COLOR SYMBOLISM
Black

Black

Key words: Sophistication, protection, power, mystery, hidden knowledge; depression, sorrow, ignorance
Sayings: (+) In the black, black Friday, black comedy; (-) blacklist, blackball, blackmail, black magic, black market, black sheep

Black gets a bad rap. In a public reading once, I commented that the person I was reading for had surrounded herself with black as a protective measure.
An onlooker went ballistic. (The person I was reading for understood completely.) A flurry of activity followed with people telling me that I should have told her she was surrounded by ‘the black of the clergy’ or that I should have told her she was “surrounded by color.”

Well, she wasn’t. Black is not a color, it’s the absence of color. Black absorbs light, light creates color. And while black has this terribly evil connotation for many people, it is not always the horrible predictor of doom and gloom people associate with it.

Black is ruled by Saturn. Saturn is ruled by the element of earth and is structured, disciplined and responsible. So, while it can be limiting, it is also a color of protection, power and sophistication. (That black dress is classy and goes with everything, doesn’t it?) 😉

It is said that every woman needs to own a “little black dress” in her closet. Why? Because black goes with everything. When a person walks into a room in black, they exude sophistication and power. Black cats? Not evil, mysterious and representative of a hidden knowledge we humans are not privy to.

And while in the depths of inevitable times of sorrow and depression, we feel drained from our lack of insight, the blackness of our winter is also from where our lives experience rebirth with renewed understanding from the depths of our ku (subconscious). It is that blackness which allows us to go deep inside ourselves and grow.

Color Symbolism & the Tarot
To interpret black in a tarot reading consider these connotations:

Positive & Neutral Connotations

• Protection (absorbs negative energy)
• Mysterious, Hidden Knowledge
• Receptivity
• Sophisticated
• Powerful
• Rebirth
  
  Negative Connotations
  
• Absence of insight
• Ignorance
• Sorrow, depression
• Draining (may absorb too much energy)

Sample Interpretation with Black

Deck: Tarot of the New Vision”
Card: Two of Pentacles

In some cards, there may be very little of any specific color, but when that color stands out to you in a reading, it’s important to know it’s significance. When interpreting black in a card, consider not only the aspect or item that is black, but that all things in the tarot are capable of representing both positive and negative, just as black is, depending on the card, on the reader, and on the position of the card.

In this card I see the black raven. I see this symbol as: I am free (‘as a bird’) to make the choices (the number two) I need to make and through those choices I will be protected (black.) I look at the black here symbolizing the idea that to make this choice, I may need to rely on going inside and listening to my inner voice to find the hidden knowledge I’m seeking. The raven itself represents to me my ability to create my own reality by using my own inner magic.

As always, choose one or two key words that are meaningful to you for that specific tarot reading.
Content © 200-2009, Lisa Larson (Spiritcaat)

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References

• “Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary” by Sandra A. Thomson
• “Color Magic for Beginners” by Richard Webster
• A. Venefica’s Tarot Teachings