White
Symbolic Meanings of the Color White:
- Purity
- Virginity
- Death and Rebirth
- A Beginning and an End
- Mourning (in the far east)
White is both the absence of any color and the sum of all colors together, so in a sense it can mean everything or nothing. This combination of all colors has given white the name of the “many-colored lotus” in Buddhist teachings.
Probably the most telling of both ends of white’s symbolic spectrum are reflected in its associations with purity and a fresh start (as worn by brides in the Western tradition, as an optimistic sign of virginity) and as the color of mourning in the East, a use that used to be common in Europe, too. Cadavers all over the world are still wrapped in white shrouds and, as death precedes birth, the white here has an optimistic meaning, since in this instance, white symbolizes rebirth.
White is also used to denote initiation, another form of rebirth. Children wear white at their First Communion, and in Africa, boys smear their bodies with white paste after circumcision to show that they are apart from their main society for a time. When they re-enter, it is as men, their bodies are painted red.
The combination of all the colors is white; it is not a coincidence that this all encompassing color is possibly the most powerful. White has a wide variety of positive associations with the human psyche. White represents purity, cleanliness, innocence, oneness and truth. The symbolism continues with the fact that white light has long been associated with the journey to the afterlife. In short, white has a definitive connection to the spirit and an individual’s awakened spirituality.
White symbolizes purity and joy. White is the color of expectation and contains all the potential of the blank canvas. The pristine glory of a fresh fall of snow makes the world look clean and pure but white shows up every mark, hence its usefulness in hospitals and other clinical environments.
In certain cultures, white is the color of royalty or of religious figures, as angels are typically depicted as wearing white or having a white glow. A white picket fence surrounds a safe and happy home.
White is a symbol of peace, and the white flag is a universal sign of submission and surrender. However, the white feather is a sign of cowardice. This originates in the days of cock-fighting when a bird with a white feather in its tail was believed to be a poor fighter. The potency of this particular white symbol is such that, just after the Second World War, “an order of the White Feather” was started as a method of goading men into joining the army. Womenfolk were encouraged to hand the white feather of cowardice to any man not wearing a uniform.
Color Meanings in Bible:
- Manna (Exodus 16:31)
- Righteousness (Revelation 19:8)
- Forgiven sins (Psalms 5:7)
- The garments of angels (Revelation 15:6)
- Gravestones (Matthew 23:27)
- The throne of judgment (Revelation 20:11).
- White can also mean beauty (Song of Solomon 5:14)
- Costly decorations and wealth (I Kings 10:22)
Other meanings associated with the color white:
- The expression “white as snow” is used in reference to the pure, clean, and innocent.
- The saying “whiteout” means zero visibility.
- The phrase “white flag” is associated with meanings of surrender and relinquishment.
- The term “white elephant” refers to a rare or valuable item that is unwanted.
- The expression “pearly whites” refers to very white teeth.
- The phrase “whitewash” has meanings of cover up, secrecy, and concealment.
- The saying “white list” is a list of acceptable, good, or approved items.
- The term “white sale” means a store sale of sheets, towels, other linens.
- The phrase “white knight” represents one who comes to the rescue; a good and noble hero.
- The saying “white lightning” refers to moonshine or illegal whiskey.
- The expression “white knuckle” references something that is fast, exciting, or frightening.
Collected from various sources.
Black
Symbolic Meanings of the color Black:
- Night
- The absence of light
- Mourning
- Sobriety
- Denial
- Authority
- Perfection and Purity
- Maturity and Wisdom
Although it’s the opposite of white, both shades are, in fact, due to an absence of color and technically speaking black is not a “color” at all. This doesn’t stop it having a wealth of symbolic meaning.
Black often has negative connotations for the reason that it is the color of the night, or the absence of light. It doesn’t require a great leap of the imagination to extend this light/dark, day/night symbolism to good/bad. A fundamentally natural occurrence to do with the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, therefore, has had far-reaching consequences, resulting in fear, racism, superstition, and bigotry which even continues today simply because of skin color.
In the West, black is the color of mourning and funerals. In some cultures, white is used in this context, in which case it carries the idea of rebirth. Black,, however, is not so sanguine. It is final, conclusive, the denial of life.
Despite the mirthless sobriety of black, it depends how you wear it. The “New Black” is a term applied to anything that is in vogue, since black is also somehow dangerous and sexy as well as practical, therefore always fashionable as a color.
