Color Therapy for Everyday Living

Chromotherapy, also known as colorology, cromatherapy, or color therapy, is a form of alternative medicine. Someone trained in this modality will use color and light to help balance a person’s energy field to improve physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health. It is not the same as light therapy that is a medical treatment for seasonal affective disorder, but is labeled pseudoscientific by traditional medicine. Whatever label you give it, color has a potent effect on our moods and psyches and plays an essential role in our everyday lives.

What is Color? It is the visible portion of vast spectrum of electromagnetic energy that is one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Light from the sun enters our atmosphere, is stripped of dangerous levels of ultraviolet radiation and offers all life nutritious energy. The diffraction of the light produces the colors we perceive, especially when seen through droplets of water at just the right angle in the form of a rainbow. Those bright, pure spectral colors are the source of much happiness and awe.

The meaning of colors is associated with the chakras as explained in ayurvedic medicine, an ancient system developed in India that uses herbs, massage, yoga and other metaphysical principles.  

The Colors and their associated chakras and functions from Crystal Links

ORANGE
2nd Chakra: Spleen: Located just beneath the navel, and
related to our sexual and reproductive capacity.
Blockage manifests as emotional problems or sexual guilt.

YELLOW
3rd Chakra: Solar Plexis: Seat of Emotions. Gives us a sense of personal
power in the world. Blockage manifests as anger or a sense of victimization.

GREEN
4th Chakra: Heart Chakra: Blockage can manifest as immune
system or heart problems, or a lack of compassion.
Heart Center - Seat of the Soul in the hourglass of time - Zero Point

BLUE
5th Chakra: Throat: Tied to creativity and communication.
Feels pressure when you are not communicating your emotions properly.

INDIGO
6th Chakra: Third Eye Pineal Gland:
Often connected to the forehead.
Is a physical eye at the base of the brain
with the capabilities of looking upward.
Clairvoyance, psychic abilities, imagination, dreaming

PURPLE
7th Chakra Crown: Connects you with message from higher realms.
Can be experienced as a pressure on the top of the head.
spiritual connection, understanding, knowing, bliss, God

The clothes we wear reflect our moods as well. Have you taken a good look at your closet lately? Just by wearing a bright color we can improve our outlook. Color therapists recommend these colors to accentuate moods.

Wear green to feel in tune with nature. It represents the Spring, trees, grass, new beginnings. It is a very healing color.

Blue is serenity and  calm and offers a comfort zone – like the old pair of blue jeans.

Black and Gray tend to make us blend in. It can be depressive, but is also very slimming!

Orange makes you stand out, It says creativity and sexuality. It is also very playful.

Pink is the color that conveys compassion and an open heart. Fuchsia is a shade of pink that also says femininity and love.

Purple gets you noticed. It conveys originality and non-conformity. It definitely makes a statement.

Red is the color to wear to convey self-esteem and confidence. Too much red is a bit intimidating, yet very grounding also.

White is a cleansing color and reduces disappointment. Make sure the garments are bright white and not drab or discolored to have the best effect.

Yellow is the color to uplift your spirit. It’s optimistic and affirmative. I always feel better when I wear my sunshiny yellow sweater.

Brown is earth, simple and centered. Sienna brown feels cleansing and pure.

There is a fascinating test one can take to see if your chakras are open and balanced. You can do that HERE. Then there are meditations involving mudras, or hand positions, and visualizations that can help open them.

A well-known color test was developed by Max Lüscher in Basel, Switzerland and produces alarmingly accurate psychological results. He believed our color preferences are deeply seated and reveal much about our personalities. You can take that test HERE. It definitely described my complex emotions.

The colors we choose around our homes affect our moods. The pastel pinks and blues of a baby girl’s and boy’s room have a definite influence. Girls develop compassion and love, boys need that calming effect blue has on them. Paint your walls yellow to be active, paint them green to be serene! I love all the colors of the rainbow and have many prisms in my windows that project these bright colors on my walls when the sun shines through. These Rainbow Windows come in many shapes for kids and as a glass prism for the more formal rooms. You can find them HERE.

Since color is diffracted light and light is energy, even the blind can sense its vibrations. All colors have wavelengths that emit a certain vibration that affects us on a molecular level. Our vision is a precious gift. When we recognize how color affects everything we do, we can make better choices.