Witches consider color as one of the many magickal correspondences available in their en-chanted toolboxes. Ancient cultures, even into prehistory, have used color in ritual, magick, religion, and daily life to promote happiness, success, and well-being for themselves and others. The origins of healing with color in the Western world can be traced to ancient Egypt, where the diagnosis and treatment of an illness were related to corresponding colors available in the natural world. Hippocrates, who lived in the fourth century b.c.e., used ointments and different colored plasters on wounds. Aristotle worked with colored crystals, salves, minerals, and dyes as remedies around 300 b.c.e., and Aurelius Cornelius Celsus, a first-century Roman physician, extensively used color therapy in his work. The Christian church, however, put an end to all that, calling the use of color in medicine and ritual a “pagan” practice, and demanding that many of the healing techniques using color be abolished.35 Even so, we must keep in mind that the ancient and medieval worlds were not devoid of color.
The discovery of color as light vibration entered the world with the sixteenth-century scientist Sir Isaac Newton. In 1666, Newton passed light through a prism and divided the light into the seven colors of the spectrum. He associated these colors with the seven known planetary energies of that time: sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Yes, I know that the sun and moon aren’t planets (exactly), but that’s how they were classified and how astrologers still see them today.
In magick, ritual, and everyday life, Witches use color as an energy force. Much like an artist, we mix and match the vibrations of the colors to help us obtain what we desire. From the altar cloth to ritual robes, to the choice of candle colors, powders, and herbs, all have meaning to the magickal practitioner. At first, you will discover that some colors work better for you than others. This could be because a saturation of a particular color isn’t good for you, as you already have all you need in that area of life and health, or you may hate a particular color because you need it. Only you can determine which colors are right for you and how you feel when using them. Colors do affect our emotional and physical health, and we should always keep this in mind when working magick. Even if a particular spell does not require a color association, you can always add color to boost the power of the operation.
Colors and Their Corresponding
Magickal Properties
The following list represents cross-cultural beliefs associated with colors; therefore, you will notice that some colors may have the same associations. For example, blue and black both represent wisdom. Here, black stands for the wisdom of the unknown or what has yet to be learned, and blue is for the wisdom of Spirit.
White: The Goddess, ancient mother, purity, spirituality, devotional magick, general prayers, illumination, cycle of life, good will, initiation, feminine mystery, freedom, love, health, to symbolize a person, place, or thing.
Black:36 Return energy to sender, divination, protection, dark goddesses, time, chaos, the first stage of a working, the beginning of creation, North, winter, rebirth, wisdom, the number 8, infinity, destroy bad habits, rest, investigation and combats hyperactivity. Use sparingly. Many practitioners follow the burning of a black candle with the lighting of a white one to bring balance to the magickal working.
Blue-Black: Use for wounded pride, for broken bones to knit properly, and angelic protection.
Violet: Intelligence, call the ancient ones, create sigils, anything to do with government, truth, justice, humility, planet Jupiter, religious devotion, and forgiveness.
Lavender: Peace, serenity, dreaming magicks, invoke Spirit when in the process of charitable works.
Blue: Truth, intelligence, wisdom, loyalty, fidelity, protect one’s reputation, peace, meditation, feminine mysteries, water, Great Mother Queen of Heaven, infinity, poetry, faith, planet Venus, to defeat an enemy, and protect hearth, home, and the young. Use with white to create confusion among evil.
Green: Healing, the Green Man, god or goddess of vegetation and forest, youth, hope, happiness, new beginnings, improve the weather, financial gains (with gold and silver), agricultural magick, abundance, prosperity, immortality, spring, the planets Venus and Mercury.
Yellow: Healing, energy of the sun, prosperity, self-esteem, intellect, intuition, goodness, humility, beauty, light, life, truth, prosperity, attraction, and the God. Wear some yellow to a job interview to show that you can be trusted (brown says that you are responsible).
