The bull is angered by a red flag being waved before him. Does red make you feel angry or aggressive? Many restaurants choose red for their walls under the guise that the color red stimulates the appetite. How much does color affect you in your daily life? What does it mean to have a favorite color and how does that differ from the preferred color you wear, the color you paint your bedroom and the color you choose for your car?
Color adds, well color, to our daily life. And how it is applied and what we choose to surround ourselves with in different circumstances may mean many different things to many different people. It may be a reflection of our gender, our heritage, our personality and even our astrological sign.
In fashion, some choose to have their “colors done” by a specialist, dictating which colors would best complement the specific skin tone and hair color for both the wardrobe and make-up. These palates were dubbed “seasons”; mediterranean olive and darker complexions warranted the autumn palate of rust, brown, orange and red; pale skin with blue eyes and flaxen lox were complimented by the icy palate of winter white, blue and silver; dark hair and fair skin warranted a spring time pastel palate; and light brown hair and sun kissed skin were complimented by bright summer colors of kelly-green, cobalt and yellow.
Colors have also been assigned to moods, represented by a simple dime store mood ring. According to the mood ring “experts”, when wearing one of these rings, the stone color changes depending on the particular mood of the wearer, using the following guidelines: black= fear, depressed; yellow= cool, mellow; orange= nervous, unsettled; green-light green= sensitive, alert, active; blue-green= up-beat, pleased; blue: normal, optimistic; indigo-darker blue: happy, deeply relaxed; violet-burgundy: amorous, sensual; pink: affectionate, curious.
Given these definitions, blue seems like the “it” color, providing normal, happy and optimistic as the descriptions, despite the musical implications and mood associated with “feeling blue”. Yet a blue sky seems to provide everyone with pleasure.
So what do the experts say about the color choice of the walls in your house. Should your dining room, living room and bedroom have certain colors to impose a mood that you wish to reflect? The psychology of color has been widely documented and can provide guidance as to the mood and emotion desired in each living space in your home.
Red raises the room’s energy and has been show to increase heart rates and blood pressure, a great choice for entertainment areas. Yellow captures joy and communicates happiness in small spaces but can incite nervousness in larger room concepts such as bedrooms. Blue is considered to be calm and relaxing and noted for bringing down blood pressure and temperaments and therefor highly recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Green is considered the most restful color, calming things down but also providing warmth, making it an ideal color for any room in your house. Purple in its darker values insinuates creativity and sophistication and can bring a restful quality to bedrooms. Orange is a very energetic color that can stimulate excitement and activity, great for rooms such as an exercise room. Neutral colors such as gray, white, brown and black are basic to any decorating palate (preferred by men) without any mood associated, and easily accented with colors to activate desired mood and design.
Taking another approach to color as it relates to an individual’s personality, one astrology site has assigned colors to each of the astrological signs, based on the interpretation of the overriding characteristics of each particular sign. It takes into account the energy and properties of the color.
RED
- ARIES: a sign of passion, high energy, enthusiasm, and red is an energizing color. Red for this sign is all about action, pleasure and even love, and corresponds with that essence of initiation. It is aligned with the root chakra, showing remarkable ability to light a fire under even depressing conditions.
- SCORPIO: this sign is one of deep passion, much like a volcano. This passion may burn deep below or sometimes bubble up with startling energy. Scorpio reflects red’s sensuality, love, magic and manifestation; their fire is always burning, but have the wits to know when to be calm or explode forth.
GREEN
- TAURUS: this sign is grounded in earth energy. It reflects youth, growth, natural splendor and renewal. Green is symbolic of family and unity with its heart chakra association; home and close relationships are important to this sign. As a grounding color, it implies a sensitive soul with evergreen capacity for growth.
- LIBRA: this sign inherently knows how to balance and come together to bring harmony to its environment. Nature is an important component to this sign and green reflects the innate sense of what is needed to grow, thrive and be healthy. The instinct for survival for this sign is very keen.
ORANGE
- GEMINI: like this sign, orange is the color of diversity, sociability and inspiration. This color implies desire to be highly engaged with others while striving to keep things balanced. This color is aligned with the sacral chakra, which, meaning Geminis are likely designed for discovery and exploration.
VIOLET
- CANCER: this color match reflects the idealism of this sign. Cancers have the ability to go very deep within themselves among dreams and emotions, and the color violet pulls back to reality and reenergized when overwhelmed. It engages intuition and turns visions into reality.
- SAGGITARIUS: this sign has an electric quality due to energy and enthusiasm. The color’s reflection of higher understanding and intuitive evolution implies this sign is always reaching higher in the realm of knowledge and understanding and sharing it with the world.
- AQUARIUS: the creative sensitivity of this sign embraces the color’s internal and expressive properties. This sign also tends to go inward to great depths, is ethereal by nature, understands broad worldly concepts and finds joy in artistic expressions. The expressive, sensitive color reflects drawing the creative, dreamy soul out of seclusion.
YELLOW
- LEO: this sign and its color are both extremely radiant, like the light of the sun. Leos enjoy being the center of attention, much like the sun is the center of the universe. Yellow is symbolic of courage, strength, humor and intelligence, as well as being a very positive color.
