Chapters from the 'Design Your Way to Happiness' Series by

Drs. Ralph & Lahni DeAmicis

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The Colors of the Soul

(Excerpted from the third edition of
Feng Shui and The Tango)

by Ralph & Lahni DeAmicis

The way in which people react to colors is affected by a mix of physiological, sociological and spiritual factors. What works in traditional Chinese Feng Shui does not necessarily apply in Western society. Likewise what has come out of the schools of western Geomancy needs to be adjusted to apply to modern tastes. So what we present here is our own color theory drawn from our personal studies of a wide variety of modern research and ancient wisdom and of course our own experience.

What is helpful to remember about the differences between the Western and Asian systems of color theory is that in the West generally the favorite planets are Jupiter and to a lessor extent, Venus, which are expanders, and both have a blue tone. Recent studies show that blue is American most favorite color. This is the color of Jupiter and Venus and the brightest Star in the sky, Sirius. For the Chinese, the favorite planet is Saturn, the stabilizer. Saturn has a yellow tone. Yellow is Americans least favorite color. The next time you are out driving around in the United States notice how few yellow cars there are. One might say that philosophically blue versus yellow is possibility versus responsibility.

GOLD AND SILVER for our needs are not properly colors but rather metals, related to the Sun and Moon, and Mercury to a lessor extent due to its ability to reflect the others so brilliantly. While Gold is quite distinct from the yellow of the Sun (Yang), the mutability of Silver relates it a bit to the off whites of ivory that tie into the Moon (Yin). The real significance of these two metals when used in design is in their reflectivity. Or in other words, their ability to translate light. It is their ability to receive a vibration, and in the process of reflection add their own unique quality to it.

RED is a primordial color. It activates our energy and appetite and our attraction to it is as basic as the newborn baby's attraction to the nipple that means food and survival. Red is the color of Mars, and the martial stars like ANTARES and BETELGEUSE, as well as blood. The eye will always go to red first, and it stimulates the aggressive side of our natures. The active energy that goes into movement irrespective of thought.

The power of YELLOW relates to the design of the eye, the pixels and their ability to read the contrasts between the brightness of the Sun light and the darks and shadows of the evening and night time. After red the contrast of yellow and black is the single biggest attraction for the eyes. Yellow relates to the planet Saturn, the bastion of conservatism, compression, duty and responsibility. It promotes maturity, restraint, and seriousness. The structure that surrounds and supports us.

GREEN relates to Mother Earth herself. The Chinese value green jade over all other stones because it promotes harmony and serenity, in the same way that the garden of nature bestows this gift upon us. The greens are soothing, sustaining, and speak of the abundance of the Earth. The sustaining energy that we expect to see each day upon rising.

Ivory also relates to the Moon, the nurturer, the bestower of emotions, and is associated with Ivory, which the Chinese prize it for its constancy. In their society, where the most respected planet is Saturn, the restrictor, emotional stability is highly valued. The lighter tones of pink, green, and blue are the other primal colors mixed with the Moon energy, as related to various phases it traverses in varying meteorological and astronomical situations. These various tones relate strongly to adapting these energies to nurturing, home, and human needs.

PURE WHITE in western society is seen as a color for wearing in hot weather, as a symbol of purity, and cleanliness. However it also relates to sterility and absence of emotion. The Asian cultures use pure white for mourning, and thus it carries a difficult societal connotation. In Indian society it relates to spirituality. In the western society it also relates to modern hospitals, places that also carry a difficult association for most people. The absence of colors in pure white, besides reminding us of bleached bones, as a decorating scheme has the liability of adding no colors to our auras. Thus they can create a space that is low in nurturing rejuvenation, especially if used in western facing rooms where the light already tends to be more stripped of ions than the rich morning light of the east.

BLACK in western society is seen as a color of mourning, of the night, as seriousness, and deadliness. Generally it does not have a good connotation, although its sinister side does explain a bit about its popularity for fancy evening attire. In Asia it is very popular, and is related to water, which in turn relates to money. In a society that is based upon rice as its central grain, the blackness of the soluble minerals at the roots of the rice plants is understood to be the wealth of the Earth in reserve. In western society, with its heavy dependence upon grains such as wheat grown in relatively dry soil, black is seen as the absence of light, the growth of fungus and cankers that attack the roots in over wet conditions, the dangers of the unknown, the fear of the dark. This explains the difference between the wedding customs in the varied cultures.

BLUE relates to both Venus the harmonizer (lighter) and Jupiter the traveler (darker), two of the expanders in the Solar System, and are related to healing and beauty. Its affinity to both clear sky and tranquil sea and the clear eyes of a baby explains our strong connection to it in America, and our love affair with limitless possibilities. It relates strongly to the kidneys, the organ most related to the emotion of fear and anxiety, and many people are drawn to this color when their kidneys are feeling over stressed, as many people are in this society of coffee, cola, and too much time bouncing along in a car.

LAVENDER like the herb of the same name and the crystal amethyst promotes clarity of thought, sobriety, and chastity. It is a high vibration, and like purple has a spiritual tone to it. It relates to the asteroids. The willing servers.

TURQUOISE and other forms of electric blue relate to Uranus (Prometheus), and the energy of sudden liberating change. As such it is a color that needs to be used with discretion, since it tends to de stabilize situations. The revolutionary. PURPLE is a spiritual color, but containing the additional red of passion, so it carries the message of both great content, and great depth. As such it carries power through belief. It relates to Neptune. The believer.

BURGUNDY is the combination of red and black and extremely Plutonic. It relates to the deep passions of the human body, and the primal drives to reproduce, burn away, and then emerges anew from those ashes. Whenever a color is combined with black to create a deeper tone it strengthens its intent, its mystery, and it further addresses the human issues of polarities.

BROWNS AND TANS hark to our long association with horses, tack, and other animals. As such it is an informal color, that has the potential to work in a supportive role to other colors. But it also speaks of the wisdom of the natural world, and the inner knowledge of the body in its ancient and complex design. It relates to Chiron. The healer. The most important aspect of color is how it affects the residents of the space.

Personal associations with certain colors should not be underestimated. For example, people who work in hospitals often don't like the color light green, similar to their work clothes. They especially may not like it in combination to blood red. On the other hand, the startling blue that reminds you of a lover's eyes may be just what you need to raise your spirits when you walk into the room. We are that complex, after all.

Drs. Ralph and Lahni DeAmicis were directors of one of America's largest and most modern professional Feng Shui practitioner programs, based in Philadelphia. Their books Feng Shui and the Tango, Happiness Lessons and Prosperity Lessons, from the Feng Shui Fuzion Series are transforming the practical applications of environmental design in America. For a complete directory of their articles and a catalog of their books and other products, visit www.SpaceAndTime.com. Copyright 2002 Ralph and Lahni DeAmicis

Editors who would like to print this article, including the additional graphics, please email Ralph@SpaceAndTime.com , and we will send you the links to the pdf documents.