It is clear to thine Eminence that all the variations which
the wayfarer in the stages of his journey beholdeth in the realms of being,
proceed from his own vision. We shall give an example of this, that its meaning
may become fully clear: Consider the visible sun; although it shineth with one
radiance upon all things, and at the behest of the King of Manifestation
bestoweth light on all creation, yet in each place it becometh manifest and
sheddeth its bounty according to the potentialities of that place. For
instance, in a mirror it reflecteth its own disk and shape, and this is due to
the sensitivity of the mirror; in a crystal it maketh fire to appear, and in
other things it showeth only the effect of its shining, but not its full disk.
And yet, through that effect, by the command of the Creator, it traineth each
thing according to the quality of that thing, as thou observest.
In like manner, colors become visible in every object
according to the nature of that object. For instance, in a yellow globe, the
rays shine yellow; in a white the rays are white; and in a red, the red rays
are manifest. Then these variations are from the object, not from the shining
light. And if a place be shut away from the light, as by walls or a roof, it
will be entirely bereft of the splendor of the light, nor will the sun shine
thereon. (Baha’u’llah, ‘The Seven Valleys’)
