The Frequency of a Rainbow

How Maya Angelou’s Words Still Move Me

On February 18, 2007, Dr. Maya Angelou spoke at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. More than 3,000 people gathered in the college gym to hear her speak.

That day became known as her “Rainbow in the Clouds” speech, a message she later shared again during her 2011 appearance on Oprah’s Master Class, where she said:

“I’ve had so many rainbows in my clouds.”

I can’t remember the first time I saw that original recording. But I can tell you this—it changed the trajectory of my soul. That moment introduced me to her. Not just her poetry, her storytelling, or her voice. It introduced me to the frequency of Maya Angelou.

She didn’t just speak. She shifted energy.

There was a softness in her that didn’t diminish the weight of what she shared— but somehow made it necessary to feel, and possible to carry. It made you want to listen. To change. To thank the people who endured pain and injustice so you could walk a little more freely. And to become someone who leaves behind a gentler imprint.

Why Rainbows Show Up So Often in My Work

I always say rainbow is my favorite color. It’s a half-joke and a whole truth.

Because a rainbow isn’t just a palette, it’s a path. 

A devotion. 

A practice.

It shows up in everything I do, because it lives in everything I am.

If you’ve ever worked with me, taken a class, or visited my site, you’ve seen it: 

rainbows are everywhere.

That one line from Maya, “I’ve had so many rainbows in my clouds,” planted something in me.

She described the people who showed up for her. Some are still here. Some are long gone. But their impact remained. She carried them.

That became a framework for how I wanted to live to notice the people who’ve been rainbows in my clouds… and to try to become that for someone else.

I didn’t have the language for it back then. But later, energy work gave me the map.

Rainbows and the Chakra System

Years after hearing Maya’s words, I was introduced to the chakra system. And suddenly there it was again: the rainbow.

Not above me, but it was my energy system.

Each chakra represents a layer of energy, a frequency, a truth:

• Root (Red): grounding, safety, belonging

• Sacral (Orange): creativity, emotion, pleasure

• Solar Plexus (Yellow): courage, confidence, direction

• Heart (Green): love, compassion, trust

• Throat (Light Blue or Teal): expression, truth, communication

• Third Eye (Indigo): intuition, insight, clarity

• Crown (Violet or White): spirit, wisdom, divine connection

  
  

The rainbow became more than symbolic. It became medicine.

A way to see. A way to teach. A way to live.

Rainbows as Legacy

Maya Angelou’s metaphor deepened for me when I began energy work. She wasn’t just talking about light in hard times; she was talking about imprints. Because in energy work, we know this: people leave energy behind. They don’t just pass through us. They stay with us.

Sometimes it’s a gesture. A word. A moment of being truly seen.

It’s more than memory, it’s essence. A resonance. And when someone shows up for us in love, in truth, in presence… their frequency stays with us.

Those are the rainbows in our clouds.

Not just flashes of color but traces of light we still feel. Across time. Across space. Even beyond death. That’s the legacy. And that’s what I try to carry forward.

If I can offer grounding… If I can hold space when someone is hurting… If I can bring gentleness into a heavy moment… then maybe my rainbow shines a little brighter. And maybe they’ll carry it too.

 Why I Keep Carrying the Rainbow

Rainbows are still with me. In how I move. How I speak. How I teach. How I rest.

They’re woven into the meditations I guide, the classes I hold, and the rest I protect.

Because of Maya Angelou, I walk through the world differently. Because of her, I speak with softness and stand with strength. Because of her, I try to live as someone’s rainbow and honor the rainbows who’ve helped me survive, grow, and glow.

Reflection

• Who are the rainbows in your clouds?

• Whose energy or presence still lives in you?

• How might you be a rainbow in someone else’s sky today?

  
  

We’re building rainbows.

Together.