My Relationship with Colour

​

For much of my life, I had been tethered to the familiar. Life often felt like a series of conditioned responses shaped by past experiences and expectations. But something slowly shifted when I began to trust my intuition — something beyond the patterns I had relied on for so long.

​

This was no longer about simply “breaking free” from old ways of thinking. It became about learning to live more consciously and more honestly with the parts of myself I had neglected or hidden away.

 

As I became more self-aware, I found myself noticing the world around me in ways I had never fully allowed myself to acknowledge before.

​

It felt exciting reconnecting with forgotten parts of myself.

​

I began asking more meaningful questions, exploring new ideas, and seeking out people who seemed to view life through a similar lens.

​

A Moment of Recognition

When I was in my late twenties, I attended a Mind, Body & Soul festival in London.

 

There were talks, workshops, and demonstrations exploring many different ideas, and approaches to wellbeing and human experience.

​

Then I came across someone working with colour.

​

He spoke about the symbolic meanings and psychological influence of different colours. After a short time, he suddenly turned to me and said: “You feel the colours, don’t you?”

 

I was so shocked I simply nodded and watched him continue working with others.

 

Inside, all I could think was: How did he know?

 

From a very young age, I had sensed colours around people — sometimes around their heads, other times around different parts of their bodies.

​

But I had hidden this part of myself after an experience with my aunt and uncle. I once tried to explain what I was sensing around people, and they laughed.

​

Something that felt completely natural to me clearly wasn’t something they understood or could feel themselves.

​

From that day on, I pushed that part of myself deep inside and stopped speaking about it — until the day that man openly spoke about colour in London.

​

My friend Gabrielle was with me that day.

​

She and I shared many similar interests, and I felt able to open up to her about the questions and discoveries unfolding within me. She had recently returned from travelling the world at the same time I was beginning to search more deeply for meaning and understanding within my own life.

 

We met through family connections at her sister’s wedding — and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Later, on the journey home, I asked Gabrielle to choose three colours. I shared what I intuitively felt each colour represented.

​

As I spoke, she quietly told me the interpretations felt very meaningful to her.

 

She began opening up about things that had hurt her and feelings she rarely shared with others. In many ways, we were alike. We had both learned to present certain versions of ourselves to the world while hiding deeper parts underneath.

​

Our friendship has now lasted more than forty years. Through laughter, challenges, tears, honesty, and acceptance, we have stood by each other through many different stages of life.

 

Looking back now, I truly believe we were meant to meet when we did.

​

Understanding Colour Differently

​From that point onward, colour became much more than something I sensed.

 

It became a way of understanding myself, other people, emotions, and aspects of life that are not always immediately visible.

​

The more I acknowledged it, the more I noticed how colour seemed to influence mood, thoughts, and emotions.

​

What began as an intuitive experience slowly became, for me, a kind of internal language — one that helped me better understand myself, emotions, patterns, and the way I experienced life around me.

 

During my cancer journey, colour became especially important to me.

 

Simple changes — such as introducing warm golden lighting into my surroundings — transformed how a space felt emotionally and physically. My room felt calmer, softer, safer, and more nurturing.

 

Colour helped me create an environment that supported rest, reflection, and healing.

 

It became part of how I cared for myself emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

 

Researching the History of Colour

Inspired by these experiences, I began researching the history and psychology of colour.

 

What I discovered fascinated me.

 

Across many ancient cultures, colour and light were used as part of healing practices.

 

In Ancient Egypt and Greece, healing temples used coloured light and crystals to create spaces believed to restore balance and wellbeing.

 

Ancient texts recorded colour-based remedies and uses of light.

 

During the Middle Ages, Paracelsus explored healing using colour, music, herbs, and vibration, although many of his ideas were ridiculed during his lifetime. Later, he came to be recognised as an influential figure in the development of medicine, chemistry, and holistic approaches to healing.

 

Later, Isaac Newton’s work with prisms and the visible light spectrum transformed scientific understanding of colour and light.

 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe explored the emotional and psychological effects of colour in his book Theory of Colours, which remains influential even today. This was a book someone gave me all those years ago. They knew of my interest in colour and thought it might help me.

 

Over time, researchers continued studying how colour affects mood, physiology, learning, behaviour, and perception.

 

Modern studies suggest certain colours may influence stress levels, emotional states, concentration, sleep patterns, and even physical discomfort.

