A Lesson From Nature...The Healing Power of Color

My Facebook feed is awash in gorgeous photos of Fall Color being shared with family and friends.  The "ohs" and "aahs" in the resulting comments affirm that we are uplifted and moved emotionally and energetically by viewing the glory of Nature's palette both in person, or via images.  There is a lesson in this "cause and effect" that we can effectively apply to our use of essential oils!

One of the experiences in our Level 1 Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification Class that always generates similar "ohs" and "aahs" is when we visit our pouring area, and one of our Sacred Pourers, demonstrates our hand-pouring process and also shares the powerful effect of color of essential oils with the class.  Unless an oil's color is strong enough to be shown in a drop placed on your skin, because of the amber or cobalt colored glass used for essential oil bottles (to protect the contents from the deteriorating effects of  prolonged light exposure), most people have no idea of the vivid, jewel-toned color of many of the oils.

There is an area of study and practice known as Chromotherapy, which is using color for healing purposes.  Color can be used to balance the body and emotions...much like we do with essential oils.  You achieve balance by using more of what you need, or using an opposite-acting essence to counteract something of which you have too much (think, a calming oil like Lavender to counteract the effects of too much stress).   I read an article some time ago on a website sponsored by Dr. Laura De Giorgio that discussed Chromotherapy, and the healing properties of various colors; I want to share some of her very good information with you here, within the context of essential oils.  While she covers a wide variety of colors, I will zero in on those which are most relevant to the oils and the plants from which they are derived.

To begin, I want to outline how I apply the principles of color in my area of expertise.  First and foremost, I look at the color of the essential oil itself.  However, it is also relevant to consider the color of the plant from which it is produced.  So, for example, Blue Cypress essential oil has a bluish-grey color (think, the color of the ocean on a cloudy day), while the tree itself has green needles.  Blue Spruce comes from a tree which has bluish-grey needles, however, the essential oil is more of a clear, very pale yellowish-green color.  Now let's look at some essences that have very vivid colors and see how their color could suggest their use for certain issues.

Red/Reddish-Orange:  Rose Hip Lycotop seed oil is pressed from only the reddish-colored rose hip seeds (which, in total, naturally vary from pale yellow to red to burgundy in color) and is reddish orange in color.  The reddish seeds contain an abundance of lycopene, known to be a powerful anti-oxident good for heart health and for addressing certain types of cancer.  Since our Rose Hip Seed Oil (rosa rubiginosa) is so effective for skin care, I will lean toward the Rose Hip Lycotop when recommending a facial oil to someone who has had skin cancer, or skin cancer runs in their family.  On an emotional level, red is the color of passion, and high energy.  Another gorgeous reddish-orange essential oil is Blood Orange (Citrus aurantium var. sinensis L.).  This essential oil supports the adrenals (energy) and also helps to give us uplifting courage in times of difficulty.

Yellow:  Ginger (Zingiber officinale) essential oil is a beautiful, golden yellow color.  Yellow is shown to support digestion and enhance life-force and vitality.  Ginger has been known for centuries to support digestion (all of the "spice" oils such as Basil, Peppermint and Tarragon fall into this category), and anyone who has put 5-7 drops over their abdomen or over their adrenals can attest to the wonderful flow of energy through the body that results.

Green:  This color links with the heart chakra and affects blood pressure and all conditions of the heart.  Interestingly, Inula graveolens essential oil is one of the most powerful for heart health.  The color of Inula is a glorious deep green.  In terms of plant color, the grasses are beautiful shades of green, and that color is associated with inner peace, calming of the nerves, and purification.  Virtually all of our beautiful grass essences have those healing properties, including Ginger Grass (Cymbopogon martinii, var. sofia) and Sweet Grass (Hierochloe odorata).

Blue:  This color is cooling, anti-inflammatory, and calming, among many other properties.  One of the most vivid essential oil colors is the deep navy blue color of German Chamomile.  One drop on the top of your hand will demonstrate that!  German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is famous its calming properties...soothing the central nervous system, cooling high emotions, and facilitating sleep.  It is also powerfully anti-inflammatory.

