Ode to colours [in prose]

I used to be a person who only loved black and almost all my clothes were black and then suddenly one day I just stopped finding black such a fascinating colour [actually black is the shade of objects that do not reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum. Scientifically black is not a hue (color); a black object absorbs all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them, this is sometimes confused with black being called 'a mixture of all colors' but that is not the case]

Colours affect many aspects of our life, our moods and perceptions and they have physical as well as psychological effects. Haven't you sometimes entered a room and immediately felt one with it or just fell in love with it? It's because colours vibrate at different frequencies and create a reaction in all of us.

The symbolism of colours in different religions and countries and how they affect health

PURPLE

• Purple is traditionally worn by priests for ceremonies
• Thailand: Color of mourning (widows)
• Western: Royalty

Positive: Encourages dignity and respect; helps to stabilize the hormones; can help with stress
Negative: Avoid if you lack stamina or are feeling sensitive

BLUE

• In Christianity the Virgin Mary is always shown wearing blue
• For Buddhists, blue represents the calm of the heavens and waters
• Cherokees: Defeat, trouble
• Iran: Color of heaven and spirituality
• Western: Depression, sadness, conservative, corporate, "something blue" bridal tradition

Positive: Calms tension and induces life changes; reduces swelling, heals cuts and bruises, and soothes burns and headaches
Negative: Avoid if you are depressed; it is not stimulating and can increase feeling of isolation

GREEN

• In Islam green is a sacred colour
• Western: Spring, new birth, go, Saint Patrick's Day, Christmas (with red)

Positive: Soothes the emotions and is good for general healing and restoring the body cells and lung problems. Dissolves blood clots
Negative: Can bring about stagnation, repression and feelings of jealousy [I guess that's why they call it he little green monster ;)]

YELLOW

• For Hindus, bright yellow represents light, truth and immortality
• For Buddhists it is a sacred colour - their monks wear saffron robes
• China: Nourishing
  
• Egypt: Color of mourning
  
• Japan: Courage
• India: Merchants
• Western: Hope, hazards, coward

Positive: Brings inspiration and good self-expression, beneficial for indigestion and inflammatory problems of the joints and body tissues

Negative: Can cause irritability and exhaustion and may cause further self-criticism

ORANGE

• In Japan and China orange is the colour of love and happiness
• Western: Halloween (with black), creativity, autumn

Positive: Helps creativity, relieves headaches and colds and improves the functioning of the heart
Negative: Not good if you feel frustrated or sad, aggravates feeling of nausea

RED

• Symbolic of the ancient Egyptian sun god, Ra.
• Buddhism regards red as the colour of creativity and life
  
• China: Good luck, celebration, summoning
• Cherokees: Success, triumph
• Russia: Bolsheviks and Communism
• Eastern: Worn by brides
• Western: Excitement, danger, love, passion, stop, Christmas (with green)
• For the Chinese, red is the colour of passion and luck and represents the sun and the phoenix; the red phoenix represents opportunity, luck, strength and immortality

Positive: Stimulates vitality and energy, helps when we are tired aids anemia and colds
Negative: Avoid if you are angry or have high blood pressure or flu

WHITE

• Japan: White carnation symbolizes death
• Eastern: Funerals
• Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals, doctors, peace (white dove)
• A white wedding gown stands for innocence and purity

Positive: Gives insight into life and purifies body on all levels; can alleviate pain
Negative: Can increase feelings of isolation, bad for making decisions

BLACK

• In ancient Egypt black was linked to deities and black cats were sacred [I had 7 black cats!]
• China: Color for young boys
• Western: Funerals, death, Halloween (with orange), bad guys, rebellion

Positive: Helps to provide self-sufficiency, control and protection.
Negative: If you feel depressed or are in self-denial, black can make you reject help from other