For this month’s blog, I thought it would be nice to take a look at my favourite colour turquoise, which, as a December born Sagittarius, also happens to be my birthstone. I personally love the energy of this colour and tend to surround myself with it. But there are those who would argue that it is not a pure colour, and is instead a mix of blue and green hues. Which is true, but cannot the same be argued for orange. I love that you can take your basic turquoise, and further manipulate it by adding white, which gives you a tint, or black which is known as a shade, and if you really want to complicate things, you could also throw in grey, which would give you tone. This technique of adding tints shades and tones, will work with most colours, and is an important consideration in colour therapy, as one colour can take on different meanings, as a result of tints and shades. This is something as a therapist that you learn to adapt to, and build up your own preferences.
But getting back to turquoise, it is fair to say, that my favourite colour could be described as a blend of hues, tints, shades and tones, coming together in glorious variations of saturations and luminance to create a greenish to blue, balancing energy, that never fails to sooth and cleanse, even the most heated of situations.
History of Turquoise
Turquoise was also a favourite of many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Persians. The Egyptians used it for its protective qualities, believing that it had the power to protect from harm and vulnerability and could even ward off death, for this reason it was often used in the decoration of swords and knives.
It was first introduced into Europe by returning crusaders, hence its French name, which literally means stone from Turkey. The Native Americans were another culture who also revered Turquoise. To them, Turquoise was known as Sky-stone, there is a lovely old Native American legend that goes ‘As the ancestors danced and rejoiced with the coming of the rains, their tears of joy mixed with the rain and seeped into Mother Earth to become sky-stones.’
They believed that the Sky-stones found running through ordinary grey rock, contained images of both the sky and water, making it a true stone of creation. It was a stone of sky and water, which brought with it blessings, good fortune, protection, good health and a long life.
To them the protection that it brought could be openly witnessed, as they believed that if they were wearing a piece that suddenly developed a crack, then that stone had quite literally taken a blow that life had been sending their way!
Spiritually
But there is more, much more to turquoise, hidden wonder, that is only now, starting to bubble to the surface of our pools of knowledge.
The Eighth Chakra
Now before you all start shouting, that this does not exist, I will state that this has not yet been universally accepted, but research into this subject is starting to make this look like it is just a matter of time until it is. Also personal experience has shown me the benefit of working with this Chakra.
The eighth chakra is known as the Thymus Chakra, and it is believed to be situated in your thorax, I am not a medical professional, but believe this to be behind your sternum and in front of your heart. This chakra gets its name from the Thymus gland, and this gland is rather special. At your birth, this gland is rather large, and it continues to grow with you right up to puberty, at which point it begins to decrease in size. Until recently, this gland was overlooked, but with new medical research has come the realisation of its importance, which by association makes the Thymus Chakra equally important to your overall well-being!
How the Thymus Chakra safeguards our well-being.
Physically - Immune System
The Thymus Chakra is the key to a healthy, balanced immune system. If your immunity is not sufficient enough, your defences will be down, leaving you open to all sorts of aliments and illnesses. If your immunity is too efficient, it goes into hyper-drive, with the body turning against itself, if long term, this can develop into an auto-immune disorder. So balance really is the key to staying healthy.
Mentally – Clarity
If this Chakra is free from blockages, so too will be your mind, as it helps with clarity. And as you begin to see the world about you more clearly, you will obtain a sharpness of mind that allows you to seize upon new ideas and solutions as they present themselves.
Emotionally – balanced prospective
When this chakra is balanced, it allows energy to flow through you, helping you to adjust to whatever life throws your way. Socially you will find doors previously blocked opening to you. Your peers will notice how discreet and loyal you are, whilst enjoying your lively positive interactions. But there will be a balance, and you will find yourself in a state of mind, where you are equally at ease when spending time in your own company. You will feel happy, relaxed and balanced and will take personal responsibility for your own happiness, without the need to thrust this responsibility onto others.
Spiritually – soothing inspiration
Focus on your thymus chakra when you are in need of inspiration. I like to surround myself with this colour when I am undertaking a creative task that needs a certain amount of calm contemplation in order to complete.
Is your Thymus Chakra blocked?
When this chakra becomes blocked, you may start to feel as if you cannot move forward, and will begin to feel trapped by your own self-applied boundaries and limitations. You might also experience a certain amount of turmoil and confusion in your personal life, but on careful consideration, will be able to see that much of this is down to your own negative thought patterns and often self-destructive behaviours, but despite acknowledging, this you will be feeling helpless about doing anything to change it. If this is resonating with you, don’t despair, the following are some techniques for clearing blockages.
Essential Oils
If you prefer using essential oils, try combining green and blue oils. Always seek expert advice when using oils for the first time, and always allow your intuition to guide you to which oil to choose.
As a rough guide;
• Green oils – Fennel, peppermint or basil, each of these will bring about a sense of balance and harmony.
• Blue Oils, tea-tree, Cyprus, these are great choices as they have cleansing properties whilst enabling you to express yourself clearly. Camomile is soothing and will be a great choice if you are experiencing turmoil and confusion.
Wearing Turquoise
If time is of an essence, try using what you are wearing as a form of colour therapy. As natural white light passes through you, it will carry with it, the energy of the colours you are wearing, even if these items cannot be seen. It is important to remember that what you wear shouts out a statement about you. I personally like to wear a lot of turquoise, and I am lucky as I also like its statement. It states that I am a good communicator, with a calm attitude that also makes me an excellent listener. That I have an open mind, and that I welcome new ideas. I can think of worse statements to be shouting. Even if you prefer to wear black, you can use turquoise accessories, jewellery, and undergarments, to give you a splash of this colour’s energy.
