Color Symbolism
Blue
Symbolic meanings of the color Blue:
- Truth and the Intellect
- Wisdom
- Loyalty
- Chastity
- Peace
- Piety and Contemplation
- Spirituality
- Eternity
Blue is the color of the Heavens and is related to the fifth Chakra. Blue is traditionally worn by the Virgin Mary, the very embodiment of all the qualities described above. Whereas the reds, oranges and yellows carry with them a carnival atmosphere, blue is more sober, even somber despite its many variations.
If we’re “feeling blue” then we’re depressed or melancholy. And yet the bluebird is a universal symbol for happiness. The color has even given its name to a rich vein of music. The “blues” actually refers to “blue notes.” These are notes, either sung or played, that are pitched down a little for expressive purposes. An example is Billie Holiday’s heartbreaking rendition of “Strange Fruit.”
There’s something cool and detached about blue that gives rise to its reputation for spirituality and chastity. Above all blue is the color of the sky. Like the sky, blue is infinitely spacious. It contains everything, and yet contains nothing. The color is therefore associated with ideas of eternity.
In Jewish tradition the city of Luz, where the Immortals live, is also called The Blue City. Similarly, the mythical sacred mountain of the Hindus, Mount Meru, is constructed entirely of sapphire on its southern face and it’s this that is said to tinge the skies with blue.
To put any color out of context can have an alienating and often frightening effect. Knowing this, early British warriors daubed themselves in woad. These blue-skinned savages must have been an alarming sight for Roman soldiers.
To do something “once in a blue moon” is to do it very rarely. The phrase refers to the appearance of a second full moon within a calendar month, which actually happens about every thirty-two months.
Members of the aristocracy or the royalty are described as having “blue blood,” but why? The phrase originated with the Spanish, sangre azul, and refers to the pale-skinned Castilian ruling classes who prided themselves on never having interbred with darker-skinned races. Therefore, their blue veinous blood was plainly visible underneath the surface of their skin. There’s even a particular shade of blue that is meant to represent this color, called Royal Blue.
Blue is one aspect of the Hindu legend of Krishna that has remain unchanged through time and geography. We look at what this “blue magic” is all about, and why even Krishna’s sworn enemies were irresistibly drawn to it.
Blue is the color of all-inclusiveness. You will see in the existence, anything that is vast and beyond your perception generally tends to be blue, whether it is the ocean or the sky. Anything which is larger than your perception tends to be blue because blue is the basis of all-inclusiveness. It is based on this that so many gods in India are shown as blue-skinned. Shiva has a blue skin, Krishna has a blue skin, Rama has a blue skin. It is not that their skin was blue. They were referred to as blue gods because they had a blue aura.
Other meanings associated with the color blue:
- Navy blue and white, when used together, often represents sailing, and sailors.
- The saying “out of the blue” is used in reference to something unexpected.
- The expression “singing the blues” references a person who is complaining about their circumstances.
- The phrase “true blue” stands for someone who is loyal, trustworthy, and faithful.
- The saying “baby blues” is used to describe the sadness that women feel after giving birth. It is often used in reference to post-partum depression.
- A “blue ribbon” represents the best, first place, top prize, or number one.
- The expression “into the blue” means entering the unknown or uncertainty, not knowing what you’re walking into.
- The phrase “blue Monday” means feeling sad, often the feelings experienced when the weekend is over and the workweek begins.
- The term “blue laws” refers to laws that were originally passed to enforce specific moral standards.
- The saying “blue language” refers to using profanity.
- The “Bluebook” is known as a register of people of significance in social standing. Later, the term Bluebook was adapted by the car industry as the name of the registry listing vehicle values.
Collected from various sources
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.
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