Archaeologica.org

Seven is the BIG BIG NUMBER in all mythology, Rich, and long before the Greeks or the Zoroastrians.

The first attested one is in the C 3,000 BC Babylonian Descent of Ishtar. As she descends into the underworld, she has to go through seven gates. At each gate, has to hand over a piece of jewellery or clothing until she is naked. It is the story that the Dance of the Seven Veils is based on.

In the c 3000 BC Rig Veda, it's the Sapta Sindhu - Land of the Seven Rivers.

So Zoroaster could have got it from the Vedas or the Babylonian story, or any number of other places.

In fact, it is one thing that all religions agree on - Seven.

Your opening post is an excellent description of this:

Yes! Pretty close...all that's missing is the rainbows.

Actually you can see a sort of a color tinge at the inside edges of the outer ones - could be the tail ends of a rainbow.

Look at these sun dogs:

http://www.nightskyevents.com/halo.htm

The rainbow, I think, is the halo - this phenomenon is created by ice crystals. Look at this article, especially the historical section:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog

This is more a weather related event than an astronomical one.

How beautiful. That's it exactly, even with rainbows. Thanks FM, and for the explanation.

Of course, that’s the ‘how’, which is what science can tell us
and very good it is too.

But the mystic would always ask ‘why?’.

Why did those sun dogs and rainbows occur then?

Why did this particular juxtaposition of the ice crystals
and the sunlight occur at that particular time?

Yes, there will be a how answer to that too -
but it still doesn't give us the 'why?'

That’s why our 4-year olds drive us mad with ‘why?’.

They’re never satisfied with our answers because all
we can give them is the ‘how’.

So then they have to ask again – ‘why?’

You think they’re never going to stop.

But eventually, our ‘how’ replies knock the spirit of enquiry
out them altogether, and so they give up asking.

Hmmm...

Curiously there is a reoccurring and well documented phenomenah in the Tibetan tradition of rainbows occuring at the funeral of an extremely accomplished Llama or Rinpoche, who they described as having acheived the "Rainbow State".

A double rainbow appeared above the funeral service for Tim Russert this week, a high Llama of politics if there ever was one.

As for the Tibetans, the rainbow could have something to do with the hundreds of pounds of salts that the Llama's body is covered in as his soul hashes out the details of the Bardo ...49 days. He is then cremated inside his Stupa, with smoke and gasses released into the atmosphere possibly resulting in a rainbow(s).

Not sure which is more amazing.....the chemical knowledge to pull this special effect off, or the universe choosing to show appreciation for such a revered teacher with a rainbow display.....or it being a reoccuring coincidence which is just another way of interpretting the latter.

Not so sure about Tim Russert.

Hi Wood

Good to hear from you.

I've definitely got double rainbows and sun dogs on order for my funeral.

Ishtar wrote:Of course, that’s the ‘how’, which is what science can tell us
and very good it is too.

But the mystic would always ask ‘why?’.

Why did those sun dogs and rainbows occur then?

Why did this particular juxtaposition of the ice crystals
and the sunlight occur at that particular time?

Yes, there will be a how answer to that too -
but it still doesn't give us the 'why?'

That’s why our 4-year olds drive us mad with ‘why?’.

They’re never satisfied with our answers because all
we can give them is the ‘how’.

So then they have to ask again – ‘why?’

You think they’re never going to stop.

But eventually, our ‘how’ replies knock the spirit of enquiry
out them altogether, and so they give up asking.

Don't want to open up the whole can of worms again, but is it not a valid point that the simple ability to ask why is no guarantee of a good question?
Just because kids can be cute doesn't mean they aren't often just plain stupid.

Anyway, fantastic image of sun dogs there, FM.

Do you not have any children, War Arrow?

Children learn by asking. If their question seems dumb to us, it's rarely because they're stupid.

In most cases it's because they haven't yet accumulated enough data to formulate the right question.

So they keep on asking until they do.

But my point wasn't about intelligence.

It was about how they angle their questions.

Yes, great pics FM. I'm downloading one now for a screensaver.

Reminds me of the story about a child getting a cup of hot chocolate.
Too hot, it seems.
She cried and said, “Make it warmer”
Confusing, until someone realized she knew things could be cold, warm, or hot.
She wanted it more like “warm.”

She wanted it more like “warm.”

I think I ended up working for her!