Orange: Opportunities, the ability to overcome challenges, break blocks, material gain, helps to seal a spell, happiness, luxury, remove feelings of abandonment.
Red: Action, passion, deep affection, courage, fire, masculine principle, festivity, strength, faith, life renewal, joy, summer, active leadership, expansion, the planet Mars.
Pink: Friendship and harmony.
Silver: Fast money, moon magick, the Charge of the Goddess, the Goddess, reality, connection to Spirit, astral travel, freedom, destroy illusions, restore balance, endurance, star magick, meditation, peace, personal illumination.
Gray: Stabilize a disturbed personality, slow down a reckless person or situation, use in some glamouries. Wear this color with some green when applying for a loan or asking for a raise.
Brown/Bronze: Soothe emotional upsets, security, support, friendship, and nature magick.
In the Craft, certain color combinations represent particular ideas. For example, the trio red, white, and black are the alchemical colors of initiation: red for your blood and your lineage (your personal history), white for the purity of Spirit, will, and intention, and black for power, protection, and that which was here at the time of creation, the void. In many traditions, the dedicant (or seeker) wears white at his or her initiation to indicate that he or she is willing to accept purity and harmony within his or her lifestyle, where those who have begun their training and are working through the levels of advancement provided by that organization wear black; however, keep in mind that traditions differ. The black, in this case, is to ward off negativity. Black also represents authority, rules, and order—time, karma, and wisdom. Rather than wearing black at a crossing (funeral), Wiccans often wear white as a symbol that the friend or family member has gone to a place of purity and will be met by emissaries of Spirit. Often, the entire ceremony will pivot on the use of only white—candles, altar cloth, clothing, statuary, and so on.
Magick done with black and white patterns (candles, cloth, drawings, etc.) promotes balance within ourselves and in the world around us. Black also stands for the night, and the white brings our focus to the moon and the light she reflects to us—we find strength in her power to overcome the darkness of human emotion or difficulties we are experiencing. I find it interesting that people outside of the Craft fear the use of black in our religious system, yet within their everyday lives and sometimes within their own religious beliefs, black is an acceptable color. Who has not seen a Catholic priest or nun in black? Who has not seen a rabbi wearing black? Who has not seen a Protestant minister in black? Yet when a Wiccan priest or priestess dons black robes, outsiders are suspicious. Go figure. In ritual, the color black is also a representation of the place between the worlds—not here, not there, but in between, where we can access the qualities and power of both to reach our desires.
Psychologists tell us that if an adult wears black all the time they are making a statement that something is missing from their lives, yet if a teen wears black they are basically saying that they are ready to change the world and have confidence in their own power37—since no one can see this but themselves, they subconsciously resort to black to make their point. Although black allows us to stand still and take a breather, wearing black all the time sends mixed messages to those around you, and you are stuck dealing with the various reactions you receive. When you are a teen, this can make life extremely difficult and perhaps throw more things at you than you bargained for. Adults who fear are scary animals indeed.
If you are trying to make new friends, wear pink. If your parents are going through a divorce, decorate your room in orange and indigo. If you have a friend who stammers, give them something yellow and blue. Headache? Green and violet. Is your sibling having a problem with wetting the bed? Give him or her a pink stuffed animal or blanket to hold and love. Empower the animal with lots and lots of love. First day of school (kindergarten to third grade) for your little sister or brother? Give him or her something peach colored to take along, empowered for protection. For teens, soft (not bright) yellow and turquoise are your colors, especially for studying and stress-related difficulties. Do magick with indigo to help a friend with a drug problem. Anorexia and bulimia? Rich orange and deep gold for anorexia, and yellow and violet for bulimia. Obviously just using a color isn’t going to stop something like anorexia, bulimia, or drug abuse, but the colors are tools to help the person on their way to a happy, healthy lifestyle. You’ll find more information on these topics under Eating Disorders in Part 5. Between the color correspondences provided above and the chakra list on page 240, you’ll be mixing and matching colors and magick like a pro in no time!38