{"id":2364,"date":"2009-09-01T01:10:57","date_gmt":"2009-09-01T06:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=2387"},"modified":"2009-08-28T11:35:39","modified_gmt":"2009-08-28T16:35:39","slug":"new-to-the-craft-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2009\/09\/01\/new-to-the-craft-11\/","title":{"rendered":"New To The Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The Essence of Color <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Color-based magic is quite popular amongst witches, and is one of the first set of correspondences many of us study.\u00a0 In a spellworking the colors may be coordinated from the candles, to the altar cloth, to any stones\/crystals, etc., with all of the elements combining to symbolize the intent of the worker.\u00a0 Green items may be gathered for a money-drawing charm, or perhaps red for a spell to give courage and strength.\u00a0 Witches also typically use the primary colors of vision and pigment to represent the balance of the elements: red for fire, blue for water, yellow for air, and green for earth.<\/p>\n<p>While there are many books available on the market that offer pre-made lists of the associations for various colors, it also tends to be true that no two are the same!\u00a0 Most agree on the colors of the elements (though even in that there is variation between traditions).\u00a0 Beyond this you tend to find very long lists that are difficult to memorize let alone comprehend the reasoning behind them.\u00a0 One of the most meaningful exercises I ever did as part of a class on correspondences was to come up with my own associations.\u00a0 For that reason I will not supply yet another list of colors and their meanings here.\u00a0 Instead I would like to delve into the nature of color itself, and perhaps uncover a new layer of meaning for use in magical work.<\/p>\n<p>What is color?\u00a0 As humans the hues we perceive and acknowledge are based on our visual system.\u00a0 The standard eye has both rod cells, which perceive only shades of black and white, and cone cells, which differentiate colors.\u00a0 Color vision was a crucial adaptation for our ancestors, allowing humans to tell ripe red fruit from green for one thing.\u00a0 Other animals also possess color vision, but the colors we as humans perceive are determined by the ranges of wavelengths of light our cone cells respond to.\u00a0 The longest we are capable of seeing is about 700nm (red) and the shortest is about 400nm (violet).\u00a0 There are three types of cone cells in the eye, nicknamed \u201cred\u201d \u201cgreen\u201d and \u201cblue\u201d cone cells for the primary wavelength of light they react to.\u00a0 When a ray of light hits the retina the wavelengths present stimulate the appropriate cone cells and the brain interprets this as color.<\/p>\n<p>As an example, suppose you are looking at a computer screen which emits only yellow light.\u00a0 The wavelength of this light (~590-560nm) hits your eye and stimulates your cone cells to tell your brain what you see is \u201cyellow.\u201d\u00a0 Here is where it gets interesting.\u00a0 That wavelength of light is actually stimulating both the red cone cells and the green cone cells, whose ranges overlap.\u00a0 However it does not stimulate any blue cone cells.\u00a0 So what happens if you were to shine both a red light and a green light into the eye instead?\u00a0 You\u2019d see yellow!\u00a0 This is exactly what happens if you cross a red and green beam of light and shine it on a surface: the overlapping area appears yellow.\u00a0 What does this mean?\u00a0 It simply means that the human eye is limited in the colors it can perceive based on its anatomy, and that some colors are not only analogous to wavelengths of light, but also to combinations of cone cell stimulation.<\/p>\n<p>Think of it this way: light as we know it is a continuous band of electromagnetic energy all the way from 400-700nm.\u00a0 If our eyes were capable we could tell the difference between a wave at 560nm and one at 570nm, or all of the bands in between.\u00a0 What we detect as the ROYGBIV colors in a rainbow is unique to us as human beings, and evolved as a consequence of what helped us to survive.\u00a0 Many insects could be said to see \u201ccolors\u201d we cannot because they can see into the ultraviolet range.\u00a0 Some use ultraviolet vision to see patterns on flowers invisible to our eyes, but which aid them in finding food.\u00a0 The colors we distinguish exist because there are only so many combinations of cone cell stimulation possible with a red\/green\/blue system.\u00a0 Just like on\/off switches: red plus green equals yellow, red plus blue equals purple, etc.\u00a0 All cone cells \u201con\u201d equals anywhere from gray to white, and all \u201coff\u201d equals black.<\/p>\n<p>This gets us to an interesting consequence of the whole system that I\u2019d like to bring back to the idea of using colors in magic.\u00a0 Yellow is both a specific range of wavelengths and a perception created when red and green are seen in the absence of blue.\u00a0 In this sense yellow is another way of your brain saying \u201cno blue.\u201d\u00a0 Visually we perceive yellow and blue to be exact opposites!\u00a0 Red\u2019s opposite is a combination of green and blue light that we call cyan.\u00a0 Likewise the absence of green is seen as purple.\u00a0 Conceiving of color choices in this way can bring a whole new dimension to a working by considering not only what energies are present, but also what energies are specifically not present.