T H E SY M B O L I SM O F
C OLO U R
C O N R O Y,
E LLE N
S
p k to th
e e arth an d
ea
M
it sh ll t ch
a
ea
.
A
you
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'
J OB
.
LON D ON
W I LL I A M
R IDE R
E N OS TE R
8 PAT R
1
92 1
L I MIT E D
S ON ,
R OW , E C 4
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C ON TEN TS
1
.
COL OU R
A
TR U E S Y MB OL
2 TH E OLD
LANG UAGE
OF
RE D
.
3
.
OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
Y E LL OW
4
.
TH E OLD
LANG UAGE
OF
G REEN
5
.
TH E OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
6
.
TH E OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
7
.
TH E OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
8
.
TH E OLD
9
.
TH E OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
10
.
TH E OLD
LANG U AGE
OF
OF
B LU E
PU RP L E
WHITE
B LA CK
BR OWN AND G REY
THE RAIN B OW
APP ENDI CE S
S C H OOLS
2
.
3
.
4
.
5
.
6
.
OF
COLOU R
TH E COL OU R S
CHR OMATI CS
THE PLANETS
THE S KY
OF
OF
Y E LL OW
COLOU R
TH E
AND FORM
G R OWTH OF PLANTS U NDER
COLOU RED RAY S
TH E
S YM B O L I S M
OF
C O LO U R
CHAPTE R
L U
CO O R
Th e great
A TR
UE
I
S YMB O
L
b elow cl en ch ed by th g reat abov e —E B B
”
e
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.
made the country ; man made the town says
Will ia m Cowper and almost everyone will agree
that it is the deprivation of the colour of the
country that make s our towns so s adly depressing
for nearly all people appreciate colour though perhaps
in a general way They realise that colour helps to
beautify the world
Other people however look upon colour as one of
the greatest j oys in life The colour of the woods
the flowers the sunrise and the sunset are sources
of the very deepest emotion , exalting them above
mere interest in external things into the very
The colours
highest realms of vision and beauty
of an artist like Titian make them realise the j oy
of living Even the word pictures of the poets do
the same so that they become firm believers in the
G OD
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2
THE
S YM B OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
poetic fallacy that what is beautiful in nature reflects
what is beautiful in the mind of man Thus Buddha
watching the sun rise seems to clothe Nature with
his own luminous soul which is S triving to make a
new age begin on the earth
Edwin Arnold in his Lig ht of A s ia tells us that
the Buddha rose j ust before the False Dawn and
stood
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,
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,
,
W a t chi n g the s l eep i n g ear th W i th a rd en t ey e s
An d t h o u g hts e m braci n g a l l i ts l i v i n g thi ng s
W h il e o er the w avi n g fi el d s tha t m u r m u r m ov es
W h i ch i s the ki s s o f Mor n w aki n g the l an ds
An d in the E ast th at m ir a cl e o f Day
G a t he r ed an d g r e w
At fi rs t a dusk s o d im
N i g h t seem s s til l un a w a r e of whi sp e r ed d aw n
B u t soon — b e fo r e the j un g l e c ock cro ws t wic e
A whitg y erg e c l ea r a wi d en i n g bri g h te n i n g w h i te
H i g h as the h e rald sta r w h i ch fad e s in fl o od s
Of sil v e r w ar m i n g i n to pal e g old c a ug h t
By topmos t clo ud s an d fl am ihg ODth e ir ri m s
To fe rv e n t goldep gl ow fl a sh ed fro m the bri n k
With s affro n s c a rl et cri m son am e thys t ;
Wh erea t the sky t u rn s sp l en d id t o the bl ue
And r ob ed in ra i m ent o f g l ad li g h t the Ki n g
Of L ife an d G l o ry c ome th
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AS
we read the passage the whole scene arises
before us of the lonely watcher and the glorious
Eastern sky In other versions of the same event
whoe ver we have more definite teaching concerning
these beautiful sunrise hues The Buddha plays his
vina and the colour of the sky changes according to
his seven notes yello w blue vi olet green pink
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C OL OU R
A
S YMB OL
T RUE
3
white and cream ; not colours given by chance but
of deep esoteric meaning
Did we but know it no doubt the seven strings
on the lute of Apollo had once the same significance ;
and though we know these seven strings had other
meanings as well yet we must not therefore dismiss
'
our theory for Is not God able to say many things
in one ' That is the whole essence of the under
standing of symbolism that there are planes of
interpretation
There has always existed a belief in the essential
connection between colour and sound That is why
'
in everyd ay l anguage we say a colour clashes or
'
a colour harmonises —both terms from the sister
art of music The scientist has now work ed out this
l
connection so that we have the following facts
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Vib r tio s p s co d
a
ten or vo ic e produc es
Red li g ht
A so pr an o vo i ce
Vi ol et li ght
n
er
n
e
.
40 0
A
7 00
7
Th us light gives a finer vibration than sound to
the ex tent of a million million times and this is one
reason why when the mind is so tired that even
music seems wearisome it can be healed by means
of colour Professor Wallace R imington of King s
College made a colour organ in which colours were
thrown on a screen when the organ was played
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Moun t Bl eyer of N ew York i ve te d
g iv e the con n ectio n betw een colou r an d so un d
1
Dr
n
n
.
the
vibrograph to
4
S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
C OLOUR
Few people recognise that colours are powers
1
forces vitalities and vibrations
Yet such they are
and on the physical plane we are now learning to
e nlist them in all kinds
of occupations as varied
as that of the physician the gardener the brewer
and the baker Every year we are finding out more
clearly how we can use these vibrations for the
benefit of man Every year new hospitals are being
opened for colour healing Every year we are fi n d
ing out how we can obtain better crops by means of
2
3
the application of coloured rays
The meteorologist
has taken up the colour of the sky as an indication
of weather and is making exhaustive tabulation of
facts in order to make more definite the lore which
we learnt as children in such rhymes as
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'E
ve n i n g r e d a n d m o r n i n g g r e y
S e t s the t rave l l e r on h i s w ay
E v en i n g g r e y a n d m o r n i n g r ed
Bri n g s do w n rai n up on h i s h ead
.
When we think of colours and read into them
some Of the wonderful truths with which they have
been associated for many centuries we are astonished
to find that the re is a direct correspondence between
the value apportioned to a colour on the physical
plane and th e value given symbolically S wedenborg
was continually insisting that there w as no true
symbolism without a direct correspondence Thus
if we take the lions at the base of Nelson s column
,
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pp dix V
I
A pp e dix '
S ee A
2
S ee
en
n
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3
S ee A
pp e dix
n
I II
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C OL OU R A T RUE
S YMB OL
5
and substitute any other animals our minds would
be instinctively offended
Why ' Because Nelson
and his men had in them the sa me quality or
qualities that we associate with the lion
Elizabeth Barrett Browning grips this great truth
and expresses it in her poem of A W OTa Leig h
,
.
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V erily I w as w ron g
An d v e rily m an y th i n k e rs of thi s a g e
Ay m a n y Ch ri s ti an t ea ch e rs h alf in h eaven
Are wro n g in j u st m y s e n s e w ho u n d e r stan d
Our n a tu r a l w o r l d too i n s u l a rly as if
N o spiri tu al c ou n t erp a r t c om pl e t ed it
C o n sum m a t i n g its m ea n i n g r ou n d i n g al l
To j ustic e a n d p e rf e c t io n li n e by li n e
For m by fo rm n ot h i g si n g l e or alo n e
The g r ea t b e low cl e n c h ed by the g r e a t a b o v e
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n
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C HAPTE R II
TH E OLD
The H oly G rail ,
L ANG U AGE
OF R E D
ros ed with b eati n gs in
e-r
’
,
t,
liv
TE N N Y S ON
as
if
a
e.
.
C ON S I D E R I NG first the colour red as being the lowest
in the spectrum how is this correspondence manifest '
Re d is the colour of the bl ggfl ; hence is it surpris
ing that red is the colour denoting life an d a ction
cheerfulness and enthusiasm ' Re d is used by healers
as a p owerful stimulant and tonic thus it has the
meaning of health an d v ig our This is why nearly
all red stones are said to have health giving and
disease preventing properties
The ruby in China
and Japan is said to give long HTS, health and
happiness All the imperial decrees of China have
to be written or printed in red as a sign that there
is the power behind to force them to be carried
out Childrg n s clothing must contain some part of
red Ush al l y this consists of a piece of red material
twisted together with a pig s tail thus making a
talisman of great power against sickness
In India and Persia the garnet is said to bring deep
abiding health to its possessor The Romans used
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6
TH E
OLD
LANGUAGE
OF R E D
7
the re d coral as a talisman to protect their children
from a l l manner of diseas e s ; while in India China
and Japan it is used to day as a safeguard against
cholera The red carnelian was used by the Hebrews
to prevent attacks of plague and in China it is worn
to prevent stomach troubles
Again we find the healthy man is inclined to be
more cheerful than the sickly man ; so we instinct
ivel y think of Mr Greatheart as a man with rosy
cheeks
The g arnet has nearly always been sa id
to bestow the gift of cheerfulness upon its wearer
Then we find that the healthy man is usually
more courageous and daring than the weakling ;
hence red often means courage
In fact the lack
of red in the face is taken as a sign of the lack of
courage — as in Ma cbeth W here th e page boy is told :
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p rick thy face an d over red thy fear
”
Th ou l ily liv ered b oy
Go
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Courage was said to be the gift of Mars the god
of war ; hence red is the colour of war whether in
its most barbaric cruel form or in its chivalrous
form
Astrologers assign this colour to the planet Mars
from its symbolic value and not merely because Mars
looks red in the heavens Mr Alan Leo writes thus
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'The
pl an et Ma rs w h ic h i s k n o w n by i ts red c ol our i s
I t pr es id es
s a i d to b e hot a n d e xh au s t i v e in its i n fl u e n c e
ove r all ad v en ture en terp ris e an d h eroi c a c ts I t mak es
c omb at iv e cou rag eous f earl ess an d
the m i n d d ar i n g
v en t uresom e I n eve ry th i n g wh ere pl uck forc e an d
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S YMB OLI S M OF
TH E
8
en e rg y
C OL OU R
r eq u ired the M ars man wi ll b e forem o s t He
will b e firs t in an y ac t s of b ravery an d of te n reg ardl ess
o f his l ife and of the con s e quences o f an y nob l e act where
courag e i s req u ir ed
are
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So
it is that the brave man is known as the man
of self sa crifice Thus the colour of red takes on this
added meani ng of self sa crifice sorrow or su ffering
whi ch at first seem contradictory meanings to those
of enthusi asm life and cheerfulness
In art the martyrs are often clothed in red as a
S ign that they have suffered and also as a S ign that
they had the enthusiasm for the cause so that th e
sorrows and cruelties they endured were accounte d
by them nothing ; for red is pre eminently the colour
of enthusiasm of the fire which inspires a man to
fight his way through all obstacles or perish in the
attempt It is thus most fitting that Moses should
receive his life work when near the burning bush
which is surely the most appropriate symbol of the
quality necessary before one can become the leader of
a nation or change it from one of slaves to one of
freemen Re d is the colour of the leader the colour
l
of the kingly robes
Then w e may remember that
pretty leg e nd of the Christmas R ose when the
shepherd s little daughter having no other gift to
o ffer the infant Christ gave him a fragrant white
rose which was no sooner touched by the Babe than
it became a deep glorious red emblematic of his
future suffering
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In
an
ci e t Wales r
n
ed
robes showed ho ourabl e ran k
n
.
