Change Your Tie, Change Your Mind?
Written by Donna Martini
“When you get up on a rainy, dreary day, what type of outfit do you dress yourself in?” This is the question I like to pose at a Positive Manipulation tm seminar. A woman on my left blurts out, “Black slacks and a turtle neck!” Another shouts, “My long brown hooded sweater.” A gentleman in the front proudly states, “I grab an old pinstriped suit, but I will put it with my special yellow polka dot tie.” I point to him and ask why. He says, “Because it makes me feel sunnier when I wear yellow!”
Obviously this man understands that he has some control over his disposition. Rather than feeling as gloomy as the weather, he decided in the morning that he was going to think sunny irrespective of what the solar system was deciding to do. Most of us don’t realize how much power we have to change or create a mood or mindset. We go with the flow, which is not always a good thing. Instead of allowing the day to dictate to us how we are going to feel, we should be deciding, but we don’t always take the initiative. Our first impression—the one we have, or the one we give—can be manipulated, and a very simple way to do that is with color. Whether we are making a long term decision, like what color to paint a room, or a short term one, such as the shade of today’s lipstick or the pattern of a tie, we have plenty of control over how we perceive our environment and how we put ourselves out there.
Most people have heard of Feng Shui, but many underestimate its potential to help us in our wellness process. Although the Feng Shui practice can be daunting to a novice, one of the easiest aspects to comprehend is the use of color. Of course you may want to hire an expert when it comes to painting an entire office or house, but there are many simple ways to introduce color to your inside and outside worlds. I use it to help clients “cure” power and perception issues, and as an inexpensive (sometimes free) way to generate positive energy. For instance, the gentleman who put a yellow tie on whenever it rained was using yellow as a reminder:
Even though the sun wasn’t out, he was still going to be “sunny”. My issue is lack of energy when there is lack of sun, so when I get dressed in the morning, I reach for purple or red to help me feel livelier. But I also use all the rooms in my house to help me stay pumped. By painting my entire house in shades of yellow, no matter what it is like outside, I live surrounded by light and sunshine.
When you think of color, you need to realize how it is perceived by the human eye. Each part of the spectrum has its own power and application. In other articles, I talk about how they relate to the body and chakras, which are our energy portals, but instead of making color complicated, just “draw” on it, play with it and enhance your day, your week, or even your life. Use it to change your own perception, or someone else’s. Nature gave us the assortment. We just have to color it!
For your reference, the following is a basic color library translation:
Reds - All reds exude energy, passions, and natural energies.
Oranges - Orange hues evoke leadership qualities, and creativity.
Yellows - Yellow's are analytically based colors, dealing with intellect, intuition, and joy.
Greens - Healing colors are typically green in cast, and are associated with financial aspects, as well as unconditional love.
Blues - Communication and connections are translated through blue tones.
Purples - Intuition and "Psychic Energy" is seen through shades purple.