\u00a0 Direct light and pigments work slightly differently in this regard, but the basic principle is the same.\u00a0 An unlit, dyed candle would appear purple not because it is emitting light itself, but rather because it absorbs the green portion of the spectrum from the light sources around it, while reflecting back primarily red and blue.\u00a0 It would not be a stretch then to consider the candle as being \u201cgreen\u201d under its surface rather than purple!\u00a0 This is not in a literal sense (after all, anything not exposed to light is black), but it has energetic implications that could be harnessed.\u00a0 A spell calling for a cyan\/light blue candle for healing could work in both those energies and the strength and vigor of the red absorbed within.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen one of the magical associations of purple listed as a way of ending bad luck.\u00a0 Is it any wonder then that green is usually associated with being lucky?\u00a0 There is a great deal of room here for exploration and investigation of the underlying relationships between these color-pairings, and I hope that this contributes to others experimenting on their own to see what can be found.\u00a0 Using the knowledge of how colors work in this way can bring an added dimension to any witch\u2019s workings, and make any spell that much more effective as a result.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Journal for the Month of August: <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More on colors: last year I read an amazing article online, \u201cViolet is not Purple: Is digital imaging broken?\u201d, that got me started on this whole line of thinking about what color really is.\u00a0 I\u2019m still trying to find a way to see an exhibit of Yves Klein\u2019s artwork so that I can experience some real violet!\u00a0 Color is such a visceral and emotional part of being human, and contributes to a great deal of the beauty we find in the world.\u00a0 I felt driven to explore its true nature, not to break it down into cold, scientific terms, but rather to understand how I am blessed to experience something as amazing as a rainbow or a spectacular sunset.\u00a0 To know that color as we know it really is unique to our human experience makes me feel even that much luckier to have the ability to perceive it.<\/p>\n<p>Harvest season is upon us!\u00a0 I\u2019m definitely looking forward to the equinox and the fall.\u00a0 Many of us continue to experience tough times, and I believe it\u2019s especially important now to give thanks for what we have, even when our needs are greater.\u00a0 For those that are able it is more vital than ever to lend a helping hand to your neighbors and friends.\u00a0 If nothing else we can all offer our prayers or good wishes to those we love, while knowing that we also receive their love in return!<\/p>\n<p>Until next month, blessed be! )O(<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Essence of Color Color-based magic is quite popular amongst witches, and is one of the first set of correspondences many of us study.\u00a0 In a spellworking the colors may be coordinated from the candles, to the altar cloth, to any stones\/crystals, etc., with all of the elements combining to symbolize the intent of the worker.\u00a0 Green items may be gathered for a money-drawing charm, or perhaps red for a spell to give courage and strength.\u00a0 Witches also typically use the primary colors of vision and pigment to represent the balance of the elements: red for fire, blue for water, yellow for air, and green for earth. While there are many books available on the market that offer pre-made lists of the associations for various colors, it also tends to be true that no two are the same!\u00a0 Most agree on the colors of the elements (though even in that there is variation between traditions).\u00a0 Beyond this you tend to find very long lists that are difficult to memorize let alone comprehend the reasoning behind them.\u00a0 One of the most meaningful exercises I ever did as part of a class on correspondences was to come up with my own associations.\u00a0 For that reason I will not supply yet another list of colors and their meanings here.\u00a0 Instead I would like to delve into the nature of color itself, and perhaps uncover a new layer of meaning for use in magical work. What is color?\u00a0 As humans the hues we perceive and acknowledge are based on our visual system.\u00a0 The standard eye has both rod cells, which perceive only shades of black and white, and cone cells, which differentiate colors.\u00a0 Color vision was a crucial adaptation for our ancestors, allowing humans to tell ripe red fruit from green for one thing.\u00a0 Other animals also possess color vision, but the colors we as humans perceive are determined by the ranges of wavelengths of light our cone cells respond to.\u00a0 The longest we are capable of seeing is about 700nm (red) and the shortest is about 400nm (violet).\u00a0 There are three types of cone cells in the eye, nicknamed \u201cred\u201d \u201cgreen\u201d and \u201cblue\u201d cone cells for the primary wavelength of light they react to.\u00a0 When a ray of light hits the retina the wavelengths present stimulate the appropriate cone cells and the brain interprets this as color. As an example, suppose you are looking at a computer screen which emits only yellow light.