COLOR Heals and Transforms Our Lives

Color and life are inseparable. In all its shades, tones & hues, color influences the whole of our life, affecting our moods & emotions, and coloring our personalities. Its beauty & variety enhances and transforms our lives daily. Color has texture, taste & feel. From the brilliance of pure light come all the colors, each with their own individual impact upon our systems ~ mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually.

Many of our healing needs can be met by the use of color! How we see & use color may be but a reflection of our inner memories. Some of the most beautiful examples of color---an opalescent dawn of gold & rose, the luminous blue of an evening sky, sunlight through stained-glass windows or a rainbow spanning the heavens---may well remind us of some other realm faraway where light & color weave patterns of which we can only guess.

One of my most successful exhibits ~ 'The Healing Energy of Color' ~ was full of saturated canvases in all shapes, sizes & colors of the rainbow! 'Transformation', a 30 x 40 acrylic on canvas, shown here, is but one. See 'COLOR attributes' below for GREEN associations.

In ancient cultures color was used as a very special material symbolic of various sacred powers. It was essential for its protective & magical qualities, and the shamans or priests of the tribes were likely responsible for rock & cave paintings, choosing the colors & pigments that set the scene for everyone. Many ancient cultures worshiped the sun, the source of all color, harnessing its healing powers. Egyptian gods & goddesses had special colors denoting various qualities & powers. Emotional qualities were attributed to certain colors. RED was seen as aggressive, as well as life giving, and would be placed alongside BLUE, which was subdued, yet flowing out to infinity.

In the first century A.D. Jewish historian, Josephus, associated WHITE with earth, RED with fire, PURPLE with water and YELLOW with air. Fifteen centuries later Leonardo de Vinci stated his color preference as ~ “WHITE for the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; YELLOW for Earth; GREEN for water; BLUE for air; RED for fire; and BLACK for total darkness.”

Many ancient peoples gave colors to the four corners of the earth, but these vary over widely diverse cultures such as Old Irish, Mayan and North American Indians. Today, in Navajo sand paintings, WHITE represents universal cosmic energy; BLACK, the great void from which all comes; RED, life and energy; YELLOW the sun; and BLUE, spirituality.

All over the world colors of symbolic significance have been painted on humans, icons, walls, pottery & stonework; woven into tapestries and bead work; and incorporated into inlay work, stained glass, glass vessels & jewelry, not only for ornamentation & visual enjoyment, but for the practice of sympathetic & protective magic in all its aspects, and ultimately & simply for the glory of God.

COLOR Attributes ~

WHITE is a most sacred color, standing for purity, innocence and desire for simplicity. It's basic characteristic is equality: all colors are equal w-white. While it has associations w-both life and death, white usually stands for wholeness and harmony. Buddhists regard it as the color of self-mastery, while the ancient Egyptians considered white and green to symbolize joy. White and silver also related to the moon and the unconscious, the feminine side of human kind.

GREEN is the bridge between yellow and blue, the gateway in the spectrum. Symbolizing hope, renewal and peace, green is the color of harmony and balance. It is associated w-nature and all its aspects ~ the cycle of birth and death. It is the sacred color of Islam. In Christian thought vernal green denotes immortality, hope, the growth of the Holy Spirit in people, triumph over death and resurrection of spring after winter. Green’s most important quality is that of transformation. Clarity and understanding are at green’s core.

YELLOW and GOLD stand for the sun and all its various attributes. They signify divine power, enlightenment and immortality. Yellow is the color of happiness, wisdom and imagination. In China it is regarded as the earthly, feminine principle. Gold is the wise old sage, the color of experience, maturity and deep self-knowledge. In Hinduism gold is life, truth, light, the seed and the sign of Agni—the Hindu god of fire. Buddhists regard it as the color of humility. Gold soothes the nerves and promotes an overall feeling of well-being.

ORANGE, the complement of blue, is the color of knowledge and positive optimism. A mixture of red and yellow, orange represents youth, curiosity and fearlessness, as well as vitality and wisdom. It is also the color of luxury, pleasure and splendor. Invigorating, yet grounding, orange [along w-pink] is the most beneficial of all colors for dealing w-grief and loss.

RED represents transformation, strength, vitality and passion. Most likely it is the first color to have made a great impact on humans. Red is the color of fire—and blood, the source of mysterious power, life force, the mainstream of life. Red and white together are expressions of wholeness and perfection, unity and balance. In China, as in most cultures, red symbolizes the positive masculine essence and is regarded as the luckiest of colors. Universally, red is seen as the most creative and life-giving color. Red combinations include scarlet, crimson, flame and magenta w-pink as the “higher vibration” of red. Pink embodies the gentler qualities of red and symbolizes love and affection. It represents deep inner beauty, universal love, compassion and fulfillment of potential. Pink is comforting, relieving depression and loneliness. It’s a good color to use in a crisis.

BLUE is the color of the great deeps, the feminine and the Great Mother ~ symbolizing infinity, peace, compassion and healing. Most cultures connect blue w-truth, wisdom, constancy and introspection. As blue’s intensity deepens its many qualities are enhanced. Indigo, for example, is said to show a high degree of spiritualism, while paler hues suggest self-reliance and idealism. Cooling and calming, blue implies sincerity and a tranquil spirit.

PURPLE has the body of red and the spiritual nature of blue held in perfect union. It is the bridge to higher planes of consciousness and represents spiritual maturity. Some consider purple the color of the nucleus of life impulse ~ the color of the opening bud, the first streak of dawn and the last ray of the setting sun. In the West purple is the color of religious devotion and in many cultures is connected to ritual and royalty. Shades of violet and lilac represent spiritual service, intuition and healing powers.

GRAY is the most neutral color of all ~ the balance between the extremes of black and white. Gray represents a search for composure and peace. It implies dedication and a desire for quietness and space. At its highest silvery hue gray is the ray of peace. Silver calms the nerves and restores the equilibrium. Along w-qualities of endurance and understanding, silver represents the feminine part of the self, the moon, the delicate and cool.

BROWN is dark yellow-red and represents the color of the earth. It is associated w-stamina and patience, and represents qualities of concentration and common sense. The touch of red fire in brown adds a spark of surprise. The coppery bronze side of brown contains several colors within it and represents multiple positive aspects, particularly flow and balance. Those who relate to tan show quiet assurance and deep intuition, trusting in the natural order of things on Earth.

BLACK is the dark earth out of which all new life springs; the great void from which all comes. It is connected to our higher philosophical thoughts and ideals. Black represents mystery and discipline, which can bring freedom and liberation. Every color of the rainbow is found within black; therefore, black holds the mystery of hidden colors.

{Sources: "The Complete Book of Color Healing" by Lillian-Verner Bonds [2000] and "The Healing Power of Color" by Betty Wood.}