#rainbow witch

Rainbow Energy Centers

I was debating whether or not to include this, but I feel I have to. We all know the seven rainbow coloured energy points often called "chakra's". There has been a lot of thoughts on whether or not chakra's are cultural appropriation or not. The thing is that 99% of witchcraft, spiritual, yoga, new age book on the market has no idea what chakra's actually are, because the practice of seven chakra's was brought to the west by guru's and then incorporated into Western Mysticism. Some really good articles on what chakra's actually are: Hinduism Today Hareesh.org

In the same way that the witchcraft smoke cleansing rituals are not smudging rituals, the witchcraft way of working with our energy centers has absolutely nothing to do with chakra's. Does this mean that the concept needs to be tossed into the garbage? No. Centers of energy, lines of energy that meet in certain places, these concepts are found in other cultures as well. Plus, I am of the opinion that just because it's not old, doesn't mean that it doesn't hold power. Our Western concept of "chakra's" is something made by Western mystics so it is in my opinion adaptable to a modern witchcraft practice, if we start viewing it as something modern and Western.

Some of the newer spiritual books have also acknowledged this, and started using the term "energy centers" instead of chakra's, also losing the Sanskrit names of the different centers. And I think that is the way to go. Like we moved from "smudging" to "smoke cleansing", we can move from "chakra's" to "energy centers". Or even, in the way of Rainbowmancy, "rainbow energy centers"

Rainbow Divination

Rainbowmancy is not only the act of magic, but, much like in witchcraft, divination is also a part of it. (If you want it to be, anyway, you can do whatever you want forever!) Here are some different techniques for using rainbows in divination.

Reading Rainbows: When there is an actual rainbow in the sky, you could read the signs to divine. Look at the rainbow and consider the place on the horizon, depth of colour, full arc or just partial, beginning and end, etc.

Existing Decks: There are many decks available through either the creators or your local witchy/bookstore that have rainbow themes and symbolism. Some examples: Prism Oracle, Secret Language of Colour (I recommend!), Spectrowhirl Tarot, SoulSpace Oracle, Queer Tarot, Holographic RWS, Sacred Creators Oracle, Rainbow Tarot, Tarot at the End of the Rainbow.

Stone Scrying: What is says on the tin, scrying in rainbow stones, or if you have a quartz crystal, they sometimes can have rainbow inclusions which work really well.

Water Scrying: Take a glass or white bowl or cup and fill it with water. Add a few drops of coloured ink. Alcohol ink, writing ink, or acrylic inks work just fine. Look at how it flows, what patterns it makes, what symbols do you see? For meanings you could make your own dictionary, which I recommend, or use a tasseomancy (tealeaf reading) guide to get you started.

Rainbow Scyphomancy: This technique was generously shared with me by Nova. Scyphomancy means divination with a cup or goblet. With rainbow scyphomancy the white cup is first filled with water and then emptied. Drops of food colouring are added, and the cup is turned over three times, each one in a different direction, lastly the cup is swirled three times. The colours will spread over the white surface, which can then be read much in the same way as tasseomancy.

Paint Chips: These come in every shade and colour, so would be great for making your own deck. Write keywords or draw symbols on them the meanings of which match the colours.

Pendulum: A pendulum in one of the rainbow crystals for example. Or nowadays you have rainbow pendulums made from different crystals, either fused together, or beads stacked on top of each other (often called "chakra pendulum". We'll get into chakra's in the next bit). A small galaxy jar on a chain, or a small bottle filled with coloured sand, sugar, salt, or resin, will also make a great pendulum.

Crystal Casting Oracle: An osteomancy method using rainbow cystals, or crystals in each colour of the rainbow. Before I mentioned that my favourite combination is garnet, carnelian, citrine, aventurine, turquoise, sodalite, and amethyst. I use tumbled stones of these to cast on divination grids or mats. Much like charm casting. Each stone has their own meaning depending on where they land.

Encaustic Art: This is an art technique where coloured beeswax is heated on a small painting iron and then pressed to wood, or a special shiny paper. Artists can use this to create beautiful and intricate paintings, often of landscapes. This same technique, however, can also be used for divination. By intuitively adding colours and moving the painting iron, a layered painting can be made. The wax will pool, swirl, and leave open spots, making an interesting painting which you can see symbols, figures, and natural features, which can then be interpreted.

