Color Symbolism

The meaning of color Color is all around us. We see it all the time. Most of us have no idea the impact color has on our lives. This impact of the many colors in our environment is usually not conscious. Sometimes we get an uneasy feeling in certain rooms or very relaxed in another, but we call this a mood. The "color of mood" can be what is surrounding us. Color is a vibration of light. In dim light, the color we see will seem different than in bright sun light. Everyone doesn't see the color frequency in exactly the same way. For example, I see a color I call blue-green, which to me is blue with a touch of green. Someone else may call the color green-blue, because he sees more green than I do. Even color-blind people are affected by color.

COLOR QUIZ #1 Find your missing colors!

The spectrum & color psychology Sir Isaac Newton used a prism in 1666 and saw the rainbow of colors that we know as the electromagnetic spectrum. Showing that sunlight is not one color, the spectrum is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet the 7 basic colors. The primary colors of light are red, green, and blue. In the 1940's Max Luscher developed a color psychology. He used 8 colors in his color therapy, red, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, gray and black. He claimed that he could tell a person's stress level and psychological make-up by the order the color was chosen or paired with another color. Later a simpler test used only green, yellow, red and blue. Today we take color very much for granted. I know I can have my shoes dyed to match my pink scarf. I'm tired of the color in my bathroom, so, I'll go buy a gallon of paint. It wasn't so long ago that the only dyes available were from natural sources. Plants, minerals and a few animal or insect life were the only means with which to make dyes. Rembrandt didn't go to the local art shop and buy tubes of paint. He had to grind and mix his paints from things such as lapis lazuli to make blue. Lapis Lazuli was very expensive and hard to get. Check out Rembrandt's paintings, you won't see lots of vivid blue. Purple has been reserved for the royal folk for centuries. The royal folk were the only ones who could afford it anyway. The importing of the indigo plant to Europe changed the fortunes of many people and allowed color to be more used. The indigo plant was highly valued until the discovery of chemical dyes in the 19th century. Color and how it affects your senses Today paint companies may hire a paint psychologist to advise what shades of colors will sell best. Color psychologists also work in the decorating field. Orange is used in restaurants, because orange increases the appetite. A good combination for restaurants is pale blue or turquoise and orange. A relaxed atmosphere and a big appetite are the perfect environment for a restaurant. A few years ago color consultants were very much in demand to help find a color palette that would suit a person the best. I eagerly awaited my appointment with a color consultant to learn my colors were navy blue and most shades of green. Color therapy and your health There are laboratory experiments about the affect of color on the state of a person's health. We now know that winter in some parts or the world has not enough sunlight. A light with the sunlight spectrum can now be used to avoid illness. Light bulbs with other light needs, from cool to warm, can now be purchased. Blue light is used for a calming effect in some mental hospitals. Other hospitals are now using soft green, blue, peach and sunny yellow on walls and even sheets and gowns. These colors seem to help the patients to get well quicker. A part of the invisible spectrum can be seen by the use of infrared technology. There is thermal imaging that lets us see heat in color. Edgar Cayce said the human body and almost everything in nature radiates energy and/or heat. Many people claim to see the colors or aura surrounding the human body. It is said a person's health and mood can be determined by an analysis of the aura. The health of the 7 chakras will influence the colors of the aura. (Read The Rainbow Mandala) There is breathing color. That is imaging a color and breathing it deep in the lungs. Such as imaging pink and breathing it to feel universal love. Or one could meditate on pink to feel the universal love. Or drink water charged with color, using light or a gemstone or crystal. You can then be "in the pink". Just don't "see red", or "feel blue". We know we should include all colors of vegetables in our diet to stay healthy. It is believed by some people that music has color. Each note vibrates with a shade of color. Color and personality Color research is going on in laboratories all over the world. Color therapy is being used by psychologists and business people. In other words, color is in every part of life. Take a moment every day to look around you and feel the colors, enjoy the colors. Live your life in full color.