When we get up and get dressed we usually ask ourselves, “What color do I want to wear?” We all have a favorite color. A particular color becomes a favorite because we look well in that color or it makes us feel good, perky, energetic or attractive. Aside from making a fashion statement, through the ages, colors have been used for their mystical qualities. In the introduction, Ceremonial Chief WhiteEagle, talked about wearing any combination of color and all colors of the rainbow because these are the colors endowed by the Creator.
In the Kaballah of Jewish mysticism, every day, planet and angel have an assigned color to be worn in unison to either help absorb desired benefits or as an outward sign of dedication. This is done for matters of health, business and family.
Of all the colors, the color black probably holds the most interest and undeserved infamy. A dislike for the color black is rooted in two places, in my opinion. The first one is in the definition of good being white and evil being black. The second is the uses the black is associated with: death, Satanism, witchcraft, the night, shadows, the bad guy and all those other things we fear within our minds. In our society, we forget this is a Western perception. In science, black is the absence of light and hence color. In art, black is the result of ALL colors of the light spectrum being blended.
In ritual, witches and Wiccans often use black because it draws energy in (all colors of the light spectrum) and makes it available to the adept for charging and sending out energy ripples. In candle work, black and white candles are used together so that black draws in and white sends out energy in a focused manner. In order to work with the color black we must not have any predisposed feelings that black is negative or the energy drawn in will be sent out tainted with the fear of our own thoughts. I personally worked very hard to neutralize any conditioning I had about the color black because otherwise, I would be deprived of the power this color transmits. I did not work with black until I successfully eliminated my own fears and bias in relation to this color. This having been said, let’s see how black can work in conjunction with other colors.
Green is associated with health and growth, blue with healing and the element of water, red with courage, yellow with intuition or judgment, pink with protection and purple with healing of critical illnesses. If I am having a nagging episode of a disorder, such as a headache, after cleaning and dedicating a blue candle, I can draw in those healing energies more effectively if I wear black. The color black is being used as conduit tool that facilitates my work. With the white candle, I can focus on sending the situation (stress for example) out and away from myself. If I use water with this work, I might put my hand into the water and charge it with the energy I have absorbed from the blue candle and then rub my head with the water. If I am using water as a purge, I can put my hand in the water, draw from the blue candle and imagine its healing properties coursing through me and cleansing me. I can then focus on pushing that healing energy, now containing that which caused my headache, into the water. When finished, I put salt into the water (to neutralize negativity) and flush it down the toilet. We can use the same items in two different ways toward the same end. For the beginner, keep the process simple until you feel you have mastered it.
The significance of color and its properties can be used very subtly when we need energetic support. Wearing the color can help us bring about a desired effect on a given day, especially if we charge the clothes we are wearing to that meeting or to that final exam. Wearing a color associated with a totem animal spirit can also help us tap into the wisdom and attributes of that spirit as we need it.
Color is an interesting topic. Western European countries use white for a wedding dress yet, in China, brides wear red. I have had Chinese American friends where one color is worn for the marriage ceremony and the other to the reception. Most of the Chinese families I have known, paint their walls white as a deterrent to misfortune and bad luck.
The most important thing about working with color, just like plants or herbs is to aim for not losing effectiveness in your work simply because you do not have a specific item. Using tried and true items do make for success. If you are a novice, it is easier to draw in the desired energies if you use standard “equipment” but, to the adept, whatever is at hand is suitable. The adept works with spirit energy as much as associated energy and if necessary, can create items that although they are invisible to the eye, do indeed exist on a spirit level. So, while we may begin with the discipline of using herbs, colors and such in their standard manner, majick ultimately frees us from even this convention if necessary.
I have a junk drawer (who doesn’t?) and although there are many times I would like to let things go and not bother with my daily cleaning routine, my house has to be in order. Not only do I dislike clutter, my work requires that my environment be neat and as orderly as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I have bad days when the dishes pile up and my worst vice is leaving coffee cups around the house. The important thing is I do get to it and I do straighten up. When I work majick, preparing is imperative.
For me, cleaning under these circumstances is not just dusting and mopping and vacuuming or getting my laundry done, folded and put away. It is doing my cats’ litter box area, cleaning my outside porch and spiritually cleansing my house. It can be an all-day or even two-day routine, depending on the work I have to do. It is especially important when clients come that my routine be done exactly. First, clients come with different energies and entities attached to them. This neutralizes any effect that may occur as a result of these uninvited guests. Many of my clients come because they are stressed, worried or overwhelmed. Just about all them comment as soon as they come in on how tranquil and peaceful they feel in my home, especially in my spirit room. Second, I owe it to my spirits to provide them with an environment in which they will want to come in and work.
The Spanish believe piles of dirty clothes and general uncleanliness are inviting to mischievous spirits. This may be a cultural variation of “cleanliness is next to Godliness” but the next time you thoroughly clean your house, stop a moment and become aware of how different your environment FEELS. You may be surprised to notice that the air feels lighter, you feel more relaxed and suddenly at peace. Sometimes severe clutter actually divines the presence of negative forces that cause such confusion it becomes almost impossible to reclaim a home. Usually it is not just the house that is a mess; a client’s life is also cluttered with strife and problems.
I have worked with people who, before they could unclutter their home, actually had to be smudged, take spiritual baths and have their homes spiritually cleansed. This had to be done to remove the disrupter so that the client would no longer be immobilized in reclaiming their environment and lives. With the disrupter gone, they became able to take control of their lives again. Keep in mind, a really cluttered house can never be cleansed materially or spiritually. It is important that a home be uncluttered to maintain an airy, welcoming environment for positive forces and to be able to do proper house cleansings from time to time, if needed. This is where the trained mind can spiritually reach all those places that cannot be reached and purge those areas with by pulling in and then pushing out cleansing energy. So by combining spiritual and material tools, the task of purging a home of a disruptive spirit begins with the adept doing the spiritual cleansing after which the client will take prescribed spiritual baths and do other necessary spiritual work for further improvement.
In Feng Shui, the Asian discipline of arranging your house in a manner that obtains optimum benefits from positive energy (Chi’), uncluttering and color play a major role.
Certain things can interfere with the Chi’ energy in a home that can result in money problems, sleeping disorders and tension. For example, in Feng Shui, bedrooms should be some shade of blue because blue encourages a quiet Chi’ that aides in sleep. We Americans often store things in boxes under the bed. In Feng Shui, this interferes with the healing benefits of sleep itself. In order to keep good Chi’ whirling about the home in a circular manner, Feng Shui recommends rounded out the corners in every room. This can be done by arranging furniture caddy-cornered, placing or hanging plants in corners or even placing baskets of rocks in corners. In Feng Shui, living by a cemetery, having a road run in front of your home and buildings nearby can all interfere with Chi’ needed to balance one’s life harmoniously. The use of mirrors and curtains when placed in the proper manner can insure that chi’energy be maintained. Feng Shui can be a fun and effective way to redecorate your home that promotes well being and spirituality. I highly recommend learning more about it.