The “black sheep” of the family refers to the one who is a bit of a scoundrel, and in some cases, an outcast. The “black dog” means depression. Conversely a black cat is a very lucky symbol in the UK and other parts of the world. A person who holds a black belt in any of the martial arts is considered to be at the pinnacle of their abilities, and indeed, in Japan, black is the color of wisdom, experience, and maturity. In this instance, black is a color of perfection, an idea shared by the Cathars who also saw black as a symbol of completion and purity.
Black is a secretive, mysterious color and used as such in rite and ritual. A polished black mirror provides a perfect, glossy surface for scrying or seeing into the future.
Other meanings associated with the color black:
- The phrase “black tie” refers to a formal event or dress code.
- The saying “pitch black” references no light or no visibility.
- The term “black-hearted” describes an evil person.
- The expression “blackwash” is to bring things out in the open.
- The phrase “in the black” refers to having money or profiting and doing well in business.
- A “black box” refers to any complex piece of equipment, typically a unit in an electronic system, with contents that are mysterious to the user.
- A “black eye” is damage to an eye, including bruising and discoloration, or damage to one’s reputation.
- The expression “men in black” refer to government agents.
- A “blacklist” is a list of people or organizations to boycott, avoid, or punish.
- The term “blackguard” is used to reference a bad guy or a scoundrel.
- The word “blackmail” refers to obtaining something by threat.
- The word “blackout” means a loss of electricity, loss of visibility, turning out the lights, loss of consciousness, or the act of erasing or deleting something.
- The phrase “black market” refers to the illegal trade of goods or money.
- A “black hole” is a region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape. and can also refer to a place where people or things, especially money, disappear without trace.
- A “black-hat” is a hacker who “violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain”.
Collected from various sources
Violet
Symbolic Meanings of the Color Violet:
- Knowledge and Intelligence
- Piety
- Sobriety
- Humility
- Temperance
- Peace and Spirituality
The color violet has long been associated with spirituality. Having the highest frequency in the visible spectrum, violet is at the point of transition to the next octave of light. To the ancients, this transcendental color was a spiritual rather than a physical phenomenon.
There are many shades of violet ranging from ethereal pale shades through to the darker mauve, considered the only color acceptable as a relief from the relentless strict mourning convention of black and gray in Victorian times.
The humble qualities of violet as a color come from the flower. The tiny violet grows close to the ground, hidden modestly in among the grass, yet noticeable because of its striking color.
Violet is often worn by people predisposed toward psychic matters, and is the perfect symbol of the “higher” mind, combining as it does the earthy, fieriness of red with the cool reasonableness of blue to forge an entirely different hue. It is the association with the Crown Chakra, which is located at the crown position at the top of the head, that gives violet the power to connect with the world of spirit.
Violet is a combination of red and blue, and its association with temperance is indicated in some Tarot suits. Temperance is the 14th card of the Major Arcana and is depicted by a woman holding a jug or vase in either hand, one red, one blue, pouring a clear liquid from one to the other.
If you find the distinctions between Violet, Purple, and Magenta confusing, this graphic should help:
Collected from various sources.
Horizontal Line
The opposite of the vertical line, the horizontal line represents matter, and the forward and backward movement of time. This line also signifies the skyline or horizon and man’s place on the Earth.
There’s something about a horizontal line in an image that conveys a message of ‘stability’ or even ‘rest’. Horizons, fallen trees, oceans, sleeping people – all of these subjects have something about them that speaks either of permanency and timelessness or rest.
Horizons are the most common horizontal line to be found in photographs and they often act as a dividing point in a photograph – in effect an anchor that the rest of the image is formed around.
Collected from various sources
Vertical Line
A line is a dot that went for a walk.
~Paul Klee
Man, alone in the animal kingdom, stands upright, so the vertical line represents the physical symbol of the number One, man striving toward Spirit.
This simple line is the basic shape of the World Tree or Axis Mundi that connects the Heavens, the Earth and the lower regions. It is not only a basic phallic symbol but also signifies the soul that strives for union with the Divine.
The upright line tells us where we are at a precise moment; think of the big hand of the clock, vertically oriented at 12 o’clock.
The Arc
Perhaps the most prominent arc of the natural world appears in the elusive form of the rainbow, which primitive man saw as a bridge between the Heavens and the Earth.
As part of a circle, the arc symbolizes potential spirit. The position of the arc is important. Upright, shaped like a cup or chalice, it implies the feminine principle, something that can contain the spirit. If the arc is inverted, then the opposite is true and it becomes a triumphal, victorious, masculine symbol. As such, the arc can take the form of an archway. The vaulted or arched shape of many holy buildings, from a great variety of different faiths, represents the vault of the Heavens.
