Color Therapy Plain & Simple: The Only Book You'll Ever Need

by Nina Ashby

Overview

We are surrounded by color, and we largely take it for granted. Each color, hue, tint, and shade has characteristics that affect our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives. Learn how to use color knowledge to enhance every aspect of your life, from health to relationships.

This book provides a full spectrum of information from the practical to the spiritual. Find out how to decorate with color to create specific moods. Learn how to dress for success and interpret others' personalities by the colors they wear. Improve your health by using colored lights and color-based meditations and visualizations and eating foods of a certain color.

The author provides information on each color of the spectrum and discusses color in relation to astrology, the chakras, the aura, and divination. Exercises for healing with color are also provided.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781571747877
Publisher:	Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2018
Series:	Plain & Simple Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nina Ashby has trained in the art and science of perception, spiritual philosophy, various forms of bodywork and energy healing, art, psychology, yoga, meditation, astrology, palmistry, dowsing, cards, and psychic studies. She lives in England.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

The Color Spectrum

The symbolism and application of colors are vast. I have therefore addressed each color individually and given an overview of its physical, emotional, and mental characteristics and meanings, as well as described its application in diet, decor, and fashion.

Describing a color is difficult because we all perceive colors slightly differently. I have had more disagreements with people about what color I am wearing than I can count! It is therefore useful to describe colors in reference to the living world, for example, sunflower yellow, forget-me-not blue, sky blue, pumpkin orange, fire- engine red, and so on.

I hope that this will set your mind working and inspire you to acknowledge how much you already understand about the nature of each color. This will give you some insight into color as well as give you a summary to refer to in the future.

Color Basics

Colors are neither good nor bad. Each color has particular properties relating to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual states of being. Colors can be stimulating or depressing, constructive or destructive, attractive or repellent. They affect us more profoundly than we realize, a factor that becomes evident in the language we use to describe sensations, emotions, and situations.

Color contains information. For instance, the color series red-yellow-green is now so deeply embedded in our culture that its use is always read as stop-wait-go. Maps display color schemes to make them easy to read and understand. Color is used to draw attention to important information. It helps us to differentiate and remember data or facts, such as in the use of color coding on wiring or pipes in industry, and it helps us to define identity, such as in flags and uniforms.

Guidelines for Understanding the Meanings of Color

There are hot colors — red, yellow, and orange. There are cool colors — blue, green, and violet. Bright or highly contrasting colors draw the eye more quickly and are easier to see than pastel or low-contrast colors. They also define moods.

Colors indicate energy states that are either active and outgoing or receptive and inward turning. For example, both primary and secondary colors that are bright are perceived as being outgoing and active, as in fire-engine red or sunflower yellow. We all choose and use colors that are right for their purposes. Imagine having a candy-striped courtroom!

Use the following guidelines:

• In a combined color, we perceive the more dominant color as more influential. For example, in red-orange, red is the dominant color.

• Whenever white or black is added to a bright color, it progressively dilutes that color until it is completely absorbed by the black or white, and it changes the color's meaning accordingly.

• When white is added to a bright color, the psychological impact of that color becomes more innocent, ethereal, or insipid.

• When black is added to a bright color, the psychological impact of that color becomes more earthy, heavy, and repressed.

For Example: Red

Bright color: Fire-engine red

Meaning: Extroversion, energy, sportiness, attention-seeking behavior, aggressiveness

Shade: Red + Black = Moroccan red

Meaning: Conservativeness, masculinity, sexiness, suppressed physical energy

Tint: Red + (a little) White = Hot pink

Meaning: Naughty innocence, teenage quality, assertiveness, energetic fun

Tint: Red + (a lot of) White = Baby pink

Meaning: Physical innocence, sweetness, softness, vulnerability

No matter how you use colors, the effect and the message they broadcast are the same whether applied to decor, fashion, advertising, or energy analysis and healing.

Once you think more deeply about color, you can apply your knowledge to every area of life.

