In the last several years’ colors have been taking on a different meaning for me. I started out early as an artist; therefore, naturally, color played a key role in my life. I was drawn to tubes of paint like some women are drawn to the shoe department. A little later I was drawn to balls of yarn and the displays of brilliant and subtle hues arranged like an artist’s color wheel. Fiber and color were my calling. In between bouts of dabbling in oils, acrylics and colored pencils I picked up knitting needles and later moved a loom into the living room. Weaving took over.
For the longest time my favorite color was red. My entire closet seemed to consist of reds, naturals, and blacks. I even laid out my closet like a color wheel. I have a habit of organizing by color. Although red was my favorite color I still only used off whites on my walls. Gradually as I went through various life changes, the colors began changing. I found myself single at the beginning of the new millennium. Besides ice cream, one of my comfort zones was color. I boldly repainted every room. I needed warmth and turned to reds, oranges, and yellows.
A new husband came along and green came into the picture. Suddenly I was outside much more. I was learning to develop a green thumb. With enough practice in this life, perhaps I’ll have one of those natural green thumbs in the next life. I began hiking. The greens of summer were my favorite. I have always been drawn to water. Blues were coming into the mix. We were moving the green of nature more on the inside. I was thinking organically. I was thinking green and conservation. We painted a soothing sage over the yellow in the bedroom.
My color palette was expanding in all areas. The reds greatly diminished in my closet. It took on the expanse of colors that I was experiencing in my life. My trips to the grocery and now to the local organic farmer as well as what we were growing in our own garden were adding a variety of pigmentation previously absent in my diet.
I was beginning to practice yoga asanas and meditation. I was seeing beautiful indigos and purples when I closed my eyes and could manage to get rid of the monkey thoughts. Suddenly I found myself drawn to wearing shades of purple. I’ve always heard that purple was a spiritual color.
I now see my life taking on a full palette.
You might want to take a look at the colors in your life. Here are some meanings given to specific colors:
Purple/Violet – Spirituality or Mysticism
Indigo – Inspiration, Wisdom, Devotion, Sensitivity
Blue – Intellectual, Logical, Intuition
Turquoise – Energetic, Organization, Communication, Influence
Green – Restful, Healing, Balance Peace
Yellow – Fun, Happy, Cheerful, Loving, Vitality, Compassion, Optimism
Orange – Vitality, Warmth, Generosity, Power, Inspiration
Gold – Well-Balanced, Kind, Generous
Red – Physical, Vitality, Ambition, Sexual
Pink – Romance, Modesty, Shyness, Gentleness
Today, I made a chai, and chose a pink mug to put it in because my mom’s favorite color was pink. I’m thankful for the feeling that color can evoke.
J. Schlenker 
I love this. Color definitely plays a role in my life. although that role seems to fluctuate. I told my husband that any house we lived in, that we truly called home (as opposed the the rental we currently live in that I call a place to live) must have a purple room in it. He agreed as long as we also always planted trees in our homes, usually at least one fruit tree and sometimes a shade tree. In our first home, the dining room was purple. The living room was a shade called peanut shell or something, which reflected the colors of the sunset warmly every evening. In our second home, the purple room was my “office” if you can call it that. Our bedroom was a gentle green, like the early shades of spring. Our daughters bedroom was a brighter blue green with a fabulous tree painted on the wall, including leaves that hung down from the ceiling. (That’s what you get when you bring a scenic designer and a artist of all types together in a household). My husband’s office, also the guest bedroom, had one wall painted blue with clouds floating by. I wear colors according to moods and needs. Red when I feel the need for strength or power. I love red. We collect red glass (or used to before we had to put a stop to the gathering). Black when I feel like hanging back a little. Purple anytime, because I love purple.
You are really making me think about the rainbow of my life, and what the variations in color would say.
lovely musing on colors and the connections they carry for us and others…