Color and Magic

Whether we realize it or not, color plays a major role in our everyday lives. Everything from the colors used in your favorite restaurant to what colors are “in” in fashion affect how you see the world and how you move in it. Now, imagine that you could learn to use those colors to effect the changes in your world to your advantage. That’s the theory behind using colors in magick. Something as simple as wearing pink on Wednesday can influence your life, or maybe it’s as simple as wearing white to your wedding to symbolize your purity of intention.

The use of color to effect a change in someone goes back as far as 2000 BCE, when Egyptian doctors would put patients in different colored rooms or use sunlight shone through different colored crystals to help them recover from various maladies. They believed that certain colors would speed up recovery from certain illnesses. This may have been a new idea for many humans because it is believed that the earliest hominids may have been color-blind. The ability to see the range of colors the modern humans see evolved over the past 5000 years some scientists believe. I wonder if those early humans who were able to see the expanded range of tones and hues weren’t seen as somewhat magickal by their peers. Red was one of the first colors we could see and create. It is found along with black and white in cave paintings and often is used to denote power and strength. Red is still used to inspire strength, power, and passion to this day. It is a color that stands out and catches the eye. Whereas blue was one of the colors that is believed the Ancient Greeks may have been color-blind to. Homer describes the ocean as “wine-red” in the Odessey. It could just be that Homer was color-blind, but the Early Greeks did not have a name for Blue despite being surrounded by vibrant blue seas. The Ancient Egyptians may have been one of the first societies of people that developed the ability to see blue. They invented the color Egyptian Blue around the year 2,200 BCE. This pigment was sacred and used in all types of Egyptian art.

Humans have been using color in their magic for as long as humans have been doing magic. Some scientists believe that the color of the pigments used in cave paintings may have been chosen because of hidden spiritual meanings. For example, the use of red pigment around hands or to highlight certain parts of a cave painting by have been chosen to show power or imbue power into the subject. Ancient Greek and Egyptian texts occasionally mention colors having certain magical meanings. Byzantine author, Ioannis Lydi, wrote about the symbolism of color in the days when the Qabalah was being created. Lydi linked colors to the planets, day of the week, and even Deities, as well as explaining their mythological origins. Marsilio Ficino, the Hermetic Master of the Chain in 15th Century CE Florance, Italy wrote extensively about the use of color, perfume, and music in ritual.

There is a lot of science behind the magic when it comes to colors. First, colors appear because of wavelengths and wavelengths are a form of energy. Attuning to the wavelength of a color allows you to increase the transference of energy towards your desired goal. If you wish to cast a spell for healing, healing energy attunes with the wavelength energy of green and blue, so utilizing blue or green energy to focus on your goal, amplifies that energy. You don’t need to know the exact scientific wavelength to attune to that energy, just surround yourself with that color or visualize it and all the energies to sync up.

Second, color has a psychological effect on us as human beings. Colors evoke emotions and alter our emotions and thought patterns. The psychology behind the effects of color on humans and animals is a fascinating subject that started around the time of Jung. By wearing a certain color while casting a spell can increase the focus and intent of the spell and allow us to better tap into the wavelength of the color to give the spell power. You can do this in many ways, at a job interview you could wear green (associated with money) or yellow (confidence) in the hopes of improving your chances of getting the job.

The effects of color on the human psyche is often used in advertising and architecture as a way to evoke certain feelings toward what is being advertised. Color has power. For example, McDonald’s restaurants were once decorated almost exclusively in red and yellow. Yes, it is brain searing and tacky by today’s standard, but it worked for McDonalds. Yellow and red have the effect of increasing appetite and making a person want to eat more. It obviously worked because McDonalds are still around today.

Another example of this is how hospitals will often have the walls painted white or pale blue. The white calms a person in a hospital situation because it makes us think sterile, clean, and safe. Light blue on the other hand has the effect of relaxing emotionally charged individuals and those in mental distress. Pale blue at one time was the favorite color of psychiatric wards because of its soothing and calming effects.

Learning about the psychology of color can increase your magical ability. You can learn to manipulate how your energy is perceived and received. You can create glamours around yourself by the colors you choose to adorn yourself with. And you don’t need to dress head to toe in a color for it to work, just wearing a certain color of jewelry or makeup can be just as effective.

Some ways you can add the energy of color to your magic can be candle magic, jewelry, floral magick, clothing and make up, crystals, artwork, lighting, etc. Candle magic is one of the things that comes to mind for many people when they think of color in magic. By using a candle of a certain color, the witch can attune their spell to the wavelength of the color. Candles are easy to acquire, come in many colors, or can be decorated in a color. If casting a spell to love yourself more, you may use a pink candle and a candle that aligns with your zodiac sign’s color. If you are seeking advice and wisdom from your divination tool of choice, you may want to light a purple candle. If you wish to commune with a certain Deity and meditate on them, you may want to look up what colors are associated with them and burn a candle in one of those colors.

Another way to use color in your magic is through crystals. Yes, those shiny rocks do more than just look pretty. While casting a spell, add crystals in the colors that associate in your intentions on your altar. For example, for a prosperity spell, you may want to have gold and green crystals on your altar. Crystals can also be carried in your pocket or worn as jewelry to be effective.

And finally, just wearing any amount of a color intentionally will tap into the energy of that color. Paint your nails red to feel sexy or powerful, wear a silver ring to connect with the goddess and tap into your inner goddess, or knit a scarf with the colors you associate with happiness and protection to keep a loved one safe and warm. I do lots of crafty magic and will often pick my colors for a gift based on the recipients color preferences, but also what energies I want them to attract and emanate.

There are tons of color correspondence charts in witch books and on witch websites to get you started. Those charts are a great guide, but you are always welcome to add your own personal correspondence to a color when working your magic. Just because the book says that yellow means happiness, but happiness to you is represented by red doesn’t mean you are wrong. In our lives we develop our own personal correspondences for things and because it is personal to you, it will be effective in your magic. Because it is personal to you, it will work with you.

Color magic is fun to play with and opens all types of doors to ways to add depth and meaning to your magic. Even if you are colorblind, you can still incorporate color into your magic.