OLD LANGUAGE OF RED
THE
Red
is also the colour of the flame of love
Robert Burn s sings gaily
9
.
As
.
Oh, m y Lo v e
i s l ik e a red red ros e
”
That s new ly S prung i n J une
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Perhaps you remember that p icture of Rossetti
called Dante s Dream where Beatrice lies cold and
still clad in white while Love is seen clothed in
rose red robes leading Dante to her side
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Then L ov e sai d N ow S h al l all th i n g s b e mad e c l ea r
Com e an d b e h old our lad y w h er e s he l i es
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Based on very much the same thought there was
an old legend that a red carbuncle was placed at the
prow of Noah s ark to give light and guidance
This legend no doubt grew out of the appropriate ness
of red as a symbol for the burning love that directed
the boat and brought it safely to Ararat and also
from the fact that the carbuncle gives off a faint
phosphorescent glow in the dark Psychics see this
very clearly indeed but it is visible also to persons
of normal vision
Among nearly all primitive nations red be rries
such as those of the mountain ash symbolise the
They have been called by such names
S pirit of God
'
as holy seed or fructifying honey dew
In front of the high altar of a church or cathedral
is seen the red lamp burning perpetually as a sign
sacrificial all enduring love of
Of the deep intense
the Creator
The communion wine al s o partakes of this mystic
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10
S YM B OLI S M OF
TH E
C OLOU R
symbolism w hen th e j oy the fervour and the uplift
of the spiritual life is imparted to man There is a
'
beautiful passage in Tennyson s Holy Grail when
this mystic cup is seen by S ir Percival s sister floating
down into her convent cell on a shaft of silver light
making wondrous melody in its pass age
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l on g b eam stol e the Holy G rai l
Ros e red wi th b eat i n g s in t as if a liv e
Til l al l the w h i te w al l s o f m y c ell w e r e dy ed
Wi th ros y col ours l eap i n g on the w al l ;
An d th en the m us i c fad ed a n d the G rail
P a s s ed a n d the b eam de c ay ed an d from the w a ll s
”
The rosy q u iv e ri n g s d i ed i nto the n i ght
An d
do w n
the
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Or
we may like to call to mind the esoteric order of
Rosicrucians in whi ch all the glorious symbolism of
the Rose and the Cross blended
Or again we may think of the red ca rnelian buckle
of Isis which was attached to the neck of the deceased
while these words were chanted
,
.
,
b lood o f Is is an d the stren gth o f Isi s a n d the
w ords o f p ow e r o f I si s shal l b e m i gh ty to a ct as p o w e rs to
p rote c t th is g reat a n d d ivi n e b ei n g an d to g ua rd him from
him that w ou l d do unto h i m an y th i n g that he h old e th in
a bomi n a t i o n
The
,
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,
”
.
You will find that in all symbolism there is an
exal ted m eaning given to the symbol and a debased
meaning ; e g a dog may mean a l l that is noble and
full of devotion or it may give the meaning of all
that is mean low and despicable
In the ca se of r ed it may as we have seen be the
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OLD
THE
LANGUAGE
OF RE D
11
ign of the sublime strong love of the Creator ; but
at the same time it can refer to debased love and
carnal passion i a love without the sacrificial ele
'
ment Thus we have in Revelation xvi 3 the
great red dragon who seeks to destroy the woman
clothed with the sun i e the woman or soul who
is clothed with the S un of Righteousness
The
dragon is frustrated in his attempt by Michael whose
'
nam e m eans Like unto God for what is ignoble
must ever yield to the noble
S ometimes red may be used as a sign of exuberant
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animal spirits c g in the expression to paint the
town red
Lastly let us remember that the name Adam means
red and so he symbolises man unregenerate i e of
the earth earthy
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Perhaps it would b e wise to consider the colour
pink next Pink is hardly a colour so much as a
tint ; but as it has a defini te symbolism I have pl aced
it next to red It is a most useful colour in healing
In the human aura it often denote s the h ealer
Certa inly in its esoteric mea ning it denotes the man
who wishes to use his life for the hea ling of others
and the man who receives inspiration how he can
help to uplift humanity Unfortunately our poets
do not often use the word because of its ugly sound
When Buddha sat under his B o tree ( F icus
relig i os a ) to meditate how he coul d save the world
it is said that his whole body became enveloped in
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S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
12
C OL OU R
a most radiant blush rose colour
de scribes this scene
Edwin Arnold
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There fl ew
Hi g h
ove rh ead that hou r fi ve Hol y On es
W ho s e fre e wi n g s fa l ter ed a s th ey pass ed the tree
W hat pow e r s up eri or d raw s us from ou r fli ght '
Th ey ask ed — fo r sp iri ts fe el al l fo rc e d ivi n e
An d k n ow the s a cr ed p r esen c e o f the p u r e
Th e n looki ng do w n w a rd th ey b e h eld the B uddh
C ro w n ed wi th a rose hu ed au r eol e i n te n t
On t hou g h ts to sav e w h il e fro m the g r ov e a voic e
R i sh i s t hi s i s he sh a ll h e l p the w orl d
C ri ed
S o the Bri g ht On e s c a m e
De sc e n d an d w orsh i p
An d s an g a son g o f p r a is e fo l d i n g th e ir wi n g s ;
”
Then j ourn eyed on taki n g g o od n e w s t o God
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The colour pink is said to be the esoteric colour of
the mystic number five which is the number of
power inspiration and love healing ; e g five is the
number of points in King S olomon s seal which was
a talisman of power and inspiration The Pool of
B ethesda we may remember had five porches and it
was there that the S ick were healed We see from
this connection that similar truths are wrapped up
in other groups of symbols In fact we find that
whether we take colours or numbers or trees or
animals or mountains or rivers we learn the same
deep truths
Th e mystics knew that each was an
expression of the heavenly mind
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r th s crammed wi th h ea v en
An d e v e ry c om mon b u s h afire wi th G od
B u t on ly he w ho sees ta k e s off his s hoe s
E B B A u or L igh
Ea
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CHA PTE R III
L ANG U AGE
TH E OLD
E LLOW
OF Y
t
yellow of the Rose E t rna l
Me B ea tric e dr w
DAN TE
' I n o the
e
e
”
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.
.
Y E LL OW is one of the most interesting colours Being
the colour of the sun all the attributes of the sun
were given to it
Like red it w a s considered a masculine colour
while green blue and violet were thought of as
feminine Like red too it is used by healers as a
tonic As it is of such healing valu e to the brain
we are not surprised to find that amber has been
used as an antidote to insanity Yellow stones are
said to bring happiness to their owners for yellow
was said to be the colour of unity— unity in a ffec
tion unity with the spiritual powers of the universe
unity with the S un of Righteousness who comes with
healing i n his wings
This old meaning of the colour yellow was well
known and u n derstood in the old Roman Catholic
Church Therefore Dante who wrote much of his
great Di vin e Com ed y consciously or unconsciously
to interpret these ol d ideas and to enshrine them in
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14
THE
OLD
LANGUAGE
OF
YEL LOW
15
poetry for evermore says when he has reached the
highest part of heaven and is once more with
Beatrice
,
y ellow of the Ros e E tern al
Me B eat ric e d r e w
I n to
the
”
.
The Pope ( on the fourth S unday in Lent ) presents
a golden rose of j ewels to any person greatly beloved
by the Church
On e ca n notice in the world at present a deep and
1
increasing love for all yellow colours for it is a colour
that gives the appearance of sunlight to the most
cheerless rooms May we not also hope that it is a
sign that the world is now striving afte r unity and
the desire to understa nd the other person s point
of 'iew '
The yellow robe donned by the Buddhist is a
symbol that he is now on the path that is to lead
to S pirituality
The Lig ht of A s ia tells us that
Buddha taught his supreme truths to his own them
of the yellow robe
He taught them to practise
'
'
yoga
What is yoga ' To the Western mind
it usually means a kind of magic— even charlatanism
'
but the real meaning of the word is union
The
belief of these yellow robe d men is that they have
within them a spark of the God head and that by
suppressing the bod ily desires and by concentrating
their whole mental and psychic energies towards
trying to understand this higher part of their nature
.
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ppe dix I '
S ee A
n
.
16
S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
C OLOU R
they will become united with the S upreme S pirit
and will understand how to do many things and
see many things that the ordinary man cannot do
or see
Vishnu is clad in yellow for the same reason In
the vision of Ezekiel God is seen in the colour amber ;
at least the amber colour is the outward sign of the
presence of God
In the ceremony of making a child become a
Brahmin a piece of s a fi ron cloth is bound to his
arm with a yellow cord The Mexicans gave the
name Kan to the god who supported the sky The
same word meant yellow
Yellow is the royal colour of China and the
pri vilege of wearing yellow is most j ealously guarded
for does it not show that its possessor is a S on of
the S un ' S imilarly the saffron robes of the ancient
Irish nobility were a S ign of their rank
Yellow is the marriage colour in India and the
bride S tains her hands yellow as a sign of the
happiness and unity she expects in her married life
The R oman bride wore a crocus coloured veil and
yellow S hoes Among the Jews marriage may be per
formed under the Talis an orange silk robe stretched
on four posts The bride and her maids walk round
it seven times which is said to be in memory of the
siege of Jericho
It might also be noted in Calderon s picture of
R uth and Naomi that Ruth who wishes ever
to be with Naomi wears a yellow robe — perhaps
.