Rainbow Magic

To work with the rainbow in magic is not much different as either using colour magic, or the magic of other natural phenomena such as the Sun and Moon. Rainbow energy can be raised by the homemade rainbow methods above, and then channeled into the working. Nevertheless, here are some ideas on how to use rainbows in magic.

Charging: Charging your tools, amulets, jewellery, journals, plushies, decks, and whatever else you can think of with rainbow energy. This can be done by placing it in rainbow light, charging them when there is a rainbow, or on a charging plate. You can also first cleanse your tools or items in the rain, before charging them with rainbow energy.

Candles: Candle magic using seven candles in the individual colours, or using rainbow coloured candles. There are also drip candles, which are white on the outside and drip in rainbow colours as they burn. These are great for revealing magics, where the "true colours" are revealed as the candle burns down

Poppet magic: Poppets are often made from fabric, yarn, wheat, or clay, the last of which can be coloured. Making a poppet of rainbow fabric or draping a rainbow across the poppet can be used to bring rainbow energy into someone's life, or bring joy, wonder, and happiness.

Sachets or envelopes: Making sachets or envelopes in rainbow colours to make talismans, or put photos and petitions in them to charge with rainbow magic.

Rainbow water: Charging water while there is a rainbow, in the same way you would make moon water. Another way to make rainbow water is to place a bottle or glass of water on a charging plate, letting it soak up those good rainbow vibes. Another way is to divide your water up into seven, and use food colouring to colour it. Drink those colours!

Clothes: Bring some rainbow magic into your life by wearing rainbow clothing, jewellery, or accessories.

Meditation: Use meditation to connect with the magic of the rainbow. Sit in rainbow light, or drape a rainbow scarf or piece of fabric around you. Meditate while there is an actual rainbow outside. You can also try and find the end of the rainbow in meditation. You can meditate on the rainbow as a whole, or on the individual colours. For example meditate on one colour every day and see what this colour brings you. Or do a breathing meditation where with each inhale, you inhale a different colour of light.

Body: Makeup and face paint are another way to practice rainbow magic. There are some really cool rainbow makeup looks out there (like I wore to my wedding!), or you can use facepaint to draw sigils, symbols, or just a whole rainbow on you. If you want it to be more permanent, there are so many beautiful rainbow tattoo designs out there. Use this to bring in rainbow energy in general, or focus it on specific spots for some extra healing and oomph. Nailpolish is also a great way to carry a bit of rainbow with you.

Kitchen Witchery: Rainbow foods. Just, rainbow foods. I have a pinterest board. They are so cool and fun.

Crystals: Above I mentioned some crystals which look like captured rainbows. Use them in magic, or use seven different stones for the seven colours of the rainbow. My favourite set is garnet, carnelian, citrine, aventurine, turquoise, sodalite, and amethyst.

Fabric Arts: weaving with colours, braiding seven colours together, knot magic with different beads knotted in the yarn, crocheting with rainbow yarn, rainbow friendship bracelets, there are a lot of ideas here.

Time: Not something I personally use, but there are seven days in the week, and seven colours in the rainbow. These facts can be combined to make magic.

Visionboards: Making visionboards are a great way to tap into rainbow magic and bring it into your life, especially if you also incorporate the words of the associations you want to use.

Inner Child work: Ever notice how so many toys are multicoloured and fun. How crayons and pencils come in the colours of the rainbow with a few added ones. Practice inner child work by playing. Just play, let out you inner gremlin and create or play without fear or shame.

Altar: Create an altar for your rainbow magic, rainbow entity, or just a "wonder altar" in general. Add things that bring that same burst of joyous wonder that you feel when you see a rainbow. Some ideas for your rainbow altar are rainbow candles, statues of rainbows (tip: Christmas ornaments!), pictures or art, unicorns, golden coins, pride flags, prisms, rainbow lights, rainbow roses (real or fake), crystals, art supplies, and bubble wands.

Music: Why are there so many songs about rainbows? (I had to) But Kermit was right, there are many songs about rainbows so why not make a playlist for your rainbow magic?

