Learn about the symbolic and spiritual meanings of popular colors, and how they can be used to positively influence your environment and your mood.
Embracing the Spiritual Meaning of Colors
Colors are a powerful part of our everyday lives, and yet they’re also an aspect of our surroundings that we often forget to notice.
Understanding the symbolism of specific colors can help us to create the specific ambience we desire in different environments in our lives.
Color has a profound influence over our emotions, evoking certain feelings and affecting our moods on a daily basis1. This is why decorating our homes and personal spaces in our favourite shades is so important and valuable: because it can deeply impact the atmosphere in which we exist.
With this in mind, understanding the symbolism of specific colors can be beneficial, since it can help us to create the specific ambience we desire in different environments in our lives.
Following is a breakdown of popular colors and the different ways they can influence the quality and flavour of our moods.
Wam Colors vs Cool Colors
Different colors can be described as either warm or cool, with different connotations and color meanings for each category, as follows:
Spiritual Meanings of Warm Colours
Warm colors are associated with heat, and they are known for making spaces feel more cosy and snug.
Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow, and positive connotations include intimacy, joy, and love. However they may also represent anger, hostility, and aggression.
Spiritual Meanings of Cool Colours
Cool colours are refreshing and are associated with making small areas feel more spacious.
Cool colours include blues, lilacs, and greens represent positive meanings such as soothing, calm, and relaxation. However negative connotations include represent sorrow or apathy.
Spiritual Meanings of Rainbow Colors
Now let’s take a closer look at some of the meanings and symbolism of the colors of the rainbow, as well as the chakra colors.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Red
Red means passion, strength, and courage. It symbolises energy, power, and excitement!
Red symbolises the primitive parts of the psyche.
Red is the color of blood – a powerful color. Its intensity is associated with strong emotion at both ends of the spectrum. It’s the the color of love and romance, but also aggression and rage.
In many Asian cultures red is also associated with luck.
Red is the color of the first chakra, also known as the Root chakra. It symbolises the primitive parts of the psyche, such as safety and survival.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Orange
The color orange is associated with energy, warmth, and sensuality. Its vibrancy is uplifting and playful, and is also linked to healing, affection, and sexual energy.
Orange is the color of the second chakra, also known as the Sacral chakra. It symbolises feelings, sexuality, and creativity.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Yellow
Yellow is symbolic of empowerment.
The color yellow is a joyful, happy color, most often used to represent the colour of sunshine. It’s associated with healing, hope, and clarity of thought.
Yellow is the color of the third chakra, also known as the Solar Plexus chakra. It’s symbolic of intellect, confidence, and empowerment.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Green
As the hue most often associated with nature, the color green represents healing, good health, and vitality, and is often linked with wealth, growth, and new beginnings. Spiritually, green is connected with balance and peace.
Green is the color associated with the Heart chakra.
The color at the middle of the rainbow spectrum is also associated with good luck and good fortune in the UK and USA.
Green is the color of the fourth chakra, also known as the Heart chakra. It symbolises love, openness, compassion, and forgiveness.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Blue
Blue is a calming and soothing color.
Blue colors can range from dark blue, to true blue, to palest baby blue, with slightly different meanings attached to the varying shades and hues. The color blue is a calming and soothing color, symbolic of truth, harmony, intuition, and inner peace.
Blue is also associated with the fifth chakra, also known as the Throat chakra. It represents communication and self-expression of creativity, truth, and perception.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Indigo
The color indigo is associated with psychic sensitivity, empathy, spiritual connection, and intuition.
Indigo is the color of the sixth chakra, also known as the Third Eye chakra. It symbolises psychic ability and inner wisdom.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Violet
Violet is associated with the Crown chakra.
Violet is symbolic of healing and the integration and synthesis of mind, body, and soul. It’s a very spiritual color, carrying great perception and wisdom.
Violet (or white) is the color of the seventh chakra, also known as the Crown chakra.
