Friday, May 22, 2009

Feng Shui Friday: Color Wheel


Octagon graphic, Bartett Designs
Every week I take a break from romance/erotic fiction writing and explore simple tricks to bring positive energy to YOUR writing...and life!

Last week I talked about theories of positioning in feng shui. This week I'll cover something I've touched on during our exploration of the nine zones--color theory.

Feng Shui Color Theory

Here's the ba gua I displayed in last week's post, showing the colors associated with each of the feng shui life zones. Red for Fame, pink for Romance, blue for Career, and so on. This chart is not exhaustive or exact, nor does it mean your Fame area has to be painted bright red. Still, color is a powerful feng shui cure that you will not want to overlook, one that draws specific energies that can be beneficial--or not--to the goals of a given area of your life.
But How Does Color WORK in Feng Shui?

Actually, I believe there are a couple of reasons why color matters when applying feng shui principles to a given space.

1. The "power of positive thinking" angle.
Consider wealth for a minute. What color(s) automatically come to mind when you think of money or riches? GREEN, many of us would say. Aha! Yes, green is a prime color for the Wealth area. Why? We associate it with money, and when we look at that area of our house, we subconsciously SEE money. Others may as well. Which means positive brain waves--energy--are frequently flicked toward bringing in wealth.

2. The scientific theory of color itself.
Colors are light, or electromagnetic energy. (By the way, electromagnetic energy is also used to determine traditional positioning in feng shui.) Different waves of light/energy bouncing off an object produces the different colors we see. Considering there are slightly different energies involved in each color, it's not hard to imagine that perhaps energies that tend to attract, say, wealth are similar to those that produce the color green.
So Green in My Wealth Area Assures I'll be Rich?

Nope! It's not that simple or we'd all be rolling in the dough!

Ah, cheer up. Using certain colors in specific zones of our home produces something of a mirror effect. You see green in the location where relative or magnetic energies are most susceptible to wealth, and you think wealth. That energy adds itself to the zone's own energy. The color green itself is made up of energy that also draws wealth. Add other money-drawing cures that we will continue to explore in this series, and you have reinforcement upon reinforcement of wealth-drawing energy in your home.

Of course, there's then the wealth-drawing energy you apply directly by way of earning it, but you will find money comes to you more readily and at times you least expect it when you've optimized your Wealth area.
But A Different Color In Each Zone? My House Will Look Like a Circus Tent!

I hear that complaint from time to time, especially from people with open floor plans. However, there are two pieces of good news here.

1. You don't have to use large splashes of a color for it to be effective.
In fact, with some colors this is not recommended. Too much red, for instance, can become too fiery and cause dissension. Large amounts of blue (water) in a relationship or family area can cause excessive emotion. Small touches can be used as "accent" colors that will make your cure "pop" without looking out of place.

2. Every zone has more than one color that will work. How, considering all that talk about specific energies, etc.? Well, think about it. Health, Romance, Career, etc. can all be impacted by a number of different factors. So there's not necessarily just one singular color that can have a positive effect. If a zone recommends a color you hate, don't use it! Pick an alternate that suits you or your decor. In short, you have to live with it, and if you have an unpleasant association every time you look at a cure you don't care for, that casts negative energy toward the very thing you are trying to improve.

Okay! So What ARE All The Color Options For Each Area?

Thought you'd never ask! We covered this when discussing each of the zones, but I thought it would be helpful to consolidate this into one list

Career: Blue, Black, White
Knowlege: Black, Green, Blue
Family: Green and Blue
Wealth: Green, Purple, Red, Blue
Fame: Red, Purple
Marriage: Pink, Red, White
Creativity/Children: White, Pastels
Helpful People: Gray, Silver, Black
Health: Yellow, Green


You might note that several of these colors overlap or complement each other nicely. So your house need not look like the color wheel above in order to have harmonious feng shui!


~~~~~
Romance writer duties call!! I hope you've enjoyed Feng Shui Friday. Have a feng shui tip or dilemma to share? Please post in the comments! Until next time, may you find the magic within that brings colorful chi your way!

2 comments:

Helen Ginger said...

A few years back we decided we were tired of white walls, so we painted the inside - in different colors. My office is blue with a yellow ceiling. The guest room is all yellow. The bathroom in-between is half and half, yellow and blue. Our living room (all two stories) is red, the kitchen a warm yellow --- and so on.

We like the mix of colors. Since our house is very open, you can see different walls all at the same time.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Lisa Logan said...

When done well, this can create a striking and dramatic effect!! I took a class in color theory and design once, but my results never turn out like those design shows on HGTV. LOL.