Colour Visualisation
Visualisation is a great way to deal with chakra blockages. To begin with, make sure you are in a nice quiet environment, with a relaxed state of mind. This is so important, as colour wave lengths have the energy to affect living tissue. As you heal your etheric body, you also heal your physical body, which means you should afford spiritual healing the same respect and caution, as you would with conventional treatments, this is something that people tend to forget.
So to obtain the maximum benefit, your mind needs to be open and relaxed. It is also important to concentrate on positive thoughts whilst doing this, as law of attraction is likely to kick in. So you must try to visualise what you want to achieve or attract to you, not what you want to banish or be free from. You must try to keep your thoughts strong and focused, hence the need for a quiet environment. The next thing to consider is whether the colour you are working with is magnetic or electrical, as we draw magnetic colours up from the earth and electrical down from the air. Green is a balance between the two, so it is drawn horizontally. When I draw upon turquoise I apply this rule, but draw from the location of thorax, and visualise it flowing through my Thymus Chakra. So now you are ready to begin.
Simply breathe in the soothing balancing properties of turquoise, sending its healing rays to where it is required, or just letting it flow through your entire body, then breathe out into the space around you. For best results, repeat this three times and conclude by thanking the Universe for sharing this with you.
Turquoise colour waves are also great for combating respiratory ailments and arthritis. You can also alternate between turquoise and pink energy to help shift unwanted excess fat. Also try visualising turquoise to help cleanse and freshen your outlook in life, as it can quite literally blast away those boundaries and self-limitations that are holding you back from achieving what you wish to do.
Colour Meditations
The Tibetans use mandalas to help them to focus upon a colour. Another great tool for this is crystals. Simply hold one in the palm of your hand, and focus upon it, let all thoughts not related to the crystal slide from your mind. Study its shape, its hue, its luminance, as you begin to take deep, slow breaths. Try to close your eyes, and see if you can picture the crystal with your mind’s eye, the same shape, and vibrant hue; try to capture the sheer luminance of it, if you can’t don’t worry, open your eyes, focus, and then try again.
When you meditate, the aim is to still your internal chattering mind and instead be able to connect with your higher self, the part of you which is connected with the Divine. As you do this, you will also connect with the inner wisdom that connects us all, and helps us to navigate our way through life. Unfortunately in everyday life we tend to forget to listen. But if you find to begin with that you cannot still your chattering mind, don’t get hung up on this, or you will find yourself in a catch 22 situation. Simply let the random thoughts come in and flow out, a little like having a TV on in the background, hear it, but do not focus on it.
If you are feeling creative, you can design your own mandalas, either in a rainbow of colours, or concentrating on individual colours, by using lots of tints and shades. For example, if creating a turquoise mandala, start with your standard choice. Connect a piece of string to a paint brush, dip into the paint and suspend it over a piece of paper, spin it and move it from side to side, allowing the dripping paint to form random patterns. Divide paint into two pots and gradually add white to one and black to the other, each time repeating the process, until your paper is covered. Allow this to dry, and then cut out a circle, this is your mandala; you might wish to laminate it, for longevity.
Mediating with a mandala is the same as with a crystal, except you don’t close your eyes. Instead, allow them to focus softly, allowing yourself to look past the pattern. As with the visualisation, breathe deeply and slowly, allowing the energy of the colour to flow through you, and do not forget to thank the Universe.
Consuming Colour
If you decide to use food to increase your colour energy, try to combine green and blue foods. You will find that you have an abundance of choice with green foods with a range as diverse as from leeks to green grapes. Blues are a little more difficult but do include fish, as well as the obvious blueberries and plums.
Turquoise People
Turquoise People tend to be a mixture of blue and green energies, often changing on a daily basis. They crave harmony and calmness, and do not get on well in defensive, hostile environments. They tend to be a little more introverted than greens and a little less so than blues, but again this can change rapidly. They do find it easier to make decisions than most greens, but this can be credited to their highly developed intellect, which helps them to make wise informed choices. They also have an uncanny knack of reading characters.
However, just like blues they do tend to have a predisposition towards depression, but the green energy within them eventually surfaces to balance and resolve this. As a result of both the energies within them, they have an acute dislike for crowded places and need space to just be, preferably amongst nature. They also tend to suffer from greens insecurities, which can lead to them sometimes being a little too cautious. Unfortunately, unlike greens, they do not share a knack with finances, and their caution can affect their ability to make money. Health wise, they need to watch out for throat problems, as well as auto immune conditions and low blood pressure. As for potential life partners, they go well with greens, pinks oranges and yellows, but can clash with reds, whilst blues might prove a little too sobering for them, and will end up bringing them both down.
Crystals
Turquoise crystals are great healers, and have been used by many cultures through the ages for precisely this. In particular they are known to open the Throat Chakra to encourage truthful communication. Also they will work on the Thymus chakra to assist with immunity. They are also effective on rheumatism, arthritis, inner ear, and lung and chest conditions, including asthma, allergies, eye problems, gum disease and high blood pressure.
I have come to end of this month’s journey with colour. I thank you for taking this journey with me, and look forward to our next.
Love and light Maria.