Joseph and the Coat of Many Colours
What does the ‘coat of many colours mean’ in the Genesis story? Perhaps we can say that it is a coat of power. Of course, we are not just talking about worldly power here, but spiritual, creative, or mystical power. Furthermore, there is an outer, inner and secret coat: the coat of worldly power, the coat of psychological power, and the soul power.
In terms of worldly power, Joseph is destined to rule over a multitude of nations and the coat symbolises his future leadership, but also his rich ancestral inheritance—a gift from his father. That is the more obvious layer of the story. It’s the inner and secret meanings of these stories which are of interest here.
On a psychological level, we have many sub-personalities, a vast spectrum of potential selves. The mystic Gurdjieff once said it best: ‘man’s name is legion’. Symbolically speaking, to unify these multiplicities is to obtain a coat of many colours. The coat would then represent the fully integrated human. The coat could also represent a special power or talent, what they call ‘siddha’ in the east or a ‘daemon’ in ancient Greece.
