These pillars are referred to in the Book of the Dead as the Pillars of Shu or the Pillars of the Gods of the Dawning Light. They are also known as the Northern and Southern gates of the Hall of the Neophyte or the Hall of Truth. Like Yin and Yang, these pillars represent two great opposing forces in the manifested Universe. The pillars are traditionally black and white, adorned with various Egyptian drawings. The black pillar, Boaz, is feminine in nature, while the white pillar, Jachin, is masculine.

In ancient Egyptian texts, these pillars are portrayed as sacred columns forming a gateway that candidates may pass through only after completing their negative confession—incidentally, the oldest known prayer in human history. The black cubical bases of the pillars represent darkness and matter, or manifestation. Within this realm of matter and manifestation, the Ruach Elohim began to formulate the Ineffable Name—the name that, according to ancient Rabbis, "rushes through the Universe."

A lotus flower adorns the base of each pillar: a white flower on the black pillar and a black flower on the white. Indeed, all symbols follow this contrasting pattern, with white symbols painted on the black pillar and black symbols on the white.

The bases of the two pillars stand respectively in Netzach and Hod—the white pillar in Netzach and the black pillar in Hod. They represent the twin pillars of Mercy and Severity. The bases are cubical and black, symbolizing the Earth element in Malkuth. The columns themselves appear in black and white, manifesting the eternal balance of the scales of justice. Upon them should be depicted, in counter-charged colors, appropriate Egyptian designs emblematic of the soul.

"The scarlet tetrahedral capitals represent the fire of test and trial, and between the pillars lies the doorway to the immeasurable realm. The twin lights burning upon their summits are 'The Declarers of the Eternal Truth.' The base of each tetrahedron is triangular—the one on the white pillar points east, while that on the black pillar points west. Though separate, as befits the Hall of Dual Manifestation of Truth, they complete the hexagram of Tiphareth.

The Pillar of Serverity and the Pillar of Mercy