The Colour YELLOW

In the Colour Energy Course that I attended last year, we did an in-depth exploration into each spectral colour. Each week we focused on a particular colour and it's associated energy Chakra. We explored the colour's energy through senses, meditation and painting using only the tones and hues of that colour.

For each class we were asked to dress in the colour we were exploring that week. A still life, made up of various objects in the colour was set up in the studio. Little bottles of essential oils associated with that Chakra and colour were set out on a tray for us to smell. Even the food and drink that we had during our tea break was in the colour we were exploring.


The colour YELLOW

I was never a huge fan of the colour yellow until my son was born 7 years ago. Right from when he was a baby it was clear that yellow was, and still is, his favourite colour. Because of this I have over the years bought him yellow toys, items of yellow clothing and a bright, sunshine yellow bath towel. In the meantime, I have fallen in love with (certain shades of) yellow to.

The still life that was set up in the studio for our exploration into the colour yellow was an uplifting, energising, warm and happy sight.

 

 

We took time to smell some essential oils like Bergamot, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Cedar wood, Clove, Geranium and Lemongrass (my favourite).

We mixed up our six shades of yellow paint. I found it hard to get tonal variations without going too green or too brown.

After a short meditation, I painted my canvas sheet with a warm sunshine yellow. This then lead me to painting a large, round sun in the top right of the page shining down onto a landscape of yellow hills. I was going to stop there but we weren't even half way through the class yet, so I decided to add some texture using the Indian printing blocks that I love so much.

I started to see a close-up of a sunflower in my picture. At first I resisted changing from my original landscape. But the sunflower wouldn't go away, so I decided to go with it. The sun became the centre of the flower and the landscape became petals. My end result, a bright, sunshiny yellow sunflower.

 

 

I love the textures that the Indian printing blocks add to a painting.

  

It's not surprising that I ended up with a painting related to something "sunny".
The third Chakra is also called the SOLAR Plexus Chakra.

solar¹

ˈsəʊlə/

adjective

adjective: solar

1. relating to or determined by the sun.

   "solar radiation"

   • relating to or denoting energy derived from the sun's rays.

     "solar heating"

The Solar Plexis Chakra is located between the navel and solar plexus. It is your power centre - your Core Self - and is all about who you are. It is the centre of your self-esteem, your willpower, self-discipline, as well as warmth in your personality. By consciously harnessing the energy of the Solar Plexus Chakra, it helps you to be proactive rather then reactive or inactive. You have the power to choose. You can choose to achieve your life purpose.

 

The Sunflower has been adopted as a symbol of happiness and strength. The flower always turns its face to the sun and is therefore considered by some to be a symbol of faith. Some believe that the sunflower represents a constant search for light, or enlightenment.

It reminded me of a saying that I used to love and often wrote in cards and letters to friends and family...

 

 Always turn your face towards the sun

and the shadows will fall behind you.

 

Maori Proverb

 

 

 

 

Links to my blog posts about colour: RED  ORANGE  YELLOW



The Colour ORANGE

In the Colour Energy Course that I attended last year, we did an in-depth exploration into each spectral colour. Each week we focused on a particular colour and it's associated energy Chakra. We explored the colour's energy through senses, meditation and painting using only the tones and hues of that colour.

For each class we were asked to dress in the colour we were exploring that week. A still life, made up of various objects in the colour was set up in the studio. Little bottles of essential oils associated with that Chakra and colour were set out on a tray for us to smell. Even the food and drink that we had during our tea break was in the colour we were exploring.

In the second week we explored the colour ORANGE.

 

The carefully put together still life of various objects in shades and tones of orange was once again breath-taking. We sat around the still life soaking in the colour and smelling essential oils like Geranium, Cinnamon, Mandarin, Ylang Ylang, Clary Sage, Jasmine and Sandalwood. I used to love the colour orange, and still like it, but not as much. On this day it made me feel warm and inspired. There were a couple of people in the class who absolutely hated it.

 

After mixing up paint in six shades and tones of Orange and a short meditation, we began to paint with 'intuitive spontaneity'. I covered my entire canvas sheet with a medium shade of orange, and then found myself painting bright flames dancing up the page. These flames soon turned into a swirling mess which then transformed into what looked like the close up of a peach that had been sliced in half to reveal the pip in the middle.

The peach pip then transformed into the belly of a pregnant woman.

 

 

I made a decision at the start of this course not to refresh my memory by reading up on the different colours and Chakras. I had learnt a bit about chakras many (more than 7) years ago when I practised yoga, but could not remember exactly what each Chakra or colour was associated with.

Needless to say I was pleased to see (but not completely surprised) that my end result did in fact tie in with the colour orange and the associated Chakra, the second Chakra.

