For everything this disease has taken, something with greater value has been given–sometimes just a marker that points me in a new direction that I might not otherwise have traveled. So, sure, it may be one step forward and two steps back, but after a time with Parkinson’s, I’ve learned that what is important is making that one step count; always looking up.

MICHAEL J. FOX, Always Looking Up

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressing neurological disease of the central nervous system, with disorders in gait, posture and movement coordination. Men are more often affected than women and the onset averages around the age of 60 but according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, there has been diagnosis as young as the age of 18.

The energy that surrounds a person learning/teaching from PD is interesting, as it can be very similar to what I see with Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, and in some cases, even Fibromyalgia. It is similar in the sense that it is systemic, which means that I don’t see certain areas of the body a certain color or with a certain color depletion. Rather those with PD have a static field of warm colors: yellows, oranges, and some reds in their energy field, particularly above the waist. It is rather static like the fuzz from a television station, but it has more of an “edge” to it than the other dis-eases I mentioned.

It is often difficult to get a clear read because those that are advanced enough to really see the systemic colors are often on medications which can tone down, dull or even mast the energy field. If you think about it, our emotions are energy and this energy is reflected in color, so if those thoughts are dulled, and the emotions are dulled, then so is our energy, our colors.

In PD the neurons do not fire properly, so the signals are not transmitted properly to allow for proper coordination of movement. When signals fire, it creates the energy to force movement. When there is a conflict between what you want to do and your body actually doing it the colors that are reflected are not red like you would think would be associated with conflict…it is a mental conflict reflected in the energy and the body. Therefore there is more of a yellow cast to the energy field from the shoulders up, with flecks of orange and even balls of orange depending on the emotional levels within that person at the time.

The conflict that is taking place within the body and the energetic system concerns the need to move forward and to embrace new experiences which conflicts with the other side of the personality that does not like to be in untested waters. The fear of not showing that you are in control can create such tension and upheaval in the body that the battle is ongoing with just about any part!

Hands and legs represent much of the letting go and moving forward conflicts that those with Parkinson’s are learning from. Symptoms include slow movement, muscular rigidity, resting tremor and postural instability. Handwriting become indecipherable, facial expression may become set, the head inclined forward, words become muffled and the voice hollow, dull and increasingly feeble. It is common for those learning from Parkinson’s to fall backward. Yet it is all about conflict, but emotional conflict and fear of being judged, fear of not being in control. The fear is so great it sets of the electrical impulses to such a point that one gets overloaded. I think of my favorite Muppet Character: Beaker, he is always in the lab and ultimately he squeals and then is blown up in the air or left completely singed by an explosion. But before that is the stress and conflict that is involved with making the right choice, giving the correct answer, being in control.

Orange is a combination of yellow and red, and it is interesting to note that although I would associate PD with the color orange, an overabundance of the color orange, it is really more accurate for me to say that PD is a combination of the color yellow with particles of red sprinkled in. I know you will say, “duh, Catherine, that is orange” and you are right, but I would say it is not a pure orange, it has to be “optically mixed” in order for it to be orange.

“Optically mixed” is a term that has its origins with pointillism and the impressionist movement. I often think that these wonderful artists, VanGogh included painted energy and it was represented in color…it is actually how I see the world and the entities that reside here. So to say optically mixed is just my way to describe how the energy is more “particle-ized” than the clouds of color I usually see.

Being out of balance does not come with a specific color, so that aspect of Parkinson’s cannot really be identified. Sometimes it can be manifested in waves or movements of red, when there is fear involved, but often there is orange with it. Being out of balance can be a very emotional experience, and often being out of balance is due to using your emotions to react rather than using your intellect to act.

I did mention an overabundance of orange being one of the contributor’s to Parkinson’s. Yellow can also be added, because there is a tendency to overthink and become self critical when feeding the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Since it is all about moving forward, but also about quelling some of those emotional conflicts, a nice combination of blue with green (more blue than green)) would help not only to calm but to establish an open communication between the nerves and calm the impulses. Green helps establish those relationships while blue heals and calms.