Sigils: Draw sigils with a rainbow pencil (remember those?), layer the different colours over one another, or draw pieces of the sigil in different sparkly pens to make them rainbow.

Galaxy Jars: These are jars filled with cotton balls, water, glitter, and food colouring. By packing the cotton tight these jars look like a galaxy. You can use one jar per colour, or make a layered jar with all the colours of the rainbow. I like to hide little pouches with herbs, sigils, and crystal chips in my galaxy jars to make them spell jars.

Natural dyes: Using dyes or inks made out of herbs, flowers, vegetables, plants, minerals and fruits can draw the energy of those materials into your rainbow magic as well.

Queer Magic: The rainbow has been inextricably linked to the queer community. Therefore rainbow energy can also be used in queer magic. for example in community protection spells, pride flag spell bottles (using Gilbert Bakers colour meanings), charming pronoun pins, and queer tarot spreads.

Colour- and Art magic in Rainbowmancy

Colour Magic

Colours are kind of the rainbow's thing, so it makes sense that colour magic is an important part of Rainbowmancy. There are many, many lists of colour correspondences out there, and I am of the opinion that these are more powerful if they are your own, so I won't make a list of colours here. (Although I will share if asked, of course!)

With Rainbowmancy there are two ways you use the colours of the rainbow: as a whole, and the individual colours separate from each other. I mostly use the colours of the rainbow as a whole, or in the case of queer witchery, the colour meanings of the Gilbert Baker pride flag. Some ideas on how to use colour magic will be discussed below in Rainbow Magic.

Art Magic

Humans are creative beings. Cave paintings, story telling, beaded jewellery, art has been with us since the beginning. What art is and is not is a very broad discussion that I will not go into right now (but I do have thoughts). But what about art magic? To describe art magic and all it can do would be a whole essay on it's own. But to give a short explanation I can not describe it better than Molly Roberts:

"Art magick is art as the spell- the means of expressing intentions, desires, wishes and experiences. Art magick can be a means of attracting or manifesting, but art magick can also be entirely about the process- it can be cathartic, healing, or meditative. The making of the art is the ritual itself. I’m often pointedly asked what the difference is between art magick and crafting or scrapbooking. Frankly, on the surface- there isn’t a difference. Paint is paint. An art journal is an art journal. A project becomes art magick when it the project is tended to with a devotion, given significance, and imbued with layers of meaning for the art witch. There is an animistic dimension to art magick. This layering of meaning- the act of making something special with our love and attention, the sanctification of your creating, is the essence of enchantment." Source: Molly Roberts

So what about art magic and Rainbowmancy? Well, painting, drawing, digital art, clay; these are all techniques that often use a lot of colour. Colour magic and art magic can go hand in hand in this regard, and like colour magic, you can focus on the individual colour of the rainbow, or the rainbow in its entirety. With music the diatonic scale has seven notes, which can be linked to the colours of the rainbow: C-red, D-Orange, E-Yellow, F-Green, G-Blue, A-Indigo, B-Violet. A Rainbowmancer can use these notes to create rainbow symphonies, or simply resonate each not in sequence. Dance is a wonderful art that can be adapted into art magic and rainbowmancy. Dancing with rainbow scarves, silk fans, or poi are amazing ways to get the rainbow magic to flow. And let's not forget fiber and fabric arts such as embroidery, knitting, crochet, quilting, and sewing can be used as powerful tools to embue items with rainbow energy.

Rainbow Crystals and Flowers

For many of us, crystals, herbs, flowers, and plants are a big part of our spellwork. So here are some of them that have associations with rainbows, mostly through iridescence and opalescence.

