Living in an age of alternative therapies, holistic remedies and a more enlightened view of nutrition, we seek to heal ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. We strive to keep our bodies, minds and spirits in balance. Color can be a powerful provider of guidance and insight that helps us achieve that balance.

Color is all around infusing you with energy and vitality, whether you are aware of it or not. In fact, the sunlight you live under is bathing you in specific frequencies of energy that you know simply as color.

Sunlight is our main source and provider of light, heat and energy. Not only does sunlight sustain all life on Earth, and it sustains the Earth itself. It provides plants with energy for photosynthesis, which in turn sustains the lives of all animals and humans who eat the plants. Sunlight consists of energies in the form of the electromagnetic waves and part of this electromagnetic energy includes cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays, visible light rays (color), infrared rays, microwaves and short and long waves (radio waves). We can see visible light rays by holding a prism towards the sun, which breaks down the visible spectrum of light rays into seven different beams of color. Light rays consist of the seven color energies: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. We can see these seven colors in a rainbow or in a drop of rain.

Color and light are inseparable. Each color of the visible light rays has a different wavelength and vibrational frequency, and each one affects us differently. Red has the longest wavelength and the slowest vibrational frequency, which we recognize as warm and stimulating. Violet has the shortest wavelength and the fastest frequency, which we recognize as a cool and calming energy. We receive light and color information through our eyes, which stimulates the retina and its cells, rods and cones. These color impulses travel through the optic nerve to the visual cortex of the brain via the pituitary, stimulating glands and the associated chakras. Many body functions can be triggered by light and different colors of light.

Since light and its colors physically affect glands and hormones, they will also have a marked influence on our moods and feelings. Science has proven that certain colors can calm the mind while others stimulate mental activity. We need light energy for nourishing our brain, our emotions and our physical body. Light can also enter through our skin and our breath and we can receive additional color energy through colored foods, herbs, gemstones, minerals, clothing, decor and color bathing.

Your home is more than a roof over your head. We do many things in our homes, so they must be versatile, a place for regeneration and sanctuary, respite, peace, inspiration and be welcoming and warm to all who enter.

Color can dramatically alter any space within a home.  Of course, the possibilities are limitless!  Pale colors and whites can instantly refresh a tired room, give a clean look and create a bright spacious atmosphere.  Rich colors such as deep ruby and emerald green will have an intense effect, creating a more intimate and cozy feeling. Color can be passionate and sensual and calming and meditative.  Create the space you have always wanted. Call for a color consultation for your home.

COLORS

RED.  Strength, courage, steadfastness, health, vigor, sexuality. Red stimulates the body to respond with direct action. It can help in overcoming inertia and depression, fear or melancholy. Red is very helpful for people who are afraid of life and inclined to escapism. Red is power, dynamic and tenacious. It is physically exciting, passionate and courageous and supplies energy and motivation to accomplish goals. It is a "doing" color.  Red is not the best color for the bedroom, though it can expand sensual excitement. A red dining room will stimulate the appetite, so be mindful of this attribute of red if you are dieting. A red work room, living room or exercise room will stimulate movement and activity. If you are sluggish or a procrastinator, paint your walls red.

ORANGE stimulates optimism, expansiveness, emotional balance, confidence, change, self-motivation, enthusiasm, and deepens your sense of community. Orange is a social color, flamboyant and warm-hearted, tolerant and sociable. Orange is a happy color, good for any room where you will have social gatherings and having fun. It is warm and stimulating but in a higher vibration than red.

YELLOW stimulates the intellect as well as communication and is associated with mental discrimination, organization, attention to detail, evaluation, active intelligence, academic achievement, education, discipline, praise, sincerity and harmony. Yellow is good for concentration and clarity of thought, providing heightened clarity, expression and freedom and stimulating flexibility to change. It's a good color to use in any room where you want to feel mentally uplifted and want to encourage conversation. Yellow is wonderful for gathering places and friendly atmospheres because it generates a feeling of well being. It is good for home offices or rooms where you do counseling. It gets people talking while giving the feeling of optimism. Bright yellow is a good color for a child's room. It promotes positive feelings and develops positive thought processes.

GREEN is the mid-point between the warm extroverted spectrum of red, orange and yellow and the cool introverted colors of blue, indigo and violet.  Green stimulates feelings of balance, harmony, peace, hope, growth and healing. Found everywhere in nature, it symbolizes the abundant replenishing forces of the universe and reminds us there will always be enough. Green is a good color for any room. It is restful and energizing and is particularly good for a bathroom, a place for purification and renewal. Use bright spring green or bright leaf green.

