Why am I here? What am I supposed to do with the life I have?
Most of us ask ourselves those questions over and over again in our lifetimes. We look for the meaning of life in various ways, through religious practice, journal writing, astrology, Ouija boards, sweat lodges, psychedelic substances, meditation, personality quizzes and more sophisticated evaluations such as the Myers-Briggs Indicator and the Enneagram test.
I grew up during the explosion of New Age philosophies and cults such as EST and Hare Krishna, so I tend to be skeptical of systems that purport to give me all the answers to questions of life. But I also understand that sometimes these systems provide comfort and insight for people who are looking for the answer to the question we all ask ourselves: Why?
I still like doing self-exploration quizzes and tests that I come across. At a writers' workshop this past weekend, I sat with a dozen other people as we looked at colors to identify important areas of self-knowledge and inspiration. What colors would we choose and what do they mean? we were all curious.
In the Aura Soma color system we were exploring, blue represents my soul color, and signifies communication and finding my voice. I thought of writing my blog and my artwork in relation to my choice. I next selected a burnt sienna shade of orange, Tiger Lily 17-1456, for my Challenge color. Orange stands for creativity on the plus side and doubt on the negative. As a creative person, those two qualities go hand in hand as I work. My last color choice, Magenta 214, my Resource, is supposed to give me strength and a love of the small things in life. Again, I noticed a corollary to my own life: I tend to find the small things around me that other people may not notice, and I write about those small things and their significance to me.
I didn't pick pale or extremely dark colors. I was surprised when I put them together as a palette to see that the three colors rest in the same value range, not too light, not too dark.
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| My best try in watercolor to represent the Pantone colors that I selected. |
Working with these colors was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Like many opportunities to explore self-knowledge, I took pieces of the system to gain more insight into the depth and breadth of all my experiences. One more piece of the puzzle of a full life.
What color would you choose if you couldn't return
to your starting point for a long while?
Take a look at all the color choices that Pantone offers:
https://www.pantone.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj72IkuaY4AIVA7vsCh0G4wxIEAAYASAAEgKaPfD_BwE
More about Aura Soma:https://www.aura-soma.com/content/index
I think 'Kale' or Lettuce Green.
ReplyDeleteThose colors remind me of you. I could see those choices. Green, in Aura Soma, represents the heart and hands, which surprised me. In other examples, green is usually associated with the earth. Red represents the ground in this system. Interesting to think of colors as being something more than a hue.
DeleteTime was that I would have picked the Cerulean Blue that you did, but recently I decided to branch out and chose a emerald green for my new laptop bag and it really delights me. It is a bit like Pantone 3534C which does not seem to have a name that I can find.
ReplyDeleteColour does matter. A close friend who hated blue, though I have no idea way, recently died too young. She was a strong positive influence on us all so we were not so surprised when she ordered a pink coffin and directed us all to wear something pink to her funeral. We hardly ever wear pink but my husband I went off to Macy's and bought pink sweaters and shirts. As sad as it was we all felt connected to her as we flashed pink in every way from head scarves and ties to sweaters and even socks.
Thank you for writing, PatK. You add such a good addition to this post. I love the pink coffin. What a wonderful way to share friendship.
DeleteFrom MARY by email: I would have picked your blue and probably a green. Interesting blog this week. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteColors have such an effect on us. Mesa Refuge where the retreat was held is the former home of Sam Francis, an abstract painter who played with color. Thanks for your comments about this post, Mary.
DeleteI loved your piece about choosing colors and was so happy to share the color session with you at the Artist's Eye, Wrter's Voice workshop at the Mesa Refuge last weekend. You turned the experience into an intimate, inspiring piece. By the way, I gravitated toward the same Cerulean Blue--blue skies, summer ponds, and creativity.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth. And thank you for the workshop at Mesa Refuge. I hope you will continue offering the workshop. Mesa Refuge is a special place and worth a posting by itself!
DeleteI agree that Cerulean Blue is a beautiful, serene color to --color of the sky.
Interesting exercise, and I love the idea of adopting parts of the many self-exploration systems we encounter over time. One size never does fit all! If I had to live with one color for the foreseeable future it would be Pantone 2269C, a beautiful green that reminds me of spring shading toward summer.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teresa, for your comments. I've had many people remark about this post. Colors really reach to our hearts. Green and blue are such restful colors.
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