The color purple is the meeting point of water and fire, sorrow and love, introspection and creativity, stillness and activity, serenity and anger – it is a color of union, where opposites collide. Thanks to these characteristics, purple has long colored our imagination across all cultures and centuries. In this article, we uncover the mystery of purple and the hidden meanings it represents.
Why Is the Color Purple Considered So Mysterious?
Purple is mysterious for several reasons. In nature, purple is relatively rare to find. Historically, it has been the color of the royal and elite due to its scarcity and exclusivity. That being said, purple has never only been a status symbol. Just as it represents worldly power, so does it symbolize power that is out of this world. In numerous esoteric and mystical traditions, purple represents enlightenment, intuition, and spiritual power. In literature and films, the color is often associated with the hidden and unknown, representing magic, supernatural phenomena, and the vast cosmos.
The power of purple as a symbol of mystery and esoteric power lies in its unifying function, merging the energies of contrasting or opposing elements – the cool tones of blue and the warm tones of red. The union of opposites is the fundamental principle of all esoteric, alchemical, and mystical traditions. Likewise, it is the core teaching of Jungian psychology, where purple can be considered a symbol of the Self as the child of two opposites.
Purple is a color that embodies the opposing physical, symbolic, and psychological qualities of blue and red. Even in nature, we find the color most apparent when the day meets the night. The purple hues that paint the sky around sunrises and sunsets add to the enigma of the color, for transitions are times of mystery and uncertainty – a passage unto the unknown and a meeting point where two contrasting elements unite.
What Are The Main Qualities of Purple?
Purple combines the qualities of blue and red. On the one hand, purple represents the sadness, serenity, and trustworthiness of the color blue. On the other hand, it represents the passionate, energetic, and creative force of the color red. Purple contains the cool undertones of blue and the warm undertones of red. Blue is often associated with introspection, mental clarity, calmness, and the sorrow of grief and detachment. Red is associated with passion, love, energy, and creativity. When combined, these qualities harmonize in purple.
Purple invites us to direct the active and energetic qualities of red inwardly, detaching from the outer world and diving into the inner sphere of introspection with the stillness and serenity of blue. This is why numerous studies have shown that purple enhances our imagination and inspiration, being both a stimulating and relaxing color.
Can Purple Help You Enhance Your Quality of Life?
Purple can help you enhance your quality of life by stimulating your imagination, problem-solving skills, and psychological balance. We don’t only see colors, we experience them. They are not mere visual stimuli but emotional ones that impact us psychologically on a subliminal level. Surrounding yourself with purple objects and artworks, or visualizing the color purple, will influence your mind automatically (i.e. subconsciously) and help you experience the qualities represented by purple.
Purple will help you be more inspired and visionary. It will, enhance your creativity, self-expression, and problem-solving skills. The hardships we face in life demand a powerful imagination that sees beyond the limits of our circumstances and challenges. Only through imagination can we arrive at solutions that are out of the box. To that end, purple can be your ally. As a color of harmony, purple can help us retain our psychological balance and equilibrium. When we enjoy psychological balance, we can appreciate the mysteries of life and remain curious, always gazing toward unknown horizons and opportunities.
