-blind person, I was shocked. It was as if they simply rearranged the colors in an equally random pattern. The second factor was controlling the lighting. We had a booth where we could change the lighting from various types of incandescent to types of fluorescent to simulated daylight. “Metamerism” is the term to describe how different types of light reflect differently off surfaces. So if the chemical composition of the dye was different in two different garments, they might look identical under fluorescent light, but completely different in daylight. Not so bad when it’s two different garments, but when the sleeve is one dye lot and the front is another, it’s a problem. Sorry for rambling. Here’s my point. Spiritual reality is like color, as you say. It’s affected by whether the person has strong color acuity or is more color blind. There is an inherent ability or disability to certain certain “colors”. And the environment is crucial too. I would equate spiritual metamerism to the theological environment in which we live. It’s the cultural perceptions of your faith community. Sure, these metaphors are imperfect, but then again I haven’t had any coffee, so I am cognitively impaired. End of rambling.
What comes to mind with your comment, Gary, is how I think much of the religious institution is bent on making certain we all are not only the same color but the same hue. Because we KNOW we all experience God exactly the same. I am realizing there is an entire spectrum to how God relates, an I value that.
yes, I knew that.
but you’re not surprised. 
to go further, not only is color a a part of the visible spectrum of light- which is just a name for energy, but that same energy, at a different level, is what caused our universe to come into being. life=color. the physics of God.
I love that you know those things, Cindy. I didn’t want to get too heavily into this technical stuff in this post, but yes, I love to think about these ideas and you and I could probably have an interesting chat about it. God said, let there be light! Cool.
I did not comment here and I meant to. How strange. I LOVE what you wrote about light and colour, and the different spectrums of the light. Ooooh, beautiful!! Thank you so much for writing that, it sort of rocks my socks
Ps: Gary, I loved doing that test. I came across it several months ago and posted it on my blog. Got BAD score the first time, and then someone told me it could be related to how I had set my screen. Did it again and got a good score. How much of transformation do you think is simply about being able to see something? Just curious what you think. I am planning a series of posts about this sometime soon.
Thank you Sue. Always happy to rock your socks; you return the favor so very often! Transformation about being able to see something? Wow that’s like really deep and profound, I’ll have to think on it.