BLUE
- VIRGO: the color associated with this sign has a very tranquil and calming energy. This sign can easily tap into peace and balance and is attracted to other easy-going people. This color is nurturing and helpful and those in this sign tend to instinctively know how to attend to others’ needs.
INDIGO
- CAPRICORN: This color associated with this sign deals with depth of perception and indicates tremendous instinct. Capricorns have the ability to see clearly through confusion and are depended on by others to display cool action. Indigo is aligned with the third eye-chakra, where powerful perception comes into play.
- PISCES: While the waters of this sign run very deep, the indigo also indicates powerful perception. The emotional connection of this sign makes Pisces very sensitive to external influences. As indigo is aligned with the third-eye chakra, this sign also possesses keen psychic abilities. Indigo also acts as a barrier to escape the psychic clatter, soothing the need for deep isolation.
The colors and sign associations above are based on perception of colors’ meaning, and then tie them in with personality traits. Yet traditional astrological signs in the zodiac have specific colors and hues assigned to them, much like a color wheel; the colors are related to the body parts that are influenced by the specific sign, and the planet that rules the sign. The range of colors represented below in the traditional zodiac meaning show much variance from the color assigned to each astrological sign above that used defining personality traits as the guide.
- Aries: fiery hues like red and bright orange. It stimulates and motivates, linked with the muscular system, blood, head and brain.
- Taurus: ruled by the feminine Venus, linked with feminine colors such as pink. It is known to beautify, stabilize and conserve and is linked to the throat, neck and metabolism.
- Gemini: cheerful shades of yellow, it is positive and uplifting but also changing. It is linked physically to arms, shoulders, respiratory and nervous system.
- Cancer: ruled by the moon, it is linked with the soft, receptive colors of white, silver, gray and cream. This color and sign combination reflects an influence on the feminine body parts such as reproductive system and breasts.
- Leo: this zodiac is ruled and influenced by the sun, with the regal colors of purple, gold and burnt orange. Leo influences the cardiac system and upper back and its meanings include heart, warmth and creativity.
- Virgo: ruled by mercury and associated with the earth element, color associations are the earthy hues of olive green, tans and ochre. This sign is linked physically with the lower digestive system.
- Libra: the colors of this sign are all about balance and harmony, which includes the softer pastel shades baby blue, pink, lavender, peach and aqua. Physically Libra is linked to the endocrine system.
- Scorpio: ruled by Pluto, this sign’s color meanings include transformation, birth and intensifying, represented by the intense colors of crimson, black, burgundy and maroon. It is associated with the genital and excretory systems.
- Sagittarius: this sign is characterized by enlargement and uplifting, and associated with the liver, thighs and autonomic nervous system. Ruled by Jupiter, the corresponding colors are purple, plum and dark blue.
- Capricorn: this sign refers to structure and discipline and is influenced by the skeletal system and skin. Saturn influences this sign and associated colors are black, charcoal and dark brown.
- Aquarius: this energizing and innovative sign is ruled by Uranus and associated physically with the bioelectric impulses and ankles. Colors for this sign are turquoise and aquamarine, which calm the emotions.
- Pisces: this sign is associated with colors or the ocean, such as shades of indigo, blue and specifically sea-foam green. This sign is ruled by Neptune, it unifies and empathizes, and is physically linked to the lymphatic system, body fluids and the psyche.
One last observation on this Meaning of Color discussion is to examine what a “favorite color” says about a person. The color that instinctively comes to mind when asked to choose a favorite is considered the personality color. This color says a lot about self-perception as well as how this person is perceived in the world. It plays a role in mental, physical and emotional states. Typically, the most dominant color chosen in their surroundings, including wardrobe, is the personality color. Additionally, aversion to a certain color or colors may point to areas in our lives that need attention.
- Red: seeking physical fulfillment. Tend to be loving, passionate, courageous, and sometimes fiery and short-tempered.
- Orange: craves socialization, acceptance and also physical and social challenges. Likely to be flamboyant, lively, social and fun-loving.
- Yellow: has a sharp, logical mind, and a desire to create something new. May be a dreamer, and/ or a perfectionist, but generally have big goals and are fun to be around.
- Green: is open and emotional, crave love, wish to give love, and have a need for acceptance and acknowledgement. Tend to be loyal and supportive partners.
- Blue: inner peace, ideals, truths and beliefs are at the core. Tend to be spiritually inclined, compassionate and peaceful. Likely creative.
- Indigo: generally one with the higher consciousness and the universe.
- Purple: loves helping others and crave emotional security. Desire order and perfection in everything. Mysterious, imaginative and hard to understand completely.
- Pink: needs love and seek acceptance constantly. Also like to portray themselves as delicate, abhor violence and tend to keep emotions a secret.
- Turquoise: seeks emotional balance and creates order on their idealistic terms. Complex, imaginative and original with often a tumultuous interior.
- Black: emotionally contained, decisive, serious, powerful, strong, confident and sometimes introverted.
- Brown: tend to have stamina and patience, as well as stability. Are generally dependable, responsible and kind. May also be obstinate and inflexible.
- White: tend to be innocent, pure and perfectionists. Confident with strong ideals, and love for white also symbolizes openness and fearlessness.
If nothing else, I hope this information encourages the reader to look at the world just a bit differently. Whether it be meeting interior design goals or creating an awareness of emotions that are affected by their environment, seeing the world in a different light is always a good thing.
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