“And down the long beam stole the Holy Grail, Rose-red with beatings in ’t, as if alive, Till all the white walls of my cell were dyed With rosy colours leaping on the wall; And then the music faded, and the Grail Passed, and the beam decayed, and from the walls The rosy quiverings died into the night.” Or we may like to call to mind the esoteric order of Rosicrucians, in which all the glorious symbolism of the Rose and the Cross blended. Or again, we may think of the red carnelian buckle of Isis which was attached to the neck of the deceased while these words were chanted:-- “The blood of Isis, and the strength of Isis, and the words of power of Isis shall be mighty to act as powers to protect this great and divine being, and to guard him from him that would do unto him anything that he holdeth in abomination.” * * * * * You will find that in all symbolism there is an exalted meaning given to the symbol and a debased meaning; _e.g._ a dog may mean all that is noble and full of devotion, or it may give the meaning of all that is mean, low, and despicable. In the case of red it may, as we have seen, be the sign of the sublime, strong love of the Creator; but at the same time it can refer to debased love and carnal passion, _i.e._ love without the sacrificial element. Thus we have in Revelation xvi. 3 “the great red dragon who seeks to destroy the woman clothed with the sun,” _i.e._ the woman or soul who is clothed with the Sun of Righteousness. The dragon is frustrated in his attempt by Michael, whose name means “Like unto God,” for what is ignoble must ever yield to the noble. Sometimes red may be used as a sign of exuberant animal spirits, _e.g._ in the expression “to paint the town red.” Lastly, let us remember that the name Adam means red, and so he symbolises man unregenerate, _i.e._ of the earth, earthy. * * * * * Perhaps it would be wise to consider the colour pink next. Pink is hardly a colour so much as a tint; but as it has a definite symbolism, I have placed it next to red. It is a most useful colour in healing. In the human aura it often denotes the healer. Certainly in its esoteric meaning it denotes the man who wishes to use his life for the healing of others, and the man who receives inspiration how he can help to uplift humanity. Unfortunately, our poets do not often use the word because of its ugly sound. When Buddha sat under his Bo-tree (_Ficus religiosa_) to meditate how he could save the world, it is said that his whole body became enveloped in a most radiant blush-rose colour. Edwin Arnold describes this scene:--