Favorite
Color
“Colors
express the main psychic functions of man.”
Carl
Gustav Jung
In trying
to put together a presentation for our Jung After Work group about the creative
process, I remembered a course I took in Virginia in the 1990’s. Based on the research
of Joan Kellogg, it was about the use of color and shape in mandalas—circular drawings.
That course sparked my interest in color in general and specifically in the
colors we prefer. Do you have favorite colors? Mine are unequivocally blue
and green.
Kellogg,
perhaps the best-known art therapist in the world, conducted her research at
the University of Maryland for over twenty-five years. She found universal (archetypal)
meanings associated with shapes and colors and how they are arranged in the
circle. The outcome of her research is the Mandala Assessment Research
Instrument used as a tool for psychological diagnosis and therapeutic progress. In much the same way as tests
like the Rorschach, or Jung’s Word Association, colors and shapes and their
placement on the circle indicate state of mind. Universally, Red stands for
passion, anger, love, aggression; Orange for energy, happiness, vitality;
Yellow for joy, hope, deceit, logos; Green for new beginnings, abundance,
nature; Blue, for calm, responsible, sad; Purple for creativity, royalty,
wealth. There are many others.
Carl
Jung connected our genetic influences with our color choices as well. Our collective unconscious holds the genetic code of our ancestors. We associate
certain colors with particular ethnicities—for instance, Ireland, where my gene
pool originated, is always depicted as green, and associated with nature. The
Druidic religions were earth-based. When we think about the Irish, we think
shamrock, St. Patrick’s day, green beer. So, I am drawn to the colors that are
encoded in my DNA. Do you associate your heritage with a particular color?
The
colors we choose to wear and to paint our houses have meaning—and often that
meaning is spiritual. For example, the Gullah people of South Carolina and New
Orleans painted the ceilings of porches blue because they believed that the
color brought prosperity to the household and warded off evil spirits. Ghosts,
they believed, could not cross water, so they could not enter the house if they
painted the porch the color of water. Our Christian liturgical seasons have colors
associated with them--red, white, purple and green. When you think “spiritual” what color comes to mind?
Look
around you today. What colors have you surrounded yourself with. When you walk
outside, what colors are you drawn too. What color causes you to say, “Oh, that’s
beautiful,” or “Blah, I don’t like that.” Ask yourself, why am I drawn to that
color, or repulsed by it. What color enlivens you? Which ones make you look
away? This is just another way to better understand exactly who lives in your skin.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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