Writing
The Rainbow
by Eleyne Austen Sharp
If you were to disregard all of the file folders, books and scribbled
Post-It notes, one of the first things you'd notice about my office is my
fondness for The Wizard of Oz. Along the walls and bookshelves are
postcards of Dorothy and The Wicked Witch, a stuffed Scarecrow and a
Cowardly Lion hand puppet. There's also an 18-inch rainbow on my
desk. It's really a candleholder, a simple black ornamental bridge
with small glass votives of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and
violet. To me it is a symbol of hope and inspiration, a reminder of
how color became my muse.
THE ROAD TO RAINBOWS
Like many writers, there was a time when my words did not flow, flow, flow
onto the paper, a time when I would have welcomed a pair of ruby slippers
just so I could click myself three times out of the Writers Block Woods
and into the Creative Light. Then one day I walked into a
metaphysical shop and found my muse. There along one large, sunny
window were over 100 square glass bottles, each containing two
different-colored layers of liquid. They mesmerized me with their
gem-like brilliance.
This was my introduction to Aura-Soma, an holistic therapy which uses the
healing energies of colors, plants and crystals. Instinctively, I
reached for "Gabriel", the blue-over-violet bottle. By
applying the oily contents to my throat and temple, my communication
abilities would be greatly improved, it was explained. What's
this--a writer's miracle in a bottle? Intrigued, I brought
"Gabriel" home and after only a few applications, I found myself
enjoying what I can only describe as a creative high.
AN ANCIENT METHOD
Now that I have spent many years researching the benefits of color, I'm
not surprised "Gabriel" worked so well. "Color is a
powerful tool," author Lori Reid wrote in her book, Color Book: Use
the healing powers of color to transform your life. "It acts on our
bodies, minds, and emotions, triggering deep and subtle responses on a
subconscious level."
Within each of us are spinning wheels of energy called chakras which
correspond to a specific color of the spectrum, as well as an emotional
issue. Red (root chakra, located at the base of the spine) is used
for energy, grounding and passion. Orange (sacral chakra, located
two inches below the navel) promotes joy and sexuality. Yellow
(solar plexus chakra, located below the breastbone) helps counteract
depression and stimulates mental activity. Green (heart chakra,
located at the center of the chest) represents compassion and healing.
Blue (throat chakra, located at the throat) deals with peace,
communication and artistic expression. Indigo (brow chakra, located
at the third eye area, between the brows) activates intuition.
Violet (crown chakra, located at the crown of the head) represents
spirituality and inspiration.
Since ancient times, color has been used in physical, mental and emotional
healing. It is said that Hippocrates applied his medicine in rooms
painted in soothing colors and used different colored salves and ointments
as treatment. In ancient Egypt, China and India, individuals were
dipped in colored pigment or bathed in light that was filtered through
colored-glass windows. Today color is introduced by using crystals
and visualization, wearing a particular color clothing to absorb color
physically, applying colored lights or oils to the skin, eating colored
foods and drinking colored water. One can also receive different
color vibrations through music.
COLOR YOUR WORLD
"Becoming aware of the effects of color means that we can make use of
its positive benefits to lift our spirits, to unlock our creative
imagination, to enhance our environment and to improve our image, our
well-being, and our lives," says Reid.
Did you know that if you write on a yellow note pad with blue ink, you can
enhance both your communication and creative skills? Think about
what you wish to communicate to your readers. Is it anger? Joy
or pain?
Once you understand the excessive and deficient qualities associated with
each color, you can write stories with more interesting, more believable
characters. In her book, Color and Crystals: A Journey Through The
Chakras, author Joy Gardner provides an excellent example of someone who
has too much red energy:
"This wealthy perfectionist is the owner of a California restaurant
chain. He rules his employees like a commanding general. He is
nervous and chronically constipated. He owns three cars, which give
him little satisfaction. He sleeps with many women, but it’s an
empty experience."
