Color

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Have you ever...........

seen “red”

been “green” with envy

been tickled “pink” or

seen the world through “rose-colored” glasses?


Color "A visual sensation dependent on light, with emotional and cultural association." The 12 part color wheel above is based on the three primary colors ( Red, Yellow and Blue ) placed evenly around a circle. Between the three primaries are the secondary colors (Green, Orange and Violet) which are mixtures of the two primaries they sit between. The tertiary colors fall between each primary and secondary. Between yellow and orange, for example, is yellow orange, between blue and violet is blue violet and so on. All these colors around the outside of the color wheel are called saturated colors. They contain no black, no white and none of their complimentary or opposite color.

What is Color Therapy?

Color or chromatherapy is based on the premise that colors are infused with healing energies. The colors of the rainbow promote balance and healing of the mind and the body. Color comes from light. Light is a small portion of electromagnetic spectrum including x-rays, radio, and television, microwaves, ultraviolet and infrared. Waves move in three dimensions and in straight lines radiating out in all directions. Waves are described by the length from crest to crest. Examples of long waves include radio and infrared. Ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma are short waves. When white light passes through a prism the colors become visible. This is because the differences in wavelengths cause the light to bend in different directions and the colors separate out.

History

Color Therapy is rooted in ancient China, Egypt and India. Ayuvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine use the energies of the colors to promote balance, harmony and healing. The charkas or “wheels” of specific energy and the organs of Traditional Chinese Medicine are associated with specific colors.

Chakras

The first or root chakra that is located at the base of the spine is associated with the color red.

The second or sacral chakra is located in the pelvis and is associated with the color orange.

The third or solar plexus chakra is associated with the color yellow.

The fourth or heart chakra is associated with the color green.

The fifth or throat chakra is associated with the color blue.

The sixth or brow chakra is associated with the color indigo.

The seventh or crown chakra is associated with the color violet.

The organs of Traditional Chinese Medicine are also associated with specific colors.

The Lung/Colon organs and channels are associated with the color white.

The Heart/Small Intestine organs and channels are associated with the color red.

The Liver/Gall Bladder organs and channels are associated with the color green.

The Kidney/Bladder organs and channels are associated with the color black.

The Spleen/Stomach organs and channels are associated with the color yellow.

In the fourth century B.C. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, used different color pastes on wounds. Aristotle used colored crystals, salves and minerals. In first century Rome, Christianity deemed this practice pagan. Sir Isaac Newton passed light through a prism in l666 and formed the theory that light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow. In l903 Neils Finsen won a Nobel Prize for work he did on the use of light on disease.

In addition to the colors of the spectrum, colors come in tints and shades. Tints are colors made paler by adding white. Shades are colors made darker by mixing them with black. Tints are positive and shades are negative. Some colors have hidden colors and energies. Orange is made up of red and yellow energies. Green has blue and yellow energies. Purple contains the energy of blue and red. Colors have opposite or complimentary colors. Yellow and purple are opposites, as are blue and red, green and pink, and indigo and orange. Reds, yellows and orange colors are warm and expansive. Blues, purples and indigos are calming and cooling.

What significance do the colors have?

Light is a nutrient essential to bringing balance and tranquility to individuals and the system. It is integral to health and well-being.

White carries all the colors of the spectrum. It is the color of purity. White is “pure as the driven snow”. White creates tints. Using white light in healing creates peacefulness. White is good to keep lymphatic system clear. White is associated with the Lung/Colon Channels. Meditating while concentrating on the color white encourages tranquility and purity.

Red signifies the will to live, physical life filled with adrenalin, fire and drive. Red is associated with passion, excitement, love and anger. The tendency to be impulsive is a characteristic of red. Red is connected to the sexual organs. It governs our sexual behavior. Red is used to treat the circulatory system and disorders such as anemia, asthma, and chronic cough. Magenta red is useful for blood and circulation. It has beneficial effects on the endocrine system. Scarlet- red and yellow-orange have dominating colors stronger than red and take on characteristics of those colors. Crimson red has blue that has a magnetic healing power softer than pure red. It is associated with feminine beauty and mystery. Crimson individuals are persuasive people. A tint of red such as pink is a great color to use in a crisis and relieves depression and loneliness. Red is a very potent healing color. Red light therapy should never be used above the waist in heart conditions.