Silver:  This color is associated with rebirth, emotional stability, intuition, dreams and psychic abilities.  One essential oil that represents this color category is Siberian Silver Fir Needle (Abies alba Miller).  In this case, the tree itself has silvery needles; the oil is generally a clear/pale yellow.

Finally, I often choose an oil which aligns with the color of the chakra associated with a particular emotion or physical element.  In fact, in our Level 1 class, we provide suggestions for each chakra, some of which are based on color.

So there are a number of ways to incorporate color in aromatherapy, any of which will add a very powerful element to your healing approach.  While this e-news only reveals the tip of the color "iceberg", it should give you an idea of how factoring in the color of the oil or plant can inform your choice of oils for a particular situation.

Enjoy the beautiful fall color, everyone, and remember that the joy it brings is a wonderful gift from Nature...as are pure, single essential oils.

Fall Colors image: Thanks to Pixabay cocoparisienne-127419/

Winner of the "miracle" testimonial

In my June e-news, I shared the miracle I was witnessing in the healing of my receding gums using a topical application of Myrrh and Clove Bud oils daily.  I am thrilled to share that, what was (to me) an embarrassing, growing gap between the top edge of my tooth and the bottom of my gums has not only been arrested, but has been reversed!  In fact, sharing this with you is a reminder to me that I need to keep doing it, because looking in the mirror no longer has me running for these two oils! So...about a 4 month, daily application, has yielded amazing results...90-100% reduction in what were very noticeable gaps.

I also invited you all to submit any essential oil "miracles" of your own.  I am pleased to share the very inspiring account (below), and announce that this reader was chosen to receive the gift of a bottle of Yellow Birch (drawn at random from the four she mentions in her account).  Congratulations, Denise!  And, thank you to everyone else who shared their miracles with me!

My miracle comes by way of one of my clients who has terrible flare-ups in her joints, especially her elbows, from Lupus.  Although the painful (and harmful) steroid injections she had been receiving for two years had done exceptionally little to help, she trusted that they would somehow begin to work.

In mid-March, she came to session in tears from the pain and inflammation in her elbows.  The swelling and redness were quite visible and she described the pain as "excruciating," placing her pain level at a "12" on a scale from 1 to 10.  She was ready to try something else!  At the beginning of her session I applied (in this order) Cornmint, Yellow Birch, Spike Lavender and Juniper Berry (Berries & Branches).  She felt immediate relief from the pain.  Within 10 minutes she rated her pain level as a "5."  By the end of the session, the redness and swelling in her joints had visibly and significantly lessened, and she then gave a "3" to her pain level.  She went home with these oils and instructions to apply them twice a day -- once in the morning, once before bed.

In the months since then, her joint pain, inflammation and redness is not a topic of discussion . . . because there is none!  And the added bonus -- or miracle -- is that, by applying the oils to her elbows, the arthritis in her fingers and hands has significantly improved.  I saw this client in late June for a session and she happily reports that she is now applying the oils only once a day . . . and there is no steroid shot anywhere on the horizon!

Announcements (Updated)

Level 1 Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification Class (in person) offered October 27-28, 2022  in Cornville, AZ.  Room for 1 more student or auditor.

Pricing and details are posted on the Wisdom of the Earth website.  For questions regarding discount opportunities, class content, please contact Cynthia Olivera, our Education Director, at [email protected] or at the office, 928-649-9968.  You can register on the website or through Cynthia.

An "in person" Wisdom of the Earth Level 2 Advanced Sacred Aromatherapy Retreat will be offered December 4-9, 2022.  Room for 1 more student or auditor.

Please be aware that you must have attended a Level 1 class and have been awarded Level 1 Certification by WOTE to be eligible to attend the Advanced Retreat.  Cynthia and I will be joined  by some excellent and inspirational guest speakers.  The Retreat will be held at a lovely property in Cottonwood, AZ, just a few minutes' drive from the WOTE office in Cornville, AZ. Please contact Cynthia Olivera, contact information above, for details on discount opportunities, class content, accommodations at the Retreat property, or to register.  You can also register on line for the Retreat.

Love, Audre Gutierrez
Owner, Wisdom of the Earth