Chapter 17, "The Science of Color," provides color wheels and further explanations of how colors interact and combine.

CHAPTER 2

All About Red

Red appears as the densest color of the spectrum and has the lowest vibrational frequency in the spectrum. Red is the color that we associate with earthly matter, blood, and passion. It is a hot color and is very stimulating, because even though the molecules vibrate slowly, they are densely packed, thus creating a lot of friction. This is why red catches our attention so rapidly and why it is so often used in advertising. It is so active that too much of it is overstimulating and irritating, so it needs to be used sparingly.

Red in the Aura

Red is naturally associated with the root chakra that governs survival on the physical plane and the fight-or-flight reflex regulated by the adrenal glands. Bright red in the aura signifies drug abuse or rage. Dark reds signify anger, rage, jealousy, or lust. Bright pinks signify irritation and frustration. Medium pinks signify a desire for physical activity, while pale pinks signify friendship, affection, and vulnerability.

Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions using red colors include the following: red with rage, red rag to a bull, red-hot, red-hot mama, red light, red-light district, ruddy, scarlet woman.

Associations

Physical Associations

Element of fire, oxygenated blood, sexual excitement, physical heat as in fire, irritation, fevers, rashes, inflammation and swelling, stimulation through healthy exercise, health, vitality, vigor, virility, promoter of heat, stimulated nerves and blood and vitalized physical body, raw life force, hyperactivity

Emotional Associations

Anger, rage, temper, irritability, excitement, sexiness, action, passion, love of companionship, selfishness, need to have things now, present-oriented behavior, generosity, assertiveness, self-aggrandizing behavior, geniality, vigor, stubbornness, impulsiveness, physical approach to situations, creator of dramas, recklessness

Mental Associations

Stopping, paying attention, physical phase of mentality, love

Spiritual Associations

Mother Earth, death, fortune

Brights

Carmine: Anger

Scarlet: Lust

Crimson: Physicality

Shades

Blood red: Sensuality, uncontrolled passion

Brick red: Selfish motives, practical approach

Cordovan red: Coarse passion

Cloudy red: Greed and cruelty

Deep crimson: Materialism

Tints

"In the pink": Healthy

Hot pink: Innocent sexiness, active explorer, teenage energy, assertiveness

Baby pink: Physical innocence and reactivity, spiritual innocence, vulnerability

Rose pink: Selfless love, gentleness

Healing Applications

• Use red in small doses only, as pure red is hyperstimulating.

• Use for anemia and poor circulation. Red stimulates adrenaline and disperses tiredness, inertia, and coldness; red is expansive. Use red sparingly in cases of depression in combination with other colors.

• Use bright red for people who need get-up-and-go.

• For those with libido problems, use dark shades of red to stimulate a rush of blood to the lower regions.

• Use pink to gently stimulate metabolism or blood flow to an area.

• Color breathing pink helps with weight loss.

Foods

Beetroot, radishes, black cherries, damsons, plums, spinach, cresses, currants, prunes, vegetables and fruit containing iron, red capsicums, chili peppers, cloves, red-ray-charged water

Decoration and Fashion

Use red sparingly as an accent color to warm up a room. Use too much and the space will look like a brothel.

Dark reds are very masculine, sexy, and assertive and can be read as physically comfortable, warm, and stimulating. Red creates a sense of denseness and concentration, yet is very active. Use red to attract attention.

Red is a great accent color for clothing. Wearing all red makes a very striking statement, and you have to be bold to carry this look. It is sexy, sassy, and aggressive. Wearing red can actually make you feel warm. For example, in winter wearing red socks makes your feet feel warm.

CHAPTER 3

All About Orange

Combining red and yellow makes the range of orange colors. The symbolic keyword for red is "energy," and the keyword for yellow is "intellect." Orange is therefore energy that is focused by the mind. The dominance of the primary red or yellow in the mixture will determine how to interpret the symbolic meaning of the color. For example, in red-orange there is more red than yellow; therefore, the energy of red will dominate the logic of yellow.

