Colours

Tarot Patchwork

COLOURS

COLOUR	SYMBOLISM
Black	Black represents nothingness and chaos. Symbolically the colour of mourning and Death. Black is also the colour of mysteries, the night, the intuition, the unknown, the primitive instincts and the unconscious. In Christianity, black is seen as the colour of renunciation of the vanities of the world (black being traditionally the colour of the devil and temptation), hence the black cloak of priests and nuns. In ancient Egypt, black was seen as the colour of fertility because it was associated with the womb of mother earth. Black is also linked with evil or what Jung calls our dark shadow. Black represents horribleness and disaster, we used terms like black magic, blackmail, black market, etc to emphasise the ideas of forbidden deeds or evilness. The Devil card in the Rider Waite is depicted with a black sky emphasising the idea of chaos and evil, notice the couple chained as they have surrendered their free will to the Devil. Another card, The Tower talks about chaos and disaster with a menacing black sky and lightning destroying the ego. The colour black is also connected with the promise of renewal of life, hence the Death card with its skeleton wearing a black armour and holding a black banner, promising a new beginning after total destruction of the ego.
Blue	The colour associated with the sky and the oceans. Blue is the ideal colour to help meditation, dreams and for healing. A room painted with blue walls will calm and soothe the mind encouraging relaxation and releasing stress. For this reason, blue is the perfect colour for bedrooms to enhance good sleep and dreams. Blue is the colour of purity and "the blue blood line" in French history talks about the royal connection with the heavens. It was believed that the King was the representation of God on earth and because of the "purity" of his blood (by being born in the Royal family within the sanctity of marriage), the King was considered pure and divine. Another hint that blue is connected with spirituality, wisdom and the heavens is found in the Christian iconography. The Virgin Mary is often represented with a blue veil and white dress, as she is the mother of the son of God (Blue veil: the connection to heaven) and she is pure (white dress). In the Rider Waite Tarot, the High Priestess card bears a resemblance with the Virgin Mary as she wears a blue veil (symbol of her wisdom) on a white dress (showing her purity as she is the guardian of truth).
Brown	Traditionally the colour of earth and soil. Dead leaves, autumn and melancholy are associated with the colour brown. To Christians, brown was seen as the colour of humility and poverty, hence the brown cloak of monks. Brown is also the colour of grounding, stability and nourishment. In the Rider Waite Tarot, the Queen of Pentacles sits on a brownish throne and a brown hare hops on the grass. The colours are autumnal as the Queen of Pentacles talks about stability and the harvest of practical efforts.
Green	Green is regarded as the colour of hope, longevity, strength and eternal youth. In modern times, green is traditionally the colour of the pharmacists (a link to the natural world and the power of plants to heal), the environmentalists and the green parties (protection of mother earth). During the middle ages, green was seen as the colour of madness and evil, and green beverages were seen as the drink of the Fools. This belief continued during into nineteenth century France with the infamous Absinthe also called "La liqueur des Fous" (the liquor of the Fools). It was believed that a green fairy lived in the bottle and had the power to take away sanity. Famous artists became intoxicated with the beverage and lost their sanity, like Vincent Van Gogh who cut off his own ear under the influence of Absinthe and the poet Paul Verlaine who shot his lover, the well known poet Arthur Rimbaud in his hand while drunk with Absinthe. Green is also the colour of harmony, balance and tranquility and a green room can help inspiration and creative expression. In the Rider Waite Tarot, the Fool wears a green tunic and a green crown suggesting his inspiration and hope to discover the world and showing his youthful nature. The Hanged Man wears a green garment to help him to find inner balance and tranquility before his next move.
Grey	A mix of black and white, grey is the colour for the balance of opposites (Male female, Yin and yang etc). Grey is also the colour for melancholy, boredom, sadness, hibernation and wisdom. Grey is associated with the resurrection of Christ, as Jesus is often depicted wearing a grey cloak. Grey is also the colour of neutrality, the ashes, the mist and stones. In the Rider Waite Tarot, the Hermit wears a grey cloak emphasising the idea of voluntary renunciation of the world (black) and the search for truth (white) by being neutral (grey). Another card has a grey theme: Judgemental. The dead bodies rising from their graves are grey, meaning that the feminine and masculine principle of life has been integrated and that they have reached their full potential. Rebirth and the start of a new chapter is the meaning of the Judgemental card, bringing us back to the grey symbolism of Christ's cloak: resurrection.
Orange	Orange is a blend of yellow and red. This colour is connected to Autumn, freedom of movement, creativity, sociability, self expression, joy, fun and sexual satisfaction. Orange is also considered as the colour of divine love hence the saffron colour of the Buddhist monks. In the Rider Waite Tarot, the Wheel of Fortune card depicts an orange Anubis holding on his back an orange wheel. The God Anubis was thought to guide the souls of the departed to the hall of Judgment to encounter Ma'at, the goddess of justice and truth. As the wheel turns and so the cycle of life, humans will encounter the divine love after death, hence the orange god and wheel. The Sun card in the Rider Waite Tarot shows a naked child holding an orange banner, emphasising the idea of creative energy and a burst of freedom and self expression. The idea of sexual energy is found in The Empress (orange cushion to support the Empress as she is pregnant: the result of sexual activity). The card Strength bears an orange lion which represents the animal instincts being under control and II of Cups has an orange winged lion which represents sexuality coupled with spirituality which in turn stands for love.
