Flashing Colors in the Albano-Waite

Richard

The use of complementary colors (called "flashing" colors in Golden Dawn parlance) is supposed to attract the Akasic current, which in turn may assist clairvoyance. P. F. Case adapted the Golden Dawn color scales to introduce flashing colors into esoteric Tarot design, and Frankie Albano in turn applied the Case specifications to the Rider-Waite. I have attached an example to illustrate this. The P.F. Case BOTA Fool is on the left, the Albano is in the middle, and the Smith-Waite Centennial on the right.

In the BOTA and Albano, the Fool's outer garment is bright green with a red lining (green-red complementarity). Compare this with the dull green and orange of the Smith-Waite. The background of the BOTA and the Albano have purple mountains against a yellow sky (again, note the complementarity), whereas the Smith-Waite uses a slightly more harmonious greenish blue against a greenish yellow.

I find the Albano/BOTA color scheme to connect more readily to the Unconscious than the usual RWS colors, but this is not always desirable. The psyche can experience a sort of burn-out from too much stimulation.
 

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Tigerangel

If I where to pick the one I most visually connect with it would be the one on the left hand side, It feels more vibrant and alive and seems to look like it has richer detail to the naked eye.
 

Zephyros

I have been putting this off, but would you have a suggestion as to how to study GD color scales? I've seen the tables relating to king scales and such, the filtering of the colors through the worlds, etc. but I haven't done anything with it.
 

MikeTheAltarboy

I never realized until this was mentioned in a couple threads that the Albano-Waite is using flashing colours. No wonder I find it garish! :-D

I'm glad it's a useful technique for some, but mostly it just gives me a headache. Enochian Chess on a flashing Enochian tablet is worse-of-the-same.
 

rwcarter

I have been putting this off, but would you have a suggestion as to how to study GD color scales? I've seen the tables relating to king scales and such, the filtering of the colors through the worlds, etc. but I haven't done anything with it.

There is this thread over in the Golden Dawn Tradition subforum. Not sure if that's what you're looking for though.
 

Zephyros

Thanks, I guess the best way is just to sit with the tables and decks looking for the colors, or maybe look at the BOTA instructions, although if they are as limited as the color palette on the RWS I won't get far.

I knew there was a reason I was putting it off!
 

Terrapin

This is a really fascinating topic. It helps me to understand why it may be that although the Albano is my favorite tarot deck, I find it extremely uncomfortable to actually read with. It is the first deck I ever did readings for other people with and at some point reading for a friend I just froze up, feeling overwhelmed not with information coming in, but static, or rather I couldn't process what I was reading.

If these color combos of the Albano truly do stimulate some deep psychic knowing Akashic field information I can see how maybe it was burning me out. I've read a couple different ATers here mentioning that the Albano gives them a headache or that they feel unwell after using it. I totally agree. I cherish this deck (I have the Tarot Productions version and it is beautiful), but I feel rattled and headache-y when I read with it. I usually use the Universal or an early yellow box RWS for reading these days.

Interstingly, the University Books RWS, also "garish", but lovely IMO, does not have this effect on me. So I think it is something more mysterious than the garishness of the Albano that has this effect. It must be the shading and the actually color combos. The rational part of me just rolls its eyes at these opinions, but my intuition just smiles and says "surprise! you're not smart after all."
 

Terrapin

Another thought on flashing colors. I just read closrapexa's recent post in the Thoth section and I realized that the Thoth also uses flashing colors, yet the Thoth doesn't make me feel ill when I've read with it. Curious.
 

Richard

Another thought on flashing colors. I just read closrapexa's recent post in the Thoth section and I realized that the Thoth also uses flashing colors, yet the Thoth doesn't make me feel ill when I've read with it. Curious.
The Thoth colors are more muted and artistically coherent. The flashing colors in the Albano may cause flashbacks to a bad mushroom trip.
 

Terrapin

The Thoth colors are more muted and artistically coherent. The flashing colors in the Albano may cause flashbacks to a bad mushroom trip.

Funny.