Opalite - Magical associations/uses: tranquility, softness, water, healing, inner wisdom, communication Bismuth - Magical associations/uses: It is anti-bacterial and is used in pharmacy in several medications. Spiritually it is a stone (metal) of transformation, inner journeying, calmness, growth, and connecting with other worlds Bornite/Peacock Ore - Magical associations/uses: Working galaxy magic, spiritual journeying, self-confidence and self-esteem, pride workings Rainbow Moonstone - Magical associations/uses: Moon magic, magic in general, calmness, uplifting, dream work, spiritual growth, connect with your inner self Mystic Topaz - Magical associations/uses: Change, abundance, creativity, spiritual growth, good fortune, friendship Rainbow Obsidian - Magical associations/uses: protection, grounding, releasing and letting go, absorbs negative energies, intuition Ammolite - Magical associations/uses: sacredness, creativity, uplifting emotions, connecting with ancestors, journeying inwards Labradorite - Magical associations/uses: divination, intuition, magic, aurora borealis, unlocking potential, self-discovery, protection Opal - Magical associations/uses: inspiration, unlock creative potential, sacredness, inner peace, luck, prosperity Aura Quartz - These are quartzes and other crystals that have been coated with a titanium coating, giving them a rainbow sheen. Common are quartz, hematite, roze quartz, amethyst and quartzes dyed in many different colours. The “aura” supposedly enhances their spiritual power, brings abundance, and makes them work well for communication with higher beings. Solar Quartz - A new stone on the market, solar quartz is heat treated (cracked) quartz dyed in rainbow colours, often in a sunburst or random pattern. It is supposed to promote joy, creativity, and inspiration Rainbow Flowers - Through dying the flowers there are many different types of rainbow flowers available to buy, or to make! The rainbow rose is the most well known, but chrysanthemums, tulips, orchids, gerbera's, baby's breath, carnations, hydrangeas and many more are available as well. Magical associations/uses: The same as the original associations for the flowers, with the added associations of the rainbow.

How to make Rainbows?

So now that we've seen some of the associations of rainbows and spirits or entities associated with them, let's get into some actual magic. To tap into the energy of the rainbow, we do actually need a rainbow. We of course have the rare occurrence that a rainbow is in the sky exactly at the time that we are ready to do some magic, but that won't happen very often. So, how do we make sure we can tap into the potent magic of the rainbow? Like many things in witchcraft: we make it ourselves!

One of the ways to this is with a prism. A prism is a shape, often of glass or crystal glass, that is made in a way that it refracts the light into a rainbow. These prisms can be found in stores where they have some science equipment, or ordered from the internet. Suncatchers are crystals cut in specific facets to catch the light and disperse it. Often they are hung from strings in front of a window, decorated with beads and other crystals. Rainbows are made when water droplets catch the sunlight in a specific way, so we can make our own rainbows by spraying water with a hose, sprinklers, or a misting spray bottle. Fairy lights are in itself wonderful and amazing, but did you know they also come in rainbow colours? Besides fairy lights there are many different rainbow light sources, like rainbow projectors, colour changing LEDs, etc. And we can always make a charging plate to catch some of this rainbow goodness and use it when we need it.

Rainbow Spirits

Through many cultures the rainbow is something magical and sacred. These are some of the deities and spirits associated with the rainbow

Manzat: Mesopotamian and Elamite Goddess who was the personification of the rainbow

Iris: Greek Goddess who personifies the rainbow, or in other myths, the rainbow is the path she travels as the delivers messages from the Gods to the human realm

Rainbow Serpent: Aboriginal Australian Creator god who also controlled the rain

Hong: Chinese two-headed Dragon who represents the rainbow

Ix Chel: Mesoamerican Goddess of rain, birth, and healing. Chel means rainbow.

Anuenue: Hawaiian messenger Goddess to her brothers, Tane and Kanaloa. She is the Rainbow Maiden.

Oxumare: Yoruba Orisha who is the personification of the rainbow.

Ayida-Weddo: Haitian Vodou Loa who is the personification of the rainbow

Dan: West African Vodun spirit who is represented as a rainbow serpent. Dan is the androgynous son of Mawu, the Divine Creator, and acts as a mediator between the spirits and the living.

Uenuku and Kahukura: Māori atua's and prominent ancestors, both of which are personifications of the rainbow, and usually represent omens.

Cuchavira: Meaning "shining air", she is the personification of the rainbow and protectress of working women and the ill for the Muisca, the indigenous people of the highlands in the Andes.

Amitolane: Rainbow spirit from the mythology of the Zuni, a Native American tribe.

Prende: Albanian Goddess of the dawn, love, beauty, fertility and health. Her belt was said to be the rainbow.

Indra: Hindu God who is the King of the devas and Svarga. He is a God of the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storm, rain, and war. In Sanskit the rainbow is called the "indradhanus" or the Bow of Indra.