Orange is a warm, stimulating color. It is less irritating than red but more physically active than yellow. We often find fast-food restaurants incorporating red, orange, and yellow in their advertising because orange promotes appetite, yellow helps in decision making, and red gets people in and out quickly.

Orange in the Aura

Orange naturally relates to the sacral chakra, which governs sexuality, gender identity, and social relationships. Whenever orange is found in the aura, it indicates that the person is doing something political or negotiating or learning to deal with people and to relate to them in a dynamic manner in social or business situations.

Idiomatic Expressions

There are no idiomatic expressions incorporating the color orange that I know of.

Associations

Physical Associations

Stimulating, warm color; appetite stimulant; vital, dynamic life force; tonic; stimulator of bodily functions; spleen, pancreas, lung, gall bladder, and liver strengthener; antispasmodic; aid to digestion and elimination

Emotional Associations

Political, manipulative, ambitious, motivating behavior; feeling of well-being; promoter of action; pride of intellect; mastery by will; pride in mastery over others

Mental Associations

Negotiation skills, learning diplomacy and pride; stimulated mental functions

Spiritual Associations

Promoter of conscious control over physical functions

Brights

Bright orange: Energy, stimulation

Shades

Burnt orange: Pride, warmth, comfort, and motivation

Muddy orange: Judgment and manipulation

Brown orange: Playing safe in social contexts

Tints

Peach: Vulnerability, sensitivity

Apricot: Appetite promoter, sociability

Foods

Orange, tangerine, apricot, mango, peach, cantaloupe, carrot, butternut squash, pumpkin, yam, swedes (also known as rutabagas or by the marvelous British name, mangel-wurzel!), orange-charged water

Healing Applications

• Orange removes repressions and inhibitions, broadens the mind to new ideas, raises mental ability, brings understanding and tolerance, and raises motivation.

• Orange helps with muscle spasms or cramps.

• Use orange to increase vitality.

• Use orange to treat disorders of spleen and kidneys, gallbladder and liver.

• Use for paralysis and panic brought on by emotional problems.

• Use orange for breathing difficulties: helps treat asthma (along with the blue ray) and bronchitis.

• Orange stimulates elimination.

• Use orange to build stamina and bring heat to the body.

• Color breathing orange stimulates a person into action and takes the person from stagnation and depression into motivation and directed energy.

Decoration and Fashion

Orange is a good color to use in public areas, because its warmth promotes positive social interaction and feelings of comfort. It is good also for dining rooms and kitchens, and it helps "structure the fire" of an environment. Pale peach or apricot can be used in a playroom or nursery as a nurturing color, as it promotes good relationships and is uplifting. Shades of orange warm up and give an earthy feeling to a room. Bright orange accents add zing to a room without being too irritating.

Use orange with blue, the opposite color of orange.

Orange clothes or accents within clothing patterns send a bold, warm message in all shades. It is a good color to use to create a more masculine feel, except in its paler tints.

CHAPTER 4

All About Yellow

Yellow is the color that is associated with the mind. The function of the mind is dual, because the lower mind is involved in the logical thought process that organizes functioning within the world, but the higher mind connects us to the wisdom of the universe. Wisdom is the application of knowledge through love. Bright yellow is also the color of joy, light, and laughter, or positive mental states. When mixed with white, yellows become less logical and more able to accept the emotional world, and they are also taken to indicate decreased mental power. When mixed with black, the yellows become more judgmental and prone to worry and negative thinking.

Yellow in the Aura

Yellow is naturally associated with the solar plexus chakra, which is related to making choices and making decisions. Whenever yellow is found in the aura, depending upon the shade, it signifies application of logic, learning, study, paperwork, complex legal matters, details, judgment of self or others, or worry.

Idiomatic Expressions

One idiomatic expression that uses the color yellow is yellow-bellied (cowardly). Over the last century and a half, Americans have used yellow for remembrance, in tying a yellow ribbon around a tree when a loved one has gone away to fight in a war.