.
,
,
.
'
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
-
.
,
.
,
.
’
,
,
,
,
THE
OLD
LANGUAGE
YELL OW
OF
17
by chance perhaps by design or perhaps by
intuition
Among the Mayas and Egyptians the great serpent
of the universe ( who symbolises Eternity and Wisdom )
was said to be blue in colour but to have yellow
scales In China the golden cock proclaims the dawn
l
The golden hawk the golden eagle the golden ass
and the golden calf were a l l symbols of deity
Athena who represented union with the mind of
'
eus had a robe called the peplus a crocus coloured
garment with figures woven into it of the gods con
quering the giants It was suspended to the mast of
a ship when it was to be carried in procession being
too holy to be carried by hands
The mundane egg which is to be met with in nearly
all ancient religions whether of India Egypt Phoenicia
Japan or the S outh S ea Islands was said to have
been a golden one — that is it represents the sun or
deity Probably our children s tale of the goose that
lays the golden eggs is a survival of one of these
ancient beliefs
We must remember too that the colour of gold
not only partook of the meaning of the colour yellow
but also Of the symbolism of the metal gold which
is the metal of the sun Thus the colour began to
mean all that was pure all that had been refined
and hence glory and wisdom Thus the halo of saints
and of God is often made of gold leaf S imilarly
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
,
.
,
”
-
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
’
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
.
d the Golden A of Apul ei us wh re the h ero o ly regai s
his real shap by eati n g roses which are symbol s of prayer
I
Re a
ss
e
,
e
n
n
,
.
2
18
S YMB OLI S M OF
TH E
C OL OU R
the gates and doors of heaven are nearly always
represented as being of gold
We may remember too that among the emblems
attached to S t John are the eagle and the River Pison
This River Pison is mentioned in Genesis as flowing
through Havilah where there is much gold
It
therefore became the river of inspiration and the
wisdom of God ; and since S t John received the
greate st vision it was considered his most appro
r
i
a
t
e
emblem
p
The ladder which Jac ob saw in his dream at Bethel
or the House of God is described by Dante as be ing
of gold z
I s a w re a red u p
I n colour l i k e to sun i l l um i n ed g ol d
A l adder w hi ch my ken purs u ed in vai n
S o l of ty w as the su mm i t
.
,
,
.
.
,
,
.
,
-
,
,
,
.
For it is by the l adder of wisdom that we attain
wisdom and receive inspiration
The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood made it their par
ticul ar j oy to replace this beautiful symbolism into
art Thus Dante Gabriel Rossetti speaks very beauti
'
fully in The Blessed Damozel of a golden thread
of life that is woven into the robes of the S piri ts
who arrive in the next world after having lived
during earth life in unity with God
.
-
.
We t w o
sai d wil l se ek the gro v es
W h er e the Lady M ary i s
Wit h her five han d m a i d en s w h os e n am e s
Are five g r ea t sy m pho n i e s
,
S he
,
,
,
THE OLD LANGUAGE OF YELL OW
C ec i l y , Ge rtru de ,
Magdal en
19
,
Marg a ret an d Rosal ys
C ircl e wi s e s it th ey wi th b ound l ock s
And bosom s c ov e red
W eavi n g the g olden thread
To fa sh i on the bi rth rob es for them
ust b o rn b e i n g d e ad
W ho are '
.
-
,
-
”
,
.
This golden thread is spoken of by the mystic
B l ak e
n st ri ng
i
v
e
y
ou
h
e
n
o
f
a
o
l
de
t
e
d
g
g
On ly wi n d i t i n to a ball
I t will l ead you i n at heav en s gate
”
B uil t in J erusal em s wal l
I
,
’
,
’
.
The Greeks also had a legend of a golden thread by
which Jupiter drew up souls to heaven Here we
might mention the Golden Bough given to '
Eneas in
order that he may vi sit the dead and yet retain his
life ( E n eid bk vi
In the Kalevala the great Finnish epic I l m ater is
invoked :
An ci en t dau ghte r of Creati on
Com e in all thy g ol den b eau ty
.
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
And as I l m ater stands for wisdom we are not sur
'
prised that Ecclesiasticus should say Get wisdom
and get much gold by her
S O also Keats writes
,
,
,
.
M u ch have I t rav ell ed in the r eal m s o f gold
”
.
’
In Babbit s book on colour there is an illustration
of the aura seen round the head of a man Above
the top part of the head is seen the colour yellow
Now the phrenologist locates this as the seat of
.
.
,
20
THE
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
spirituality ; thus we see that once more two studies
agree in their conclusions Yellow was thus to the
ancients the greatest of all the colours and had the
most exalted meaning
.
,
.
It is perhaps to be expected then that in its
degraded meaning it is the saddest of all colours
for we recognise the deceitful J udas very often in
ancient pictures from the fact that he is given dingy
yellow robes The Jews in Venice formerly had to
wea r yellow hats to S how the scorn in which the
Venetians held them Yellow is the colour of decay
ing vegetable life of the poorness of life Thus it
means separation instead of unity
,
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
TH E
22
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OLOU R
Or the m a ri n e r
w orn an d w an
N e v e r t h us c o uld j ou r n ey on
Day an d n i g ht a n d n i g ht an d d ay
D rif ti n g on h is w e a ry w ay
Wi th the soli d d ark n es s b la ck
Cl os i n g ro un d h i s v es s el s t ra ck
W h i l st ab ove the s un l ess sky
B ig wi th cl ouds han g s h eav ily
An d b eh i n d the t em p e s t fl e e t
H u rri es on wi th li ghtn i n g f ee t
R ivi n g sail and c o rd an d p l a n k
T ill the s h ip has al m ost d r an k
De a th fro m the o e r bri mm i n g d eep
An d s i n k s do w n do w n lik e tha t sl ee p
W h en the dreamer seem s to b e
Wel ter i n g through eternity
,
,
,
’
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
’
-
,
,
,
.
Among the ancient D ruids of Wales green was
'
the colour of the robes of the ovates that is the
men who were hoping to become bards or Druids
later
The colour green was used by the people of the
East with a much deeper significance however
The Hindoos said that Om the S un drove across
the sky in a chariot drawn by a green horse with
seven heads and preceded by Aruna the Dawn
As we have no green horses in nature the state
ment must be highly symbolic Horses are always
1
a sign of knowledge
In the old Hindoo z odiacs
inste ad of the constellation Aries or the Ra m
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
S an
Cf
.
skrit
shi i n g Cf
i mag in ation
n
.
.
.
hors e ( 2) the li ght bright
P gasus the w i n ged ho rse of the M uses in poe tica l
e
a
,
,
,
,
,
OLD
THE
OF
LANGUAG E
G REEN
23
we often have a horse Aries is the S ign govern
ing the head or mentality
The horse is used
in exactly the same way
The number seven
means what is complete in both body and spirit
for it contains the basic four ( which is the number
of man who has to perfect his fourfold nature
body mind soul and S pirit) and also it contains
the three which is the perfection of the Trinity
for every great religion has contained a Trinity
Thus we see that seven refers to perfection in all
things whether of heaven or of earth What then
do we mean by a seven he aded g r een horse ' This
— that the knowledge and W isdom of Om are eternal
everlasting all enduring and that they comprehend
the whole universe
'
In Palestine S t George is sometimes called the
everlasting green one for the fight between good
and evil is never ending but to the true S t George
the victory is ever assured
Time was addressed by the Egyptians as the
everlasting green one for the main experiences
of life are the same to everyone whether born
now or hundreds Of years ago External circum
stances alter but each person has the same lessons
to learn The Fortunate Isles of the Greeks and
the Islands of the Blessed of the North American
Indians are said to have been green Nearly all
evergreen plants were considered especially sacred
Edgar Allan Poe addressed his love as
”
'
A g r een i sl e in the s ea
.
'
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
,
-
,
-
,
,
.
”
,
-
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
.
.
TH E
24
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
The Hindoos say that the emerald gives the gift
of knowledge and memory It also gives the ability
to tell the future even as the green laurel tree of
Apollo did The emerald also confers immortality
on the soul and enables it to gain faith This belief
will surely explain why greenstone amulets are so
common in the tombs of the Egyptians for faith
would bring them safely to the Fields of Peace
where immortality was enjoyed
Isis the goddess of the crescent moon which often
mystically means the pure soul is sometimes called
'
the Lady of the Emerald — that is she whose
soul is pure enough to gain immortality
When Pizarro went to M exico he found that a
goddess there was worshipped as the Goddess of
the Emerald
The emerald is often seen on the breastplates of
Pallas and of Minerva for both these goddesses
stand for the Divine mind— the all enduring Wisdom
The Virgin Mary is often represented clothed in a
green mantle and standing on the crescent moon
S he has faith and hope until the Day star awakes
in her heart The wall s of the New Jerusalem are
seen by John in R evelation to be made of j a sper
The New Jerusalem like the Ark and the Temple
is said by mystics to be a soul symbol ; hence how
appropriate that the green j asper should be the
material of which it is said to be made 'Among
the Chinese Tao is said to have been m i raculously
'
born of the excellent Virgin of Jas per
.
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
.
.
,
-
.
.
-
.
.
,
,
,
,
”
.
TH E
OLD
LANGUAG E
OF
G R EEN
25
Green is sometimes said to be the colour of th e
1
planet Mercury which is the planet governing
the mind and conferring knowledge
knowledge
not only of the kind essential to material success
but also inspirational knowledge and celestial wisdom
The god Mercury had as sign ed to him nearly all
the main attributes of Hermes j ust as Hermes in
the same way received the main characteri s tics of
'
Tho t and his companion Anubis The green hill
of Anubis where the good souls were directed is
the hill of everlasting life and of Eternal Wisdom
Thot also had green hills dedicated to him It is
probably due to the Phoenicians that we have place
names perpetuating this fact e g Toot s Hill in
Epping Forest Tothill S treet Tooting and Te w k es
bury
In Christian times the archangel Michael
was given the work and attributes of these gods ;
and surely it is marvellous the number of hills and
r oc k s sa cred to S t Michael while in ancient pictures
we Often see him conducting the souls of the departed
to the green hill of '
ion
When we think of the great gifts symbolised by
green how full of meaning seems the green turban
of the Mohammedan who has visited M ecca 'We
can also realise what g reat truths could have been
'
2
taught and no doubt were in the Green S chools
of the Persian s ufi s
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
.
’
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
”
,
,
.
