Massaging the Chakras

I often get asked ..” how do you use colour as a therapy?”

To answer that question could take me hours as there are so many ways to utilise colour to heal and grow.
There are many different colour based therapies available but the one that seems to have really grabbed me is AuraSoma. I really love this system because of its non intrusive and self selective basis.

Ultimately your client chooses the colours that are perfect for them at this point in their lives and their choice comes from within a deep part of their unknown self.
Their colours are chosen from a huge range of over 100 different jewel like bottles of coloured oils and essences. Consultation about their choices then takes place and the client leaves with the bottle (or bottles) that are to be applied to the matching chakra areas as part of the whole process.

The bottles contain a mixture of essential oils, gem and crystal essences, herb and plant essences as well as the energy of colour
and are called Equilibrium Bottles and through them the ultimate goal is...to restore equilibrium to body mind and soul!






Some practitioners of the AuraSoma system have gone on to develop further therapies. One Practitioner and Teacher friend of mine, Vicki Engeham, has developed an amazing system called Chakra Massage and has just published her long awaited book all about it.



I had a chat to Vicki just recently and asked her a few questions about her journey with colour....
Vicki, how long have you been working with colour as a therapy?
...I've been working with colour as a therapy since 1992. Before that I was a potter/artist and window design person. So really colour has been a theme through my life as such.

Do you have any success stories from your years as a teacher and practitioner?
...I have many success stories that I usually share when I teach. I have found colour to help with all areas of life, be it spiritual,emotional or physical. I have worked over the years with people with aids, cancer and many life threatening diseases through touch and colour. Colour has proven to have been extremely helpful with people that have been abused. What I like about Aura-Soma is it is non intrusive, so a person works with a particular bottle of colours, to help address his/her issues. The responsibility then is given back to the person to continue to work on themselves.

Where are you based?
... location is in Central Australia, has been for over 25 years, maybe Cairns for the next lot. I really think you can work anywhere if you know your subject well, although it's nice to have a base.

I know you frequently travel to places such as Japan and the U.K to teach courses but are there any other countries that you would really like to bring your work and knowledge to?
... I mainly teach the 3 levels of Aura-Soma courses these days. I also teach the chakra balance course as well as deep relaxation massage, advanced skills and shiatsu. I teach all over Australia, Europe,Asia and Japan. I travel a lot.
I'd like to have the opportunity to travel to China to teach.(when i find time!)

How did you develop the concept and practice of Chakra massage?
... The chakra massage developed through a dream, then put into practice. First came the technique, then came the sound, breath, Angels and crystals.
I'd like to add you don't have to be "SPECIAL' to do any kind of healing work, just the intention of working for a person's highest good.



Vicki’s book is available by contacting her directly via her website or through visiting the AuraSoma Australia website.
Who knows she may also be able to travel to your area to teach and share her wonderful knowledge and skills!

Feeling S.A.D!

It is mid winter here in the southern hemisphere and the temptation to stay indoors and hibernate is high! Outdoors is bleak and cold and the landscape seems to have lost some of its colour. It is a time when we can easily stake a claim to a comfy corner of the lounge,put the heaters on high and work our way through the stack of dvd’s calling to us from the tv cabinet.


For a lot of us (females) it is a time to let the hairs on our legs grow to the point where, come spring, we need a deforestation permit from local council to wax or shave them off! We might poke our head out on a chilly winters day, mutter a quick bbrrr and quickly come back in to make another hot chocolate.

This is all right and proper. We are following the natural cycles of the seasons and life. Winter is the time to let the fields lie fallow awaiting the return of spring and the traditional beginnings of new cycles of growth and life.


But wait....we are not bears...we are not meant to fully hibernate...we are human beings! We need fresh air, movement and most importantly ....LIGHT! (and yes!..hot chocolate!)
Our bodies rely on light for so many things. We need it for vitamin D synthesis, hormonal regulation and mood balancing.
We are solar powered beings that respond to light. Food and water help too of course but without light we would wither and die.



Sunlight gives us our measurable wavelengths and vibrations of colour. Each colour vibration found within sunlight ‘feeds’, balances and energises the energy centres , or chakras of the subtle anatomy of the human being which then influence our glandular system and hormone levels. If we shut out the sunlight we deny ourselves this vital energy source.



There is a condition called S.A.D or seasonal affective disorder that is directly attributable to prolonged low levels of natural sunlight.
This condition is more prevalent in some countries of the Northern Hemisphere where winter day light hours are short and the quality of light weak but it is also becoming more prevalent due to the demands of modern day life.
In winter, people who work in offices all day might arrive in the morning, spend all day inside an artificially lit building and then leave again at the end of the day when it is dark, having little or no exposure to natural light. As sunlight is vital to hormonal balance, what results is imbalanced hormone levels which can then lead to sadness and depressive states.


So! If you are feeling a bit down and gloomy this winter add some colour to your life. Brighten up your wardrobe. Add some splashes of colour to your home and head outside as often as you can for a healthy dose of light and colour therapy!

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.

Meeting a fellow Colorwoman

I was so excited recently when I came across a fellow Etsyian with the name Colorwoman..!!!!!!

“Now here is someone I’ve just got to get to know” I said to myself.

Sure enough when I had a look at her fabulous shop on Etsy I was ecstatic…here on the page in front of me was another color devotee!

Connie (aka Colorwoman) makes gorgeous jewellery that embraces an understanding of the basis of Colour Therapy – the Chakra System- an energetic system within the human body.
(more on the chakra system in a future blog)








Connie has been making jewellery for quite some years now and this is what she told me about becoming ‘colorwoman’ -

“I've been colorwoman for 10 years. When I bought my first iMac ten years ago I needed an online name and I thought, "if I were a member of a tribe, what would they call me? "Colorwoman' was the immediate answer that popped into my head and I've been living into that title for a decade now".

Jewellery is a great way to add the energy of colour to your day.
The use of colour for healing mind, body and spirit is certainly not new. It was simply forgotten.
In the healing temples of Ancient Egypt crystals were used as treatment and rooms devoted to a particular colour were set up so that the person in need of treatment could bathe in sunlight that was streaming in through coloured glass.







Connie's colourful pieces, made from both crystals and vibrant glass beads, are made with the loving intention of bringing color to the wearer.

Each piece has been bought into the world in an environment that celebrates the joys of colour. Her studiois painted every colour of the rainbow inside, so as she works with colour she is also truly surrounded by colour !



I love this quote from Connie about what Etsy means to her,

"We do what we do, the way that we do it, because if we didn't there would be a hole where something beautiful is meant to be" Jan. 2008.

Have a look at Connie's shop. She is a prolific craftswomen with many items to choose from.

As well as her beautiful jewellery pieces there is an awesome assortment of coloured glass beads.

You would surely have to find the perfect colour for yourself here!

I noticed also that Connie runs classes in jewellery making and even offers sessions for birthday parties.


I just wished I lived closer...

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?