Spiritual Function
The clouds are most often seen as a deception which obscures the truth. They get in the way of the sun. But, clouds are not without their benefits. That's because they carry rain. A rainy day might be unpleasant. But, it's the only way to feed the garden of God. So, eliminating these deceptive clouds might be unpleasant in the short term. But, it keeps the garden healthy. [text] [text] [text]
Practical Application
The symbol of the cloud can teach us about the kind of relationship we should have with false information. Sometimes you might find that the people around you are obstructing the truth. This often comes in the form of deceptive behavior, fringe science or divisive religious beliefs. Know that these things are not the real truth. More specifically, look out for people doing out of context imitations of effective scientists and religious leaders. [text]
Relation to the Sun
The sun takes a very proactive approach to the clouds. The sun represents the truth. The truth comes from dispensations like Jesus and Baha'u'llah. Those dispensations were sent by God to push away the clouds. When Jesus first descended from heaven, he was metaphorically standing upon a cloud. That is to say, he was the bearer of truth. [text]
Related Quotes
"He was born of Mary, His Mother. But when He declared that He had come from Heaven, it is clear that He did not mean the blue firmament but that He spoke of the Heaven of the Kingdom of God, and that from this Heaven He descended upon the clouds. As clouds are obstacles to the shining of the sun, so the clouds of the world of humanity hid from the eyes of men the radiance of the Divinity of Christ." Abdu'l Baha
"Although the divine teachings are truth and reality, yet with the passage of time thick clouds envelop and obscure them. These clouds are imitations and superstitions" Abdu'l Baha
"O servant of God! Say: O high priests! The Hand of Omnipotence is stretched forth from behind the clouds; behold ye it with new eyes. The tokens of His majesty and greatness are unveiled; gaze ye on them with pure eyes." BAha'u'llah
Related Symbols