Brilliant Colour!
By Kathryn Wilking
We all love the colour explosion in the fall.
Autumn: the trees change daily, almost moment by moment, displaying their colours of red, orange and gold. They can be reflective, energizing or anywhere in between! The presentation is always inspiring, as colour is one of the basic ‘cures’ in feng shui. Our lives mingle with the workings of nature and the universe around us; it’s no wonder that colours and seasonal changes have such an impact on us.
Activities in autumn usually focus on slowing down, provisioning and nesting; yet the energy is persuasive, enticing us to breathe, seek, go and find…. Often, you’ll feel opposing energies in the air.
What is that all about?
‘Earth energy’ is all-encompassing at this time of year. There is a need for grounding, and settling in for the winter, yet there is a compelling drive to provision and get everything done; a conscious pull between the yang of summer and the yin of winter. We have places to go and things to do, yet we want to sit home and nest; a possible need to slow down after the intense ‘fire energy’ of the summer.
The best autumn colours:
Red is our most powerful motivator, and commands our attention. This colour triggers emotions of passion, joy and lust. Its hold can drive you wild, or send you into a rage! Red, the root of entertainment, joy and passion is all around us in the fall!
Orange can represent energy, and brings intensity to projects or problems. It is bright, auspicious and can bring happiness. It can provide vitality and prepares us for action.
Gold and yellow relate to personal power and self-definition; qualities that are quieter through the winter months. As the colours drain from the trees…it is time for many of us to also retreat.
Autumn colours are motivational, and so, they’re often used in marketing signs and displays. The products themselves may not include these colours, but well-planned signage can tug at our emotions. The experts know how to get into our wallets!
· Marketing professionals spend their careers researching new ways to convince people to buy things. They will often choose these vibrant, fall colours to manipulate our spending habits.
· Fashion designers will try to convince us which colours we should wear each season. Often, the general public does not have a say.
Together, they have the ability to persuade us to part with our money. The signs, the colours, the products, and all their promises to make things better, easier and cost effective… are more than we can ignore some days. And, we fall for it time and time again!
“YES! Oh, YES! I WANT THAT!!!”
I confess, I am driven to the stores when I’m fresh out of ideas. Some days, my destination is IKEA. Other times, I end up walking the isles of fabric stores or looking at paint colours. In a way, it’s therapy; color therapy!
Any colour can represent a mood, a feeling or a memory, good and bad. I usually find something to buy, as resistance is futile in most cases. The parade of colours and the activities in the stores are stimulating: a seductive ploy within the marketing plan.
The natural peacefulness of beautiful trees in the neighborhood is in contrast to the frantic retail ‘therapy’ in the malls. In the autumn, the coloured leaves entice us to get outside, out of the stores, and connect us back to Mother Earth. We gasp at their brilliance. They are calling us, to admire, then bid adieu, and rest assured they will be back to greet us in the spring.
At this time of the year, go outside: look, see, feel, breathe …and then do it again. We are here for only a very short time. We need the colours as inspiration from Mother Nature and to linger, for just a moment.
Awesome! Enjoy the autumn days.
Warmth, Kathryn
P.S. One of my favorite books is Living Colour written by Master Lin Yun and Sarah Rossbach. An inspiring read, Lin Yun offers a unique way of seeing things we cannot see.
~ Kathryn is a Feng Shui Consultant, Home Stager, Author and Personal Profiler. Kathryn is available for your home or office makeover through Site Visits, Computer Consultations, Space Planning and Personal Profiling.
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