As soon as the goddess entered and brushed away the dreams that hovered around her, her brightness lit up all the cave.
“The Halcyon Birds,” Bulfinch’s Mythology
In the Greek myth “The Halcyon Birds,” the goddess Iris dons her robe of many colors, then paints the sky with a rainbow on her way down to Earth. As Iris’ radiance fills the sleeping god’s cave, she delivers her message to him that a king had died. Then she returns by her multi-hued arc to the heavens.
Bridge between heaven and earth
The iridescent rainbow goddess Iris represents a connection between earth and heaven through the bows she creates with her robe—the female version of an Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—when she traverses the air.
Iris blossoms bear her name
The iris flower bears her name. Symbolically, this bloom bridges earth with heaven because of its great beauty. It represents the ability to communicate messages with those who reside with (the) God(s).
If you have lost a loved one to addiction, the iris might take on some extra significance for you.
Opioid overdose
Irises have been growing for decades at Grailville in Loveland, Ohio, which has served as a spiritual bridge between the human and the Divine.
It is sacred ground upon which my 19-year-old son Brennan inspired one final time before overdosing on heroin.
Buckets of irises
Buckets of extra irises from the property found their way into my little car in 2017, thanks to Mary Lu.
They now are planted in Brennan’s garden behind my home. From sacred ground to hallowed ground, the irises connect the spiritual with the profane, the light with the dark, the living with the deceased.
They help bring the Spirit to my son who sought the Spirit in the false highs of heroin. The flowers now provide a symbolic way to communicate with him.
Iris symbolism
The iris has another symbolic connection for me. Early usage of the French royal symbol, the fleur-de-lis/fleur-de-lys, probably referred to the iris, which grew abundantly along the river Lys, rather than to the lily. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol for the Boy Scouts, in which Brennan earned the Arrow of Light honor.
The first Siberian iris has begun beaming its iridescent radiance this spring. There is no more meaningful addition to his garden.
Easing Grieving:
To invoke the energy of the rainbow, or of communication with your loved ones on the Other Side, perhaps meditate with a drop of iris essence or essential oil on your forehead between your eyebrows, or with an iris blossom next to you.
Sources:
Richard Martin, ed., “The Halcyon Birds,” Bulfinch’s Mythology (New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1991), p. 65
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis, November 1, 2017