Sacred Color Meditation
This morning I caught a fleeting sight of a cardinal. His bright red feathers as he perched on a the oak's bare branches, with snow all around, made me smile and filled me with a special feeling. Red for courage and red for hope, I thought. What a nice message to start the day with. Consider how we connect with colors, how we are struck by what they convey. Who can’t notice the pink and purple hues of a sunset sky? Or be moved by rusty reds and browns of the Grand Canyon? And doesn’t hope and new life kindle in us when spring unfurls its symphony of greens, yellows, pinks and reds? Colors can take us down paths of memory and emotion. Just the sight of a white wedding dress can bring tears to our eyes. Colors have the power to move and change us.
Our responses to colors are not only personal. Cultural influences effect how we identify and react to colors. In the west, white is associated with purity and weddings. In Asia and the east, white is the color of funerals and mourning. Black, in the west, is the color of grief, death and evil. In China, black is a color for young boys. How we were raised colors our perception of color symbolism.
The primary colors of red, green, blue and yellow have strong connections with nature and fundamental emotions. Red is the color of the element of fire and is associated with power, the purifying strength of fire (consider the story of the Phoenix) and passion. Red can also convey conservatism or patriotism, stability and power. Green conveys new life, freshness and vitality; green brings freedom to pursue new ideas. Green is the color of the element of earth. Yellow, which represents of element of air, symbolizes joy, wisdom and energy. Blue, often depicted as flowing water or a cup overflowing with liquid, is the color of water. Blue brings calm and serenity, but is also associated with depression.
Some Native American tribes have unique associations with colors. The Four Directions were each links with a color. Blue represented north which meant cold, defeat and trouble. White was south and represented warmth, peace and happiness. East was red, the color of the Sacred Fire, blood, and success. Black, a color associated with problems and death, came from the West.
Purple is associated with wealth, royalty and prestige. In Byzantium, by law, only the royal family could wear purple. Pink, especially in the US, has feminine connotations and represents tenderness, calmness and love.
Colors are strongly associated with religion and spirituality. If you surf the web for Wiccan or Pagan web sites, you often will find them with black or purple backgrounds. Green is the color of Islam. In the Roman Catholic Church, black vestments were worn during Lent and cardinals, like that lovely bird I spotted this morning, wore red. In Buddhism and Buddhist art, blue, white, black, red, green and yellow are the pace Varna, and symbolize the body, the Buddha and states of mind. And think of the messages color and symbols have conveyed, since the middle ages, as the sun glows through stained glass windows.
A Color Meditation
Color can be a powerful tool when meditating, especially with prayer beads. Try this color meditation and find how you connect with colors.
This morning I caught a fleeting sight of a cardinal. His bright red feathers as he perched on a the oak's bare branches, with snow all around, made me smile and filled me with a special feeling. Red for courage and red for hope, I thought. What a nice message to start the day with. Consider how we connect with colors, how we are struck by what they convey. Who can’t notice the pink and purple hues of a sunset sky? Or be moved by rusty reds and browns of the Grand Canyon? And doesn’t hope and new life kindle in us when spring unfurls its symphony of greens, yellows, pinks and reds? Colors can take us down paths of memory and emotion. Just the sight of a white wedding dress can bring tears to our eyes. Colors have the power to move and change us.
Our responses to colors are not only personal. Cultural influences effect how we identify and react to colors. In the west, white is associated with purity and weddings. In Asia and the east, white is the color of funerals and mourning. Black, in the west, is the color of grief, death and evil. In China, black is a color for young boys. How we were raised colors our perception of color symbolism.
The primary colors of red, green, blue and yellow have strong connections with nature and fundamental emotions. Red is the color of the element of fire and is associated with power, the purifying strength of fire (consider the story of the Phoenix) and passion. Red can also convey conservatism or patriotism, stability and power. Green conveys new life, freshness and vitality; green brings freedom to pursue new ideas. Green is the color of the element of earth. Yellow, which represents of element of air, symbolizes joy, wisdom and energy. Blue, often depicted as flowing water or a cup overflowing with liquid, is the color of water. Blue brings calm and serenity, but is also associated with depression.
Some Native American tribes have unique associations with colors. The Four Directions were each links with a color. Blue represented north which meant cold, defeat and trouble. White was south and represented warmth, peace and happiness. East was red, the color of the Sacred Fire, blood, and success. Black, a color associated with problems and death, came from the West.
Purple is associated with wealth, royalty and prestige. In Byzantium, by law, only the royal family could wear purple. Pink, especially in the US, has feminine connotations and represents tenderness, calmness and love.
Colors are strongly associated with religion and spirituality. If you surf the web for Wiccan or Pagan web sites, you often will find them with black or purple backgrounds. Green is the color of Islam. In the Roman Catholic Church, black vestments were worn during Lent and cardinals, like that lovely bird I spotted this morning, wore red. In Buddhism and Buddhist art, blue, white, black, red, green and yellow are the pace Varna, and symbolize the body, the Buddha and states of mind. And think of the messages color and symbols have conveyed, since the middle ages, as the sun glows through stained glass windows.
A Color Meditation
Color can be a powerful tool when meditating, especially with prayer beads. Try this color meditation and find how you connect with colors.
- Find a peaceful spot to sit. Help create a sacred space by lighting a candle or placing a special figure/statue, living plant, rocks, crystal or flowers nearby.
- Pick a color and have something with that color you can see and hold. That can be a color from your prayer beads or some other object.
- Spend five minutes taking slow, centering breaths. Gradually let your mind clear, but don’t worry if you do occasionally have a distraction. Just acknowledge that thought and refocus.
- Focus on that color and spend a few minutes contemplating it. Be open to the thoughts, feelings, memories and connections the color might bring.
- Close your eyes and see yourself immersed in that color. Let is surround you, breathe it in, and feel whatever energy or message it has for you in that moment.
Copyright 2014 ~ Sacred Strands