The Meaning of White

There is an unusually strong emotional outrage about the 2026 Pantone color choice, which is cloud white – ‘cloud-dancer’. People are interpreting the colour as whitewashing America and as a racist insult. This outrage represents the disillusionment of so many with what is happening in the current political climate. We are hypersensitive to cultural and racists prejudices and our assumptions about colour symbolism may be assumed from only one perspective.

Let us consider coming at this Panton colour from a completely different angle, seeing it as the alchemical process of ‘Albedo’, or whitening, according to the Hermetic tradition and the Psychological Individuation process Carl Gustav Jung described.

There are four stages of growth: The Nigredo (The Blackening), the Albedo (the Whitening), the Citrinitas (Yellowing) and the Rubedo (Reddening) processes.

Interestingly I have seen these colours in the First Nation people’s Medicine Wheel. I received a blessed Star-Blanket with these colours at the corners which are very meaningful. (Image added to this post)

I see our current stage in the collective individuation process, as the ‘whitening’ stage. This is a process of evolution in human consciousness towards integration of all the shadow parts of being. It happens spontaneously after going through the Negredo (the ‘dark night of the soul’) phase.

I thought it appropriate that, on a collective level, we as humans are hopefully reaching the end of our ‘dark night of the soul’ phase, where we confronted our shadow sides by observing it on the political arena.

We are clearly seeing the shadow of our collective psyche projected onto the leader of the most prominent country in the world who acted out all the inhumane prejudices and discriminative human behavior possible. We saw in front of our eyes the pain and disastrous results of such self-centred behaviour, that reflects the darkest side of humanity.

We cannot ignore shadow parts in ourselves when we honestly investigate our personal lives honestly and notice how in whatever subtle way our own prejudices may have appeared. We are all capable of all human fallibilities.

During the Nigredo (Blackening) phase of phycological development, which comes before the ‘whitening’, humanity has to confront its collective shadow and not repress or deny aspects of our human psyche. The Pluto Conjunct Pluto in Americas astrological chart is a good symbolic indicator for this Blackening phase. This is when we become disillusioned with life and humanity. All the hidden darkness comes to the surface. Nothing can be hidden. The structures we had confidence in, collapse and we are forced to observe our darkness, because we are all in this boat and not separate from the whole of the collective humanity, even when we do not agree with what is happening outside of us. Our responsibility is to stay honest, observant and vigilant to not become the shadow or separate ourselves from humanity, but serve as an embodiment of our insights, voice and humane behavior as an example of balance, while we always remember that we are not above our darkness. We are still human.

Our collective humanity must go through the ‘confronting of the shadow’ process before it can grow a balanced consciousness. And if you have already done so, you are an objective ‘midwife/accoucheuse’ for this process.

I hope that we are done with this phase now and waking up to our shadows.

It is time for the Albedo (the whitening) process, where we start to get clarity about the way we have been behaving and thinking under the influence of our collective shadow. This whitening process is an about discernment. Descerning between our blind projections of shadow parts onto others and when we are open to perceive other’s reality with honesty.

We realize the wrongs in ourselves as parts that can grow and improve through recognizing ourselves in all other people without feeling separate or elevated from them. We develop the ability to hold ‘opposites’ in our consciousness without separating them or identifying with only one part of it. This is where we start to integrate counterparts within ourselves, and this makes it possible for collective growth in consciousness.

But there are still more processes to encounter after this ‘whitening’ phase. The Citrinitas or Yellowing phase and then the Rubedo or Reddening phase of individuation and alchemical transformation of the psyche.

The fully integrated human happens when the ego aligns with the fully aware Self; this is the stable and harmonious psyche that always retains a flexibility and openness to further develop. We need a shift from egocentricity to serving the greater wholeness. A deepening of our ethical obligation is a genuine service to the planet. Ongoing self-regulation and transformation is not a static end state but a dynamic state of working towards balance. The union of opposites is about a creative dialogue where there is destructive conflict. It is not the elimination of tension but the transformation of it.

As a humanity we are in the beginning phase of this transformation. Hopefully we can manage to get to the place of union of opposites and peace before we destroy ourselves.

Let us embrace the Albedo phase with openness and objectivity. Let us make art and cultivate beauty in our contemplation of this ‘cloud walker – whiteish) colour in our psychological process of unfolding consciousness.

Love and Blessings always,

Jayni