healing, and purification. The west is associated with the
emotions, healing, plants, communion with the spiritual
realm, purification, the subconscious mind, love,
friendships, marriage, fertility, happiness, dreams, and
the psychic on an emotional level. The north represents
endurance, responsibility, stability, thoroughness, and
purpose in life. The center represents enlightenment,
finding your life path, spiritual knowledge, and seeing
and understanding karmic paths in life.
In other cultures, both placement and choice of color
differed. The Hindus used what are called tattwas
symbols to represent the elements. A yellow square
represented north and Earth; a silver crescent, west and
Water; a blue circle, east and Air; a red triangle, south
and Fire; and a black or indigo ovoid, the center and
Spirit.
In the Western Hemisphere, the native peoples had
many differing traditions about colors. The ancient
Mayas, for example, used red in the east, yellow in the
south, black in the west, and white in the north. Other
ancient Mexican cultures had a different classification—
green and Water in the east, blue and Air in the south,
yellow and Earth in the west, and red and Fire in the
north, and many colors together in the center.
The Native American tribes further north had still
different groupings of color. The Navajos used white in
the east, blue in the south, yellow in the west, and black
in the north, while the Zuni had yellow in the east, red
in the south, blue in the west, white in the north, and all
colors in the center. However, the Cheyenne of the
Plains believed that red was in the east, yellow in the
south, white or blue in the west, and black in the north.
Other Plains tribes used yellow in the east with the
totem animal eagle; red in the south with mouse; black