Rama: Hindu hero-king who was the seventh avatar of the God Vishny in the Vaisnava tradition. A Bengali word for rainbow is "rongdhonu", meaning Rama's Bow

Rainbow Prince: French fairytale prince who can only speak when there is a rainbow

Christian God: After the devastating flood that killed all life except for fish and the animals and people on Noah's Ark, God made a promise to never again destroy all life in this way. He gave Earth the rainbow as a symbol of this covenant.

Leprechaun: being from Irish myth that is sometimes classed as one of the Aos Sí. The leprechaun was thought to guard the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Unicorn: A new link between the mythical unicorn and rainbows has been forged, where these have become almost inseparable. It is unsure where this first started. Unicorns symbolize purity, blessing, healing, and freedom.

Rainbow Symbolism

Hope and Wonder: Seeing a rainbow is one of those things that make you stop in your tracks. Often, we take out our phones to capture this rare moment, and share it with others. Seeing a rainbow brings a smile, this sudden joy, and a sense of wonder.

Promise: In Christian mythology God gave the rainbow as sign of his covenant to never again flood the Earth. There are also versions of a flood myth in Mesopotamian myth where the Goddess Ishtar wears a necklace with seven stones, as a promise that she will never let the Gods destroy humanity by floods again. In some version the necklace is a rainbow.

Pride: In 1978 Gilbert Baker made the "Pride Flag", a flag for the queer community. Baker gave meanings of the different colours, each meaning tying into the community; pink: sex, red: life, orange: healing, yellow: sunlight, green: nature, turquoise: art/magic, blue: harmony/peace, purple/violet: spirit. Before his death, Baker wanted to add a stripe of lilac, meaning community. The queer community is sometimes also called the "Rainbow Community" or the "Rainbow Family". Since the coming of the Pride flag the rainbow has become a symbol of community, authenticity, queerness, and pride.

Transgender: Besides the pride rainbow being a symbol of queerness, there are other myths that connects the rainbow specifically to the transgender community. In Albanian folk belief the rainbow is the belt of Prende (see below) and those who jump over it, will change their sex. Here in the Netherlands in the Rijnland there is a folk belief that if a boy walks underneath a rainbow while holding a basket of water, he will turn into a girl. And there are many more.

Luck: In Ireland a pot of gold is found at the end of a rainbow, making the rainbow a symbol of luck, prosperity, blessing, and treasure.

Bridges: In Norse mythology we have the Bifrost, the bridge that connects Asgard, the realm of the Gods, to Midgard, our Realm. The rainbow was also thought to be the path, or bridge, that the Greek Goddess Iris made to deliver messages from the Gods to the human Realm. And in modern culture, there is the Rainbow Bridge, a bridge which animal cross after they pass, to an afterlife where we will eventually join them. The rainbow is a symbol of travel, especially between realms, and of divine communication.

Messages: The Greek Goddess Iris is not the only one who is associated with rainbows and the delivery of messages from the Gods, as we'll see in the next section. This makes the rainbow also a symbol of divine messages, and the communication between us and the Gods/spirits.

Diversity: the rainbow is often used as a symbol of diversity in activism, politics, and commerce. All colours have equal value, and we need all of them to make a complete rainbow.

Peace: A rainbow flag has been used as a symbol of piece in several countries, amongst which Italy and Greece.

Bow: As seen in the "Rainbow Spirits" section below, the rainbow is also seen as a bow, a weapon. In England some would state that the bow is pointed at the Christian God, away from humanity, as an incentive to keep his promise.

Death: cw: child death ||Stillborn children or children who pass away shortly after birth, are also called "Rainbow Children"||

Bad Luck and Illness: Several cultures have the taboo of not pointing towards rainbows, for it would cause the finger to be bent, rot away, fall of, or something similar. The Sumu of Honduras and Nicaragua believe that the rainbow is a sign that "the devil is vexed". Looking at or pointing at the rainbow is thought to draw the attention of the devil, and therefore bring bad luck.

Enlightenment: In Buddhism there is the "rainbow body", a state of being that is the highest state before reaching Nirvana. When the rainbow body is reached it is often observed by people around them, as the body falls away and the body of pure light stays. In the Tibetan mountains this is sometimes explained as a "glory" as described above.