Guest Author - Diane Kern

Some of us love color and we fill our living and work spaces with every option available. Some of us are afraid of color and paint the walls white. Some of us create a balance, where there is a neutral background with accents of our favorite colors.

What color should I paint my office? What color is best for me to wear? Is it ok to paint my door red? Does color work as a cure in feng shui? These are some of the questions that people ask when they email me.

People have strong reactions and color should be used carefully. There was a study some years ago which discovered that pink, if used in the holding area of police departments, would calm down the criminals. They also discovered that people left in this area too long would eventually become even more agitated than when they were brought in. This should not be surprising as pink is in the red family, as are orange and purple. Red is one of the first colors we are able to see as babies. It has a high vibration. And it has a strong effect on us.

Red is the color of the fire element and as such it enhances-or makes stronger-the earth element. There are some kinds of earth we want to strengthen and some we do not. As the cycles of energy flow through the day, months and years the negative earth components can meet up with red in our home and cause serious trouble. It is wise to limit the use of red, orange and purple shades in our home for this reason. Red represents the dry heat of high summer, such as wildfires. It is hot. It is exciting, like a bon fire. It can be romantic like the flickering fireplace. It can be destructive. It is very yang and because it is so active we must be cautious in the use of red in our homes.

I do not advise painting your door red. Although it is bright and cheery your door may be enhancing negative energies as they meet in this location. It could be that your door is in a location where red is not appropriate such as the west-a metal location. It could be meeting an annual or monthly energy such as 5 yellow that will make serious problems for you. For the same reason do not paint your walls red. If you have large amounts of red in your home-walls, doors, furniture, curtains, rethink your décor scheme. Think back over recent times and document if there is a pattern of misfortunes. It could be the color red. Enjoy the colors of the red family in small doses.