Grey

Grey, on a very general and less spiritual plane, usually signifies uninteresting, boring, even depressing. We have 'grey men' who are men without charisma or character. Grey days are days which are run of the mill and not very memorable. But spiritually grey can take on a wholly different meaning, especially if it is a pleasant grey, a restful neutral pleasing grey, because in this context it signifies balance.

In effect it is a symbol used to denote the fact that the forces of darkness [black] and light [white] are in total balance and is thus a very positive symbol. The alternative symbolism to this which tends to be the chess board, chequerboard, harlequin pattern of alternating black and white squares and so on, is often inappropriate and also runs the risk of not showing balance at all if the number of squares is not equal. Furthermore you have the added problem that it still shows more a contrast rather than the more subtle idea that balance of the two has been reached.

Balance is key to achieving success on the spiritual path – it signifies the harmonisation between the functions of intellect and emotion. You have tamed the lion, but not let the lamb take over completely. You cannot attain wisdom and annihilation or true enlightenment without having achieved it.

There is one added feature of grey – it is the colour of ash signifying that one has been through the Fire and come out the other side. In effect you have survived the rebirth experience.

Thus in the world of spirit to be called a 'grey man' is indeed an honour and great compliment.

Observations

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• A description of whirling in action
• Alice in Wonderland - Ch 05 - 1 Advice from a Caterpillar
• Bruce Chatwin - Australian aboriginal – The First Morning
• Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz - The Second Day
• Ernst, Max - Montrant a une Jeune Fille la Tete de son Pere
• Healer H - Old clothes and a crocodile
• Ibn El-Arabi - The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq - My lovesickness is from her of the lovesick eyelids
• Jili, Abd al-Karim - Al-Kahf wa al-raqim - 110 Section 10
• Khnopff, Fernand - Portrait of Margaret
• Klimt - Allegory of Sculpture
• Lethbridge, T C - A Step in the Dark – Using the pendulum and colour symbolism
• Levy-Dhurmer - La Sorcière, 1897
• Malevich, Kazimir - Suprematismus
• Mircea Eliade - On Ostyak shamans
• Morrells, Luce and the poodle
• Rider-Waite - 09 The Hermit
• Rider-Waite - 13 Death
• Rider-Waite - 14 - Temperance
• Rider-Waite - 19 The Sun
• Rimbaud, Arthur - Reality - always too troublesome for my exalted character
• Symbolism - Korean mystic shamanism - Androgyny and Grey
• Symbolism - Korean mystic shamanism – Costume: White