Last Updated on December 30, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry
Welcome the new year by lighting rainbow candles for Bridge of Light, a new winter holiday honoring LGBTQ culture.
People celebrate Bridge of Light by lighting six candles, one for each color of the rainbow flag, on New Year’s Eve — or from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, one candle per day.
Each candle stands for a spiritual principle and its expression in the lives and history of LGBT and queer people. Feel free to improvise other methods, such as using colored paper to fold origami cranes.The candles are intended to provide a starting point for individual and group meditations on these principles:
1. Red – The Root of Spirit (Community)
2. Orange – The Fire of Spirit (Eros, sexuality, passion)
3. Yellow – The Core of Spirit (Self-esteem, courage)
4. Green – The Heart of Spirit (Love)
5. Blue – The Voice of Spirit (Justice, self-expression)
6. Purple – The Eye of Spirit (Wisdom)
7. All Candles – The Crown of Spirit (Spirituality)
Together these colors form a rainbow, a time-honored symbol of a bridge between two worlds: heaven and earth, East and West, male and female, queer and non-queer.
The principles are beautifully expressed in a new benediction prayer written for Bridge of Light by Yewtree (Yvonne Aburrow) of the Dance of the Elements Blog:
Let us embody the values of the rainbow flag of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Red is the root of spirit, found in beloved community,
Orange is for Eros, the fire of spirit, the experience of erotic connection,
Yellow is for self-esteem, the strong core of spirit,
Green is for love, the heart of spirit, the verdant growth of the soul,
Blue is for self-expression, the voice of spirit, calling out for justice,
Purple is the eye of spirit, which sees inwardly with the eye of wisdom.
And all the colours together form the crown of spirit, the experience of spirituality.
The esoteric meaning of rainbows is also explored in the paintings of Hilma af Klint (1862 -1944), Swedish lesbian spiritualist and the first abstract artist. Inspired by the Theosophical Movement, she merged spiritual and scientific concepts in many of her paintings. Her frequent rainbow images have a contemporary LGBTQ vibe.
In 2017, Bridge of Light founder Joe Perez added three additional candles to light on New Year’s Day:
7. Black – The Fullness of Spirit
8. White – The Emptiness of Spirit
9. Grey or Silver – The Non-Duality of Spirit
Perez, author of “Soulfully Gay
“Bridge of Light is an interfaith and omni-denominational cultural and spiritual tradition,” Perez says. “The annual winter ritual…has helped to draw attention to the positive contributions made by members of the LGBT community in the areas of spiritual growth, inner transformation, and religious leadership.” One of his articles on the subject is The Seven (Revised) Principles of Bridge of Light (GaySpirituality.com).
The following summary of the seven principles of Bridge of Light includes historical time periods, foods and more about the chakras, the energy centers of the human body in Indian thought. I synthesized and developed this info based on the resource links at the end of this post.
Rainbow candle holders have become hard to find. Sets of rainbow candles can often be found by searching for “chakra candles.” Recommended rainbow candles include the chakra votive candle set from Amazon.
For Q Spirit raders I highlighted Christian history with links to LGBT Saints. The seven principles are also matched with the seven models of the queer Christ from gay theologian Patrick S. Cheng’s book “From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ.
1. Red – The Root of Spirit (Community)
Red evokes life, energy and blood. Shadow side: violence/death.
Affirmation: I am.
Time period: Before Christ / Before the Common Era
Celebrate same-sex love in goddess worship, paganism and other pre-patriarchal spiritualities, in ancient myths and cultures, and in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament.
Living and Self-Loving Christ (sin as shame, grace as pride)
Mary, Diana and Artemis: Feast of Assumption has lesbian goddess roots
David and Jonathan
Foods: Root vegetables (carrots, beets, potatoes, etc.), protein-rich foods, sweet and spicy tastes.Animals: Elephant, snake, mole, underground creatures.
2. Orange – The Fire of Spirit (Eros)
Orange evokes fire, passion, sexuality and relationships. Shadow side: lust/addiction.
Affirmation : I feel.
Time period: 1st – 4th centuries
Celebrate same-sex love in the life of Christ, among early Christians, in the late Roman Empire and other cultures.
Erotic Christ (sin as exploitation; grace as mutuality)
Historical Jesus and the Beloved Disciple
Foods: Foods growing from ground-level to 2 feet (melons, strawberries, squash, etc.), sweet and salty tastes.Animals: Crocodile, dolphin, underwater creatures.
3. Yellow – The Core of Spirit (Self-Esteem)
Yellow evokes courage, confidence and personal power. Shadow side: fear/anger.
Affirmation: I do.
Time period: Middle Ages, 4th – 15th centuries
Celebrate same-sex love in medieval times.
Queer medieval Christians include pairs of lovers in monasteries and convents, writers of homoerotic verse, and cross-dressing women. Medieval mystics describe erotic-ecstatic union with God.
Out Christ (sin as the closet; grace as coming out)
Brigid and Darlughdach (c.451-525)
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Aelred of Rievaulx (c.1110-1167)
Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
Foods: Foods growing 2-6 feet above the ground (grains, sunflower seeds etc.), bitter and minty tastes.Animals: Ram, bear, birds, flying creatures.
4. Green – The Heart of Spirit (Love)
Green evokes growth, nature, balance and compassion. Shadow side: jealousy/greed, hatred.
Affirmation: I love.
Time period: Renaissance, 15th-17th centuries (c. 1400-1699)
Celebrate same-sex love in the era that included the Age of Discovery, the Protestant Reformation and the invention of the printing press.
