by A. T. Mann

The spectrum of colors is a rainbow bridge connecting the spiritual to the physical world. The seven colors appear when light passes through a prism. White contains all the colors of the spectrum and black is the absence of color. On the simplest and most subjective level, the three primary colors red, yellow and blue were seen to represent the qualities of force, intelligence and consciousness. For example, the Hindu god Vishnu is depicted as having blue skin, signifying his holiness and divinity.

Red is hot, lusty, passionate, fiery and is correlated with instinctive actions, warlike attitudes and excessive irrationality, and in medieval times was identified with the inferno and the Devil. Yellow is associated with the Sun as a spiritual source of energy which is life-sustaining, fruitful and good. In the early printed Tarot decks the only colors were red, blue and yellow, and the symbolism was therefore simple to decode. The intermediate colors were given qualities which corresponded with their places in nature, so that, for example, the green of plants was youthful and lush.

Colors were associated with the planets from the earliest of times. The red planet Mars carries warlike energy; the silvery Moon is reflective, illusory and magical; and the ever-changing white-yellow Mercury is rapid, elusive and bright. The greenish morning and evening star Venus holds sway over lovers because the ancients considered the times just after sunset and just before sunrise as the best times to make love. The watery but brilliant Jupiter signified celestial wisdom and the religious impulse, while the violet Saturn was envisioned as icy cold, the master of death. Again, the attributions were primarily subjective and based on observation.

Planet	Colors
The seven major planets correspond to the seven colors of the spectrum.
Sun	Orange and Gold
Moon	Indigo, Silver and White
Mercury	Yellow
Venus	Green
Mars	Red
Jupiter	Blue
Venus	Violet
Since the three outer, collective planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are considered the higher octaves of the planets Mercury, Venus and Mars, their colors are correlated.
Uranus	Pale Yellow
Neptune	Pale Green
Pluto	Pale Red

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