Green in its degraded sens e gives us
S ee A
ppe n dix I I
2
.
S ee A
'
the green
pp en dix I
.
THE
26
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
eyed monster j ealousy which is the direct opposite
of celestial wisdom for j ealousy is always due to
the intrusion of the desires of the self while celestial
wisdom wishes to give rather than to receive The
colour green is often said to forebod e death This
idea may be a survival of the ancient worship of
1
Mercury and even of S t Mich ael in Christian times
both of whom were messengers of death
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
.
pict ure of S t Mich ael presen ti ng t ape r of d eath to the
Virgi n ( Fra Filippo Lippi )
1
S ee
.
CHAPTE R V
TH E OLD
L ANG U AGE
OF B
LU E
— K EATs
Bl ue tis the colour of h eaven
’
,
.
I N the spectrum we ought to be able to recognise both
blue and indigo though many people find difficulty
i n recognising the indigo ray Blue belongs to th e
cooling end of the spectrum and thus it is right and
fitting that symbolically it should be the colour of
Truth which is the res ult of calm reflection and
never of heated argument
Even in everyday
'
language we speak of true blue
Blue is the colour of the heavens —that is blue is
the colour of the abode of God
,
.
,
,
.
”
-
.
,
w en t up Mos es an d Aaron a n d N adab a n d
Abi hu an d se v en ty o f the e l de rs of Is rael an d th ey s aw the
G od of I srael : an d th er e w a s u n d e r h i s f ee t a s i t w e r e a
p av ed w ork of s a pp h ir e ston e an d as i t w e re the v e ry
1
hea v en for c l earne s s
The n
,
,
,
,
,
”
.
Ez ekiel has very much the sa me vision not be ca use
he copied from an older version but because it is
given to every great seer to realise for himself
any real basic truth such as tha t God dwells in
Truth Clairvoyant vis ions often repeat themselves
,
,
,
.
1
E
xod us xxiv 9—1 1
.
27
.
C OLOU R
S YMB OLI S M OF
TH E
28
to different people in di fferent countries and in
different ages
'
An d a b ov e the fi rm a m en t that w a s o v e r the ir h ead s
w as the lik e n ess o f a th ron e as the a pp ea r an c e of a s a pp h ir e
ston e : a n d u p on the lik en e s s of the thron e w a s the l ik en es s
a s the a p pea ran c e o f a m an ab o v e upon i t An d I saw as
”1
the c ol our o f am b e r
.
,
.
.
A wonderful vision truly that within Truth dwells
the amber of unity and the divine S pirit
The Egyptian j udges wore a breastplate of blue
covered with symbolic figures The blue was to S how
that they would reverence truth in their j udgments
and not stoop to bribery
Moses was commanded to make the robe of the
ephod of blue and on the S kirts of it were to be
pomegranates of blue This was to symbolise that
the true priest of God was to abound in Truth —not
in mere facts and formalities Truth is ever greater
than mere facts
Facts may sometimes give the
appearance of an untruth but Truth is ever one and
indivisible AS said previously it contains unity
Again Moses was commanded to
'
S p e a k u n to the c h ild re n o f Is ra el an d bi d the m th a t
th ey m ak e th em fri n g es in the bo rd er s of th e ir g a r m en ts
th ro ug h ou t the ir g en e rat i on s an d that they put u pon the
fri n g e o f the b orde rs a ribb an d of bl ue
that ye m ay
rem emb er an d d o all m y comm andmen ts and b e holy un to
.
.
.
,
.
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
y our
G od
,
” 2
.
Here we might mention that the Rabbins considered
that blue was the colour of the two stones on which
1
E
ze ki el i
.
26
2
.
N um bers
xv
.
38
.
30
C OLOU R
S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
Isis is often called the La dy of the Turquoise
while Osiris is g od of the turquoise and the lapis
lazuli The Virg in Mary is often clad in a blue robe
for the same reason that she is often represented as
standing by the W e ll of Truth as in Arthur Hacker s
'
Annunciation
The Hindoo Mariama is addressed
'
as
Holy Nari Mariama mother of perpetual
fecundity
In both Mexico and Chaldea blue was worn as
mourning being a token of the j oy that the soul
realised in the Fields of Peace
The turquoise and the lapis lazuli seem to have
had in them the two blues that appealed most to the
'
ancients In the Burden of Isis we have these
words in praise of Osiris who is identified with the
spirit of the departed
,
,
.
’
,
”
.
,
.
,
.
.
,
Wi th tu rq uo i se i s th y hai r t wined an d wi th l ap i s
laz uli the fi n est o f lapi s laz ul i Lo the l ap i s la z ul i i s
a bove th y hair
,
.
,
,
”
.
There is another similar incantation in the Festival
S ongs of Isis and Nephthys
Thy h a ir is lik e tu rq uo i se as thou c omest from the
Fi el ds o f Turq uo i se thy ha ir i s l ik e u n to the finest o f lap i s
l az uli an d thou thyself a rt m or e b l ue than thy ha ir Thy
s ki n an d b od y are l ik e southe rn al ab as te r an d th y bon e s
ar e o f s il v er The p erfum e o f thy ha ir i s lik e unto n ew
”
m y rrh and thy sk u ll i s o f l ap i s l azu li
.
,
,
.
,
.
S ince
hair is not b l ue the statement must be
symbolic and means that the S pirit of the departed
has now become one with Eternal Truth
,
,
.
‘
TH E OLD LAN G U AG E OF
BLU E
31
S urely
we cannot read the above passages without
thinking of the S ong of S olomon where the bride
groom is compared to bright ivory overlaid with
sapphires
There is another such song in praise of Amen Ra
,
”
.
-
P r a is e to
Am en Ra ,
~
b ull o f Heli opoli s to the ch i ef o f all
To the b eau t if ul an d be lo ved g od
Wh o g iv eth lif e by al l m an n e r of w ar m th
By al l m an n er o f fa i r c at tl e
To the
,
the g od
s
,
,
,
.
Am en b ull fa ir of fa c e
Bel ov e d in Th eb es
H e fa sh i on e t h ea rth the silv e r a n d the g ol d
R eal l ap i s l a z u li for thos e w h o l o v e him
,
,
,
,
.
The same imagery is used by the Buddhis ts
When Buddha sat under the B o tree on his throne
of knowledge all truths were revealed to him To
symbolise this we are told that he saw the great white
cosmic umbrella and also the Fields of Lapis Lazuli
where all the preceding Buddhas dwelt in ecstasy
.
-
.
,
,
,
ha th o erthrow n the flag of p rid e
He ha t h obt a i n e d the tripl e k n owl ed g e
He
’
,
The K i n g
.
P hysi ci an s
Wi th his h eaven ly Am ri ta 1
Will dull al l h um an p a i n
An d l ea d all fl esh to N irvan a
Hav i n g en te red the Ci ty o f Om n is c i en ce
An d b e c om e on e wi th the B uddha s
of
.
,
He
is
n ow
1
i n divisibl e
A m r ta b r ad of lif
.
i
,
e
e
.
,
32
THE
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
This last word gives us the k ey to the whole
situation that in the Fields of Lapis Lazuli there
dwell the pure spirits who have become the soul of
Truth inseparable from Divine Truth indivisible
from the S pirit of God
When we consider the Greeks we remember that
Homer always speaks of Pal las the Goddess of
'
Wisdom as the blue eyed maid for is she not the
goddess who teaches the will of '
eus and the truths
of '
eus ' The heroine of almost every fairy tale in
the world is blue eyed as a sign that she is the
true good and lovable maiden who is the Obj ect and
reward of the quest and labour of the prince
In the epic of the Finns I l m ater is invoked in these
words
Ri s e u p 0 w a t er moth er
Ra is e thy bl u e c ap from the bill o w s
,
,
.
,
”
-
,
,
-
,
,
,
.
,
-
,
,
.
An d
this makes us think of Venus rising from the
blue ocean
We must recollect that blue was the colour of the
robes of the Druidic bards The bards were men
'
who had been ovates and had worn the green
They were still to retain in themselves all that was
meant by the green but blue is symbolically a higher
colour even as it is physically
Many people think that red would have b een a
better colour for the ba rds because this symbolises
the enthusiasm that is so necessary in song and
poetry ; but the bards were to have more than
enthusiasm —they were to have the gift of looking
.
.
”
.
,
.
,
,
TH E OLD LANGUAG E
OF
BLUE
33
be yond the world and of obta ining great Tr uths to
uplift humanity
They were to be Masters of
Wisdom
They were to get beyond mere passion
and look into the cooler calmer regions beyond
whence they could draw these great and deep truths
It makes us thi nk instinctively of Words worth s
definition of poetry as Passion recollected in tran
quillity
From the great Triads of the Druids we learn the
duties of the bards
1 To make a country habitable
2 To civilise the people
3 To promote science
Blake had the same belief in the duty of a poet
which he expresses very beautifully
.
.
,
,
.
’
”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
,
cease from m e n t a l strife
N o r shall m y s w ord sl e e p in m y hand
Till w e h a v e b u il t J erusa l em
I n En g l an d s g ree n a n d p l easa n t l a n d
I
wi l l
n ot
’
.
The work and duty as given in the first two par ts
of the Tri a d recalls J Russell Lowell s wonderful
lines
,
’
.
,
w ho woul d b e the to n g ue o f thi s wide world
M u s t s tri n g h is h a rp wi th cords o f b a n d ed ir on
An d strik e i t w i th a to i l e m b ro w n ed ha n d
He
”
-
.
In our own time Maurice Maeterlinck has written
a little play called The B l u e B ir d The playbills tell
us that the quest of the Blue Bird is the quest for
happiness but it seems to be far more than this A
,
.
.
,
3
34
S YM B OLI S M OF
TH E
C OL OU R
bird oft en symbolises spirit Thus the quest of the
1
Blue Bird is really the quest for spiritual truths
The children in their j ourney first appeal to their
dead grandparents for the bird By this M aeterlinck
means us to as k ourselves whether the past was able
to know Truth and the fact that the children do not
find the bird there shows us that Maeterlinck thinks
Truth is of the future
S till the chil d ren have grown by appea ling to the
p ast as is shown when the grandparents measure the
children agains t the door They have al so another
great fact to learn — that there are no dead
Next the children ask the Trees if they have the
Blue Bird These Trees who thin k they are the
rightful custodians of the Blue Bird and resent the
intrusion of the chi ldren represent the persecuting
churches of the world who have become stereotyped
and hate progress S O the ch ildre n are in great
danger and are only saved when the dog ( or human
common sense ) bursts his bonds and Fairy Light comes
to the rescue
The children never find the Blue Bird for is it
possible to obtain universal Truth and put it in a
cage ' When a man says vaingloriously that he has
all Truth it is a sign that he is very far from his
statement S till Myt yl and Tyltyl are better children
for going on their j ourney showing that it is the quest
that is the great thing
.
