No . . . it isn't fair to call it a trick, it's an exercise in perception. An exercise in alerting us to the truly magical nature of our world.
Are you ready . . .?
Now . . . think of a colour, any colour. With that colour in mind, look around you at the room you are sitting in . . . or out of the window . .. or at the surrounding countryside. Do you notice anything . . .?
Do you notice how that particular colour has suddenly taken prominence?
If you chose the colour red, do you notice how the red is suddenly calling to you from the bookshelves . . . of from the flowers . . . or from a strand in the carpet?
Now . . . change the colour and repeat the exercise.
Do you see what I mean? Isn't it remarkable . . . ?
The colour we are thinking of at any one time suddenly dominates. Not only that, as each colour has the gift of its own frequency to offer, so we are enriched by that colour's particular properties.
Do you remember that moment of wonder in "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy, on arriving in the Land of Oz, finds to her amazement that her former black-and-white world has been transformed into one of vibrant Technicolor? Like Dorothy it seems that we, too, are awakening to the powerful benefits of a colourful world.
Colour is truly transformative. This was brought home to me last week when I was given a beautiful bunch of freesias. Little did I appreciate just how beneficial they'd be in countering a sequence of cloudy, grey days. Undaunted by the weather outside, the golden freesias positively shone with cheerfulness . . . look at the picture and feel your spirits rise.
Would it have been the same had the flowers been white? I don't think so.
Let's explore this further and see how it relates to what's understood by students of colour therapy, a science which goes back to the teachings of Pythagoras. We are told that the energy wavelengths of colour can have a significant effect upon our health, psychological conditions and general well-being. Whilst red is known to stimulate, the colour green relaxes. Yellow and orange are reported to speed recovery, and blue, in addition to being calming and healing, also relates to self-expression and communication.
Nowadays, as we become increasingly aware of this science, colour is often used strategically. Sunshine colours are thought to stimulate learning in primary schools. The green scrubs used in hospitals are no accident, the colour having been chosen to reduce stress. As for prisons, it's said that prisoners lose a large percentage of their aggression when 'subdued' by the influence of a pink-walled cell. Not only that, the potency of colour has seeped into our language.
Which activity would you prefer, 'painting the town red' or indulging in 'a fit of the blues'?
But blue doesn't deserve its bad publicity. Let me prove this by taking you on a walk . . . a walk to demonstrate the infinite blessings of blue.
Drawn by the knowledge that it was the bluebell season, Chloe and I visited our local wood.
Just look at the sight that greeted us. The softest blue, the most alluring blue that you can imagine enticed us through the gate and down the woodland path . . . there was blue at our feet . . . blue winding its way far into the distance . . . and blue stretching its cloudless canopy above our heads.
Are bluebells one single shade of blue? Don't you believe it!
Is the sky the same intensity of blue in the north as in the south, to the east as to the west? Far from it!
Enchanted by this blue haven, we wandered in delight along the paths . . . and, as we wandered, we marvelled. All right, it may not have been just the colour that gave rise to Chloe's blue-eyed wonderment, but she clearly knew a blessing when she met one!
And did that powerful dose of potent blue have any effect on me?
If you remember, in addition to calming and healing, blue is said to relate to self-expression and communication . . . well surely those were the qualities that prompted these reflections ?
Just think about it, had I been energised by red, or pacified by pink, there might well have been no letter . . . and you and I would never have shared the myriad blessings of blue!
