J.M.J.

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Hello, my Friend!  Nannie here!

What does Finney mean when he says…

” We didn’t get to how we can

Just hear, and feel, and sense it when

Colors come to us in these ways,

At certain times in certain days…

Let us be sure we talk again

Of rainbow’s colors…how they can

Be real to us though we don’t “see…”

Let’s just keep this ‘tween you and me…”

The concept of color is so way far beyond seeing a simple rainbow!  And when I say simple, I don’t really mean “simple”…I just mean at least the colors are right there…organized…When God gave the earth the rainbow after the Flood, we know this was the sign He promised that the world would never again be destroyed by water…  “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you:  I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings…”  This is what God told Noah…  (Genesis 9: 12-17)

I once heard it said that God uses the natural to draw us to the supernatural. I love the wording…

Boy oh boy, a rainbow is sure a good example of that!  A rainbow can help us envision a true “bridge” to heaven…can help us with our imaginatin’s…as Finney would say!  What better place for the “golden treasure” than at the “end of the rainbow?”  Think of the wonderful song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow!”

In the early mornin’, the sunrise can bring with it so many palettes of color…”sky blue pink” is one of my favorites!  It seems like such a grand way for God to say, “Top o’ the Mornin’ to ye!”

But let’s get back to a little talkin’ about color…think for a minute about how we say things like…”makes me see red”…”green with envy”…”purple with anger.”  They are just simple references to accepted phrases that we all understand, but color is used in a defining way to communicate intangibles.  And think about music we hear…does loud, bombastic music make us think of blue?  I don’t think so…probably red…right?  Or does sweet mellow music make you think orange?  Or maybe blue/green…do you agree?  Or maybe pale yellow?  I don’t know.  Maybe we would all have different answers to this…or maybe similar.  The point is we are relating to color to help us define how we respond to different things.  Think also about the why of the colors we love and choose for our homes, our clothing…fun to give a few thoughts to these things.                                     How about those devices that can tell where there is warmth…the “warmer colors”…red, orange, yellow.  Coolness does not register, but warmth and life do.

Check out this picture of an oil spill…the colors even seem to be in the “right” rainbow order.. 

Lack of color is not really much fun.  Finney certainly loves color… flowers, sea, sky, plants, food…

                 

Now going to our Dr. Joyce and his Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland…Dr. Joyce tells us that “The ancient Irish loved bright colours.  In this respect they resembled many other nations of antiquity – as well indeed as of the present day…  ‘Whenever men are noble they love bright colour,…and bright colour is given to them in sky, sea, flowers, and living creatures.’  The Irish love of colour expressed itself in all parts of their raiment:  and…they well understood the art of dyeing.

  This is a building on the island of Inis Mór of the Aran Islands!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is part of a poster called “Doors of Ireland!”

 In the Claddagh Village area of Galway City

Everywhere in our ancient literature we find dress-colours mentioned.  In the Ulster army, as described in the Tain, was one company with various-coloured mantles: – ‘some with red cloaks;  others with light blue cloaks;  others with deep blue cloaks; others with green, or blay*, or white, or yellow cloaks, bright and fluttering about them:  and there is a young red-freckled lad, with a crimson cloak in their midst.’  Any number of such quotations might be given.”

Dr. Joyce also tells us “We are told in our legendary history that exact regulations for the wearing of colours by the different ranks of people were made by King Tigernmas (Teernmas) and by his successor, many centuries before the Christian era: – a slave was to be dressed clothes of one colour; a peasant or farmer in two, and so on up to a king and queen and an ollave of any sort;  all of whom were privileged to wear six.”

John O’Hart in the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation also mentions King Tigernmas.  Mr. O’Hart places the life of Tigernmas in the time frame of 1500-1600 years Before Christ.  In regards to the regulations of colour-wearing, he says that ” the clothes of a slave should be of one color;  those of a soldier of two;  the dress of a commanding officer to be of three colours;  a gentleman’s dress, who kept a table for the free entertainment of strangers, to be of four colours;  five colours to be allowed to the nobility (the chiefs); and the King, Queen, and Royal Family, as well as the Druids, historians, and other learned men to wear six colours.

Fr. John Sullivan speaks of the colors of the priests’ vestments for Mass…the white and gold (celebratory), the red (fire and blood), green (hope), purple-violet (expressive of penance and sometimes sorrow)…the rose color was not always used, but has been inserted (encouragement/refreshment).

 

 

 

 

A beautiful rose of Tralee!

Dr. Joyce also says, “At the present day green is universally regarded as the national color;  but this is a very modern innovation, and as a matter of fact the ancient Irish had no national colour.”  Of course, we all know that in the present day, green practically = Irish…But we’ll talk about that more when we get nearer to the grand Feast of our great St. Patrick!

So, think about the “colors” in your life…what they mean to you, and, if you can, why they mean something to you.  I love thinking about the comment mentioned earlier of how God uses the natural to lead us to the supernatural.  Just fun to think a bit about…

God bless you and thank you for visiting Finney and me!

*blay – did not know what this represented…thefreedictionary.com says it is an adjective for Irish unbleached…and Merriam-Webster.com gives it a meaning of “bleak.”