.
.
,
.
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
,
.
.
,
,
.
,
.
1
S ee H e n
ry Rose
,
r
The B l ue B i d
.
OLD
THE
LANGUAGE
OF
B LUE
35
Blue in its lowest meaning signifies depre s sion and
'
despair We have such expressions as a fit of the
blues
Or again it may mean hardness coldness or
'
cruelty even as in such an expression as steel blue
'
eyes
or
Bluebeard
A blue stocking means
someone who has cultivated intellect and left out
affection
.
”
.
,
,
-
,
,
”
.
.
-
C HAPTE R VI
L ANG U AGE
TH E OLD
An d
th ey put upon
him
a
U
LE
OF P R P
rob e of p rpl e
u
— S'
r J OHN
”
.
.
TH E
next and highest colour of the spectrum is violet
Like green and blue it is calming and soothi n g in its
influence
Like green and blue it is said by the
mystics to be a feminine colour It seems as though
the ancient people used the term purple to include
violet and in fact any tint made up of blue and red
in whatever proportions Pliny tells us that the
colour of the amaranth is a far more beautiful purple
that any the dyers can obtain This however does
not help us much for the amaranth can be almost any
shade from red to blue
Even to day we see how
carelessly the word purple is used when we have
'
in a great writer s book the phrase
the purple
rainbow
The symbolism of purple partakes of the Red of
Love and S elf s a crifi ce and the blue of Truth ; hence
it was considered symbolic of Wisdom and is men
1
tion ed as being the colo ur of the canopy of S olomon s
chariot Purple was considered the most glorious of
.
,
.
,
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
-
.
’
,
”
.
-
,
’
.
1
S o ng
of S olo m o n iii
.
36
10
.
S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
38
C OLOU R
The Egyptians often made their soldiers talismans
of amethyst be cause they said that this stone could
give them the necessary calmness of mind to ensure
victory The Magi of Persia said that amethyst was
born of the S un and of the Moon which confirms us
in the belief that purple has all the symbolism of
the red and of the blue the masculine and feminine
forces the spirit and the soul It evidently seems to
have been used in this way by the Finns for in the
'
Kalevala Wain om oin em sails over the blue back
'
of the waters till he gains the purple coloured
harbour of the next world
Here purple is used
of a greater realm than that of the ocean
Many old rosaries w ere made of amethyst because
its effect was to make the wearer withdraw from all
the trials of the world and worship in a holy calm
In King s A n cien t Gn os tic Gem s we are given a
translation of a poe m by Marb odus :
.
,
,
.
,
,
”
,
”
-
”
.
.
,
.
’
h ig h the am e thy s t i s s et
I n colo ur l ik e the v i ol et
Wi th fl ames as if o f g old i t S ho ws
An d far i t p u rpl e rad i an c e th ro w s
The h u m bl e h e a r t i t s i g n ifi es
Of him w ho in the S a vi ou r di es
On
,
,
.
So
we see why the martyrs are often represent ed
as being clad in purple This ability to endure for
the truth brings them the fullest reward in the love
of the S aviour
When we see the angels with purple robes it
si g nifies that they partake of the sorrows of Christ
.
.
TH E
OLD
LANGUAGE
OF
PU RPLE
39
and desire to help men w ith loving messages to
atta in the heavenly home be yond the blue fi rm a
ment In some of the ancient orders of nuns the
women wore purple veils as a sign of repentance
and of faith in the divine love of God
S hakespeare in A Mids u m m er N ig ht s D rea m
speaks of the
Flo w e r of pu rpl e dye
H it wi th C u pi d s a rc h e ry
.
.
’
,
,
’
— a flower that we now consider to be the pansy the
,
'
name of which is probably derived from Pensez a
moi and emblematic of humility and sweet loving
thoughts
”
,
,
.
Purple in its debased
weening pride pomp and
of the rich man who has
Lazarus and no belief in
of the world
,
,
.
,
meaning gi ves us over
vanity It is the colour
no love in his heart for
anything but the things
.
CHAPTE R VII
TH E OLD
Oh
L ANG UAGE
wh t pow r
a
a
e
has
WH I TE
OF
white si plicity —K EATS
”
m
.
.
IT
is to be remembered in studying ancient colour
symbolism that it was not realised that white was
the sum of the seven colours of the rainbow To
us because we know this fact white is more
naturally the colour of unity than yellow
Thus
S helley writes
.
,
,
.
Life l ik e a dom e of m an y coloured glass
”
S ta i ns the w h i te rad i ance o f e tern i ty
-
.
White in fact symbolised not so much unity as
purity innocence and the great j oy of the man who
has fought the good fight and attained the S piritual
life It is to symbolise this j oy that the souls of
the Redeemed in R evelation are clad in white robes
For the same reason D ante sees the souls of the
blessed in Paradise in form of a white rose
,
,
,
,
.
.
fo r m then o f a w h i te rose
Di spl ay e d i t s el f to me the s a i n tly host
W h o m Chris t in His ow n b lood had m ade His brid e ;
F a c es ha d th e y all o f l ivi n g fl am e
A d wi n g s of g old a n d a ll t he r es t s o whit e
N O s n ow u to t h t b ea u ty c a n a tt a i n
In
,
n
,
,
n
”
a
.
40
LANGUAGE OF WHITE
OLD
THE
'
41
Tennyson in S t Agnes Eve uses white in the
same way to convey the ecstasy of S t Agnes
’
,
,
M ak e Thou
sp iri t pu r e an d c l ear
As are the frosty ski es
Or th i s fi rs t s n o w d r op o f the y ear
Tha t i n my b os om l i es
my
,
.
The
Archangel Gabriel is usually known in pictures
from the fact that his emblem is the lily— sometimes
called the lily of the annunciation as a sign that
a pure soul is necessary before Christ can take
possession of it Gabriel is usually said to be the
Angel of the M oon to which the col our white and the
metal silver were given by as trologers and mystics
It was the custom of R oman ladi es to wear white
The wearing of bright colours was looked upon as
'
portraying a lack of virtue The word can didate
tells us that integrity was expected of all persons
desiring Office
Hesiod the poe t sees Modesty and Justice in
white robes
,
.
,
.
.
-
”
.
.
th os e fa ir fo r m s in sn o wy rai m en t bri gh t
Le a v e the br oa d earth an d h eav en w a rd so a r from s i ght
J ust ic e an d M od e sty from m o rt a ls d ri ven
”
R i se to th i mm o r ta l fam ily of h eav en
An d
,
,
,
’
.
Hermas sees th e Church as a virgin in white
'
Be hold th e re m et m e a c ertai n v irg i n w el l adorned
an d a s if s he had j ust com e out o f he r bri d e c ha m b e r — al l
in wh i te h a vi n g on w h i t e s ho es an d a v e il d ow n he r
fa c e a n d her h ead co ve re d wit h s hi n i n g h air N ow I
k e w by m y form e r vi si o n s th a t i t w as the c h urc h
-
,
,
-
,
,
n
,
,
.
”
.
42
THE S YMB OLI S M
OF
C OLOU R
The Japanese use white as symbol of death and a
bride wears white as her parents consider her dead to
them and belonging only to her husband
'
In R evelation there is a curious state ment : To
him that overcometh will I give the white stone
It
was the custom to gi ve the victor in the games a white
'
s tone so that the sentence seems a truism as To
him that overcometh will I give the sign of victory ;
but when we dig more deeply into the meaning
of the white stone we find that it is a sign of deity
of the S pirit of God marking out His chosen one
In the Amaravati tope at the British M useum
Buddha is seen sitting on the white stone and
sometimes the white stone is used in place of
B uddha In Ireland until recent times white stones
'
were placed in a coffin and called God s stones
Hence To him that overcometh will I give th e white
stone means that to the victor shall be gi ven the
j oy of the presence of G od the j oy of harmony
the music of the spheres
W hen the m orni n g sta rs san g tog eth er
An d a l l the s on s o f G od shout ed fo r j oy
,
.
.
,
,
”
,
.
,
.
,
,
’
.
”
,
,
,
.
There was a similar idea among the Egyptians
In the papyrus of Ani you will note that when he is
j ustified he is shown with white hair
S imilarly
1
Christ in R evelation has hair as white as wool
In R evelation Christ rides on the white horse
S t George is nearly always depicted on a white
horse
Cas tor and Pollux were sa id to ride on
.
.
,
.
.
.
1
Re
velatio i
n
.
14
.
TH E OLD LANGUAGE OF WHITE
43
white horses A horse as I have said before means
knowledge Thus to ri de on the white horse means
to have all heavenly counsel to aid you in gaining
the victory and in obtaining the reward
It is
said that there will be one more inca rnation of
Vishnu when he will carry the sword of j ustice
and ride the white horse like Christ in Revelation
We must remember that the horse was us ed b y
the Hindoos instead of the Ra m
Now as Aries
or the Ra m is the constellation in which the sun
starts his zodiaca l j ourn ey each year the ram or
horse means the opener of new thought the dawn
of a new era Hence to ride the white horse means
to be gin a new kingdom on earth of joy and happi
ness and purity When Mahomet comes again he
will ride the white horse Al b ora c In ancient Rome
the white horse was sacred to Jupite r and once
a year the consul clad in whi te robes rode to the
Capitol to adore Jupiter as the S un god
Buddha is said to have been borne to earth on a
white elephant i e on Divine Wisdom or the Holy
Ghost In some of the old Buddhist zodiac s the
elephant takes the place of the sign Capricorn or
the goat
Capricorn is the sign governing from
2l s t D ecember to 1 9 th January and this is the
time during which all world saviours are sa id to
have be en born
eus are spoken of as white bulls for
Osiris and '
the bull be tokens cosmic energy and creative force
When YaS Od ha ra dreams that S iddartha or Buddha
.
,
.
.
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
,
-
.
.
,
.
.
.
,
-
.
,
.
