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Spring is in the air and so is Holi (the Indian festival of colours). This time of the year is all about freshness. What more can be an excuse to embrace colours and to give personal touch to enhance our personal spaces?
Everyone of us goes through colour decisions everyday. Which colour to wear? This scarf or that tie? Orange juice or green pear? Some decisions are made very effortlessly – our sub-conscious secretly guides us without us even realising when that happens. But, to be fully aware of what colours to be embraced in our homes and offices, we gently need to hit the reset button.
So,what comes to our mind when you hear about colours? Seasons…flowers…rainbows…furnishings…curtains…tapestry…nature?
In the last article, we talked about spaces being planned with a living consciousness of an organism and how this ‘someone special’ is the basis of all design. This person, known as ‘Vaastu-purush’ lies flat on his belly – symmetrical along a mirror axis and fits nicely together in a square grid. Let us explore him in new light…and colour!!!
Nature provides us with all seven rainbow colours (which correspond to the seven energy chakras or centers of the body) – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The same rainbow colours are associated with various body organ. This is how they bring out responses in the body by healing it or disturbing it. Research also shows that moods, health and well being can be affected by colour therapy. Vaastu too uses specific colours in each of the cardinal directions to enhance good luck, health and wealth. This is because each direction is governed by a planet, which has a dominant chemical element – represented by a specific colour. Take Venus for example – a planet high in Sulphur which is yellow in colour, ruling the south-east direction. Scientifically this can be explained by the fact that, we perceive colour only because of sunlight and the intensity of sunlight changes in different directions. Archaeologists have also discovered thousand year old Egyptian temples using the same ways of solarisation to heal with pure colour. In the Greek city of Heliopolis, they even had the City of the Sun. When the sunlight entered the building, its rays split into colours of the spectrum and the individual colours were ‘conducted’ into different room where people would bathe in the colour that their state of health required.
Are you planning to re-decorate your house? Or may you recently have and still not happy with the results? Thinking of trying new drapes, flowers, artefacts, paintings, cushions, essential oils and many more. Let us energise spaces around us by applying a new way to use colours. This exercise will take you through the steps to make your own Sanctuary Garden in broad spectrum of areas around your space.
Is YELLOW YOUR COLOUR? Brighten the north-east of your home or the office space with the light of the sun – YELLOW. North-east is represented by Jupiter, the highest deity of the Romans and Greeks. The ideal colour here is yellow or gold as it stands for purity. The Reasoning – the resultant vector of vital energies always flows from the north-east to the south-west. This flow is also depicted from the head to the toe of the Vastu-purush controlling the entire energy field. It is the best color to be used for private study, library or meditation rooms to make it pleasant for reading and private contemplation. Try Tulips – the symbol for the Turkish Empire symbolize imagination, dreaminess, perfect lover, and a declaration of love. Yellow tulips mean “there’s sunshine in your smile” and cheerful thoughts. It is said that tulips got their name due to the resemblance to the headgear worn by people in the Middle East, such as the Persians – the turban. Changed into Latin, this became “tulipa,” hence the name tulips. They will always be cheerful, stimulating and encouraging. The east is ruled by the Sun. The preferred colour here is bright white giving purity. The Reasoning – the solar life energy enters the plot from the east bringing in warmth – shining and radiating the entire area. This direction therefore should be designed with warmth and decorated more openly, purely and harmoniously. Ideally the main entrance, prayer room or dining is located here. Orchids symbolize love, beauty, refinement, thoughtfulness and mature charm. Its name comes from Ancient Greece and also associated with luxury, wealth and a symbol of manliness. It has the ability to grow anywhere and has the resistance power to bloom under any condition, that makes it a symbol of love. The pink orchid conveys pure affection and is also the 14th wedding anniversary flower. Another white flower, Daisy literally meaning “day’s eye” because it opens at dawn symbolizing new beginnings. Nothing can ever be as fresh as a daisy although these flowers are 4000 years old. This flower often depicted in meadows in Medieval paintings brings purity, innocence, loyal love, beauty, patience and simplicity.
South-east is ruled by the element fire and the planet Venus. The Reasoning – planet Venus represents love, femininity, aesthetics and also the success in one’s career. It’s yellow colour code combined with the fire element, improves the cooking and good health making it ideal to place the kitchen. White is the preferred colour to balance the radiance and lightness of the fire element. Yellow, orange, rose pink, chocolate and red colors are also good colors for kitchen. The heating, electrical panels, fireplaces and any other appliances connected to the element fire can be safely placed there as well. South is for heavy energies which are perfectly suited for a peaceful and relaxing sleep. Its planet, Mars has a high content of Iron (Fe) and the ideal colour here is coral red or pink. Red is able to provide determination, assertiveness, physical strength and a fighting spirit to the inhabitants but we also very easily associate red with anger, energy and excitement. South is the direction of death and the purpose of life but not in a negative sense because death and life, purpose and destruction are closely linked to each other. A living with large windows and terraces in south works if one takes care not to open the entire south and the north is equally balanced and handled with care. A storeroom or storage in general or staircase also match the heaviness of the south.
Are you a LILY person? Lilies are considered the star of summer, because they bloom when other flowers have faded away. Legend has it that a lily grew from Eve’s tears when she was cast from the Garden of Eden. In the symbolic language of the Tarot, the lily holds symbolism of purity, innocence and fertility. The lily is a symbolic flower of health and the freedom to be ourselves – to grow and to create new relationships and births. Master Bedroom is best located in the South-west which is ruled by the shadow planet, Rahu. Pink is an auspicious color for bedroom. Light blue and light green are also good for bedroom. The Reasoning – Rahu stands for expansion, intensity, hard work and material profit. But, like everything, it also has a dark side leading to greed and violence. Pink is the right balance between red from the south and the blue from the west. A soothing colour like blue is also preferred. The pink, green and blue colors are good for dining room in the west to make it refreshing for the family to eat and entertain. Black and white or mixture of black and white in the west should be avoided. Success is the most common meaning of Laurel flower – the easiest and most tolerant evergreen shrub, which will brighten any dim dark corner of the room by its happy presence. The ground laurel is a symbol of perseverance, the ability to sustain odds, overcome obstacles, and emerge a winner. The mountain Laurel is usually associated with high ambition, which motivates a person to reach outwards and upwards in life. The Lotus flower holds in itself the secret of happiness, cheerfulness and enlightenment. It basically symbolizes the clarity of heart as well as the mind. Some scholars have even talked of the lotus flower being a universal representation of the spiritual presence in human lives.
The lingering fragrance…
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Ihab Salloum