Orange governs our gut instincts and has subtle strength that can help in psychological breakdowns. Orange is connected to the intestines, lower abdomen, kidneys and adrenals. It is warm, stimulating, and creates happiness. It treats mental illness, depressions, pessimism, anorexia, arteriosclerosis, stomach and digestive problems. Coral represents timid individuals with great listening skills and razor sharp minds. Peach has gentle qualities of orange but not the impetus. Orange makes us jump while peach lets us know it is safe to jump. Peach is a good color to use when working with teenagers who do not know their direction in life. Orange exerts control over our gut instincts and can provide gentle strength in cases of mental breakdown.

Brown is the color of the earth. It is solid and reliable. “Down to Earth” suggests safety and “rootedness”. Tan suggests quiet assurance and intuitiveness. Brown and beige offer single-minded stable affection and reliable creamy beige can help others deal with reality. Dark brown has negative features of brown such as self-centeredness, selfishness and stubborn reluctance to face tomorrow. Brown is the color of soothing Mother Nature. The Earth color suggests security and support. Planting in the brown dirt is very therapeutic. Brown is also the color of elimination.

Yellow is a mind-oriented color. It has optimistic, clear, focused, intellectual, attentive and flexible qualities. It has adaptable energies that allow instant decisions and quick actions. Yellow is the color of communication and thinking “Big”. Yellow relates to digestion, the skin, the nervous system, and organs of the middle and upper abdomen. It relates to the area of the solar plexus. In Naturopathy, yellow is applied to combat glandular and lymphatic disease and to strengthen the nervous system. It is a good color to use in combating melancholia and depression. It promotes expression of feelings. It boosts low self-esteem and encourages joy and laughter. Yellow relieves fears and phobias a Lemon yellow is associated with practical and astute individuals. The color Citrine is representative of a fickle, unstable, foolish with money, and deceitful person. Citrine has the positive quality of fairness. Primrose yellow is a color associated with gifted children who relate to great spirituality and searching for meaning and understanding in life. Yellow boosts low self-esteem, encourages laughter and joy, and releases fears and phobias. It rids the body of toxins. Lemon is good for detoxification and is yellow. Gold represents wisdom, knowledge, leadership and maturity qualities. Pale gold is for self-denial and paying your dues. Dark gold represents deceit.

Green is associated with balance. It has a calming and harmonizing effect. Possession and the will to possess are qualities of green. Security and self-confidence are represented by the color green. Green is used for treatment of bronchitis, whooping cough, inflammations of the joints and swellings by naturopathic practitioners. Ayurvedic medicine treats ulcers with the color green. It has antiseptic, germicidal and antibacterial properties. Green is the color of the heart charka and is associated with love. Pale green represents a fresh start like the new growth on plants. Use green plants to bring balance and harmony to any room in the home or workplace. Being indecisive and immature due to inexperience is associated with pale green. Wealth of ideas and material abundance is associated with greens.

Turquois is useful for conditions of the heart. It cools the fire burning inside. Blue creates inner peace. The heart is connected to the throat, chest and nervous system. Good for calming manic/depressive (Bipolar) disorder. Turquoise is good for aging and drooping.

Blue is the spirit of truth. The throat, head and heart speak through it. Deep thinking and forethought are associated with the color blue. Tranquility, integrity, honor and sincerity are qualities associated with blue. Blue personalities will not seek attention. They are inventive and writing professions. Blue promotes communication and knowledge. It is used to treat liver disorders. Blue has positive effects on pain. It is relaxing and tranquilizing and is applied for migraines/headaches and pains from the stomach and menstrual cycle. Sky blue has the capacity for selfless love, calms in crisis and has a changeable underlying consistency. Azure represents qualities o ambition, struggling hard and high spiritual attainment. Pale blue is also used for inspiring constant faith and purity of innocence and searching for spiritual maturity. Blues are applied for peaceful rest and calming, the fear of going forward, stiff necks, thyroid conditions, healing infections of the throat, childhood ailments such as earache, teething, speech and vocal problems and incontinence.