44
TH E
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OLOU R
'
is escaping from the palace she sees a white bull
with wide branching horns
The Druids proper of Wales wore white robes It
may be mentioned that it took twenty years to train
a Druid so that surely the white robe in their case
was a S i gn that the wearer had laboured much and
conquered many things
The work of a Druid is
given in the Triads
1 To keep his word
2 To keep his secret
3 To keep the peace
It must be remembered that he was a bard
previous to being a D ruid Druids hip was the last
stage of initiation and what he learnt in this w as not
to be gi ven out directly to the world but to b e
expressed only in the in ward power that accrued to
him He kept the peace because he knew that the
ar ts flourish in times of peace and are destroyed
during war S till we must remember that when war
came he was ever ready to lead the people and many
a Druid died in the forefront of the battle for to him
death was the gate of life and the entrance to the oy
of the Mighty E u
The symbolism of silver is related to that of white
for silver is the colour of the moon of chastity and
the ability to radiate purity and joy however dark the
night and difficult the circumstances Artemis and
Diana are both virgin goddesses of the moon punishing
evil d eeds and immorality
'
silver cord
It is the
S olomon speaks of th e
,
”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
'
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
.
.
CHAPTE R VIII
L ANG U AGE
TH E OLD
pon
U
all
the g
OF B
L AC K
lory shall b e a d efen ce
— I S AI AH
”
.
.
AL TH OU GH science does not now consider bl a ck as a
colour yet it is still considered so by the public and
was considered so by the ancients To them it was
the colour of mystery and of the mysterious ways
and wisdom of God
In Egypt Kn eph the Creative Mind was sometimes
'
addressed as Thrice unknown darkness transcend
ing all intellectual perception
for certainly the
wisdom of God is beyond the comprehension of
human intellect On e of our modern mystics Henry
Vaughan seems to arrive at the same thought when
'
he says
There is in God a deep and dazzling
darkness
meaning that the mysteries of God are
unfathomable but glorious Black w as considered
the colour of wisdom and Milton who is so a ccurate
in his symbolism uses it as such
,
.
.
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
sta i d an d holy
W hose saintly v i sag e is too b ri ght
To h i t the sen s e of hu man s i ght ;
An d the r e for e to our w ea k e r vi e w
O e rl aid w ith b l ack ; sta i d wi sdom s hu e
G oddess
,
’
’
46
.
TH E
OLD LANGUAG E OF
47
BLACK
Black also symbolised eternity ; thus Night the
mother of all things w as sometimes portrayed by the
Greeks in a starry veil holding two children — one
white and the other black— to symbolise Time and
Eternity
Osiris and also Horus are sometimes
painted white and sometimes black to show that they
manifested themselves in time though they were
e ternal
—
Black also m eant S ilence the thin gs that are not
to be revealed to everyone —the thoughts that lie too
deep for tears —the innermos t and most sacred
experiences of lif e It is not that we ought to be
selfis h with our knowledge — far otherwise :
,
,
,
.
,
.
.
G iv e
all thou c an st ; h i g h h eaven r ej ec ts
”1
Of n i cely c alc ul a ted l es s o r m or e
lore
the
-
.
It is that certa in experiences can only b e compre
hended by a person having similar experiences In
Olden times a blac k rose w as used as the symbol of
the silence of an initiate such a S ilence as that com
prehended by S t Paul when speaking of the man who
2
was caught up into heaven and heard unspeakable
things whi ch it is not lawful for any man to utter
'
3
The great promise to every initiate is I will give
thee the treasures of darkness
'
As the old proverb says If you would know
4
more you must be more
Until then there is a veil
.
,
.
,
”
.
,
”
.
1
2
1
Wordsworth
Within
2 C ori thi an s xii 4
E xod u s xxxiv 3 5
,
n
.
.
.
.
K
i n g s Col l ege Ch apel
3 I sa i ah xlv 3
’
.
.
.
48
S YMB OLI S M OF
THE
C OL OU R
1
and a defence upon the f ace of all knowled ge This
is no doubt the me aning of the veil of Isis
This
is the re as on why so much of the ancient belief
is wrapped up in symbolism and why the ancient
pictures are so full of sy mbo l s for in them an initiate
could tel l a t a glance how much the artist knew of
the inner mysteries ; for example one often sees the
ornamental broken pavement in ancient pictures
This was one of the many hints to look well into the
picture and ponder much for it represe nted not
historical fact but mystic truth The almond shaped
aura or ves iea p iscis was used in mu ch the same way
Many pictures of the Ascension of Christ and of the
Assumption of the Virgin contain the ves ica p is cis to
show that if you did not believe these events to b e
his torically true yet they are deep truths relating to
the spirit and soul of every man —that the spirit and
soul do ascend when their labours are done The
architects too were versed in these hidden truths so
that we may truly say that our great cathedrals and
churches represent the sum total of al l the archi tect
'
knew
They are really frozen religion
The
ordinary person sees a great and stately edifice but
the initiate sees worlds on worlds unfold
Bl ack to us of the West is merely the sombre colour
of mourning a S ign that our lives have be en bereft
of the joy of the pres ence of a loved one It is per
haps the most depressing of all colours physically
mentally and morally and surely if people believed
.
.
,
,
,
.
,
-
.
.
.
,
,
,
-
”
.
.
.
,
.
,
,
,
1
I
sa i ah iv
.
5
.
,
OLD
TH E
LANGUAG E
OF
B LACK
49
in their religion they would never wear such a colour ;
but unfortunately few people have the courage to go
against custom and to openly rejoice that their loved
ones are in a bette r land We may remember how
the La dy Olivia s grief was reproved by the Clown in
,
.
’
madon n a w hy m ourn es t thou '
Ol ivia : G ood fool for m y brot h er s death
Cl o w n : I th i n k h i s s ou l is in h ell m adon n a
Ol ivia : I k n ow h is soul is in h ea v en fool
C l ow n : The m or e fo ol you m adon n a to m o u rn for y our
brothe r s sou l b ei n g in heav en
C l ow n
:
G o od
,
’
,
.
.
,
.
,
,
,
’
.
Of course
black used with other colours often gives
beautiful effects and throws these colours into relief
It is a most useful decorative colour when used in
moderation but when totally unrelieved it is an
abomination By shutting out the light rays of the
sun it lays the whole system Open to disease In the
human aura it is evidence of the deepest depths of
human wickedness
Black in its lowest symbolism means this wicked
ness and foulness and hatred of the light of the
healing sun The black angels are the evil angels
Black magic was occult art used for selfis h purposes
and very often requiring blood sacrifice even of human
blood in the performing of it
.
,
,
.
.
.
,
.
.
,
,
.
I
CHAPTE R
L ANG U AGE
TH E OLD
'
WN
OF B R O
GR E Y
AN D
'
B eauty is n ev er lost
”—
W H I rTI ER
G od s colo urs are al l fast
,
’
'
.
.
W E next consider the colour brown —
the symbol of
autumn and d ecay The autumn may indeed be a
beautiful season of mellow fruitfulness and the rich
red brown hues may delight us but for all this the
brown is a S ign that the life is surely though gently
passin g away from the leaves Yet because the tree
does not die merely because the leaves perish brown
takes on the meaning of the still quietness that is
necessary before the next period of effort We have
”
'
the expression to be in a brown study that is in a
calm state of mind oblivious to external facts and
Obj ects for the time being yet really working out
some deep problem that has to be solved before
physical effort is of any value There is a softness
and gentleness about brown which calms our restless
minds
'
Browns and other sombre useful colours are
usually tabooed by healers because they tend to
depression If rest is needed this is better given by
.
,
-
,
,
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
,
.
.
,
.
50
,
TH E OLD LANGUAGE OF B ROWN AN D G R EY
51
blues and purples since they are quietening in e ffect
In ordinary household decoration golden browns
may be used with the most restful and helpful
effect
In the human aura however the presence of much
brown indicates an unprogressed character—one who
needs to make his life more spiritual
Grey eyes are considered by many the best for ex
pressing tenderness and sa dness but as a rule grey
denotes what is hard and unfeeling S till there are
such a number of shades of grey that probably this
last meaning is only appropriate to the shades having
much blue in them
Tennyson writes
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
.
'
Break break break
On thy c old g r ey s t o n e s 0 s ea
An d I w o ul d t h a t m y t o n g ue c ou l d u tt e r
The thought s tha t a ri s e in m e
,
,
,
,
,
”
.
Kingsley writes
Tis
hard g rey w eath e r
Br eed s ha rd E n g li s h m en
the
.
lis h h eart s o f oak
”
S ea w a r d rou n d the w o rld
S en ds
our
En g
.
W
.
S
.
Cary in
,
Heraclitus
,
writes
They told m e H erac l i tus they told me you w er e dead
Th ey brought me b itter ne w s to b ear an d bi tte r tears to
sh ed
I w ept as I rem em be red how often you an d I
Had t ir ed the s un w i th ta l ki n g and s ent him do w n t he sky
,
,
,
.
.
THE
52
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OU R
tha t thou a rt lyi ng m y dear old Cari an g uest
A hand ful o f g rey ashes lon g lon g ag o at rest
S t il l are thy p l e asant vo i ces thy ni ghtin gal es a w ak e
For Death he tak eth all aw ay b ut them he c ann ot tak e
An d
n ow
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
W E Henley in his
.
.
,
,
of the S word
S ong
”
,
.
sings
Follo w 0 foll ow me
T il l the waste pl aces
Al l the g rey g l ob e over
Oo z e as the hon ey com b
Drops w ith the s w ee tn ess
Di st i ll ed o f m y stren gth
,
,
,
,
”
.
Again we must contrast this m odern symbolism
with the ancient Grey was the union of black and
white and so partook of the symbolism of each
Christ in grey robes was not a cheerless Christ
His grey robes symbolised resurrection — the triumph
of life over death ; they symbolise the j oy of white
over the despair of black of the j oy of knowledge of
future and everlasting life over the dark in scrut
able ways of apparent death
The grey friars wore grey robes to portray Christ
risen still alive and working for the people of earth
.
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
S YM B OLI S M OF
THE
54
C OL OU R
In the z En eid book iv we have a beautiful des crip
tion of Iris coming to release the suffering soul of
Dido the luckless ueen of Carthage
.
,
,
'
,
Then J uno p i ty in g her ag on y
Of l i n g e ri n g d eath sen t Ir i s do w n w i th spe ed
Her str ug g li n g soul f ro m c l i n g i n g li m b s to fr ee
,
,
do w n to earth cam e I ri s fro m on h i g h
On s affron wi n g s all g l i tte ri n g wi th the d e w
A thou sand t i n ts agai n st the sunl i t sky
S he fl ashed from out her rai n b o w as she fl ew
.
