The Meaning of White

The Interesting Duality of White

In any discussion of the color white, there is a duality factor that makes it especially interesting.  When referring to white light, it is the result of all the colors in the spectrum seen at one time.  With regards to paint, white is an absence of color.  In Western cultures, black is used to signify death, but there are many cultures in the world where white is the color associated with death. In cultures that believe in reincarnation, white, not black, is used to signify the purifying of a soul to be reborn again. These different philosophies surrounding death are clearly symbolized by the use of white or black  

Whether it is a white sheet of paper that beckons to a writer, or a white canvas that is waiting to be transformed by an artist, again, we see the duality of white.  It is both cleansing and open to new ideas and at the same time, daunting in its emptiness.  Is it a void, or the balance of all the colors in the spectrum?  It is all of these and more.  The psychology of white evokes a sense of purity, as in the traditional color of wedding dresses, cleanliness, as in hospital white, neutrality, as in waving a white flag to surrender, a new beginning, as in an unpainted white canvas and the concept of heaven/the purity of one's soul.

White and the Chakras

In chakra study, white is associated with the seventh or crown chakra.  It energizes the spiritual side of our subtle anatomy by reaching beyond our earthly bodies and toward the celestial oneness that some call god/goddess.  When we ask ourselves about the meaning of life, what happens when we die, what is our purpose, etc., we are focused on the energy which lies within the crown chakra.  This is the highest form of human experience and opens great possibilities toward a higher understanding of ourselves and the universe, otherwise known as enlightenment.