Indigo has a sedative and calming effect. It represents intuition, spiritual awareness and opening the realm of mystery and psychic dimensions. The color indigo is applied in the treatment of skeletal backbone and glandular problems. It can be used to treat bleeding and abysses.

Violet and purples represent royalty, rulers and spiritual leaders. It includes visionaries, great teachers, clergy, poets, writers, humanitarians, creative individuals. Intuition rather than intellect is represented by violet. Individuals that see into the future, have divine inspiration and have past lives are characteristic of violet. Violet is the color regulating the mind and the body. Violet treats the lymphatic system and the spleen. Do not use violet on children and always apply to back of head never the face. Keep exposure time short because it can be depressing and reveal suicidal tendencies.

Black is the color of new ideas and new beginnings. It is the mystery of hidden colors. It has visionary ability and mystic secrets. It has will and power and does not give information to others. What a person cannot face keeps him in the dark. Wearing black combats hyperactive by making order out of chaos. When used correctly it is strength, artistic, idealistic and has unseen wealth. If used incorrectly it is difficult, shows superiority, despair and restraint.

Gray bridges the gap between black and white. It is where ignorance and innocence meet. Gray has a higher vibration than black due to its white component.

How else can color be used to heal?

Color can be used in decorating the home or workplace to improve mood and health. Red, orange and yellow have an immediate impact while blue, indigo and purple have quiet, cooling and calming energies. Yellow rooms encourage looseness of the tongue so it is good for promoting laughter and fun for friends and families. Yellow also stimulates intellect. Blue is used for those who are prone to argument. Silver gray restores sanity and tranquility. White and blue suggest creativity while brown in the hallway discourages guests to stay. Use warmer peach, coral, turquoise or yellow to encourage guests feel welcome. Blue and indigo are used to relieve pain. Turquoise also promotes conversation at the dinner table.

Blue, violet, lavender and lilac are calming bedroom colors. Read and orange may be too stimulating. Indigo is a good color for insomnia, migraines and other headaches.

Pale apple green is appropriate for children. Yellow primrose is good to stimulate intellect in older children. In the bathroom turquoise salts, dark green plants and yellow candles are soothing and calming. Green strengthens the physical body and can detoxify. Use terra cotta blocks instead of cement in the garden. The cement blocks a garden’s healing energy. Natural wood is also good in the garden area. Lilac flowers have an effect on the immune system. Yellow and golden flowers can lift depression.

In the office space color can affect mood and work. Single light colors can make a room look spacious while dark colors enclose a room. Very strong color can enclose a room and make it feel claustrophobic. Dark ceilings will shorten the walls. Pale ceilings are recommended. It is best to avoid white offices. Brown will create tiredness. Black can restrict movement and produce melancholy. Beige with green or rose is productive.

Purple is used for big ideas and creativity. Gold encourages trust and loyalty. Green plants bring money and balance. Turquoise, blue and indigo are used for balance too. Yellow is used for joy and laughter.

Color in clothing can affect mood. Orange can lighten the load and to combat times of fear and grief. Blue is good to relieve stress. Somber gray is good for bank loans. Banks always say, “Hooray for gray”! Wearing green for money and gold or yellow to show you can be trusted. A brown item shows support while a turquoise one combats nervousness. Pink worn by a young girl means they are ready to reach their full potential. On a woman of fifty it means reassessment time. Black leather worn by teenager s is a statement meaning they are ready to take control.

Foods can influence healing. Red foods are used to restore zest, energy and drive. They can be used for blood disorders. Yellow foods can release depression and comfort the stomach. Green and yellow foods clear toxins from the body.

Chromotherapy can be combined with other Wholistic modalities such as acupuncture, amma, massage, meditation, and reiki.

To further your information on the subject read:

Klotsche, Charles. Color Medicine: The secrets of color/vibrational healing. Sedona, AZ: Light Technology Publishing.

http://healing.about.com/cs/colortherapy/