SO
.
.
The S candinavians believed that on the rainbow
arch the souls of the heroes were able to march in
triumph to the great wassail in Valhalla Curiously
'
enough this rainbow is spoken of as treble hued
It would be interesting to know which three main
colours of the rainbow they thought of
.
-
.
.
s w ept the mag n ifi c en t a rc h o f Bifr ost 1 the trebl e
hu ed ra i nb o w an d Od i n t urned an d sai d : S ee ch ildren
ho w Bifr os t bids u s cl i m b yet h i g he r hu mb ly to l ear n o f
the hol y N orn ir ( the F ate s ) an d d ri n k in wi sdom from the
foun tai n o f U rd ( N o rn of the Past) Let us mou n t an d
r i de An d the g l ori o us p roce ss i on took i ts w ay ac ro ss the
pl ai n to the l um i n ous t rem b l i n g en d o f the b r idg e wh e r e
ol
de
n toothed H e i mda l ( t he s l eepl e ss g ua rd i an o f B ifrO
st
g
)
stood on g uard Wi th a sm il e of w el c ome he thre w op en
the g a te an d they s w ept p roudly on s i n g i n g a son g o f
j oyous than ksg ivin g fo r the b eau ty an d peac e of all a round
th em b ut w h en g r eat Thor w ou l d have s et h i s foot on t he
”2
b ridge He i mdal b arred the w ay w ith h i s spea r
Over all
''
,
‘
,
,
,
'
,
.
’
.
,
-
.
,
,
,
.
,
1
2
Bif—
rost—the wav e rest
K F Bo ult
A ga d
-
s
r
.
.
.
,
.
i
.
a
.
the
res ti
n
g
pl ac e of the wave s
.
OLD LANGUAGE OF
TH E
R AINB OW
THE
55
So
of all the gods Thor might not tread the rain
bow ; still he was allowed to make his j ourney into
the council of the gods by other paths
The rainbow is sa id to have been given to Noah as
a sign that there should be no more flood or no more
sea of trouble for the sea or the salt water stands
mystically for the troubles the trials and the suffering
which the soul has to surmount before it receives
blessing and peace How this makes us think of the
mea ning of B ifrOs t The promise that there shall be
no more sea does not stand for the drying up of actual
oceans but is a promise given to every true navigator
of the soul such as Noah was — if only the ark or soul
is constructed according to divine instructions and has
its little window above into which light may shine
In the Kalevala Wa in om oin e m builds a magic
boat but forgets the last three words of his enchant
ment and so he cannot complete the boat He j ourneys
over the whole world to find these words and when
he does eventually find them he finishes the boat and
gives it as a dowry to the Maid of Beauty
S i tt i n g on the a rc h of h eav en
”
On the b ow o f m an y c olou r s
Among the Peruvians the rainbow was worshipped
under the name of Chucychu
1
Ezekiel sees the rainbow beautiful and bright
2
around his vision of God and the Cherubim S t John
also has a vision of Christ manifesting within a
rainbow glory
,
.
,
,
,
.
.
-
-
.
,
,
.
,
,
:
.
.
.
.
1
E
zeki el i
.
28
2
.
Re
v l atio n i v
e
.
3
.
TH E
58
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OL OUR
We should naturally expect from the above that
the opal should have much the same meaning as the
rainbow We certa inly do fin d that in the East it
was considered a most sacred ston e and it was said
to contain the S pirit of Truth
The Greeks were probably responsible for our
belief that it brings ill luck in love affairs ; but we
must remember that they considered it capable of
gi ving the gift of prophecy provided that the gift
was used for the benefit of others If this was not
so then bad fortune came to the seer
Joseph s coat of many colours has been said to have
been a S ign of all blessing but we m ust remember
that there is considerable doubt concerning the con
text of this p assage S till we do know that in many
nations certain variously coloured garments have be en
considered garments of honour Thus the ancient Irish
bards had robes striped with the following colours as
a S ign of their noble and honourable calling—white
blue green black and red
M odern symbol i sm speaks in very beautiful language
of the fact that the seven rays of the spectrum give
white light but we mus t remember that this sym
Thus as I h a ve said
holism is essentially modern
previously white represents unity ; while to the
ancients yellow the sun colour was the colour of
unity The seven rays have been likened to the seven
gifts of the Holy S pirit and sometimes they are
likened to the Elohim
In the spectrum w e have three main rays some
.
,
.
-
,
.
.
,
’
-
,
.
.
,
.
,
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
.
,
OLD
THE
LANGUAGE OF TH E
R AI NB OW
57
times given as red yellow and blue and sometimes as
red green and blue Th ese are said mystically to
stand for the Trinity or God in Three — that is God
in manifestation ; while the white ray would repre
sent God in Unity or the On e S upreme Cause —God
Unmanifest—God ever changeless
S ometimes the seven rays are likened to the various
ways and methods of approach to spiritual vision for
few people receive this vision in the sa me way or
under the sam e conditions
S ome people receive
inspiration through work others in quiet meditation
or by concentrating their energ ies on some great
truth Thus the '
oroastrians and Parsees have con
c e n tra te d on the virtue of Purity
and they realise
that all that is unclean whether of the body or of the
soul is forever separate from God This is a great
and basic truth that must be enshrined in the heart
of every worshipper
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
B less ed are the pure i n he art :
for
they shall
s ee
G od
— a wonderful promise hardly to be comprehended
,
exce pt by the saints the seers and the exal ted ones
Then the Buddhists lay stress on the Brotherho od
of Man and so charity and the virt ue of giving
willin gly and freely has been exalted to one of
supreme importance in India
The Christians lay stress on the Love of God —the
highest conception so far ; but one that must include
the other t r uths or it becomes d egraded and debasing
as in the be lief of the person who holds that the
,
,
.
,
.
,
TH E
58
C OL OU R
S YMB OLI S M OF
more wickedly he lives the more God will have to
forgive and therefore the mor e love God will have
for him
S O all Truths are necessary in order to form th e
white ray As James R ussell Lowell says :
,
,
.
.
sen ds His t ea che r s i n to eve ry land
To every cl i m e an d e v ery r a c e of m en
Wi th r evel at i on fi tted fo r th e ir g ro w th
An d sh ap e o f m i n d n or g iv es the r eal m o f T r uth
In to the k eep i ng of on e s i n g l e race
G od
,
,
,
.
Al l n ati on s have their m es sag e from on h i gh
Ea c h the M es s i ah o f som e c e n t r al tho ug h t
For the f ulfil m en t an d deli g ht o f m an
On e has to t eac h that Lab ou r i s d i vi n e
An o the r Fr eedom an d an oth e r Mi n d
An d all that G od i s op eney ed a n d j u s t
The happ y c ent r e an d ca l m h ea rt o f all
,
-
,
,
.
This wonderful study of symbolism sheds new light
on many old customs and myths From it we are
able to penetrate to the heart of things and to see
that every nation has aspired earnestly to unde rstand
the universe and to realise that the Creator is mani
fest in His works
Unfortunately the modern world in its haste has
for many generations cast aside this desire to know
more deeply these inner truths
The Purita n saw
that symbolism had degenerate d into i mage worship
and into corrupt and unworthy practices and so his
mission was to destroy this dragon of false priests
and to give S implicity and reality Alm ost too well
.
,
,
,
.
.
-
,
.
TH E
OLD
LANGUAGE
OF
THE
R AINB OW
59
he seems to the artist min d s to have done his work
'
but we must remember that it was an age of No
compromise
Now however there seem to be sign s all over the
world that people would once again love to have
th ese beautiful symbols for j ust as the mathematician
can reach greater tru ths by means of his symbols so
the mystic by his ca n attain to the highest realms of
ecstasy He be comes one of the uplifting forces of
the world ; one who gives light His eyes and face
reveal the inward light and so he becomes a star
Mere knowledge mere intellect without the inner
vision never makes the star soul
He whos e fac e
gives no light can never become a star
To such a
one the obj ect ca n never enslave H e has be come as
the Hindoos say A King of the '
odiac
that is he
has learnt all his less ons j ourneyed through the
twelve grea t constellations performed his appointed
labours and is able to receive the great reward What
is the great reward ' To see the spiritual significance
burn through fr om all the Obj ects of Nature and so to
obtain communion with the M aker and thus enter into
the golden yellow petals of the Eternal Rose
You ask me las tly why I think it is that the
nations should agree so well in choosing the inn er
meanings of colours It seems to me that in olden
times the gift of being able to see the human aura
was one well known to the prophets and seers Now
once a pers on has this gift it is very easy to connect
the type of person exhaling the aura with particular
-
,
”
.
,
,
,
,
.
.
.
,
,
,
,
”
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
.
.
,
60
TH E
S YMB OLI S M OF
C OLOU R
qualities When another aura is seen containing one
of the same colours the quality it shows would ever
after be connected with that colour and so there
would grow up a colour symbolism differing little all
over the world Many of the most successful colour
healers of to day s e e the human aura and according
to the beauty of the colours they see the b eauty of
the Mind and according to the lack of beautiful
coloration they see illness and wrong doing S ti l l
it must b e borne in mind that the wrong doer even
in health cannot attain s o beautiful or refined an
aura as the good man
In sickness the colours of
the latter are greyish in value whereas the colou rs
of th e e vil man are muddy looking
It is indeed a great subj ect proving that the
physicians of the future must minister to the soul as
well as th e body The world awaits them
.
,
.
-
,
,
-
.
-
.
,
-
.
,
.
.
62
TH E
C OL OU R
S YMB OLI S M OF
APP E N D I
TH E C OLOU RS
OF TH E
'II
P LAN ETS ( p
.
25 )
T HI S i s a subj ec t on w h ich r es earc h g iv es v ari ab le resul ts
I n r ec en t y ea r s Mr Al an Leo pe rhaps the g r ea te st m ode rn
expo n e n t o f astrolo y ass i n ed t he f ollo wi n
colo
rs
to
the
u
g
g
g
plan ets
.
.
