“Goethe called color the deeds and sufferings of the light—victorious deeds
when it pierces matter and suffering when it endures the darkness in matter.
Indeed, there is no greater contrast in the whole cosmos than that between
matter and light.”

Walter Bühler was left with unforgettable memories after spending time above
the Arctic Circle in Lapland, where the sky fills with floods of color, the midnight
sun shines for weeks, and the long polar night is brightened by the shining
northern lights. Pondering on these experiences led to this short, penetrating
work—a study of the pathways and metamorphoses of light from a global
perspective.

The essence of light is to shine; it radiates dynamically in all directions at an
unimaginable speed, never resting. The nature of matter, by contrast, is heavy,
static, and condensed. Nevertheless, matter can also let light through, as with
crystals or in the transparent and flowing element of water, evaporation, and
air. Water and air thus act as “mercurial” factors, allowing the creative potential
of light to appear as diverse colors. The “deeds and sufferings of light” are also
found in many inorganic phenomena, such as the northern lights. By seeing the laws within phenomena, Goethe approached an understanding of the etheric
formative forces. The object of this book is to observe nature’s wonders through
Goethe’s methodical process. 

Apart from the “rainbows, lightning, and northern lights” in the subtitle, the
author discusses the blue of our skies, the colors of twilight, dewdrops, halos,
and other light phenomena. The author tells the reader that the power of
imagination produced by us as observers creates depth and inwardness. In such
a state of consciousness, our inner eye can picture “a threefold global union
of light, which speaks to a threefold organization of the Earth.” Bühler’s
concentrated work will inspire readers to make their own observations of the
optical phenomena in our atmosphere, learning again to treasure our planet
for what it is—a human-scale home for which we are all responsible. 

C O N T E N T S:

Foreword

1. The Blue of the Sky
2. Lightning and Northern Lights
3. The Rainbow as a Mediator
4. The Colors of the Dewdrop
5. Rainbows and the Human Being
6. Twilight Colors and the Rainbow Belt
7. Halos and Other Light Phenomena

Appendix: Rainbow Formation

ISBN:9781906999803