Pink	Pink is a blend of red and white. It is the colour of feminine principle and procreation. For that reason, pink is the traditional colour for baby girls. Pink also stands for innocence, romanticism and love. The Page of Cups in the Rider Waite Tarot wears a tunic with pink lilies which enhances the idea of fertility and romance, as this Page is sensitive and has a fertile imagination. Another page wears a pink tunic, the Page of Swords, as he is innocent with his views of the world to the point of idealism. The idea of procreation and love is found in the X of Cups, with a family dancing beneath a pink and gold rainbow.
Purple	The colour of spirituality, mysticism, religion, intuition and temperance. Purple is also the colour of spiritual leadership, alchemy and wisdom. It is the colour of secrecy and the mystery of reincarnation or transformation. For that reason, Archbishops and high ranked priests of the Catholic church wear purple and white robe as a reminiscence of Christ's passion. In Western societies, purple became the colour of half mourning (with black) and consequently the colour of death as a phase before the last judgment Interestingly, the Death card from the Morgan Greer Tarot shows a skeleton wearing a black cloak with purple lining. Although in the Rider Waite Tarot, the Temperance card does not show any purple colour, one can argue that the iris flowers depicted should be blue/purple. However in the Tarot de Marseille, the same card depict an angel pouring water from a blue cup onto a red one, giving a subtle hint of purple (when those two colours are mixed) and therefore emphasising the notion of harmony, balance and transformation. The card Justice in the Rider Waite depicts a woman sitting between two pillars with a purple veil. The purple veil reminds us of the wisdom and clear vision one need to have in order to make the right decisions in life. Another card which uses the colour purple in the Rider Waite is the World, with a dancer wrapped in a purple scarf. This time purple is use as the colour of spirituality being reunited with materialism. Consequently wisdom has been reached and completion of a cycle has been undertaken and spiritual enlightenment has occurred, all themes of the colour purple.
Red	The colour red can be seen as the basic principle of life, the colour of blood, danger, libido and lust (the infamous red light district of Amsterdam for instance), passion (a single red rose being the ultimate symbol of love), hidden knowledge, the heart and fire. Red stimulates the pulse rate. Red is also the colour of power, aggression, war, strength, vitality and youth. Red with a hint of purple was seen as the colour of imperial power and was used to identify generals; nobles in the Ancient Rome and the colour wore by the Byzantines Emperors. In China, brides wear a red dress as it is the traditional colour for marriage and birth (consequently the beginning of a new life). In the Rider Waite Tarot, the Magician wears a red tunic to emphasise his strength, self assertiveness and creative energies. On the other hand, the red tunic wore by the Hierophant remind us of yet another meaning of the colour red: hidden knowledge. The Hierophant represents guidance and direction given to humanity on the spiritual level. Whilst the armour beneath the red garment wore by the Emperor strongly point towards his power and his ability to defend himself and his kingdom if needed. The Emperor is the ultimate symbol of authority and power both attributes of the colour red. The III of Swords bears a red heart pierced by three swords. The red heart represents the strength and courage one will need to overcome pain and sorrow.
White	White is absolute as it represents the absence of colour or the sum of all colours. It is the colour of purity, unity and illumination, rebirth and initiation, innocence, knowledge and revelation and peace White is also the colour of rites and the passage from one status to another. For example the white dress of a bride talks not only about purity (until recently in Western societies, a bride had to be a virgin and therefore being pure) but also of the passage of single status into a married one. White is the colour of shrouds, ghosts and death (in some countries white is the colour of mourning: the passage from life to death before rebirth). White as the colour of initiation, enlightenment and revelation is found in the Christian faith with the white dress wore during communion. Whilst in the Celtic tradition, priests wore a white robe as a symbol of their holiness and wisdom. The Death card in the Rider Waite Tarot shows a skeleton riding a white horse. The white beast symbolises both purity and nothingness and carry the meaning of renewal and rebirth, both themes of the Death card. Whilst the white robe and white wand of the Magician card in the Rider Waite Tarot symbolises the divine inspiration the young man is receiving from above. The white dress worn by the young maid in the Strength card stands for the purity of her intentions in confronting the lion, as she believes in the divine to protect her. However the white dress of the High Priestess reveals that she has been initiated into the mysteries of life, as she is the guardian of eternal law and wisdom.
Yellow	Colour traditionally allocated to the sun, gold and light. It is also the colour of confidence, optimism, joy and the intellect. Yellow clarifies the thoughts and lifts the spirit. The Fool in the Rider Waite Tarot walks on a cliff behind a yellow sky, reinforcing the idea of optimism, one of the meanings of this card. Whilst the yellow sky in the Magician card talks about his confidence and his focused energies to bring his dreams into reality. The same theme is found in the Chariot card. The yellow sky behind the charioteer emphasises the idea of determination using the mind over the emotions in order to be successful. The yellow sun found in the Sun card reinforces the theme of the card regarding joy and confidence.

Tarot Patchwork