Associations

Physical Associations

Digestion, stomach, spleen, pancreas, gall bladder, liver, breakdown and assimilation of nutrients, link to the functions of the left side of the brain (logic), purifier for the skin, paperwork, details

Emotional Associations

Joy, inspiration, optimism, cowardice, confusion caused by the mind overpowering the emotions

Mental Associations

Analysis, intellectualism, logic, eccentric thought, judgment, study and learning, discrimination, prejudice, absolutism, stubbornness, an attitude of "If I can't see it, I don't believe it," self-control

Spiritual Associations

Application of the higher mind and pure intellect or intellectual attainment. Sunflower yellow is associated with joy; golden yellow is associated with a high spiritual state of being.

Brights

Bright yellow: Joy, light, laughter, positive mental states

Shades

Ochre: Worry and self-doubt

Mustard: Judgment of self or others, out of negative thinking

Dark ochre: Paranoia, suspicion

Tints

Pale primrose: Great intellectual power

Lemon: Normal intellectual ability

Pale, creamy yellow: Limited intellect, wishy-washy mind

Metallic gold: Wisdom, consciousness of God, spiritual awakening, wealth, power, and status

Healing Applications

• Yellow is inspiring and intellectually elevating.

• Use yellow for nervous exhaustion, skin complaints, indigestion, constipation, flatulence, liver trouble, and diabetes.

• Yellow generates energy in the muscles and motor nerves and stimulates the flow of bile.

• Yellow has a positive effect on depression, inducing a positive mental vibration affecting the nervous system and physical vitality.

• Color breathing yellow improves memory and concentration.

Foods

Banana, pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, sweet corn, butter, yellow squash, yellow capsicum, saffron, turmeric, garlic and onions, yellow solar-charged water.

Decoration and Fashion

Yellow has a stimulating effect on the mind. As a room color, the more saturated tones can be uplifting and warming, bringing a sense of sunshine and joy into a room. Yellow used in kitchens or public rooms will stimulate discussion and help digestion. Use yellow in a study to promote intellectual activity. Yellow is a good brightening accent color, but should not be used as a main wall color in rooms required for relaxation such as bedrooms or bathrooms, due to its stimulating effect on the mind.

Bright yellow can be a difficult color for many people to wear and is most often found as an accent color within prints. Bright yellow can be very flattering on dark- skinned people, and shades of yellow can look good on people with dark or red hair and brown eyes. The paler tints of yellow are easier to wear and convey an image of organization and a positive outlook.

Gold jewelry is also considered to be an attribute of yellow, and it has always been a symbol of personal power, wealth, and status. It represents the masculine solar energy because it never fades, tarnishes, or changes, and it is hypoallergenic.

CHAPTER 5

All About Green

Green is the color of balance, harmony, and sympathy. It is the combination of yellow, at the hot end of the spectrum and blue at the cold end of the spectrum. As with every secondary color, the dominant color of the mixture governs which has the most influence.

Green in the Aura

Green is the natural color of the heart chakra, so it governs empathy, connection to one's life purpose, and the seat of the soul. Green is the color of nature and refreshment through the abundance of nature. When we do not trust, we are out of balance with the natural world and do not believe that we will get what we require. his creates feelings of jealousy, resentment, and envy, all appearing as green within the energy field.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Color Therapy"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Nina Ashby.
Excerpted by permission of Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Our Experience of Color 1

1 The Color Spectrum 5

2 All About Red 11

3 All About Orange 17

4 All About Yellow 23

5 All About Green 29

6 All About Blue 35

7 All About Violet 41

8 Black, White, Gray, and Brown 47

9 Color and the Aura 55

10 Color and the Chakras 69

11 Develop Your Color Awareness 87

12 Dress for Success 97

13 Décor 109

14 Color Divination 123

15 Healing with Color 129

16 Color and the Esoteric Dimension 145

17 The Science of Color 159

Acknowledgments 171