The symbolism of the colour Yellow
System Specific symbolism
Yellow when combined with other colours can take on many different meanings
The Egyptians clothed the sons of Horus in colours that
in their system came to be associated with the cardinal directions
So Hapi [yellow] was the north, Imsety [green] the south,
Duamutef [white] the east and Qebehsenuef [red] the west
In contrast the Native Americans used different coding for the
cardinal directions depending on their location [as it was with the Egyptians]
Lame Deer "Seeker of Visions" by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes
Black represents the west; red, the north; Yellow, the east; white, the south.
Black is night, darkness, mystery, the sun that has gone down.
Red is the earth, the pipestone, the blood of the people.
Yellow is the sun as it rises in the east to light the world
White is the snow. White is the glare of the sun in its zenith.
Red, white, black, yellow these are the true colours.
They give us the four directions; you might also say a trail towards our prayers
The Chinese system of the FIVE elements uses yellow in yet another way
And the symbolic FOUR elements found in the Cosmic Egg,
uses Yellow to represent symbolic Air
Giving the impression that there is no universal symbol system
and the area is something of a mess symbolically.
The Connection with the Sun and heat
But this would be wrong,
because all the systems are based on the symbolism of both hot air rising and the Sun
The Sun and Moon are symbolically paired
The Sun represents the ‘masculine’ , Ideas and Intellect.
The Moon is the symbolic ‘feminine’, representing the subconscious realm of intuition,
inspiration and emotion, and the one who nurtures the Ideas
and gives birth symbolically to the forms on Earth
As we use our Intellect, coming up with new thoughts and ideas as co-creators,
hot red and yellow ‘yang’ energy rises to the symbolic Sun,
whilst cooling blue ‘yin’ energy flows to us as love and healing
Imbalance causes disease, but it also drives change
The Sun as the centre of Ideas
Yellow is thus the colour of the symbolic Sun,
the ‘masculine’, and the centre of creativity and Ideas.
Forged in the red heat of Fire
they are then quenched in Water to become tangible
And the people whose Ideas have changed the world for the better
Are sometimes known as ‘Yellow Emperors
And they are celebrated long after they die
The Wheel of Life
Those who are destined to reincarnate are said to follow the path to the Moon
Those whose aim is to leave the Wheel of life
and the endless cycle of reincarnation are said to be following the path to the Sun
In effect ascending to the ‘centre’,
where they can join the other successful co-creators.
. Who have managed to complete the spiritual path
Reichel-Dolmatoff Amazonian Cosmos
Among the Desana, the Creation of the Universe
was the result of the "yellow intention" or "yellow purpose" of the Sun.
The yellow colour plays an important role in the image
that is held of the Universe, especially on ritual occasions.
In invocations to the divinities, the Desana generally make reference
to different shades of this colour: light yellow, clear yellow, dark yellow,
opaque yellow, and so on; and it is symbolized, among other things, by . honey;
All of them, however, . contain in themselves the fertilizing energy of the Sun