The arc shape often appears in planetary symbols.
From: Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols
The Circle
… the power of the world always works in circles …
~Black Elk
Effectively an expansion of the dot, the circle represents the spirit and the cosmos. Further, the circle itself is constructed from “some thing” (the unbroken line) and “no thing” (the space inside and outside this line). Therefore the circle unifies spirit and matter. The structure itself has great strength – think of the cylindrical shape of a lighthouse, built that way in order to withstand the fiercest attack by a stormy sea.
The physical and spiritual strength of this symbol are there because the perfect circle has no beginning and no end; it is unassailable. This power is why the circle is used in magickal practices such as spell-casting. The magick circle creates a fortress of psychic protection, a physical and spiritual safe haven where unwanted or uninvited entities cannot enter.
Hermes Trismegistus said of the circle:
God is a circle whose center is everywhere
and circumference is nowhere.
Where would ancient man have seen the most important circles? Obviously, in the Sun and the Moon. As the Sun, the circle is masculine, but when it is the Moon, it is feminine. Because the passage of time is marked by the journey of the Sun, Moon and stars in orbit around our Earth, the circle is a symbol of the passage of time. In this form, it commonly appears as the wheel.
Because the circle has no divisions and no sides, it is also a symbol of equality. King Arthur’s Round Table was the perfect piece of furniture for the fellowship of Knights who were each as important as each other. Similarly, the Dalai Lama has a “circular” Council.
Source: Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols
A Dot
A noted lecturer once presented his audience with a white sheet of paper that had a black dot in the center. He asked the crowd what they saw. Without exception they responded, A black dot.
He asked: “Why do you choose to focus on the insignificant speck of black in the middle of a page, when its overwhelming majority contains white space?”
Interesting, isn’t it?
A dot might seem to be an unassuming little thing, the first mark on the pristine sheet of paper. In this case, the dot is a beginning. But see what just happened there? The dot, an essential component in the structure of the sentence, closed it, making it a symbol of ending. Therefore, the dot is both an origination and a conclusion, encompassing all the possibilities of the Universe within it, a seed full of potential and a symbol of the Supreme Being. The dot is the point of creation, for example, the place where the arms of the cross intersect.
The dot is also called the bindi, which means “drop.” The bindi is a symbol of the Absolute, marked on the forehead at the position of the third eye in the place believed to be the seat of the soul.
The presence of dots within a symbol can signify the presence of something else. A dot in the center of the Star of David marks the quintessence, or Fifth Element. It also acts as reminder of the concept of space. The decorated dots that surround the doorways of Eastern temples are not merely ornamental devices but have significance relevant to the worshipers. Dots frequently appear in this way, acting as a sort of shorthand for the tenets of a faith.
In the Jain symbol, for example, the dots stand for the Three Jewels of Jainism. The dots in each half of the yin yang symbol unify the two halves: one dot is “yin,” the other “yang.” Together they demonstrate the interdependence of opposing forces.
Source: Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols
Space
It’s a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as well as fundamental spaciousness. ~Pema Chodron
The elements of a symbol are defined only by the space that is a part of its construction. Like the wind, the effect of space is gauged by its effect on the things within it,or surrounding it. The concept of space, the void, is a profound part of our experience. To reach a state of “emptiness” is, for many, the ultimate spiritual experience and a way of connecting to the Absolute.
When John Lennon wrote “imagine,” whose lyrics gradually strip away the trappings of the material world, it was this idea that inspired him.
To be aware of the possibility of space within a flat, two-dimensional representation is to give that shape substance and a new kind of reality that lifts it off the page and makes it real. Space is not flat and cannot be confined by lines on a piece of paper. The page and the shape on it do not exist in isolation, but are a part of a greater cosmos. This web page and you, the reader, are a part of this equation.
The concept of zero is a space. Indeed, the realization that “nothing” can be “something” marked a profound leap forward in man’s development. All creation myths begin with a Void, symbolic of potential.
Although attempts to explain the concept of space are inevitably faulty, it might help to think of a blank page. Before a mark is made upon the paper, the potential for what might appear there is so vast as to be unimaginable, a consideration which causes consternation for some artists and writers. Without this space, there is no arena for anything else to exist. The absence of any thing means that no thing is the most important symbol in the World.
Source: Encyclopedia of Secret Symbols and Signs
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