Color is such an integral part of our lives that we sometimes take it for granted, yet it has the power to heal us. When we are poorly we talk about being 'off color' and from an energy point of view this is absolutely true. A clairvoyant may see illness in the aura and body as grubby, dull colors that haven't got the shining vibrancy of a healthy person.

Our moods are very responsive to color. If you don't think that's the case close your eyes for a few minutes and imagine the world in monochrome shades of grey. How does that feel? Not great? Close your eyes again and spend the same amount of time imagining vibrant shining colors infusing the world to brighten your mood up.

We use color in our language. Our phrases give us some clues about how colors affect us physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Think about these:

seeing red
feeling blue
green with envy
a yellow streak
rose tinted spectacles
grey around the gills
in the pink

There are no bad colors as such, but there are 'off shades' of colors that don't look or feel good, These colours often have a greyish tinge to them. For example the term 'yellow streak' describes cowardice. Shining sunny yellow is not a cowardly color at all. Yellow relates to the solar plexus chakra and this is a centre of courage and power. However if someone was feeling disempowered and scared their solar plexus wouldn't look bright and shiny, it would have a duller, sicklier yellow going on.

What is Color?
Color is light of different wavelengths and frequencies and light is just one form of energy made up from photons. We are all surrounded by electromagnetic waves of energy of which color is a small part. The visible spectrum as we see it consists of the rainbow. The seven colors of the spectrum all have varying wavelengths and frequencies. Red is the slowest, lowest frequency color, relating to the base chakra. At the other end of the spectrum violet has the fastest, highest frequency, relating to the crown chakra, with the other colors of the rainbow rising through the chakras in order up the spine. It is interesting that the balance point between the warm colors of red, orange, yellow and the cool colors of blue, indigo, violet, is the color green as this is the color of the heart chakra, which is also the balance point between the lower chakras relating to our physical existence and the upper chakras relating to our spiritual selves.

By looking at the relationship of the color spectrum to our chakras we can begin to understand the New Age term 'the rainbow bridge' as it is through our chakras we move between physicality and spirituality. By working with our chakras we embody the rainbow bridge between the world of Matter and the world of Spirit.

How can you heal yourself with color?
First close your eyes for a moment and settle down taking a few deep breaths. Now ask yourself, "What color am I hungry for? What color do I need right now?" Most people intuitively know what they are running short of. If you aren't sure you can look in a book of flowers and see which ones draw your eye and make you want to drink in their color, or go to the supermarket and look at the fruit and vegetables in the same way. If in doubt make yourself a set of color cards by cutting up squares of color paper & backing with white card, or coloring white card on one side with felt tips. Make sure you have covered the spectrum. Now turn them over on a table blank side up and swish them around so that you don't know which color is where. Form the intention, "Show me which color I need today." Pick one and turn it over for an answer.

There are many ways to work with colour healing and several very sophisticated systems commercially available like Aura Soma, but you can make a start with minimal investment. Here are some simple and affordable ideas:

Get a set of felt tip pens and a coloring book. There are some beautiful mandala books available like this Everyone's Mandala Coloring Book (v. 1)
to color that are like an active form of meditation to work with. I often give my color therapy clients a mandala to color in and they find it very soothing and satisfying. Coloring can take you back to one of the very simple pleasures of childhood that most of us leave behind. Either choose colors mindfully, or allow your subconscious the lead and choose pens without looking to see what emerges.

Eat a colorful diet. Plenty of fresh fruits and veg have vibrant colors, so for example if you need orange you can go for pumpkin, carrots and of course oranges!

Drink solarised water. You'll either need colored glass bottles or the sort of lighting gels they use in theatrical productions. Put water out in the sunlight for an hour or two in the colored glass or with the color gel over the top of a clear glass container so that the water inside is infused with color. Bring it in and drink the water. It will keep a little longer in the fridge, but best to drink it the same day. Very simple if the sun shines. In places where the Sun is more shy then make the solarised water on a sunny day and then bottle and preserve it as you would for gem or flower essences and then take as drops. This way you have an easily portable color essence that doesn't rely on the weather.

I trained as a Colour Therapist with Sue Lilly of Mandala Complementary Studies and I can recommend her teaching and any of her books.