\u00a0 The wavelength of this light (~590-560nm) hits your eye and stimulates your cone cells to tell your brain what you see is \u201cyellow.\u201d\u00a0 Here is where it gets interesting.\u00a0 That wavelength of light is actually stimulating both the red cone cells and the green cone cells, whose ranges overlap.\u00a0 However it does not stimulate any blue cone cells.\u00a0 So what happens if you were to shine both a red light and a green light into the eye instead?\u00a0 You\u2019d see yellow!\u00a0 This is exactly what happens if you cross a red and green beam of light and shine it on a surface: the overlapping area appears yellow.\u00a0 What does this mean?\u00a0 It simply means that the human eye is limited in the colors it can perceive based on its anatomy, and that some colors are not only analogous to wavelengths of light, but also to combinations of cone cell stimulation. Think of it this way: light as we know it is a continuous band of electromagnetic energy all the way from 400-700nm.\u00a0 If our eyes were capable we could tell the difference between a wave at 560nm and one at 570nm, or all of the bands in between.\u00a0 What we detect as the ROYGBIV colors in a rainbow is unique to us as human beings, and evolved as a consequence of what helped us to survive.\u00a0 Many insects could be said to see \u201ccolors\u201d we cannot because they can see into the ultraviolet range.\u00a0 Some use ultraviolet vision to see patterns on flowers invisible to our eyes, but which aid them in finding food.\u00a0 The colors we distinguish exist because there are only so many combinations of cone cell stimulation possible with a red\/green\/blue system.\u00a0 Just like on\/off switches: red plus green equals yellow, red plus blue equals purple, etc.\u00a0 All cone cells \u201con\u201d equals anywhere from gray to white, and all \u201coff\u201d equals black. This gets us to an interesting consequence of the whole system that I\u2019d like to bring back to the idea of using colors in magic.\u00a0 Yellow is both a specific range of wavelengths and a perception created when red and green are seen in the absence of blue.\u00a0 In this sense yellow is another way of your brain saying \u201cno blue.\u201d\u00a0 Visually we perceive yellow and blue to be exact opposites!\u00a0 Red\u2019s opposite is a combination of green and blue light that we call cyan.\u00a0 Likewise the absence of green is seen as purple.\u00a0 Conceiving of color choices in this way can bring a whole new dimension to a working by considering not only what energies are present, but also what energies are specifically not present.\u00a0 Direct light and pigments work slightly differently in this regard, but the basic principle is the same.\u00a0 An unlit, dyed candle would appear purple not because it is emitting light itself, but rather because it absorbs the green portion of the spectrum from the light sources around it, while reflecting back primarily red and blue.\u00a0 It would not be a stretch then to consider the candle as being \u201cgreen\u201d under its surface rather than purple!\u00a0 This is not in a literal sense (after all, anything not exposed to light is black), but it has energetic implications that could be harnessed.\u00a0 A spell calling for a cyan\/light blue candle for healing could work in both those energies and the strength and vigor of the red absorbed within.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen one of the magical associations of purple listed as a way of ending bad luck.\u00a0 Is it any wonder then that green is usually associated with being lucky?\u00a0 There is a great deal of room here for exploration and investigation of the underlying relationships between these color-pairings, and I hope that this contributes to others experimenting on their own to see what can be found.\u00a0 Using the knowledge of how colors work in this way can bring an added dimension to any witch\u2019s workings, and make any spell that much more effective as a result. Journal for the Month of August: More on colors: last year I read an amazing article online, \u201cViolet is not Purple: Is digital imaging broken?\u201d, that got me started on this whole line of thinking about what color really is.\u00a0 I\u2019m still trying to find a way to see an exhibit of Yves Klein\u2019s artwork so that I can experience some real violet!\u00a0 Color is such a visceral and emotional part of being human, and contributes to a great deal of the beauty we find in the world.\u00a0 I felt driven to explore its true nature, not to break it down into cold, scientific terms, but rather to understand how I am blessed to experience something as amazing as a rainbow or a spectacular sunset.\u00a0 To know that color as we know it really is unique to our human experience makes me feel even that much luckier to have the ability to perceive it. Harvest season is upon us!\u00a0 I\u2019m definitely looking forward to the equinox and the fall.\u00a0 Many of us continue to experience tough times, and I believe it\u2019s especially important now to give thanks for what we have, even when our needs are greater.\u00a0 For those that are able it is more vital than ever to lend a helping hand to your neighbors and friends.\u00a0 If nothing else we can all offer our prayers or good wishes to those we love, while knowing that we also receive their love in return! Until next month, blessed be! )O(<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}