Colors in the Sky

Some of the most beautiful color displays in our natural world can be viewed in the sky. Some people like to watch the different colors occur when the sunrises, others prefer to watch the sunset at the end of the day. Unlike the earth however, the skies presentation of colors does not revolve around the sun. When a combination of charged electrons and protons mix with other particles from the atmosphere, a modern wonder of color can be seen in the sky. Auroras, also known as the Northern or Southern lights, are bands of color found in the night sky. “Auroras are believed to be caused by charged high energy particles from the solar winds that are trapped within the atmospheric magnetic field of the Earth,” (http://www.space.com/auroras/). Auroras come in all different colors; from red and green, the most common, to light blue and violet. “The bright visually pleasing colors commonly associated with auroras are the result of electrons colliding with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere,” (http://www.space.com/auroras/). The collision of certain electrons and other gases, like nitrogen and oxygen, are what determine the color of the auroras. “Most aurorae are green and red emission from atomic oxygen. Molecular nitrogen and nitrogen ions produce some low level red and very high blue/violet aurorae,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy). To view auroras one must be in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, preferably in the polar zone. The Northern display can be viewed during the months of March and April or September and October.

Sources: http://www.space.com/auroras/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)

Picture Courtesy of: http://bored-space.com/Pics/Aurora/Aurora001.jpg

The Power of Colors

In our culture, color is taught to us very early on in life. At first we associate basic things according to and with their color, such as, the red apple, the yellow banana. As we grow older we start to associate color with social and cultural stereotypes; pink is for girls, blue is boys, purple is for gay people, red is for bloods and blue is for crypts..and so on. Color is used in marketing schemes and to represent certain establishments and institution: it surrounds us in our physical and materialistic world. In other cultures, however, predominantly those in the East, color is rooted more deeply in their religious and spiritual beliefs, as opposed to the Western’s social and symbolic.
In certain religions, especially Hinduism, there is a belief in what is called the chakra system. The word chakra is derived from the Sanskrit word for wheel or circle. The working english definition for the word is; “One of the seven centers of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy,” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chakra).
“The concept of Chakra are often treated in different ways, depending on the cultural context. In Chinese medicine, traditional chakra locations correspond to acupuncture points. In some Eastern thought, chakras are considered to be gradations of consciousness and reflect states of the soul--these systems rely less on proof than on experience (under the assumption that 'proving' the existence of chakras is asking to 'prove' the existence of the thought process),” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra).
Slightly hard to describe, they can be considered centers of energy found within the body, “Chakras are considered to be a point or nexus of metaphysical and/or biophysical energy of the human body,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra). There are seven chakras found in the human body starting at the base of the spine and ending at the crown of the head. Each of the chakras is represented and associated with a certain color, the base one, muladhara, being red. As you follow the different chakras up the spine they follow the colors of the rainbow; the second one being orange, the third yellow and so on. The top chakra, sahasrara, located on the crown of the head, is the color violet, representing purity and the highest state of consciousness.
Since each chakra is represented by a color, and the colors are a lot easy to remember then the exact names, these colors begin to symbolize and stand for the certain areas of the body which the chakras rule, giving them healing powers. Somebody who is having stomach problems may meditate on or visualize the color yellow filling their body, for yellow is the color associated with the manipura chakra which governs the navel/stomach area.
After learning about the chakra system I began relating and associating colors differently. Instead of connecting red with hearts, I think of the color green, for that is color of the chakra which represents the heart. When you relate colors with yourself, as a part of you and you well-being instead of social implications and symbols it offers a new, more pure perspective of them.

Text Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chakra

Picture Courtesy Of: http://www.live-care.net/images/chakras_body.gif