Gardner describes the rainbow colors and their related excessive energies
as Red--greedy, egotistic, domineering, sexually indiscriminate;
Orange--emotionally explosive, aggressive, manipulative, over-indulgent;
Yellow--judgmental, workaholic, perfectionist, overly intellectual;
Green--demanding, possessive, moody, melodramatic; Blue--arrogant,
self-righteous, dogmatic, addictive; Indigo--egomaniac, proud, religiously
dogmatic, authoritarian and Violet--psychotic, depressed, destructive.
Are you ready to do some rainbow writing? Try these exercises now:
1. Write about a red place, object or character. OR write a cover
letter to an agent, describing why he/she should take you on as a client.
What are your accomplishments? Why are you certain your book or
article will sell?
2. Write about an orange place, object or character. OR write about
the first time you knew you really wanted to become a writer. Then
write how you felt when you received your first criticism or rejection
letter. Were you angry? Sad? Suicidal? How did you
resolve the situation?
3. Write about a yellow place, object or character. OR write a movie
synopsis of your life. Is it a poignant drama, comedy or
psychological thriller? Which actor portrays you? Would you
give your life story a General, PG-13 or R rating?
4. Write about a green place, object or character. OR write a poem
about a time when you really loved something or someone. How did you
express your love? Was it returned or rejected?
5. Write about a blue place, object or character. OR interview
yourself as if you are already a successful writer. What suggestions
would you give to a beginning writer? How have you managed to keep
your name at the top of the bestseller lists? How do you avoid
writer’s block? Do you network with other writers?
6. Write about an indigo place, object or character. OR write a
dialogue in which a small child is describing your present surroundings to
an older blind person.
7. Write about a violet place, object or character. OR in first
person, create a Cinderella-like fairytale where your greatest desire is
to attend the most famous writers conference in the country. What
are your adversities? How do you eventually get to the conference?
Describe the general layout of the conference. Whom do you meet
there? What questions do you ask your favorite author? What
lessons do you learn? (Begin your story with "Once upon a time
I was...")
CREATING A PERSONAL COLOR JOURNAL
Once I was angry with a person whom I felt had treated me unfairly.
Since I was already "seeing red", I instinctively reached for a
red pen and began to write passionately, wildly, about the injustice of it
all. Had I been trying to "chill", I would have grabbed my
"cool blue" pen instead. But in this situation I needed to
express my anger--to really feel the emotional power of it--and that is
why I chose to "be" red for that journaling session.
As you'd might expect from someone with an Oz collection, one of my major
philosophies in life is to have fun, so I suggest the more colorful you
can make your journal, the better. Choose either a large spiral
notebook in your favorite color or seven different notebooks to reflect
each hue of the rainbow and its corresponding emotion. If you are
feeling depressed on the day of your journal entry, you need to add more
red, so you will write this entry in red because red is the antidote to
blue.
To get you started, here are nine colorful journaling prompts:
1. On the top of each page, write and complete this sentence:
"The color I feel today is __________________ because..."
2. Describe how you generally feel about the color red (or orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo or violet) and why.
3. Using the color red, complete this affirmation: "Today I
have..."
4. Using the color orange, complete this sentence: "Today I
feel..."
5. Using the color yellow, complete this sentence: "Today I
can..."
6. Using the color green, complete this sentence: "Today I
love..."
7. Using the color blue, complete this sentence: "Today I
speak..."
8. Using the color indigo, complete this sentence: "Today I
see..."
9. Using the color violet, complete this sentence: "Today I
know..."
DIVE WRITE IN, THE AURA'S FINE
Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo.
Violet. These seven colors are powerful tools for writers. So
if you've lost your muse somewhere along the yellow brick road and don't
have a pair of ruby slippers to find it, look to the rainbow and you'll
discover that writing is an even greater adventure when it's not all black
and white.
___________________
Eleyne Austen Sharp has been a
professional writer and editor since 1980. Based on years of color
research, she created Write By Color, an innovative creative writing and
journaling technique. She is the author of "Write
By Color", show promoter for the Newport Metaphysical Faire and owner
of Aura House, an online resource center that celebrates the vibrance and
healing energy of color. |
