Why do we like certain colours and what do they mean?
Colours are incredibly important and can offer a deeper insight into our psyche. Many decisions we make are subconscious, this is partly our intuition or instinctual self, guiding us towards what we need within the moment. A great deal of what we do is so natural we are barely aware we are doing it; our bodies are built to survive on mother earth and keep us out of danger, also and importantly to give us information about what we need and the world around us. We can use colour to listen more closely to our body and intuitive self to give our conscious mind and update as to what our intuition is trying to tell us.
Why do we choose a specific colour scheme?
The different art we buy or cushions we choose for our sofa can relate to what we need from the space and a point we have reached in our lives. In general, we could say, softer tones or pastel colours can create a more relaxed feel, open space for us to unwind and indulge in more relaxing and philosophical conversation. Brighter, stronger colours could help to bring more energy into our lives, more direct conversation and a faster pace of life.
Colours in our home, walk around your home with a fresh pair of eyes. Interior design also can offer an insight into our lives and personal development. Looking back through our clothing style and palette, the flowers we chose each week to decorate our home and the art we hung on our walls can give us a snapshot of our evolution from a different perspective, our intuitions point of view. This awareness and understanding offers a starting point to understand more about our higher self and inform us about we may need for our next step.
The foods we buy. Colour and intuition not only has a bearing on our mood but also our body’s health. In the supermarket we are drawn to certain coloured foods, a memory of taste or knowledge of nutrition, something inside says “I just fancied that.”, it’s our intuition guiding our conscious mind to what our body needs.
Better understanding colour for our wellbeing
Looking at colour within the spiritual world you may come across some preconceived choices for what colours mean. Many people are aware of the colours of the chakra system, although the chakras no longer play a role within our body system, the colour meanings could still apply as it is a foundation within our knowledge bank, blue for communication, green for heart, red for root. Looking back at the history of religion yellow represents higher knowledge, gold, the light from the divine, the creator and all knowing. Yellow is also healing and mother earth, the sun and reason for all life on our planet.
The more mainstream views of colour which can be linked to art, graphic design and modern society, red is for love, blue is for freedom and creativity, pink can represent a more feminine or softer outlook. Interior design trends and fashion trends change with the seasons, a move through the palette and can quite often depict the mood of society. A few years ago, grey was the colour of the moment, when we looked at society and design it was all minimal, the mood was dull, creativity stifled. Art, intricate design and flamboyance was frowned upon. Thankfully today we see a move back to mother nature, pastel colours, greens, browns and earthy tones, a nurturing and wellbeing feeling for life.
All these meaning are someone’s truth and representations of what different colours could mean, it is important to realise it is down to your individual interpretation within the moment. A simple example I like to use is, if I am walking arm and arm along the beach with my partner, red means love. If I am driving in my car, red means stop! In workshops or teaching environments when I ask what people what red means when driving I often also get the answer, anger or frustration. When asking a group in general what does red mean I get a variety of answers ranging from passion, power and energy to grounding and mother earth. All these views are correct for the individual within that moment, the point I make is if we allow colour to be the starting point to opening our awareness to information around the energy of here and now. Moving away from having a fixed narrative, red always means this and so on.
Using colour for yourself
Build your knowledge and repertoire, learn the basic meanings of colour by others but also ask yourself what they mean to you. Be aware, the meanings can change from moment to moment, day to day or over time as you evolve and build your understanding of yourself and how you function. By raising your awareness to colour, you will begin to understand more about what other parts of your being is trying to communicate, your conscious mind sees red as passion and action, asking your subconscious mind, maybe the reply is overload and caution. Asking the different parts of your psyche what this colour means now can give you more information about what your body, mind and soul actually needs for full health and wellbeing.
Use colour in an active way to benefit your day, be aware of the different colours in your life. Design your home in a way where you can recognise different spaces, peaceful and tranquil areas of health and recharge, productive spaces with colours that offer clear thinking and energy. Relaxing and unwinding tones in your bedroom. Choose your artwork carefully, make sure the artist, image and colours all speak to you. Art is a window within your space where you can drift away into your own creativity and dreams. Be aware of the colours you wear, what clothes you buy and what you choose to wear each day, if you have picked something up without really thinkings its usually your intuition giving you some feedback as to what its experiencing. Be mindful of food, what colours and foods you are drawn to, your body is talking to you in so many ways and understanding colour is a great way to listen.
Written by Richard Stuttle