 

The second Chakra, also known as your Sacral Chakra or Swadhisthana, is located about 2 inches below your belly button. It is the seat of emotions and deals with issues of self-worth, creativity, relationships, empathy, nurturing, movement, change, pleasure and sexuality. The associated body parts are the hips, lower back, sexual organs, bladder, kidneys and bodily fluids.

For interest's sake I also looked up the significance and meaning of the peach. As it turns out, in eastern mythology the Peach is a symbol of immortality, female sexuality and fertility. :)

I also came across a Japanese Folklore tale about Momotarō, a boy who was born out of a peach. 

 

 

 

Links to my blog posts about colour: RED  ORANGE  YELLOW



The Colour RED

In the Colour Energy Course that I attended last year, we did an in-depth exploration into each spectral colour. Each week we focused on a particular colour and it's associated energy Chakra. We explored the colour's energy through senses, meditation and painting using only the tones and hues of that colour.

For each class we were asked to dress in the colour we were exploring that week. A still life, made up of various objects in the colour was set up in the studio. Little bottles of essential oils associated with that Chakra and colour were set out on a tray for us to smell. Even the food and drink that we had during our tea break was in the colour we were exploring.

We started with the colour RED.

Red governs the Base Chakra, also known as the Root Chakra or Muladhara, which is situated at the base of the spine. It is associated with basic survival, grounding, security (financial, career, home, physical safety, basic needs), vitality, stability and courage.

When we entered the studio on this day the sight that greeted us took my breath away. Red is my favourite colour and the beautiful and carefully put together still life had me in awe. I felt warm and energised.

 

 

 

 

It was interesting to witness other peoples reactions to this strong and energetic colour. There were only two of us that loved it. The others found the colour overwhelming. Dizzying.

 

We sat around the still life soaking in the colour, observing the various shades and tones of red.

We smelled essential oils like Cedar, Patchouli, Frankincense and Myrrh.

We then mixed up some paint making six different shades and tones of Red.

During the meditation I kept seeing images of a younger me, energetic, fit and healthy, riding my bicycle in foreign lands. :)

When we began to cover our canvas paper with paint I started to panic. I didn't know where I was going. It felt like I was making a big mess. The idea was to paint with intuitive spontaneity. I do find it hard to work freely and loosely without trying to paint a 'picture' or anything in particular. I used an Indian textile printing block (I LOVE them) as well as some bubble wrap and a piece of plastic mesh to apply paint and add texture to my page.

  

Marks made using an Indian textile printing block.

 

After our tea break we had a look to see if any shapes or figures were emerging from our work. I turned my page 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees and then back to the way it was. Nothing.

It was only when we had about 10 minutes left to paint that I saw the shape of a snake's head appear. The texture that I'd created with the plastic mesh and bubble wrap looked a lot like snakeskin.

I have always believed that I can't draw from my imagination but in this instance, with no reference pictures of snakes available,  I had no choice. I closed my eyes and tried to picture a snake curled up and raising its head. I wasn't sure which way a snake curled, inward or outward, so I just painted what I saw in my picture by adding a few shadows here and there.

 

'Snakeskin' texture created by applying the paint with a piece of bubble wrap and a piece of plastic mesh.

 

My final painting. A RED snake.

 

 

As I sat looking at my painting, I remembered that a coiled, sleeping serpent was the symbol of the Kundalini - the latent female energy believed to lie coiled at the base of the spine. It was something I'd learnt about many years ago when I practised Yoga regularly.

I immediately thought, "How predictable. How obvious. How contrived."

But thoughts of a serpent, Yoga or Kundalini hadn't entered my mind while I was painting. It wasn't something I'd purposefully done. It really was the result of painting freely, intuitively and spontaneously.

The other thing about my painting was that the serpent was not sleeping.

It had been awakened from its slumber. ;)

 

About Kundalini Energy:

"Kundalini is a dormant energy within most people.
In Hindu mythology, Kundalini is a serpent goddess who lies asleep at the base of the spine, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra.Her name is Kundalini Shakti, and she represents the unfolding of the divine Shakti energy, the energizing potential of life itself, a living goddess who enlivens all things.
Under certain circumstances, the Kundalini energy awakens and begins to rise through the body, piercing and opening the chakras as she moves in her undulating, snake-like fashion. As Kundalini releases stored and blocked energies, her movement can be quite intense, sometimes painful, and often leads to mental states that seem out of this world.
Circumstances that stimulate Kundalini awakening are many and varied, but are usually triggered by such things as extended periods of meditation, yoga, fasting, stress, trauma, psychedelic drugs, or near death experiences."
Source: http://www.reiki-for-holistic-health.com/kundaliniawakening.html



Links to my blog posts about colour: RED  ORANGE  YELLOW