 

Green light therapy, for example, has shown promising results in some studies involving migraines, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain conditions.

 

Blue light exposure at night is now known to interfere with sleep and circadian rhythms, while warmer tones can support relaxation.

 

Although research continues to evolve, what seems increasingly clear is that colour affects us psychologically, emotionally, physically, and neurologically in ways we are still learning to understand.

 

Colour, Consciousness, and Awareness

As I explored colour more deeply, I gradually realised this journey was never really just about colour itself.

​

It was about awareness.

​

At school, the science many of us were taught was to view life mainly through a physical and material lens — that only, what could be measured or proven mattered.

 

But modern science, particularly quantum physics, began revealing that reality itself may be far less solid and fixed than once believed.

​

Matter, at its most fundamental level, is not truly solid at all but energetic and constantly moving.

I found these ideas fascinating because they seemed to echo experiences I was already having through colour, intuition, and self-reflection. Rather than offering answers, these ideas encouraged me to remain curious, reflective, and open to different ways of understanding life and human experience.

​

The Energy Within: Chakras and Flow

One of the most recognised systems connected to colour and awareness is the chakra system, which originates from ancient Indian traditions.

​

The word chakra means “wheel” or “disk,” reflecting the idea of spinning centres of awareness and vitality within the body.

​

The seven main chakras are traditionally aligned from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, each associated with different qualities, colours, and aspects of human experience.

 

Alongside this are ideas surrounding meridians — pathways through which life force or vital energy flows.

​

My daughter later incorporated massage therapies that worked with the body’s meridian system, helping support relaxation, balance, and overall wellbeing.

​

The Colour Code

Over time, the Colour Code became a way for me to better understand myself.

Each colour seemed to reflect different qualities and experiences within life:

• Red represented strength, grounding, vitality, and courage.

• Orange reflected joy, creativity, warmth, and purpose.

• Yellow symbolised clarity, confidence, awareness, and mental focus.

• Green related to healing, balance, compassion, and the heart.

• Blue represented calmness, communication, and deeper awareness.

• Indigo reflected intuition, insight, and inner knowing.

• Purple symbolised spirituality, higher awareness, creativity, and connection to something greater than ourselves.

As I explored these colours more deeply, I realised this understanding wasn’t only helping me understand myself — it also helped me understand other people more compassionately and intuitively.

​

When certain qualities felt blocked, dimmed, or out of balance, it often pointed toward areas needing care, attention, healing, or reflection.

​

A Simple Colour Meditation Practice

One simple practice I often use is colour meditation.

​

Get comfortable.

​

Close your eyes and focus gently on your breathing.

​

Then slowly visualise each colour:

Red — breathing in strength and grounding.

Orange — inviting joy, purpose, and fun.

Yellow — welcoming clarity and confidence.

Green — embracing healing and balance.

Blue — breathing in calmness and peace.

Indigo — inviting intuition and insight.

Purple — connecting with deeper awareness and possibility.

With each breath out, imagine releasing tension, fear, heaviness, or stress.

 

When ready, slowly return your awareness to the room around you.

 

Stretch gently.

​

Notice how you feel.

​

This is something you could share with a friend and discuss together. You may discover which qualities feel strongest within you and which areas might benefit from greater understanding, attention, or self-care.

​

During my cancer journey, I also began using colour visualisation and other practices more intentionally.

​

I would focus on specific colours connected to the areas of my body affected by cancer and surgery, visualising healing, balance, strength, and restoration within those areas.

​

For me, this became a deeply personal practice — one that helped me feel calmer, more focused, more connected to my body, and more actively involved in my own healing journey.

 

Another practice I have incorporated in is standing in the morning sun, the suns gentle rays invigorates and uplifts me every time. Even if I don’t go outside I open my window fully and let the sunshine into my life.

 

One of my favourite practices is walking through the green trees with sunlight pouring through. The sense of peace and joy from this brings me to a truly grateful place in myself.  

​

Living Through Colour and Awareness

Over time, colour became part of how I understood myself.

 

Most importantly, it helped me reconnect with parts of myself I had hidden away for many years because others had laughed at or belittled something that felt entirely natural to me.

 

Diversity is something I wholeheartedly embrace, because we are not all the same. It is our differences that make us unique, yet in many ways those differences remind us how much we all share.

 

And perhaps knowing this is the greatest gift of all.