COLORS, ELEMENTS, AND POINTS, OF THE FIVE RULERS
Encyclopedia Masonica
These again are in turn associated with the planets, and the study of Chinese and Babylonian planet colors is full of curious points of similarity.
BLACK, typifying the north, has two direct opponents in symbolic colors, and these are red and white. The first as implying ignorance arising from evil passions, the second indicating ignorance of mind.
Red-black is called in Hebrew Heum, from which comes Heume, an enclosing wall. Black from white, in Hebrew, is Seh-her, signifying the dawn of light to the mind of the Masonic profane, the hand to back, as the words of wisdom are about to be spoken.
In the Egyptian, the black Osiris appears at the commencement of the Funereal Ritual, representing the state of the soul which passes into the world of light.
Anubis, one of the sons of Osiris, who weighs the soul in the seales of Amenti, and is the god of the dead, is black. The Conductor, or Master of Ceremonies, Thoth Psychopompe, has the head of the black Ibis (see Truth).
RED
In Hebrew, the fire of love, which burns in the south, is are, to bum, On
Egyptian monuments, and in their temples, the flesh of men is painted red, and
that of women, yellow. The same difference exists between the gods and
goddess, except where speciality otherwise defined. Mill's name in Hebrew
signifies red, and as the image of fire is love, it is the universal tie of
beings from breast to breast.
GREEN
pronounced yeh'-rek, meaning green thing, verdure. pronounced rake-eh-ah
meaning vault of heaven, the firmament, also the winds. Green designates the
beginning, the creation, the birth, as the world was called into being in the
wisdom of God by his word of mouth, and Light was to appear in the East.
Phtha was the Egyptian Creator of the world; he was at times represented with his flesh painted green, and holding a scepter of four colors, red, blue, green, and yellow: fire, air, water, and earth. The god Lunus, the Moon, in Hebrew pronounced yeh-rak, is formed of one of the roots of green, signifying to found or set in order. Green is the symbol of Victory as well as Hope, in the symbolic colors (see Green).
WHITE
He-ur, to be white; Heurim, meaning to be noble and pure. The Egyptian spirits
of the dead were clothed in white, like the priests. Phtha, the creator and
generator, was frequently robed in a white vestment, symbol of the egg from
which he was born, enveloped in the white or albumen. The head of Osiris was
draped in a white tunic. While the Chinese metaphorically represented Metal by
this color, the Egyptians and Hebrews made it the symbol of Earth.
Its reference to the West would imply the first point whereat the profane bent the knee in supplication to the Deity.
YELLOW
pronounced tsaw-hab, gold color, designates a radiation of light, signifying
to shine, to be resplendent. Man, or the male principle, symbolized by ardent
fire, was represented by red, and the female principle, identified with the
idea of light or flame, represented by yellow or light-colored earth, over
which the swift-footed messenger bears the tidings of a Freemason's distress
and the return of obligatory succor. This light of the fire, the female of
Divine beauty, the Egyptian Venus, was called Athor, signifying dwelling of
Horus, and was as represented in the engraving.
