Colors and Directions: The Tibetan System of Nine

green-black SW South West	red West fire	yellow-white NW North-West
yellow South earth	white Center space	green North air
orange SE South-East	blue East water	blue-black NE North East

Most Tibetan thangkas, mandalas, visualizations, or associations of deities or qualities follow the scheme shown here at left.

Each of the five cardinal directions (east, south, west, north, and center), is represented by a pure color. Given that many Tibetan associations are based on five, there's also a reduced 5-color scheme for those cases.

Each of the intermediate directions of the compass is represented by mixed colors; with no further association.