Transgressive Christ (sin as conformity; grace as deviance)
Joan of Arc (c.1412-1431)
John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Juana de la Cruz (1648-1695)
Foods: Green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, green tea, etc.), sour and savory tastes.Animals: Antelope, wolf, mammals.
5. Blue – The Voice of Spirit (Justice and Self-Expression)
Blue evokes peace, communication and independence. Shadow side: depression/arrogance.
Affirmation: I speak
Time period: Modern, 1700 to 1950
Celebrate same-sex love in modern times, including gender role evolution in Romanticism, Transcendentalism, secular philosophy, and the movements for women’s suffrage and abolition.
Liberator Christ (sin as apathy; grace as activism)
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Ambrose St. John
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) Poet who wrote Christmas carols
Foods: Food that grows 6 feet or more above ground (apples, oranges, avocadoes, etc.), sour and salty tastes.Animal: White elephant, personal power animal, humanity.
6. Purple – The Eye of Spirit (Wisdom)
Purple evokes vision, intuition and understanding. Shadow side: passivity/nightmares.
Affirmation: I perceive
Time period: 1950 to present
Celebrate same-sex love and gender role defiance in recent LGBT, queer, feminist and black liberation movements, including the struggle for LGBT religious rights. LGBT-affirming churches and religious institutions are founded. Pluralistic expressions of sexuality and gender multiply, but some are martyred in anti-gay hate crimes.Interconnected Christ (sin as isolation, grace as interdependence)
Mychal Judge: Gay saint of 9/11
Foods: Dark purple foods (blueberries, purple grapes, red wine, etc.), subtle tastes (poppyseed, lavender, etc.).Animal: None. Ancestors and spirit guides.
Original 7. All Colors / White – The Crown of Spirit (Spirituality)
When all the colors of the rainbow mix, they create white light, evoking universal consciousness.
Affirmation: I understand.Time period: Now and the future
Hybrid and All-Encompassing Christ (sin as singularity; grace as hybridity)
Animal: Egg, eagle, Rainbow Crow legend, Rainbow Serpent.
Foods: Fasting. Instead of eating, inhale incense and smudging herbs such as sage. Or… Celebrate with a slice of rainbow cake!
New 7. Black – The Fullness of Spirit (yin)
Chakra: Earth Star
“The color Black is connected to mystery, power, elegance, and depth. It is associated with Yin, the force understood by Chinese philosophy as linked to darkness, communion, negativity, and society, as a complement to Yang,” Perez explained when adding this new candle in 2017.
New 8. White – The Emptiness of Spirit (yang)
Chakra: Soul Star
“The color White is linked to innocence, purity, childhood, and perfection. It is associated with Yang, the force conceived in Chinese philosophy as linked to lightness, agency, positivity, and individuality, as a complement to Yin,” Perez said.
New 9. Grey or Silver – The Non-Duality of Spirit (unification)
Chakra: Kosmic
“The color Gray is associated with neutrality, nonduality, balance, timelessness, and the wisdom of elders. It is associated with Yung (or Jen), the force in esoteric Chinese philosophy linked to the Tao, the unification of Yin and Yang energies,” Perez stated.
Bridge of Light continues to evolve. Aburrow suggested adding sacred foods, such as “rainbow-tinted marble cake maybe, or one food of each colour?”I like the idea of doing a daily candle for each color, but every year Dec. 26-31 is such a busy week for me! I wonder if Bridge of Light could also be celebrated at the summer solstice in connection with LGBTQ Pride?
A Bridge of Light prayer
As a New Year dawns,
let us pray for the LGBTQ community and allies worldwide.
Like the rainbow, may we embody all the colors of the world.
We honor queer and same-sex love now and in the future.
May we be inspired by the values expressed in the Rainbow Flag
to become a blessing for humanity and all other living beings.
Let’s renew ourselves and the whole creation with our unique gifts!
Happy New Year!
Links related to Bridge of Light
Rainbow Christ Prayer: LGBT flag reveals the queer Christ (Kittredge Cherry and Patrick Cheng)
“Seven Shrines of the Body” by artist Richard Stott
Rainbow Bridge of Jose Argüelles
Author Carolyn Myss connects the seven chakras with the seven sacraments of the church in her book “Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing
Book: “Love Has Seven Colors: Heart-Centered Practices for the Energy Centers” by Welsh healer and teacher Jack Angelo
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Image credits:
Top: Rainbow candles by Kittredge Cherry.
Chakra images by Anodea Judith of SacredCenters.com
Rainbow 7th chakra image: Thousand-petaled lotus flower (Sahasrara) carrying a sacred flame (Namam) from Wikimedia Commons
“Rainbow Cake with Jelly Beans” (Flickr.com)
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in January 2017, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Dec. 30, 2023.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
Thats a really nice way to pray for the LGBTQ+ Queer community. Recently I bought a wooden sculpture of a rainbow where all the colors of the rainbow separate and you can do all kinds of creative pairings with it. Tonight I’ll take it apart and say these prayers and put it back together.
Wow! This discovery confirms that everyone is homosexual since birth, but haven’t embraced it yet. I bet it’s related to their chakras being block and needing to be unblocked first, which naturally leads them to feeling and embracing homosexual desire. I have always sensed that privately, but felt shamed about talking about it. I am glad to realize pride is not a sin, so I can be proud of the fact that I privately stumbled upon a fact that someone else discovered too. What would we do without the Internet? Thanks for sharing. Om!