,
,
A l i st perhaps m o re
i s the on e g iven b elo w
in
har m on y w ith the an ci en t be l i efs
yellow or g old
whit e or silver
g re
bl ue ( turq uoise or l apis l az uli )
en
red
purpl e ( or l apis l az uli )
bl ack ( so m eti m e s black with oran ge fl ecks)
.
i t may b e s a i d i s the p lan e t of mystery an d the
m y ste ri ous w ays o f God
He i s l ik e the g od Chron os o r the
An g el Oriphel ; he m ak es the pe r son wa i t t ill hi s appoi n te d
h our b efore g ifts are g i ven S ti l l as he o f ten by m eans
o f w ai ti n g an d suffe ri n g caus es the person to dev elop som e
of the ve ry hi g hest g if ts he i s som et i mes g i v en the y el l o w
fl e ck s
Mi nn i e Theobald in an exp lanat i on o f a Pas s i on play
en ti tl ed The D escen t of the Lig ht Sp a r k w ri tes on the col ours
w orn by the P lanets i n her play I q uote at some le ngth
S a t urn ,
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
APPEN DICE S
63
h ese seven pri cipl es are represe te d i my dram a as the
se v en pla ets which in the an ci en t m ode of cons ci ous ess typi
fi ed diff ren t m od es of con scio us es s a d s ubstan c e
Nept un e
an d U r an u s a e the two pl an ets of r eg
eratio n an d r ebirth th ey
are co n ecte d with cos m ic co scio u s ess ; a d so in the colo ur
S ch em e e ith e r irid esc e c e or all colo u r m ust b e pres en t to i n di
Red typi fie s li fe an d
cate th ir co ection with whol en ess
co n scious n ess an d suggests the pow er of the F th e r the Lord of
Fire r eapp eari g in the low er worlds Blue in dica t es the
m oth er e l em en t or the substan c e i n to which lif e en ters yellow
stan ds for the p erso ality or child Colour is l nguage ; an y
p l an et ma y be ep e en t d by a y olour ; it d e pen ds u po n the
p articul ar activity of the particul ar pl an etary spirit to b e por
I n this dram a M ercury or M em ory the m ess en g er b e
t ayed
tw een Ti m e an d E t er ity w ears d for he is carryi n g life an d
con scio usn ess down to the cross of m att er H e is the ep es en
tative i the low er r egio s of the Li g ht S p ark
he is the flam e
hidd en withi ea ch on e of us g ivin g us m em ory of our divi n e
ori gin Ne xt co m es Ven u s our fu n d am en tal so ul s ubst a ce the
m e di um b etw een the eg o a d p erso al m i d she is cl ad in bl ue
J upi te r p erso n al m i d foll ows n e xt cla d in y ellow
Th en w e
h ave Mars Our sou l substa ce bl ue has be com e m i n g l ed with
p erso n al m i d ye llow a d so w e ge t gr ee Re d cosm ic life
beco m es gree p erson al lif e for after the birth of the pe rson al
m i d ev erythi n g b eco m s rev e rs ed
Ou p erson al lif e cu rr en t is
the co m pl em en t ary m od e of activity to the cr uci fie d cos m ic lif e
curren t This pe rson al lif e a d passion is the field of activity
of Mars a d so shows his com pl em en tary colo ur green Fi all y
black or S at urn marks the li m it of the fall H ere w e h ave the
n egatio n of the li f e of E t e rn i ty bl ck or d en s e m att er be in
g the
i n v rsion of the p ure whi te li ght of spirit
T
n
n
n
n
n
,
e
n
n
r
.
en
n
,
n
n
n
n
e
nn
.
a
,
n
,
.
n
r
r
,
a
.
r s
e
c
n
.
,
n
re
,
,
r
.
n
n
n
,
.
-
,
n
n
,
n
,
n
,
n
n,
n
,
n
.
.
,
,
n
,
n
,
-
.
n
,
.
,
e
-
r
.
n
.
,
r
n
,
.
n
,
.
,
a
e
Th i s
us e
.
l as t quotat i on will show
s colours
.
how mod e rn m y st ici sm
64
S YMB OLI S M OF
TH E
APP E ND I
C OL OU R
'I II
CHROMATI CS OF THE S KY
By
.
J
S
.
.
D YAS ON
The fol low ing i s a tab ul ati on of h i s ob s er vat i ons
Coppe r
s uns et
Bri ght yellow
Pal e yel low
Ros y sky
Pal e g reen
I di a red
n
presag es wi n d or rai n
wi n d
at
.
.
w et
.
fin e
.
w
i d or rai n
n
.
n
r y in
G e
Red
the m
or n i n g
rk bl ue
Bri ght bl ue
Da
hi gh d aw n
A low d aw n
A
APP E N DI
'I '
Y ELLOW ( p
.
15)
Y ELLOW i s sti ll a n on canon i ca l col our in the c h u rc h
B l ue i s also n on ca n on ic a l
The fi ve can on ic al colou rs are ( 1 ) w h i te u sed a t Ea s te r
Ch ris tm as C irc um c i s i o n an d Ep i ph a n y ( 2) re d a t Exa l ta
ti on an d In v en ti on of Cross P en te c os t an d F ea s ts of
M ar ty rs ( 3 ) v i olet on Ash W edn esday Len t S eptuag es i m a
u i n q ua g e si ma a n d Advent ; ( 4) b la ck on Good Friday ;
'
5
r
e en on ord i na ry S unday s and w ee k da s
)
g
y
(
-
.
-
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.
APPEN D ICE S
APP EN DI
65
''
F OR M ( p 4 )
S I N CE col ou r i s v ibr at i on i t i s easy to s e e t hat it m ust
S om e o f the m o st b eaut ifu l d es i g n s in t he
a l s o g i v e fo r m
w orl d have b een p rodu ce d by vibrat i on I n his g r eat book
on C olou'
Ba bbi t tak es red y ellow an d bl ue an d g iv es
r
t hem the forms of the t ri ang l e th e h exagon an d the circ l e
The t ri an g l e has the sharp est cor n ers thus i t i s app r o
T
h
c
irc
l
wit
h
riate to the en erg i s i n g fi e ry r ed
e
e
no
p
c o rn ers repr es ents the c al m i n d w el l i n g b lu e an d the y ell o w
w h i ch has en ergy an d y et p eace par tak es o f the hexag on
w h ich still has an g l es b ut yet ap proac hes the shape o f the
circl e
C OLOUR AN D
.
,
.
.
,
,
,
,
,
.
,
,
.
,
,
,
,
.
APP EN DI
M
' 'I
(p
4)
.
F LAMMARI ON has made m any i n ter esti n g
exp er i men ts on
the g ro w th of pl an ts u n der d i ffer ent
c ol our ed rays I n on e experi me n t he took y oun g l et t u c es
from the same pl ot o f g round an d al l the sam e s iz e His
r esul t s show ed that
U n d er red gl as s l ett uc e grow s fo ur ti mes as q uickly as in
direct sun li ght
sli ghtly q uicker th an in
green
s u light
bl ue
b eco me s v ery stu t ed
I n an ot h e r exp er i m en t he w ork ed wi th Ind i an co rn
I s u li ght
on e pl an t g r e w to 2 5 i ch e s
U d er red gl ass
18
.
CA MI LL E
.
,
.
.
n
.
n
.
.
n
n
n
.
n
8
green
n
b l ue
n
1,
7,
6
B ean s flo urish ed un d er whit e a
p erish e d
gr e e
n d re d
n
27
l
ss
a
g
b l ue
.
66
S YM B OLI S M OF
THE
C OL OU R
From the ab ove i t s e em s that bl ue g lass i s bad f or
plan ts b ut th i s i s n ot al w ay s so as i s se en from the experi
men ts o f G en e r al P l easan ton w h ere he g re w the b est g rapes
in h i s d i s t ric t by u s i n g al te r n ate w h i te an d b l u e g l ass i n
hi s g r een houses Babbi t states that b lu e l i g ht dev el ops
red
an d
r
m
i
n at i on
o
f
pl
an ts
whi
l
e
y ell o w de v el op
e
g
Y ello w r ay s c a us e ca rbon to depo s i t fr om
a n im al c ul se
R ed a n d
t he a ir a n d s o f o r m the w ood y fib re of plan ts
y ello w cause seed i n g an d fru i tage
,
,
.
,
.
.
,
.
PRI
N TE D
I N G RE AT B RI TAI
N
BY
N E I LL
A ND
CO
.
,
LTD
.
,
EDI
N B UR G H
.
P U B L I C A TI O N S
R I DE R S
’
N E W S CIENC E
T HE
I R W I N C ro w n 8 vo c l o th
p ie c e 3 5 6 d n et
.
,
.
,
.
By B EATR I C E
wi t h col oure d fro n ti s
C OL O U R
OF
1
,
4 4 pp
.
.
,
.
.
Th
NT NTS
I t od uctio
C l
S i
N c ssity f
d D co tio — C olo
Th t
d C oll g —C olo
d E l
C olo
tio —M o d S ci c d C olo —C olo
M di m f E x p sio
p utic Pow s
S s —Th
C olo
S y t m s— Th D v lopm t of C olo
of C olo — C olo u S ti m uli d C olo E x ci s — Th D w of th
C olo u Ag
'
sti g d w ll so d if so m tim f t tic
A tho ghtf l i t
s m i g littl t t
s b'
ct co c i g which too l ittl is y t
f i q ui y —S t m
k ow
up p o m i i g vi t s
d wh ich op
CO
E
ur-
ur
s e
e
ur
ra
ur
ur
an
e
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n
u
e
o
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,
on
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an
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a
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ea re an
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.
rea
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e
s n
r
I MMOR TAL
ne
e rn n
e
o
s a
~
an a s
n
”
r
co s
.
e
an
.
By A B OTH W E LL G OS S E
'
'T
T he Civi liz at ion
Author of
he K n i g ht s T e m pl ar s
P archm e n t 5 5 x 4 5
o f the Anci e n t E gypti an s
e tc
R OS E
TH E
.
,
.
”
,
.
,
6 4 pp
.
,
rs
6d
.
n et
.
.
o l —T h R d R o f S o ow—Th
os of U io — Th Littl B l ck R os
C oN T E N T s —The Pa — The G a
—
e R
e of
o
J y The G e n R
S i en e
Whit
th
.
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,
,
old
e
n
e
o
se
e
n
e
rr
e
e
a
e
of l c
W ithi th
ow co m p s of th f w p g s it h b th im
of th tho to t c th vol tio of this b ti ful y mb ol m o g th
di ff t f iths of m k i d d to show h w its v y i g i t p t tio
h
v d t b i g t th m i g d lyi g th m y stici m of l l
ligio s — F o m th F o wo d by R H S H I L Y
.
n
au
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n
ra
o
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r n
P R O B LE M S
e
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