colours & astrology

8/13/2019 Colours & Astrology

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Everybody loves a list, and astrologers are no exception. Even Jeff Mayo could not resistending his book The Planets and Human ehaviour !ith nineteen pages of traditional

associations, including planetary colours. "or, of course, could he resist distancing

himself from such apparent frivolities#

$The follo!ing list of colours associated !ith the %un, Moon and planets has not beencompiled for the purpose of satisfying the curiosity of any reader !hose interest in

astrology is still on the fortune&telling level, but as a straightfor!ard presentation ofevidence as to ho! confused and nonsensical many astrologers past and present can be in

their applications of astrology. $

't first glance, this scepticism may seem (ustified. )enus, for example, has been

associated !ith the colours blue, green, yello!, and !hite* Taurus, !ith all of these, plus

orange and bro!n. %ome attributions may indeed be nonsense, and others may havearisen from a confusion of the colours of the planets !ith those of their signs, but behind

the apparent confusion and nonsense + believe !e can find pattern and reason.

The first point to grasp is the distinction bet!een colours as transmitters of astrologicalinfluences, and astrological factors as significators of colours. These sound the same, but

they are not. +n the first case, !e have colour used for its effect on man. Thus the colour

therapist, interior designer, and magician all use red to produce a sense energy and!armth# to produce a Martian effect. +n the second case, Mars as a significator, usually in

a horary chart, is interpreted as referring to an ob(ect or person characterised by the

colour red. +n these t!o examples the euation of red and Mars !orks both !ays, but thatis not al!ays the case.

The "ature of -olour

%chool textbooks inform us that colour is produced by the !avelength of light# the lightat the blue end of the spectrum has a shorter !avelength than that at the red end. This is

actually a half&truth, since the eye cannot assign incoming light to a !avelength. +nstead

it has three types of receptors !ith their maximum sensitivity at the ends and middle ofthe range of visible light# blue, green, and red. 's oethe claimed, in opposition to the



teachings of "e!ton, colour perception is a matter for the mind, not the eye. This !as

proved by Ed!in /and 0inventor of the Polaroid camera1 !ho sho!ed that !e could see a

full range of colours !hen presented !ith a picture of a landscape pro(ected !ith red andyello! lights alone. +n that experiment, all the receptors are stimulated to some extent,

even though no blue light is actually received* the vie!er therefore interprets the picture

as fully polychrome on the basis of !hat it depicts.

This initial analysis into blue, green, and red means that other colours can be produced by

mixing these three primaries. 2igure 3 sho!s the mixing of light. 2rom any t!o of the primaries !e obtain a secondary & yello!, magenta 0crimson1, or cyan 0turuoise1* from

all three !e get !hite light. 2igure 4 sho!s the mixing of opaue pigments. 5ed paint is

red because it absorbs most green and blue light and so reflects mostly red* blue paint is

blue because it absorbs most red and green. +f the t!o are mixed, the result !ill absorbalmost all green and the reflected light !ill be a mixture of red and blue# purple. +n other

!ords, mixing lights is additive & all the components are seen & but mixing pigments is

subtractive & it lessens the amount of light reflected. 2or transparent pigments, such as

printers6 ink, the primaries are the same as the secondaries for light, and vice versa.

The complement of a colour is its opposite in the diagram. That of a primary colour !ill be a mixture of the t!o other primaries# the additive complement of red is cyan, the

subtractive complement is green. The complement of a secondary !ill be the primary not

involved in its composition. Mixing complementary lights !ill produce !hite, as all three primaries !ill be present. ' mixture of complementary pigments !ill produce something

approaching black# either of the neutral colours, grey or bro!n. +f you stare at a bright

colour for a time and then look at a !hite surface, you !ill see an after&image, !hich !ill

be the subtractive complement.

-olour and Man

-olours, unlike other symbols, speak directly to our perception and so tend to have

similar associations in different cultures. Thus the association of red !ith both vitalityand danger may be found in ancient Egypt as !ell as in the modern !orld. %imilarly,

although devotees of political correctness have deplored the expression $black magic$ as

racist, the association of evil magic and the colour black is as common in 'frica as in

Europe# the symbolism refers to the dangers and mysteries of the night.



The basic contrast is bet!een !arm and cool colours. The !arm are yello!, red,

magenta, and bro!n* the cool are violet, blue, green, and grey. 7arm colours are

stimulating, cool ones calming. The effect is not purely psychological# red light increases blood pressure and blue decreases it, even if the sub(ect is blindfold.

'pplications of -olour

The simplest application of the effects of colour is in designing interiors !hose schemesof decoration !ill be appropriate to the activity to be carried out in them. This has al!ays

been done to some extent, but the systematic study of colour effects in this context !as

pioneered by 5udolf %teiner for the design of his schools.

'nother use is in colour therapy# the patient is exposed to coloured lights, or even (ust

asked to visualise a colour. %election of the appropriate colour is usually based on the

patient6s colour preferences or psychometry, but astrological diagnosis is an obvious

possibility. Treatment of physical problems, particularly chronic ones, is possible as !ellas psychological therapy.