Symbolism of Other Colors Not in the Rainbow
Following are the meanings of the colors not represented in the rainbow.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Pink
Pink is the color of romance, tenderness, and unconditional love. It also symbolises nurture and femininity.
Pink is an alternative color sometimes associated with the fourth Heart chakra.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Purple
The color purple, especially deep purple, is linked with royalty and power. Light purple is symbolic of intuition and spiritual enlightenment.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color White
White colors are associated with healing, purity, and truth. It’s symbolic of innocence, clarity, and peace.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Black
Black color is produced either by an absence of color, or a blend of all colors combined together. In this sense, it represents intrigue and mystery.
The color black also symbolises elegance, allure, and sophistication. It’s also associated with black magic.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Brown
Brown symbolises being down to earth, stability, and common sense. It also represents support, and protection.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Gold
Gold is associated with energy, power, and wealth. It’s also symbolic of confidence, healing, and courage.
Spiritual Meaning of the Color Silver
Silver represents imagination, and abundance. It also symbolises the moon, intuition, and feminine energy.
How to Use Colors to Enhance Your Spiritual Journey
Understanding the psychology of color and appreciating its potential can be a huge advantage.
Color can be used intentionally to create variations of mood in your environment.
You can use this information to power dress in tones associated with the vibe you are trying to evoke. Or to influence the moods of yourself and those around you, whether through clothes choices in your favorite color, or the decor you choose for your home or office.
In fact, that’s the beauty of color: it can be used intentionally in different ways, to consciously create variations of mood in your environment, to suit your color preferences, and spirituality.
What Are Healing Colors?
Healing colors include:
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Blue
- Violet
- White
- Gold
The Meanings of Aura Colors
According to the spiritual realm, auras are the colored energy fields surrounding living beings, and are said to be visible to those with psychic abilities.
The color of the aura exhibited by somebody is very telling of their emotional state and may reflect key personality trait /s. Here’s what each aura color is supposed to indicate:
- Red auras – energetic and fiery
Cloudy red: indicates anger and aggression.
Clear red: indicates passion and sexual energy.
- Orange auras – adventurous, creative, and considerate
- Yellow aura – exuberant, positive, and charismatic
- Green auras – compassionate, affectionate, empathic
A great listener and communicator, easily led, so boundaries are super important for this aura color.
- Blue auras – serene, intuitive, insightful, and spiritual
- Indigo aura – sensitive, empathic, and spiritual power
- Purple aura – spiritually perceptive; empathic and intuitive
Deeply sensitive to the psychic realm.
- White aura – unusual, prone to perfectionism
Naturally exhibits and provides therapeutic care to others.
If you’re curious about your own aura color, you might want to consider having an aura reading.
What Does the Science Say?
While color psychology is certainly fascinating, more research in this area is required.
That said, there is evidence to show that color can indeed influence us, both psychologically and physiologically2.
In a study of 24 students, heart rates were significantly affected by hue, with red and yellow colors causing notable increases, while blue colors increased feelings relaxation and calm.
Interestingly, specific colors which have been shown to evoke the same emotions in people in many different countries3. On the other hand, color has different connotations in different cultures4.
Sources
- Jicheng Yang, Xiaoying Shen, “The Application of Color Psychology in Community Health Environment Design”, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2022, Article ID 7259595, 10 pages, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7259595.
- Aseel AL-Ayash, Robert T. Kane, Dianne Smith, Paul Green-Armytage, “The influence of color on student emotion, heart rate, and performance in learning environments”, Wiley Online Library, 20/02/2015. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.21949.
- Jonauskaite D, Abu-Akel A, Dael N, et al. Universal patterns in color-emotion associations are further shaped by linguistic and geographic proximity. Psychol Sci. 2020;31(10):1245-1260. doi:10.1177/0956797620948810.
- Madden, T. J., Hewett, K., & Roth, M. S. (2000). Managing Images in Different Cultures: A Cross-National Study of Color Meanings and Preferences. Journal of International Marketing, 8(4), 90–107. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25048831.