Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? A question once posed by Disneys Pocahontas to John Smith when trying to instill in his otherwise ignorant mind the importance of nature and ones surroundings.
The question seems as if it is a metaphor, as one can question, does wind have an actual color? In theory one can concluded that it does, since wind or air moves things such as clouds, leaves, grass, tree limbs etc.. so, the colors the wind creates are varied to the spectrum of nature.
But what role does color play when it comes to magic. You have heard white magic and black magic or even dark magic. There is blood magic referencing the color red but is there color magic? Absolutely. Utilizing color when creating or casting a spell can emphasize ones intent. A good example would be a money spell, many times people will often use green candles, but when thinking of wealth, gold colored candles could also be used.
There are many different properties that colors represent in the world of magic uses. Chakra colors are associated with the seven parts; Root-Red, Sacral-Orange; Solar-Yellow; Heart-Green; Throat-Blue; Third eye-Indigo and Crown-Violet. Color association isnt just a means of organizing (in some cases it does) but it also can hold a deeper and more significant meaning.
From a cultural perspective, colors take on a whole new meaning. Some colors have deeply rooted beliefs associated to them. Red, for example, in Celtic cultures represents Death and the Afterlife whereas Red in Aboriginal practices (Australia) it is connected to land or earth. In India, Red symbolizes Purity and in Hebrew it represents Sacrifice or Sin. The Feng Shui and in many Chinese sub-cultures, Red represents good luck and wealth. It is amazing how a simple pigmentation can vary so much within each area of the world and practices.
So, does everyone see color the same way? Meaning, is the exact color and shade or vibrancy the same for everyone? You can recall the old what color is the dress? meme that was circulating around for a bit. People freaked out when someone standing next to them saw something completely different. But why? Understanding color wavelengths is a process in itself. Color manifests in our vision due to the cones (or cells) in our eyes that can interpret the color wavelengths depending on the properties the item is composed of.
When you look at a banana, the wavelengths of reflected light determine what color you see. The light waves reflect off the banana's peel and hit the light-sensitive retina at the back of your eye. That's where cones come in. (Pappas, 2010) -Livescience.
There are some individuals that have odd shaped cones or not enough or even mutated cones. This can result in a variety of different issues, such as color blindness, gray scale vision, tunnel vision and other visual impairments. While these are considered impairments I like to think that those individuals who view the color wavelengths differently-thinking back to the dress- are able to develop their own sense of meaning from each color, which can be vastly different from other people.
Bringing this back to magic, color plays such a significant role in almost everything we do. Meditation, candles, even the colors of the herbs or incense. The aura that our bodies give off (electromagnetic field that surrounds the human body) comes in colors. Each color has meaning and ways to interpret and use the energy specifically in what we are intending to cast or manifest.
I would encourage those who are not familiar with their aura colors to perhaps, do some research and use those colors to help aid you when you are writing your spells or casting them. Having this knowledge may help empower you more and give you more confidence in your intentions which would result in more accurate casting and results.
~Kaurora
Here are some reference to information stated above and some useful tools to interpretcolors in a variety of settings.
https://www.lifewire.com/visual-color-symbolism-chart-by-culture-4062177
https://www.chakra-anatomy.com/chakra-colors.html
https://www.livescience.com/32559-why-do-we-see-in-color.html
https://www.reiki-for-holistic-health.com/auracolormeanings.html