-olour therapy resembles the practice of the 5enascence philosopher Marsilio 2icino,

!ho countered adverse astrological influences by attracting favourable ones !ith sights,

sounds, smells, and tastes appropriate to them. This is, of course, an example of magic, afield in !hich colour has al!ays been important. +t has been said that magic is to

metaphysics as engineering is to physics. "o! metaphysics is concerned !ith ideas, and

it is ideas and symbols !hich constitute the tools !ith !hich magicians produce their

effects. 2or example, !hen a magician handles a knife in a ritual associated !ith theelement air, this is to concentrate the mind on the true operation !hich is being carried

out on an inner plane* this is achieved because the knife itself, the yello! !hich its hilt

has been coloured, and the sigils and names dra!n upon it, all symbolise air. %imilarly, in path& !orking & the clairvoyant exploration of the inner !orld along the paths of the Tree

of /ife & the colours seen, along !ith other symbols, !ill confirm by their appropriateness

that the explorer is on the right track.lack is formal, conventional, and dignified. +n ancient Egypt, it symbolised night, death,

and magic* it !as the opposite of green, the colour of life.

7hite is precise, critical, and sincere. +n Egypt, it symbolised purity, femininity, and the

Moon, contrasting !ith the masculine red.

5ed is active, daring, passionate, and optimistic. +t enhances alertness and encourages

activity. oethe held red to be the most intense colour, the furthest from both black and!hite, and it is note!orthy that those languages !hich only have !ords for three basic

colours al!ays select black, !hite, and red. +n Egypt, red symbolised masculinity, life,

and !armth, but also danger. +t !as the opposite of the feminine !hite# this can be seen

in Egyptian art, !here the !omen are !hite and the men bro!n 0!hich !as considered a



shade of red1. Pink is milder and more affectionate than red, feminine rather than

masculine* it is good for comfort and healing.

8range is more ambitious and self& sufficient than red, and lacks its !armth* it has the

intelligence of yello! !ithout its loftiness. +t is used therapeutically to bring (oy and healgrief.

9ello! is intellectual and communicative. +t is used to produce detachment and reduce

depression. oethe observed that yello! !as the most positive of colours, the opposite of

blue, and the closest to pure light. +n Egypt, it symbolised the %un.

reen is healing, sympathetic, steadfast, and restrained. +n the environment, it reduces

stress and movement. oethe observed that green is soothing because it balances the

positive yello! and the negative blue. +n Egypt, green symbolised life, gro!th, andrebirth* it !as opposed to black, the colour of death.

-yan 0or turuoise1 combines the effects of green and blue. +t is charming but self&

absorbed* it enhances self&confidence, calms and refreshes.

lue is idealistic, rational, honest, and tranuil. oethe observed blue to be the most

negative colour, the closest colour to black. Many languages do not distinguish bet!een blue and green# in Egypt, light blue !as considered green and dark blue, black. /ight blue

is more spiritual, dark blue more sociable.

Purple 0or violet1 is grand, idealistic, and sensitive, but may lack self& criticism and

maturity. oethe considered this to be a disturbing colour, balanced uncertainly bet!eenthe positive red and the negative blue. +n most languages, violet is called blue# $roses are

red, violets are blue$. /avender is lighter and more feminine, conveying dignity and

encouraging reflection.

Magenta 0or crimson1 is less aggressive and more spiritual than red, more practical than

purple. +t is optimistic, volatile, and affectionate, producing feelings of contentment andself&respect.

ro!n is the !arm neutral colour* many languages identify it !ith red. +t is practical,

earthy, obstinate, and conscientious.



rey is the cold neutral colour* many languages identify it !ith blue or green. +t is

calming, but may convey uncertainty and lack of commitment* silver is nobler and more

spiritual.

-olours symbolised 'strologically

/ists of colours to indicate clothing and ob(ects signified in horary charts are given bymost medieval astrologers. These lists are based on an older tradition, since )alens gave

one for the planets. The assignments are presumably based on the impressions !hich the

items !ould make and conseuently there are many overlaps, the choice often depending

on shade and texture. Thus Marsilio 2icino suggested that rich shades of purple areassociated !ith Jupiter and the %un, pale ones !ith )enus and the Moon. Practical

considerations are also involved# blue !as listed infreuently, since good blue dye !as

expensive, and the colours also had to reflect the fashions of the times. +t is hardly

surprising that such lists sho! variations & they need to be !orked out afresh for everygeneration and nation. Modern astrologers, such as %epharial, have continued to devise

them, usually in connection !ith attempts to predict the !inning o!ner6s colours in ahorse race:

P+-'T5+; '/+5<"+ +" E=5' /+//9 %EPH'5+'/

Moon orange>

yello!

blue

orange>

yello!

green

!hite

green

orange >

yello!!hite

green

orange >

yello!!hite

Mercury blue purplemixed

bluegrey

mixed

bluegrey

pink yello!

)enus /ight blue

light green

!hite

yello!

light green light blue

light green!hite

light blue

light green

%un yello! orange red yello!

red purple

orange

Mars red red red red red

Jupiter green bro!n

!hite

green purple

%aturn black> dark black> dark black> dark !hite > pale >

ashy > black >

dark

black> dark

'5+E% red

yello!

!hite !hite



T'<5<% green !hite

bro!n

green yello!

!hite

light blue

EM+"+ yello!ish

green

yello!ish

green

mixed !hite red light blue

-'"-E5 !hite grey grey !hite grey green

bro!n

green

/E8 yello!

bro!nred

pink yello!

bro!n

green

red

orange

)+58 crimson

!hite

yello! purple

!hite

blue green

/+5' purple

green grey

grey green grey black >

bro!n

yello!

%-85P+8 red

grey

red red grey

green

bro!n red black

%'+TT'5+<% red

grey

red red yello!

grey

yello!

green

purple

-'P5+-85" greensih

blue

red black

black

!hite

bro!n

black

!hite

'?<'5+<% greenyello!

grey

bluegreen

yello!

greenyello!

grey

blue blue

P+%-E% green

!hite

!hite green

!hite

!hite !hite

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