Vermillion is a vivid, opaque red-orange pigment, historically produced from the mineral cinnabar (mercury sulfide) or synthesized as cadmium red. Its name derives from the Old French vermeillon, a diminutive of vermeil (“bright red”), itself from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), referencing the kermes insect used for a similar hue. In alchemy, vermillion symbolized the fixed sulfur—the active, masculine principle—and was often associated with the philosopher’s stone in its red stage.

Position on the Tree of Life

Vermillion occupies the Queen Scale (the Bride’s scale) of colour for Path 31, which connects Yesod (Foundation) to Hod (Splendor). This path is attributed to the Hebrew letter Samekh, meaning “prop” or “support,” and corresponds to the astrological sign Sagittarius. The Queen Scale represents the receptive, manifesting aspect of the Divine Feminine; vermillion here tempers the fiery energy of Sagittarius with the earthy depth of the path’s position between the lower sephiroth.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

Path 31 is ruled by Sagittarius, a mutable fire sign governed by Jupiter. Vermillion’s red-orange tone reflects the blend of Jupiter’s expansive, benefic nature (blue-violet in other scales) with the raw fire of Sagittarius. In the Queen Scale, this colour is not the pure red of Geburah (severity) but a more subdued, orange-tinged red, suggesting the integration of wisdom (Hod) with foundational stability (Yesod).

Historical Context

The use of vermillion in Qabalistic colour scales originates with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which systematized the four colour scales for the Tree of Life: King, Queen, Emperor, and Empress. In the Queen Scale, each sephirah and path receives a colour that reflects its “feminine” or passive aspect. Crowley’s Liber 777 (1909) codified these correspondences, assigning vermillion to Path 31. This choice echoes earlier alchemical traditions where vermillion (cinnabar) was the key to the red elixir, and the path of Samekh—the arrow of the archer—symbolizes the directed spiritual will that transmutes base matter into gold. In medieval lapidaries, cinnabar was also used as a protective amulet, linking the colour to the path’s role as a support between the astral and intellectual realms.

In the table of Liber 777, at step 31 (Path 31) of the Queen Scale of Colour (h), vermillion appears as the designated hue, standing distinct from the King Scale’s plain red for the same path. This distinction emphasizes the Queen Scale’s role in ritual and invocation, where the colour is used in the construction of talismans, robes, or visualizations to align with the receptive current of Samekh.