Black as Evil

[Kendra Crossen Burroughs]

I probably shouldn't butt into this thread, as I am not a scholar like the
rest of you (only a book editor) and I didn't read the beginning of it, but
I have long been fascinated by the great mystery that color prejudice
appears to be virtually universal. So although the thread has been
pronounced worthy to expire, let me rashly make a few comments that may be
totally irrelevant to what the rest of you are interested in!
    It might be worthwhile to consider the spiritual perspective on color.
Georg Feuerstein writes that "color" (varna) refers to "the frequency of
light that characterizes the psyche (jiva)."  Thus the blue of Krishna's
skin is "the color of his aura when he manifests," according to Sri
Aurobindo. The advanced souls and enlightened ones clearly see something
that the masses of gross-conscious people steeped in ignorance do not. Owing
to the degeneration in the kaliyuga of this knowledge, the true meaning of
color is lost . And this is a time when the clash of opposites in
duality--"black and white"--reach their height, prophesied in several
traditions to culminate in a colossal war between good and evil. Either this
is symbolic of an inner condition in the soul of humanity or actual outer
events will manifest as a result of that inner condition. In any case, the
illusion of duality sooner or later must yield to the knowledge of Oneness.
Disputing whether color prejudice arose in India, or even finding out
definitively how and where it arose, or exactly how it is influenced by
perceptions of the meanings of various colors, is an interesting pastime but
may not help the global situation at all. What is needed is spiritual
awakening on a large scale. Or at the very least, large numbers of people
must attain the level of moral development as outlined by Kohlberg et al.
(See the work of Ken Wilber.)
    Once I was editing a book by Marie-Louise von Franz, the Jungian
analyst, and she was discussing a German fairy tale called Die Schwarze
Frau, The Black Woman. I realized that this did not mean a woman with dark
skin, as the contemporary reader would assume. I think the notion of black
as corresponding to the evil or shadow is so deep-rooted that it is probably
a lost cause to change the language in order to correct the political
situation. (Like anti-Semitism, it is something almost archetypal that isn't
going away any time soon, no matter how thoroughly it is explained.) I made
a similar comment to a blind friend who said I shouldn't use the words
"blind" or "deaf" to metaphorically stand for ignorance, because that
implies that blind and deaf people are ignorant. The blind have always been
seen as being in special need of salvation, perhaps because of their
presumed great suffering, perhaps because of some implied moral defect. To
change this deep-rooted belief system would take more than trying to alter
the way people naturally use language.
    Sorry if this was all irrelevant to your interests. I'm going to see if
I have any more Gita or Sanskrit questions and then sign off.

Kendra