The Power of Color
by Dawn Gettig
AIA, MWFS, and teaching mentor at WWU
Dawn currently offers two courses through WWU : Medicine Wheel Home: Applying Natural Feng Shui to Create a Home with Meaning
and The Medicine Wheel Path: Living a Life of Balance and Spirit
Color is powerful because it affects our behavior, and our mental and physical activity. It has the ability to shape a person's chi (energy) and in turn their destiny.
There is a relationship between our energy and color. Think about how you feel when looking at a bright blue sky on a sunny day vs. grey skies on a rainy day. 
Or when looking at fresh green colors outdoors after it rains or a landscape draped in white on a snowy winter's day.
The Art of Color and Feng Shui
Color is one of the greatest tools in Feng Shui and it can be quite magical. Color can spruce up a room and create the feeling you desire. It can balance, bring joy or peace, or it can liven up or quiet down a room. And painting* a room can be inexpensive and relatively quickly. Or simply add color through pillows, artwork, curtains, furniture, or any myriad of ways.
Ideas for Choosing Color
Here are some things you may want to consider when choosing room colors:
• What feeling are you trying to create in a room? For example: If you want a fun family room or if you want more spark in your life, consider choosing bright red paint or adding red accents.
• How will the room be utilized -- for sleeping, socializing, to accomplish tasks? For example: If painting a bedroom, don't choose a bright orange because it can be too stimulating (although red touches are fine for romance!). I suggest a peaceful color such as lavender, peach, brown, or tan.
• Take into consideration the amount of light the room gets when picking colors. A sunny room can wash out some colors. A dark room can make a dark color appear even darker than the swatch.
• Deeper colors create a more dramatic and grounded setting, while soft colors create a lighter airy impression.
• Use your intuition and pick what you love when choose colors.
A Rainbow of Colors
Here are some of the basic colors their qualities and symbology:
• Blue is cooling and calming, yet for some having too much blue can give you the "blues". Symbolizes hope, like a blue sky.
• Green creates a harmonious, tranquil and fresh feeling-- like nature itself. Symbolizes hope and growth.
• Red is spirited and can motivate you. Use it when you want to energize or stand out. Too much red can be over-stimulating and create anger. Symbolizes good luck, happiness, and warmth.
• Orange is joyful and productive and can enliven a space. It is a mix of red and yellow and symbolizes the qualities of those colors.
• Yellow/Gold creates a uplifting and sociable feeling. Symbolizes power and warmth.
• Purple is meditative, soothing and relaxing. It symbolizes royalty, religion, and fortune.
• White relaxes and is a backdrop for other colors. Too much can create an imbalance. In western cultures white symbolizes purity and angels. In China it symbolizes death or a dormant state (like winter).
Color touches us deeply in a physically, mentally, emotional and spiritually way. Color can personalize a space, create a mood, and make an instant impact. Have fun and experiment with color and take note of how you feel.
*I highly recommend purchasing no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints since they are better for you and the environment.
2011 © Dawn Gettig - Not to be reproduced without author’s permission
Dawn Gettig lives in Northeastern Ohio and is the owner of Gaia Design - Soulful Decorating, Feng Shui and Green Living. She has a certification in Advanced Feng Shui and Seven Star Space Clearing and Blessings™ as well as certification in Medicine Wheel Feng Shui™ with Interior Alignment® School. Dawn also serves on the board of the Interior Alignment® Feng Shui School. She has been studying Feng Shui for over 10 years and has studied yoga and spirituality for over 30 years. Dawn teaches The Medicine Wheel Home and The Medicine Wheel Path courses at Wise Woman University.
Website ~ www.gaiadesign-foryourlife.com,
Email Dawn at ~ gaiadesign22@sbcglobal.net.
Dawn currently offers two courses through WWU: Medicine Wheel Home: Applying Natural Feng Shui to Create a Home with Meaning
and The Medicine Wheel Path: Living a Life of Balance and Spirit
~Medicine Wheel Home:
Applying Natural Feng Shui
to Create a Home with Meaning~
(Link to detailed description of Medicine Wheel Home )
The Medicine Wheel Home course is an excellent way to learn to create a home with good chi (energy) and bring the spirit of nature into your spaces. In this unique course you will learn the basics of the Native American Medicine Wheel combined with Feng Shui to create a home filled with your very own personal style and meaning.
This is an experiential course and you can use these concepts throughout your lifetime. You will not look at your home in the same way after taking this course.
~The Medicine Wheel Path: Living a Life of Balance and Spirit~
(Link to detailed description of Medicine Wheel Path )
The Medicine Wheel Path: Living a Life of Balance and Spirit teaches how to develop a deep relationship with nature and its seen and unseen beneficial forces. When you connect with nature you also bring yourself closer to your authentic inner spirit, in turn creating a more meaningful life.
In this class you will learn the valuable concepts of the sacred Native American Medicine Wheel - the circle of life. The Medicine Wheel is a method and system of personal growth and wholeness. This is an experiential course and you will learn to connect with nature in ways that can serve you and help you attain your goals.
