Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Color Preferences



I received a thought provoking post on my last blog entry and it got me to thinking that a post on color preferences, and dislikes, might be fun to read and mull over. When I was studying color as a healing tool, I learned that people’s preference for certain colors is important but what is equally important, or perhaps more so, it their aversion to certain colors.

The example I can think of most readily is the color olive green. We in the class were asked which colors of the 14 in front of us we disliked the most. Olive green turned out to be the one most disliked. Well guess what….we were all women in that class and olive green turns out to be the color of feminine leadership! And all of us had that issue at the time, being fearful of stepping into our leadership shoes as women. We all had issues of self worth, and fear around speaking up. So we all shrank from this powerful, beautiful color.

The other thing I learned was that the saturation of a color also had an impact. The lighter the color, the more intense the “lesson” or message. The darker the color, the more mystery there was to it and things weren’t so out in the open.

The blogger wrote:
“In East Indian culture, we can be all shades of brown from the most pale and fair to the darkest hue of brown, almost black. So many prefer the lighter version. Though I try to rise above this labeling, even I get sucked into the idea of what is aesthetically pleasing.

May we love our colors, but learn that their borders can stretch to hold a wide variety of meaning.”

And it’s so true. We can be easily influenced by society into thinking what color is hip (look at the fashion industry….when they decide that browns and oranges are the colors of the moment, that’s all you can find in the stores, and when it shifts to purple and orange, the same thing happens.), but it’s important to remember where YOUR heart is. Is it with the brown of the moment or with blue? Is it with green or a dark purple?

The great thing about color is there is no wrong answer! Every color you choose is perfect in that moment. There is a lot of freedom in this as well as support. When I go into my closet, pull out a garment, don it, and then take it off right away it is because my body knows instinctively what it needs at that moment. So I will go back in, something will catch my eye, I’ll put it on and voila~the perfect color for me at that moment in time. I don’t even need to be conscious of this for it to work! How easy it that!

Quickly, I’ll tell you why that happens. When we go through our challenges, and who doesn’t!, we use up the color that is associated with that challenge. It gets depleted out of our energy body, so we need to replace it. Color in our wardrobes is an easy way to put it back in. Ditto foods. Have you ever craved a food of a distinct color like oranges or blueberries? Well, that is your body sending a message to you: I need orange or I need dark blue/purple. Amazing isn’t it, this Divine intelligence of the body!

10 comments:

  1. What an eye-opening post, especially about olive-green. Now I understand the meaning behind my love-hate relationship with the color.

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  2. You are not alone, Cheryl! It is a color that we both love and hate, understandably so! It is hard to be "grown up" all the time, taking on that role of leadership 24/7. Maybe that's where sisterhood comes in, where we take on the mantle for another to let our sisters rest. Then it shifts again so we can rest. Giving new meaning to our olive green! Thanks for your inspiring post, Cheryl!

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  3. Insightful thought about sisterhood. It is what we do, most times unconsciously, when we connect with those who may share our passion but have different personalities, experiences and fears.

    You're leading me into all kinds of thoughts with this. Very inspiring.

    Have a good night Diantha

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  4. So true about how our choice of colors to wear is dependent on our mood, feelings, etc. I think colors remind of things in the past, too - certain people, experiences, that can influence whether and how we wear them. Good post! Very interesting.

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  5. I can hear your brain working on this one, Cheryl! With your way with words, your insightful, thoughtful manner and your depth, I am eagerly awaiting what you create from your dance with olive green! Blessings to you......

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  6. A Palmer, oh you are so right! Colors are very associated with our past experiences! Thank you for bringing up yet another aspect of our relationship with color! Color is part of our experience from day one and what happens to us when a color is imprinted on our memory along with the experience are intertwined forever in our beings. So a big yes to your observation! Blessings to you and all beings today and always.....

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  7. I really love orange and bluegreen lately. Maybe it's because a necklace I bought in Kauai has morganite, sandalwood, and some blue-green colored stone on it.

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  8. Mermaid, with your love of water, bluegreen is a natural color to be drawn to! It is a peaceful, watery, nature color while orange is the color of deep bliss, of relationships, and of healing one's traumas. Together they form a yin and yang type relationship and their qualities play off each other! They make each other sparkle! Your necklace sounds beautiful and special and with its being from Kauai, I imagine it all combines to make those colors very special to you. No doubt you chose the necklace because of the colors, but then to pair that with your being in Kauai, it brings a whole new level of attachment to the necklace. Thank you so much for sharing your rich find from such a magical land!

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  9. I definitely look at the clothes in my closet every morning with a critical eye. More than the article of clothing itself, the colour is most important to me. I do 'feel' drawn to certain colours on any given day.

    Interesting.

    Thank you for stopping by my place and leaving such thoughtful and supportive comments.

    *Hugs*
    Carolynn

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  10. Hi Carolynn,
    Isn't it amazing how powerful that draw to color is? Even when we aren't necessarily conscious of it! Thanks for your comments and YOUR fabulous blog.
    Hugs and blessings to you!

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