Red. Red represents the physical phase of mentality. That is to say, it stands for that part of the mental activities which are concerned with physical life. It is manifested by the vitality of the body, and in other hues, tints and shades, is manifested by passions, anger, physical cravings, etc. I shall describe the various forms of red manifestation a little later on.
Blue. Blue represents the religious, or spiritual, phase of mentality. That is to say, it stands for that part of the mental activities which are concerned with high ideals, altruism, devotion, reverence, veneration, etc. It is manifested, in its various hues, tints and shades, by all forms of religious feeling and emotion, high and low, as we shall see as we proceed.
Yellow. Yellow represents the intellectual phase of mentality. That is to say, it stands for that part of the mental activities which are concerned with reasoning, analysis, judgment, logical processes, induction, deduction, synthesis, etc. In its various hues, tints and shades, it is manifested by the various forms of intellectual activity, high and low, as we shall see as we proceed.
White. White stands for what occultists know as Pure Spirit, which is a very different thing from the religious emotion of “spirituality,” and which really is the essence of the All that really is. Pure Spirit is the positive pole of Being. We shall see the part played by it in the astral colors, as we proceed.
Black. Black stands for the negative pole of Being--the very negation of Pure Spirit, and opposing it in every way. We shall see the part played by it in the astral colors as we proceed.
The various combinations of the three astral primary colors are formed in connection with black and white as well as by the blending of the three themselves. These combinations, of course, result from the shades of mental and emotional activity manifested by the individuality, of which they are the reflection and the key.
The combinations and blending of the astral colors, however, are numberless, and present an almost infinite variety. Not only is the blending caused by the mixing of the colors themselves, in connection with black and white, but in many cases the body of one color is found to be streaked, striped, dotted or clouded by other colors. At times there is perceived the mixture of two antagonistic color streams fighting against each other before blending. Again we see the effect of one color neutralizing another.
In some cases great black clouds obscure the bright colors beneath and then darken the fierce glow of color, just as is often witnessed in the case of a physical conflagration. Again, we find great flashes of bright yellow or red flaring across the field of the aura, showing agitation or the conflict of intellect and passion.
The average student who has not developed the astral vision is inclined to imagine that the astral colors in the human aura present the appearance of an eggshaped rainbow or spectrum, or something of that sort. But this is a great mistake. In the first place, the astral colors are seldom at rest, for all mental and emotional activity is the result of vibration, change and rhythmic motion. Consequently, the colors of the aura present a kaleidoscopic appearance of constant change of color, shape and grouping--a great electrical display, so to speak, constantly shifting, changing and blending.
Great tongues of flamelike emanations project themselves beyond the border of the aura under strong feeling or excitement, and great vibratory whirls and swirls are manifested. The sight is most fascinating, although somewhat terrifying at first. Nature is wise in bestowing the gift of astral vision only gradually and by almost imperceptible stages of advance. There are many unpleasant, as well as pleasant, sights on the astral plane.