Colors in the visions of Thogal

The curtain of rain moved east at sunset. Clouds opened in the west to allow the last rays of the sun to bless the land. A vivid rainbow suddenly appeared glowing in the moist gray air, and then a second rainbow slowly melted into view above the first. Two perfect arches soared huge across the sky, their bands of color luminous in the soft twilight. Transparent lines of delicate pink and turquoise rippled on the underside of the inner arch, echoes of another grace, the rainbow’s inner life. Thick gray clouds behind the double rainbow began to pull apart, revealing a deep clear cobalt’s blue, vibrant, self-luminous, enfolding all the east, dissolving distant mountains and evening sky into the same blue radiance.

The Radiance of Essence encompasses All Being; there is nothing that does not arise from the potential of the Essence. The Essence abides as the blue-black depth of All and the glowing cobalt of the twilight sky, nothing not nothing, pure Primordial Potential arising spontaneously as the colors of the rainbow and the light that manifests All Appearances, All Phenomena that we experience in our lives. The cobalt, cerulean, and ultramarine of the sky, the gray pearlescent mists of clouds, the moist or dry touch of the air, the gentle or fierce heat of the sun, are all woven in increasingly complex patterns of the elemental colors themselves.

Red-orange-yellow, white-green-blue, indigo-violet-lavender, dawn pink, sky blue, the faint turquoise

depths of clear water, colors upon colors unfold as sacred elements, Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Space, as sacred directions north, south, east, west, center, above, below. From the grand cardinal energies of this shared vision we call life to the minutest detail, everything is born of and saturated with Living Light, a message of Primordial Intent that surrounds us in the natural world and can be read deep within our Hearts.

Many cultures recognize the sacred nature of directions, colors, and the basic elements. The maps may differ because of local landscape and position on the globe of the Earth, but they all reflect

acknowledgement of a natural holy power, a guiding force, the sacred compass within which we live. This entire world experience contains all the holy qualities. You can follow them back to the Essence, learn from them within your own Heart, and through the Visions of Radiance (Thogal), you come to see and experience directly this fundamental organization and shape of our world as a mandala of five spheres of color, four around a central sphere.

This Equal Cross arrangement represents the very basis of emanation in which colors, elements, and

directions are arranged naturally as a wholeness, a union beyond separation, but within this dynamic

equilibrium five clearly distinguishable colors are sometimes singled out as organizing factors for a

variety of qualities. They are sometimes presented as aids for refining your acknowledgement of five

qualities of Inner Radiance. In this grouping of colors, they are used as a way to become aware of the mind’s tendency to grab onto and inhibit the genuine experience of Original Heart (Rigpa), preventing it from blossoming into Inner Radiance.

In the Visions of Radiance (Thogal), the range of color is much more dynamic, and there are literally oceans of qualities that arise from your Heart outside of categorization. Colors range well beyond the basic list of Red, Yellow-Gold, White, Green, and Blue. But this list is a starting point for recognizing not only the pitfalls of how your mind can affect your experience of Original Heart (Rigpa) and Inner Radiance, but also for recognizing the generative power of colors themselves outside classifications and systems. The presence and qualities of color can also be experienced directly in the natural world. Warm colors come forward and engage, while cooler colors soothe and allow a sense of space, as in the blue of sky and distance. Green heals, and is the color of the life force of the plants, and so forth.

Red

The color red is associated with the element fire. The radiant nature of red and fire kindles and enlivens, from the red blood cells in our bodies to the glowing warmth of a campfire, and it inspires and brings creativity and meditative bliss. Red is the aspect of Radiance that illuminates and appreciates the myriad forms of manifestation but does not get lost in the details. If the mind grabs on to this breadth of perception, it corrupts this energy into the grasping and holding of desire.

Yellow-Gold

The color Yellow-Gold is associated with the element Earth. The radiant nature of yellow-gold and Earth is balancing; from the golds of harvest grains and sunlight to the richness of butter and egg yolks, it nurtures and increases positive qualities, creating an interconnected abundance in which everything is equal. Yellow-gold is the aspect of Radiance that is an expression of the groundedness and stability of Oneness. If the mind grasps on to this generosity of perception, it becomes caught in jealousy.

White

The color White is associated with the element water. Like a vast lake, the radiant nature of white and water is lucid, fluid, calm, and reflective. White is the Openness of Radiance, reflecting clearly whatever appears before it, yet it is not disturbed by the reflections. When the mind intrudes with its partisan views, the lucid mirroring quality of water and white is dulled, clouded, and disturbed, and the mind can solidify the experience into anger and resentment.

Green

The color Green is associated with the element wind. The radiant nature of green and wind is movement, fresh, quick, active, and alive. The green of chlorophyll literally supports all life and growth on the Earth. Green is the manifesting aspect of Radiance. If the mind appropriates this manifesting energy for itself, it falls to pride, identification with the doer and the effort of doing rather than seeing that everything is spontaneously arising, already accomplished moment by moment.

Blue

The color Blue is associated with the element of space. The radiant nature of blue and space is

expansive, vast, and all encompassing, from the blues of the sky to the hues of distant mountains and the depths of the sea. Blue is the aspect of radiance that is the knowingless knowing of Oneness. If this expansive, all-encompassing quality is not recognized and accepted by the mind, the mind will dominate over the Heart and remain enmeshed in ignorance, expressed as the familiar limitations of holding to separate identity.

When you are in the Visions of Radiance, you come to deeper and deeper experience of the Radiance of color, as a primordial expression of the Intent of Essence. The colors seen in the Visions of Radiance (Thogal) are more than optical phenomena, or symbols or overlays. Colors are alive outside sets of five, outside all categories, with a quality to their aliveness that is beyond ordinary perception. Through the Visions of Radiance you move closer and closer to the Essence, you see them directly just as they are, elemental forces, the actual Fabric of Being, beyond concepts of space and time.

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