Several findings indicate that color and light have even been used as a source of healing since the beginning of recorded time as well. When you absorb color energy, it travels through the nervous system to the part of the body that needs it. Each body has its own optimum state of well being and is constantly seeking ways to maintain or restore a balanced state. Utilizing color is one way to help our bodies maintain this harmonious state.

In ancient Indian, Chinese & Egyptian cultures, health related treatments were based around the theory that health was not only contingent upon balancing our physical needs, but our emotional, mental and spiritual as well. And color application helped to do that. Feng Shui, chromo therapy and colorology are a few other healing arts based around aspects of the same theory.

Color and light have the ability to balance the energy wherever a person’s body may be lacking. In the ancient Indian healing art of the Kundalini System, colors affect specific energy centers in our body temples that help our seven chakras open & flow freely. These energy centers govern specific organs in our body temples and vibrate to specific colors that can be reenergized through visualization and application.

Color has the same ability when applied to the paint & décor of a room. Whether it’s the color of the walls, a piece of upholstered furniture, the window treatment, or a whole décor theme, color gives a room its look and feel and will therefore bring a positive or negative emotion to the person who enters it.

In the ancient Asian concept of the Feng Shui Five-Element Theory, every color is represented. These five elements are fire, water, metal, wood, and earth. Reds, oranges, brilliant yellows, pinks, and purples represent the element of fire, aligning with passion, danger, and a high energy level. White, gray, silver, and gold colors relate to the metal element and should be used as an accent rather than a main color, as they represent clarity and balance. The colors blue and black are associated with the water element and call forth freshness and abundance. Black in used in moderation when decorating a child’s room because of its absorbent properties. Green and brown colors relate to the wood element and provide qualities of health and prosperity. Pale yellows and beige colors are related to the earth element and provide a strong, steady, and stable atmosphere. While it is mindful to pay attention to the use of these strong colors when creating or diffusing energy in your home or office, pastel colors can be used more freely. Pastels are moderate colors that do not represent any energy inhibiting dangers.

Have you ever noticed how certain colors make you feel? How that certain dress or suit seems to make your face glow a little brighter? How brown wall paneling or red drapes affects your mood? Color truly does affect us more than we know. But the more we understand how we process and view color, the more we can manipulate its usage through our choice of fabrics.

Below is a list of some of the more common colors found not only in nature and the man made world around us, but in the fabrics that we purchase for the purpose of creating the very look or feel we are speaking of. When you think of it, fabric can truly be used to convey a wealth of energy and information into a garment or home décor. From its color and texture, to its print and design, fabrics speak volumes without making a sound. Hopefully with this additional knowledge and deeper insight into the vibrations around each color, your next fabric selection will hold a deeper purpose and meaning.

Red is an emotionally intense color, evoking energy and desire. It represents the life force contained in our physical bodies. Red attracts attention whether draped on a female form or coveting your plush sofa cushions. But be careful, red can make you appear heavier and raise your blood pressure as well.

Exam: red cars, red shoes, red light district, red stop signs, seeing ‘red’, painting the town ‘red’, red devil

Orange is an anti-depressant and appetite stimulator. It vibrates with our emotional sides and is reflective of a warm hearted disposition. Many fast food industries effectively use this color in their marketing strategies for this very reason.

Yellow is the most difficult color for the human eye to take in, yet it stimulates our minds and helps us to focus, boosts our memory, and enhances our concentration. Maybe this is why legal pads and post-its are marketed by the industry on yellow paper. While some say that yellow is an optimistic color (as in the yellow ribbon put out when soldiers are at war) adults and babies have been documented to lose their temperatures more in rooms coated in this color.

Green
Green carries a harmonizing and relaxing energy. It is the color of nature, fertility, creativity, wealth and good fortune. For women especially, it serves as a womb rejuvenator; stimulating the energy flow of the chi force. Because of greens calming effects, it is the color of choice for most doctor scrubs, hospital waiting rooms, and the green rooms that performers use prior to putting on a show.

Blue
Like the many shades of green, blue also has a calming and tranquil affect on the mind and body. And while studies have found that people tend to be more productive in rooms painted blue, it is synonymous with a peaceful state. Fashion stylists recommend wearing shades of blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty (as in the phrase, he is a ‘true blue’ friend). Many interior designers make use of the many shades of blue and green in their bathroom and spa decors.

Purple
Purple is a very powerful color. It is the color or royalty and the finer things in life. It reflects a high sense of self both mentally and spiritually, and nurtures creativity.

Exam: purple heart of honor

Turquoise
Turquoise and silver metals are synonymous with the Native Americans who used their natural qualities of protection and dedication for symbolic purposes in many of their jewelry pieces and body adornments. Turquoise stirs the imagination and stimulates concentration as well.

Pink
While red is the color of desire, pink is the color of love void of this desire. It is romance and affection and symbolic of universal love. Pink is flirtatious, yet carries a calming effect on our overall disposition. A case study done in a state prison years ago found that when the bright orange colored uniforms the prisoners wore, were replaced with pink ones, the number of fights and overall level of aggression was reduced. In western culture, pink is symbolic of girls mainly because of the sweetness little girls were conditioned to possess.

Black
Though not truly considered a color, black is still considered very symbolic in many cultures. Most notably symbolic of things dark and mysterious in western cultures, black is often worn by funeral attendants and those in morning. Black is also the color most associated with power and authority. In the fashion industry, black is considered a stylish and timeless color that has not only a thinning affect on the body, but is great for subduing undesirable physical attributes. Because it absorbs energy and light strongly, one must be mindful when furnishing or garmenting too heavy in black.

Exam: black tie event, black magic

White
In many cultures, white is the color of innocence and purity. On the color spectrum, it is considered a neutral color and reflects light as well as energy. In many eastern cultures, it is worn to funerals and other spiritual ceremonies. White is a very revealing color, and as such, requires an attentive eye when used to upholster, garment and window dress.

Grey
Grey is the symbolic color of compromise. It denotes renunciation and suppression; this may explain why older depictions of monks and nuns show them with grey colored robes on. If you are looking to liberate yourself from a certain way of thinking, doing or experiencing, grey is the last color you want to surround yourself with.

Lavender
Lavender symbolizes vanity and ultra-femininity. A perfect match for the female essence in all little girls and seasoned women.

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