The sky is not blue. Grass is not green. And red M&Ms are not, well, red.
Nothing has any color. Nothing.
What seems like color to us is simply this: certain wavelengths of light entering our eye. Objects we call “blue” contain a conglomeration of colorless molecules that absorb all frequencies of light except blue. When light is shone on them, the blue wavelengths bounce off and hit our eye.
Not a single thing has any inherent color.
Which is kind of obvious when we think about it. What color is the sky at night when there is very little starlight? It has no color. Why? Because there is no light bouncing off it. During the day it still has no color, but now there is sunlight reflecting off the colorless molecules of atmosphere and entering our retinae.
This is such a simple and yet profound concept. One that can teach us much about advancing on our awakening journey.
If nothing has any color, what about so many other qualities we ascribe to people, events, and circumstances? That’s a great question. One that is addressed by the very first lesson in A Course in Miracles:
Nothing I see means anything.
Like color, no person, event, or circumstance contains any inherent meaning. The atoms and molecules of anything and everything are not only colorless but also meaningless.
Yet look at the big deal we make out of certain such amalgamations. That's the cause of every emotion. The meaning we give to anything determines our experience.
Nothing means anything, but the meaning we give means everything.
Thus if we’d like to experience more happiness and joy, then we’d be well served observing our thoughts. This is the gateway to awareness, from which we can learn to shift attention into the most glorious shades of peace.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore our propensity for judgment and the meanings we ascribe to all aspects of life. We'll discuss practices that lead to serenity of mind. I look forward to seeing you then.