A History of the Colors for The Twelve Powers
1. Charles Fillmore created the Twelve Powers — but not the colors
Fillmore developed the Twelve Powers system in the early 1900s as a framework for spiritual development, drawing from Christian mysticism, metaphysics, and the disciples as symbolic archetypes. He did not assign colors to the powers. The original Fillmore texts (The Twelve Powers of Man, Keep a True Lent, Atom-Smashing Power of Mind) contain no color references to The Twelve Powers.
2. Colors were added later to Unity tradition
The color associations came many years after Fillmore, as Unity ministers and educators sought to create:
visual teaching aids
meditation tools
liturgical symbolism
monthly themes for the church calendar
The most widely cited source for the color system was Rev. Joel Baehr (Unity of Mesa, AZ), who created the palette used in Unity churches and classes. (Find more about him at https://www.truthunity.net/people/joel-baehr). This is the earliest documented attribution about the twelve colors in Unity educational materials.
3. Why colors were added
Unity teachers in the mid‑20th century began integrating:
color psychology
chakra analogies (though not directly equivalent)
liturgical color traditions
symbolic resonance (e.g., red for life, gold for understanding)
The goal was to make the Twelve Powers:
easier to remember
visually teachable
suitable for meditation and ritual use
adaptable for banners, stoles, and classroom charts
By the 1970s–1990s, the color system had become widely used in Unity churches.
4. Modern Unity materials continue the tradition
Current Unity churches and educational sites still use the Baehr color system, often with slight variations (e.g., “blue” vs. “royal blue” for faith, “light green” vs. “green” for strength, etc.). These variations reflect a local preference, not any doctrinal differences
The Twelve Powers with Colors
Power Color Disciple
Faith Blue Peter
Strength Light Green Andrew
Wisdom Yellow James (son of Zebedee)
Love Pink John
Power Purple Philip
Imagination Light Blue Bartholomew
Understanding Gold Thomas
Will Silver Matthew
Order Green James (son of Alphaeus)
Zeal Orange Simon the Zealot
Release Brown Thaddaeus
Life Red Judas
04/05/26