Working with Colours: White

Wisdom Teachings
Working with Colours

The entire creation is the work of light and sound. Everything we see is only a symbolic representation of consciousness. If we realize this, we get more and more in touch with the consciousness, and not so much with the forms. Some forms are more appealing than others. Snow-covered mountains, a white lotus, a white dove or a white horse, everything white is attractive because the indwelling soul is of a resplendent white colour. We instinctively feel attracted to such forms because in them the consciousness is more abundant. We also feel deeply attracted to certain people.

To contemplate on a white form like a white lotus or the shining eyes of an initiate helps us to unfold the awareness. The purpose of chanting the Gayatri is also to visualize the light as brilliant as possible. With the Gayatri we can, for example, visualize how a ray of white light descends to us. It touches a lotus in our brow centre that slowly opens like a bud, and the lotus shines in white light.

The soul light has taken on clothes of colour and form. The light is the true appearance; colour and form are veils concealing the original state. The resplendent white colour which we meditate on is the light of consciousness. The pure consciousness without thoughts is the pure white light which is what we are in our essence. This pure light has emerged from a source called existence. Therefore, God is also called as pure existence. From existence the light emerges, from light the thought emerges, and from thought the action emerges. The white light is the basis of all colours and forms. According to the Bible, God said at the beginning of creation, “Let there be light.”

As long as the radiant light remains unexpressed, it is unlimited. Once it is expressed, it is limited as form, colour, vibration, sound, etc. This limitation is an essential limitation for the creation. The invisible primordial light is expressed through the Sun as a globe of light. The light itself has no form and is beyond colour but it is expressed as white and then as seven other colours.

Creation itself emerges from this primordial light. In the Vedas it is also called Aditi or the white light. It is the basis for all subsequent manifestations or appearances. This diamond light of the Mother of the World refers to the causal existence. It is related to our causal body, the diamond body, which is connected to the fifth initiation. In Sri Suktam this light is called ‘Hiranya Suvarna'. The first hymn of the Sri Suktam requests the fire that the subtle and the causal bodies may manifest in us. The causal body is the vehicle of the soul light. In Sanskrit, this body is called the ‘Karana Sarira'. It is also called the Temple of Solomon or the radiant white robe, to which Master Jesus refers. There are so many names for one and the same thing. We have to rise to the level where the wisdom is understood, and not bring the teachings down to the level of our understanding.

Just like all colours come out of the white light and find their synthesis in it, we also have to rise to the soul where there is the synthesis of the white light. Each personality is like a prism that causes the refraction of the white ray. Depending on the type of personality the colour variations differ. Dense matter makes the colour appear dark. A selfish personality only shines faintly. With a luminous personality we are not so self-centred. When we refine our personality and orient to the soul, the ray shines through the body without obstacles, and we can unfold our full potential.

If the personality Karma is neutralized, the soul can attain the super-soul and remain connected to the light. The initiate becomes the light. He knows how this light can work through his body without being distorted by the prism of personality. His personality shines like the white light and the initiate gives through it the touch of the soul. The transparent personality is therefore also called as the white robe, or the white dragon. It helps to restore the Divine Plan on earth. The impact of the white-robe on the fellow human beings is very great. It magnetizes and uplifts; it enables electric teaching and healing. One day the initiate also takes off the white robe, to be one with the Divine.

Actually white is not a colour but the synthesis of all colours. Depending on the density of matter white appears as a different colour. What we call blue, is nothing but a deep white. Here the matter is in its most refined state. Each of these two colours, taken separately, denote an objective response to the human colour sense. What we call colour is but the effects of colour on the mental plane. Esoterically, violet is white and white is violet. Venus represents all the three shades of light. Venus belongs to those sets of Devas who ‘steal light from heavens to earth’. Venus possesses the vibration of all colours and hence her own colour quality is milk-white. Our sense of colour is different from our sensitivity to light. The sense of colour is governed by Venus while the sensitivity to light is governed by the Sun.

The radiant white light, which is beyond our sense of sight, is also understood as darkness. For this reason, Shiva is described in the scriptures as milk-white and then again as darkness. If we try to understand Shiva, it is darkness. For himself, however, Shiva is milk-white. The representations of Shiva and of other male deities like Krishna visualize them as blue. The Vedic seers called the same Lord as Krishna (Black) Shyam (Blue) and Vittala (White). He is also half male and half female meaning the soli-lunar aspect of the white light.

In the highest realms of consciousness, black is seen as the light that envelops all that is. The black colour is generally not recommended for contemplation. It is only used after certain very deep initiations are undertaken. Only when we are completely out of our mind and out of concepts, certain dimensions of black are revealed. Otherwise, we may get depressed when using black because black can absorb all light.

The white light appears in two tones, as the resplendent white of the sun and as the soothing white of the moon.

Thus, the white emerges in soli-lunar form from the background of darkness. In the symbolic depiction of Gayatri with five visible faces the right face represents the resplendent white light of the Sun and the left face represents the pearl-coloured light of the Moon which is also compared with silver. The pearl-coloured light is beneficial not only for the body, it also calms the mind. The full moon is particularly linked to this light.

The radiant white is also the colour of Saraswathi, the Goddess of the Word and of wisdom. She sits on a resplendent white swan. Saraswathi is a manifestation of THAT; what is invisible manifests through the white colour in seven ways and in seven planes. This is represented by the seven-stringed Vinah which Saraswathi holds in her hands.

The explanations of the ‘Occult Meditations’ describe that we can see golden light in the heart and diamond light in the head. The upper chamber in the head, where the brain is located, is called the ‘cave of the bear' ? of the polar bear or the solar bear. It is white. In the chamber of the heart we find the cave of the lion with the golden colour. We can first establish a relationship with the golden light in the heart. Then we see in the cave of the heart a white ray of light coming from above, and inwardly we turn to the Ajna centre. The golden light is closer to the mundane world whereas the diamond light is much farther away from it. The morning sun appears as golden because it is proximate to the horizon. The more it moves up the whiter it becomes. The more we move up, the whiter the light is. When we have grown further in light, we will see that the colour of our etheric form is blue which is a blind for white.

We should strive to see the light also in the outside. When we close our eyes, we visualize that we are in the heart centre, surrounded by the resplendent light of the boundless sky. At the beginning, we might see a lot of forms of light but the contemplation of the light goes on. Slowly, two things will happen: the Buddhic body or the body of light is formed. At the same time the divinity begins to descend. The light that is in our head descends to our heart centre. This is also called the principle of the Avatar, the descent of divinity. This allows us to experience immortality.

Sources: K.P. Kumar: Occult Meditations / Notes from seminars. Dr. E. Krishnamacharya: Spiritual Astrology. The World Teacher Trust - Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India