BLUE is the first color in the cool spectrum. It stimulates you to seek inner truth, attain inner peace and live out your ideals. Blue stimulates inspiration, creativity, spiritual understanding, faith and devotion and allows gentleness, contentment, patience and composure. It has been used for pain reduction.  A warm light blue bedroom is good for relaxing a hyperactive child. It is good for a meditation room or bedroom or any room where you want the feeling of peace to pervade the atmosphere.

PURPLE. As with blue, the effects of purple are soothing, relaxing, comforting and calming. It is often associated with psychic awareness and intuition. Purple as a favorite color is usually indicative of an abstract thinker, someone who is inspired, trusting in the future and able to tune into the inner world of others. Purple stimulates our spiritual perspective and intuition. Purple is so powerful it is not a good idea to paint an entire room this color.  Use accents of purple  in a white, green or yellow room. Or use lavender which is wonderful for a meditation room or rooms for spiritual healing. Lavender rooms are also good for convalescence.

WHITE White vibrations are the fastest of all colors and is a melding of all color.  White affects our divine awareness, humility and creative imagination. It has the energy and power to transform the focus of the imagination leading us toward higher spiritual attunement and divine love. Too much white can feel sterile and unapproachable, so use colored accessories in the white room or tint it with peach, gold or blue.

BLACK. Mystery. The unknown. The Dreamtime. It focuses attention into the inner world. While black is dramatic, it can be overwhelming and depressing and should be used only in certain circumstances.

Consult your House Deva for the very best color to use in each room. She is your co-creative consultant for making your house your home where you can thrive and grow. (She probably won't subscribe to traditional feng shui and you'll have lots of fun together. You'll probably be in for a surprise or two.)

Bagua Map © Deborah Redfern, 2004-09. All rights reserved. For feng shui certification courses, contact www.fengshuistudies.com.

Another way to use color in Feng Shui is to focus on enhancing specific life areas with the colors that represent those areas. For this, practitioners use a "Bagua," which is an energy layout of a space that identifies specific areas that correspond to various parts of the occupants' lives.

Wealth & Prosperity Colors:
purple, green, blue, red

Fame & Reputation: Red

Love & Marriage: Pink, white, red

Health & Family: Blue, Green

Unity: Yellow, earth tones

Creativity & Children: White and  pastel colors

Knowledge & Self-Cultivation: Blue, green, black

Career: Black, very dark tones

Helpful People & Travel: Gray, black, white

Feng Shui tips for your bedroom

I am all for using the extroverted spectrum colors in your bedroom. Hot colors are alive and moving, so the more those colors that are used, the more enlivened the room. Go easy on plants and especially water, avoiding aquariums in the bedroom, even though they are so relaxing to watch. Plants and water manifest yang energy, and can cause issues of restlessness and may interfere with sleep. The colors associated with plants and water are green, black, and blue and depending on the shade, these colors can work well in the bedroom. Bright colors like crayola crayon red, pure oranges or bright yellows should be avoided. However, if you love the hot colors, by all means use them, but go toward deeper tones like sangria red, burnt orange or terra cotta and yellow that has been toned toward peach. A sangria red room can spice up your sex life! (Red is fire, so lit candles count as red.) Fluorescent colors are out of the question!

Pictures of moving water can also cause problems. If you've got a picture of a waterfall, river, or ocean in your bedroom, it's a wise idea to move it. Unfortunately, aquariums in the bedroom can also cause sleeping issues and should be moved.

If you're room is already very dark (wood paneled, for example) and you can't make changes to it, you might want to consider changing any 'yellow light' producing light bulbs to brighter, whiter bulbs. Opening the blinds during the day will also dramatically improve the rooms feeling. If it's dark at night, balance it with brightness during the day. (Clearing any room occasionally by opening all the windows is extremely beneficial.)

In painting the bedroom, using pastel colors is your best bet. The best colors to use depend on the compass direction of the room's location. To determine the compass direction of your home, draw your house's outline on a piece of paper, and split the home into 9 equal sections (3 down, 3 across). Use a compass to find which direction is north, and label each box according to that compass direction (North can be in a corner). Here are the color combinations:

- NE, Center, or SW: Rooms located here should be painted pastel earthy colors, including light shade of yellow.

- NW or W: Rooms located here benefit from metal, so use a shade of white.

- SE or E: The SE and East benefit from the color green, but you may want to only use these colors if the room will be used as a study. Then a shade of green would be perfect. Otherwise, use pastel earthy colors including shades of yellow. White is not helpful here, as it destroys the productive properties of the SE and East. These directions are associated with wealth.

- S: The South benefits from red. If you want to use red here, use it sparingly as too much will cause restlessness in bed. Use shades of white for the walls.

- N: The north benefits from blue and black (water). Since you can't use water, try white instead, as white (metal) will help with the benefits of water without using water.