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.

Read more about the meaning of red, green, blue, etc…

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