by A. T. Mann

The most interesting and logical manner of color attribution is to correlate the succession of colors of the spectrum from red to violet to the 12 signs of the zodiac from Aries to Pieces. The correspondences satisfy ancient instinctive qualities and, in addition, are accurate in regard to planetary significance. The specific coloration used in the Mandala Astrological Tarot is the King Scale of color, which utilizes the following attributions:

Zodiac Sign	Colors	Ruling Planet
Aries	Red	Mars
Taurus	Red-Orange
Gemini	Orange	Mercury
Cancer	Yellow-Orange
Leo	Yellow	Sun
Virgo	Yellow-Green
Libra	Green	Venus
Scorpio	Blue-Green
Sagittarius	Blue	Jupiter
Capricorn	Indigo
Aquarius	Violet	Saturn
Pisces	Red-Violet

The last sign, Pisces, completes the zodiacal circle, so red-violet makes the transition back to the beginning of the spectrum. The planets which rule the positive Fire and Air signs correlate with their appropriate signs, although the Sun and Mercury switch places -- the Sun is more usually attributed to either orange or gold and Mercury to yellow, but they are never more than one sign apart in the sky. Through the King Scale the gradation of colors corresponds to the gradual process of humanization, abstraction and civilization to which the successive zodiac signs refer as well. The primal and animalistic red gradually vibrates much more slowly than the finer violet. Green is the central color of balance, midway through the spectrum as its counterpart Libra is the intermediary zodiac sign.

Wrapping the spectrum around the zodiac circle pays unexpected dividends which are aesthetically pleasing, mathematically satisfactory and magical. Magic in its truest sense is the evocation of the reality behind appearances. Each primary color has an isomorphic opposite, and these pairs are positioned opposite each other around the circle, so that opposite signs have opposite colors. Thus the instinctive and aggressive red of Aries and its ruling planet Mars is in opposition to and complements the sedate green of Libra and its ruling planet Venus. The energy of the life principle expressed in the orange of Gemini is in opposition to the reasoned and philosophical meditative calm of Sagittarius and its ruling planet Jupiter. The fiery and egocentric creativity of yellow Leo and its ruling planet the Sun is opposite the detached, abstract and spiritual violet of Aquarius and its ruling planet Saturn.

The Mandala Astrological Tarot uses the King Scale to bring the color representation of the Court Cards and the Minor Arcana into correspondence with the much more elaborate and complex Major Arcana. The 12 Kings, Queens and Princes have backgrounds colored to correspond to their appropriate astrological signs: when they are placed around a circle in their correct zodiacal order, they illustrated the complete color spectrum in the circle.
The Minor Arcana cards correlate with thirds of each sign, the decanates, and are colored according to the sign and planet acting in the sign. The central circle is the color of the sign, and the outer ring is the color of the ruling planet of the decanate. For example, the Sword Nine corresponds to the second decanate of Gemini, ruled by Venus, therefore the central circle of the card is the orange of Gemini surrounded by the green of Venus. When complex reading layouts are used, this system makes it easy to see which cards are related to each other.

*This material is excerpted from the book, The Mandala Astrological Tarot by A.T. Mann.