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emotion: neutral (unifying)
synonyms: alabaster, chalk, linen, milk white, navajo white, off-white, opaline, paper, pearly white, snow, whitewash
white wonder
White -- paradox of nature, the absence of color, the sum of all colors. The color of presence, nothing hidden, no secrets, undifferentiated, indiscriminate.
Blinding white. The color of radiance, the color of the unreal, the color of primordial polar purity. Chalk white, color of the white-faced, those who inhabit the flower and willow world, gliding on zori or geta. Searing white, the color of winter, the color of snow-blind, the color of soap that floats -- this white is stark raving white.
Soft white, color of perfection, color of the 'clean slate,' new beginnings, virgin brides, the color of purity and propriety, the color of goodness, the color of young innocence, the color of clean. Subtle white, the color of new snow, the color of potential, the color the good guys wear. This white tips it's ten-gallon hat and drawls, "now, don't you worry about a thing, little lady."
'Heavenly light' white, color of lunar magic and angel choirs, the color of true charity. The color of spiritual strength, the color of peace.

more about white

On the more positive side, Suzy Chiazzari says in The Book of Color:

"The color of ultimate purity is white. It is an all-around color of protection, bringing peace and comfort, alleviating emotional shock and despair, and helping inner cleansing of emotions, thoughts, and spirit. If you need time and space to reflect on your life, white can give you a feeling of freedom and uncluttered openness.

"Too much white, however, can be cold and isolating, because white separates us from other people."

saraswati
Saraswati, the goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom is often depicted in a white sari, seated on a white lotus. (The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" while swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self.")
The color white symbolizes purity and knowledge and symbolize that knowledge and learning should not be hidden, but be open and available to all.
Using a white swan as her carrier; the swan symbolizes the power of discrimination -- the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad -- indicating that one must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the good of mankind.

White...freak of nature or color of purity and simplicity?
White is not necessarily thought of as a color. It occurs when the whole spectrum of light is seen together or when red, yellow and blue colors are mixed. Some think white has a very cold quality, as in snow, or an extremely hot quality, such as a burning metal. Either can be life threatening and can remind us of death and the end of things. The great painter Kandinsky said about white:

" A great silence, like an impenetrable wall, shrouds [white's] life from our understanding. White, therefore, has its harmony of silence, which works upon us negatively, like many pauses in music that temporarily break the melody. It is not a dead silence, but one pregnant with possibilities. White has the appeal of the nothingness that is before birth, of the world in the ice age."