It appears in your dreams, philosophy, literature, art, poem, story, culture, religion, science, technology and of course in the sky. It’s definitely cloud we are talking about. Whenever you look at the clouds, their image and texture can make you question, what they could mean. We won’t deny that cloud is used as metaphors in different situations. Plus, it also represents a lot of things.
A cloud represents different things, based on its texture and color. White clouds represent stability, inner consciousness and goals in your life. gray clouds represent bad times or difficulties that you are going through in your life. Ready for our Cloud
Clouds Symbolism: The Meaning
Cloud can symbolize a variety of entities with different meaning on the basis of its color and texture. Let’s unveil the secrets today!
Strength: Cloud can represent strength especially when its white. The color has a separate base of the meaning that indicates inner consciousness and inner strength. It can remind you to use the strength and reach your goals. This will lead you to the right path so you can discover yourself eventually.
Difficulties: Dark or grey cloud depicts difficulties or bad times that you go through in your life. The color does not only darken the environment but also makes you feel gloomy and depressed.
Self-esteem: The cloud can also symbolize self-esteem. As the cloud wanders around up in the sky beyond your reach, it is regarded as your position in higher level that makes you seem confident about yourself.
Transparency and wisdom: The cloud is a mix of water and air. While water represents purity and clarity, air symbolizes wisdom. As a result, the mix represents the notion of thinking clearly with your knowledge and wisdom.
Obscurity: On the contrary, cloud can represent obscurity especially when it’s a rain one. It dims the environment and makes you feel gloomy. Plus, it also dims your optimism while obscuring your vision. The rain clouds can be used a metaphor when you find everything blurred and vague.
Cleanliness: Rain clouds can be regarded as cleansing. Since the drops of water help clear out the dirt and refresh the environment. It also symbolizes cleaning up your issues so you can start everything afresh.
Inspiration: Storm cloud can be a sign of inspiration. Such cloud triggers lightning which means you get a sudden flash of motivation to do something.
Change: Cloud is a sign of change since it comes and goes constantly. It denotes that nothing stays the same for a long time. Everything changes. When you look at the sky, you may relate it to your personality. What you are now, may not be the one sometime later.
Veil: It can also hold a sign of veil. It basically hides stuff behind its depths. It means, the denotation will be hiding your real concerns or yourself from everyone.
The History of Cloud Symbolism
You can find the origin of the word ‘cloud’ in the Old English clod or clud that means a rock or hill. The term was initially used as a metaphor of rain cloud somewhere during the start of 13th century.
Over the time, the term was replaced with the Old English weolcan which possessed the literary meaning of cloud.
Luke Howard, the amateur meteorologist used to be inspired by nature since young age. He did not only classify the wisps of white but also brought change in the progress of meteorology.
Before 19th century, a lot of meteorologists considered each cloud unclassifiable, unique having a state of temporary existence. It used to be recorded with color and interpretation rather than with specific description.
In 1802, when Howard presented his write-up about the Modification of Clouds to the Askesian Society, all the perceptions of the cloud got changed. His work played a great role in the scientific investigations.
The clouds were classified into different categories with a bit of imagination and a lot of detailed observations. The types are: cumulus, cirrus, and stratus.
As for the culture, clouds used to mean different varying one region to another. In history, it used to be a sign of negative symbolism in the US. The people used to think something bad will happen while looking at a cloud on the horizon. In Iran, it was regarded as a good luck.
It takes from a minute to an hour to form a cloud. Buddhists and Hindus believed that cumulus cloud which is known as the white cloud is the spiritual cousin of elephants. Jupiter and Saturn have ammonia clouds. Venus has cloud made up of sulphuric acid and sulfur dioxide. Cloud appears white as it reflects the sunlight. It can develop both horizontally and vertically.
Since it reflects solar energy back into space, it performs a vital function to cool the planet. However, it also helps in intensifying warmth by trapping the heat of the Earth and radiating it back to the planet.