divine presence

Light as divine symbol appears universally: the divine fire of Zoroastrianism, the light of God's glory (kabod), the nur of Allah, the Buddha's radiant dharma, Taoist luminosity of the Tao. Light is humanity's shared metaphor for transcendence.

Hebrew shekinah (divine presence) and kabod (glory) are functional cognates — the Shekinah is the glorious presence of God. Later Jewish theology uses shekinah where earlier texts say 'the glory of the Lord.'

Sanskrit svarga (heaven), Latin caelum, Greek ouranos — multiple PIE roots describe the sky as the divine realm (*dyew- for sky-god). The upward metaphor for transcendence is universal: God is above, heaven is up, the sacred is elevated.