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The Power of Colour

In colour there is life. To understand this power, is living.

Colour could very well be the most magnificent experience we take for granted. Look around; it's everywhere, surrounding and embracing us. We interpret life as much through colour as we do shape, texture and sound.

The truth is, the power of colour is the very essence of life.

Colour plays an important part in our lives from an early age. 'What's your favourite colour?', is a question we ask from childhood, and we continue to sprinkle our speech with references to colours; we see red, go green with envy, have black moods and get the blues and feel off colour. Every day we make choices about colours: which tie to wear, what colour to paint the kitchen, red roses or pink carnations for Mother's Day. It's not surprising then that your choice of colour can say something about your personality.

Colour has been used therapeutically for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians recognized the healing power of the sun - they may have gained some of their knowledge from the Atlantians - and built the temple of Heliopolis with its healing halls where the sun's rays were refracted into the colours of the spectrum. The Greeks began to consider the physical nature of colour and Hippocrates diagnosed conditions by looking at the colour variations of eyes, skin and hair and excreta.

Colour has long had symbolic significance. The Buddha is frequently shown wearing a yellow or gold robe. Yellow is the colour of enlightenment and gold the colour of divinity. Green is sacred to Islam and is the colour of immortality. The Virgin Mary is always depicted dressed in royal blue, a colour associated with the gods in many cultures and the virtues of truth and integrity.

We are all surrounded by an electromagnetic field called an aura. Very sensitive people claim to be able to see this but it can be shown through the use of special photographic techniques called auric or Kirlian photography. Colour therapists can then use this to determine imbalances in the body's energy and select the appropriate colour or colours to correct this using the relationship between the aura and the chakras which are the eight energy centres linked to the endocrine glands and specific organs of the body. Each chakra has its own colour and healers will use appropriate colours to correct imbalances.

Scientists have shown clearly that red stimulates the glandular system, increases heart rate and raises blood pressure and that blue has the opposite effect.

                  

Therapists have been using colour for some time now to help people regain balance in their lives. We react to different colours on a subconscious level, so using colour as a diagnostic tool can reveal the deep-seated root of a problem when someone may be unable to express an anxiety or be aware of its cause.

"Light and colour is the healing power of the present and our future, and when we recognise these powerful forces we are able to heal ourselves and our environment... colour works on many subtle levels bringing healing and harmony to every part of our being, and when introduced into our environment colour can change our attitudes and outlook."
 
Auras and chakras aside, certainly colours do affect us physically and emotionally and mentally. You just need to find the right colour for the right time for you.

Within our body each and every cell is linked. A system of trillions of lights.
recharge... replenish... reactivate... stimulate...

Therapists use a variety of techniques to heal the body and mind using colour. For example:

• irradiation - shining light through coloured filters onto the body with the patient wearing white or a neutral colour to absorb the colour being administered
• chromotherapy - specific colours and their complementary colours are directed to specific areas or parts of the body with a spotlight and coloured filters
• applying different coloured silks to the body
• advising on the use of colour in clothing
• choice of colour in the home or office - this is very important considering how much time most of us spend indoors
• special diets based on natural food colours
• colour acupuncture using a light beam instead of needles
• essential oils of different colours
• solarized water for the client to drink made by placing spring water in clear coloured containers in direct sunlight
• visualization exercises or meditation focusing on a particular colour
• coloured oils in reflexology
• gemstones or quartz crystals

Colour is a form of energy. We readily accept the use of the invisible rays of the electromagnetic spectrum such as infra red and ultra violet rays and x-rays, why not the visible ones? Our use of colour expresses how we feel and think and the colours we surround ourselves with can affect our mood and personality. If the only help that colour can offer is to raise spirits and self-esteem, enhance surroundings, reduce stress and help you view life more positively, then that is enough in my mind.

What does your choice of colours say about you?

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