Will a golden tone create a golden age?

Watching the colour trends throughout history is very revealing and says a lot about what is happening for humanity.




As an example, when we look back at times of economic depression and insecurity ,
such as the 30's and 40's we often see browns and greys featuring heavily in furnishings and fashion.






The 60's came in with a wild explosion of orange and lime...colours that relected our newfound sexuality (orange)and sense of adventure (lime). This was an era when we felt a lot more comfortable talking and openly communicating (orange) about the taboo subjects (sexuality and emotions - orange) that were kept behind zippered lips in the sedate 50's.



The 70's featured a vast array of purple tones which spoke of a time of revolution...of seeming chaos that followed on from the 60's.








The 80's saw a lot of women choosing deeper red shades (physical energy) for clothing and accessories as they asserted themselves in the traditionally male workplaces and institutions (remember the 'Dallas' style extra wide shoulder pads!!!!)


Colour trends change much more quickly now. We are able to go out and find just about any colour we want although trends are still set. We have recently seen a return to the neutral browns, greys and stone colours and guess what?..... here we are again in that place of worldwide economic uncertainty.



It was really heartening to read the press release from Pantone recently that declared the colour of the year for 2009 to be Mimosa - a striking yellow with slight golden tones.





Here is an excerpt from the press release (highlights in bold by me!)


"Pantone Selects Color of the Year for 2009: PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa

Mimosa Embodies Hopefulness and Reassurance in a Climate of Change CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 3, 2008 - Pantone, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 14-0848 Mimosa, a warm, engaging yellow, as the color of the year for 2009.
In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. "The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

"Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."

Best illustrated by the abundant flowers of the Mimosa tree and the sparkle of the brilliantly hued cocktail, the 2009 color of the year represents the hopeful and radiant characteristics associated with the color yellow.



Sounds good to me!

Spinning wheels of colour energy…

Lying within each and every one of us are receptors and transmitters of colour. These ‘devices’ are called chakras.
There are seven main chakras and each one of these equates and responds to a different colour of the visible light spectrum and is responsible for a different function. They are the spinning ‘wheels’ or vortexes of the subtle anatomy system and in fact get their name from the ancient Sanskrit word for wheel.

The chakra system is an energy system that has been recognised by Eastern culture for many centuries and each chakra is traditionally depicted as a lotus flower with a different colour and a different amount of petals. The petals represent the vibratory rate of each chakra and correspond also to the different vibratory rate of each colour.

The seven main chakras of the human body consist of;





Base chakra – red – our connection to our physical body and life.







Sacral Chakra – orange – our emotions







Solar Plexus Chakra – yellow – our thoughts and mind function







Heart Chakra – green – our feelings and centre for love









Throat Chakra – blue – our self expression and communication






Brow (Third eye) Chakra – indigo – higher mind function








Crown Chakra - violet - our connection to our higher consciousness and inner wisdom



The chakras act in two ways – they both draw in and give out energy and act to sustain us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Working with colour as a therapist is all about working with the chakras and the colours of the spectrum to bring vibrational balance back to the energetic system of the living being.

Every part of the body from the bones and organs right down to the smallest cells at a microscopic level has a different vibration and consequently a different colour vibration to match.
The chakras are a system that can be likened to a complex set of gears – one is dependent on the next for the system to work.

They can become dysfunctional by being overactive, under-active or blocked which in turn can lead to the manifestation of a range of physical, emotional and mental conditions.

The ideal is to catch the imbalance while it still exists at an emotional or mental level and before it manifests into the physical.

We can pick up a clue as to what colours we need at any given time by becoming aware of our colour needs, what colours are we currently attracted to and what is our reaction is to the different colours in our world.

Imagine if we didn't have colours like these!














and all we had was this........

Colour Talks!

Colour Talks!

Take a moment to look around! What colours are surrounding you?
You have surrounded yourself with colour and you have chosen nearly all the colours that you have surrounded yourself with! You have made colour choices for your clothing, jewellery, shoes, bags, belts, cars, furnishings, walls, carpets... and the list goes on!

Have you ever wondered why you choose the colours that you choose?
Are you like Picasso and going through your 'blue' period or dealing with issues of love and are in your 'rose' period? Picasso expressed his emotional well being through the colours that featured in his paintings. His 'blue' period was a time of depression and sorrow and his 'rose' period was linked to his falling in love. You may be able to detect some patterns in your own colour choices. *

So why DO you choose the colours that you choose. Some people will say "it was the only thing I had that was clean to wear" or "it's the latest fashion" or " it was the only thing ironed".

Oh really......!

Why is it then that you have a favourite hue but your friend can't stand the sight of it? For that matter why does a particular shirt feel so right one day and feel so wrong the next?

If we allow ourselves a moment of introspection and open our minds just a bit, we might consider the possibility that we could be revealing a little of ourselves through the colour choices that we make.

Color has it's own 'language' and once we become conscious of this, we have opened the door to a vast supply of information and some great 'tools' for self understanding and personal growth. Deepening your understanding of the ways in which you can work with colour both on a personal level and with loved ones can allow access to your 'authentic' self and foster insight and empathy for those around you.

Colour tells us so much about our feelings, thoughts and emotions. Expressions such as 'seeing red' or 'feeling blue' give us a clue to some of the understandings of colour. How DO you feel blue? Do you really 'see red' when you are angry? Was I really a murky shade of green when that awesome convertible went by the other day? (answer is...YES!)

Colour has a dualistic nature and when we explore this on a personal level we allow our subconscious self to communicate with our conscious self. The unknown becomes the known and personal growth can occur.

Imagine a world without colour !

Go on!
Just close your eyes and try. How do you feel when you do? Note your emotional response, even your physical responses. You have just given yourself a glimpse of the impact that colour has.
Colour feeds us on all levels as well as providing us with a way to communicate who we really are.

The understanding and science of colour has a vast history and a huge future. Modern science and it's continual research into the effects of colour and alternative therapists that are drawing from and expanding on the knowledge and practices of the ancients are opening the way for an incredible understanding and use of colour that can only enhance our lives and the lives of the generations to come.

Colour is Soul food...Are you hungry?