There is no surprise that exercise is said to help with Parkinson’s. I believe exercise coupled with close attention to water intake is imperative. Exercise not only builds coordination and strengthens muscles and balance, it is grounding and helps calm in many many ways. Tai Chi is all about moving forward, dealing with conflict, balance, energy and health. And an activity I would like to study in regards to PD. Drink water, as it helps conduct electricity within the body, no body ever gives water enough credit! Drink it out of a glass or a container that is your perfect combination of blue with green.

An affirmation to tape on your container to say every time you drink would be, “I joyfully move forward. All is well, I am well”. Stay tuned as I will soon have drinking thermoses and cups available with corresponding affirmations. It is the new line of Queen of Color products…coming soon to my online store!

Have a wonderful week. Catherine

Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.

~ Henry Ford

As promised, here is a little information about the color of cars and what the color of your car communicates. It is interesting to note that there is a little bit of research out there, but not much. I have found that your best resource in regards to accidents and the color of a car is the person that does car body repair, not police records, nor insurance companies. There are practical applications to the theories involving car colors and accidents, as well as speeding tickets, and road rage…so this week’s entry will cover all of those aspects and hopefully give you some information to work with.

The most interesting correlation between accidents and car colors are with the fender benders rather than the high speed, interstate type of accidents. It seems when talking with a friend that does body work that the gray cars, and earthy tones, even the silver cars tend to get bumped more. Actually these color cars tend to be involved in the accidents where people hit THEM rather than they hit other cars.

The reason is literal not metaphysical. They have low visibility, and therefore other cars have a tendency to pull out in front of them, or they get backed into. They blend in to the road because there is little contrast between the car and the road.

Metaphysically you could look at the grounding qualities of the gray but also just as in any environment, the gray can absorb the qualities of the predominant color that is surrounding it. Again it can blend in and create some issues regarding accidents.

I have my mother’s ’98 Toyota Camry, it is a gray/beige and it has been in two accidents, when my mother owned it she was hit on the right side by a woman that didn’t see her! So when my repair guy said gray cars, it made sense.

But again, I have to ask the question that you may be thinking, there are a lot of gray and silver cars out there, so statistics may dictate that because there are more gray cars, then there is a likelihood that gray would be the car of choice for accidents? I would agree with that except for the fact that it seems most of those accidents are similar to the one my mother had, they didn’t see her. And my former mother-in-law also had a similar accident with her gray Buick, so there are two close to home examples.
Red cars are said to get more speeding tickets, now whether that is an unproven urban legend, I am not sure. There is really not any police data on that, although I would think it would be easy to document if someone entered the color and compared it with the infraction.

I am also sure that there is some car repair guy out there that would state that red cars get in more accidents than gray cars! Red cars demand attention, and on that end they are noticed more than the gray cars. Just from a practical standpoint they would stand out, particularly in a rural area where there is a lot more green to compliment the red. So with that being said, they may get noticed more than the other colors, and because of that they may be awarded more tickets!

There is also a personality type that would be interested in the energy of a red car. There are reasons that sports cars have so many rich red hues, and the biggest reason is the energy and the command that a red car has on the road. Also, red is a color that says “see me” and often when you drive a cool car, you do want people to see you. You want to aggressively take up space and that is what the color red does. It communicates for people to get out of the way, you are coming through (speeding tickets and all!).

My dad was a judge when I was growing up in Indiana. He never allowed any of us to have a red car because of the ticket and the accident factor. He used his experience for that supposition and I have always taken heed. Yet, in regard to road rage, something my dad never had to deal with in the sixties court system, it is not the color of the car that generates that anger, it is the red on and off of the tail lights that aggravate the drivers.

So, yes the color red can affect your mental attitude, particularly if you are already agitated because of circumstances in your life. The red that we see in regards to the brake lights has significant subliminal influence, as it represents being late, being stuck, being told to “stay put” but also the on and off flashing can trigger anger. Red is all about raw human emotion and when you are either tired or in a hurry and this is flashed before you, taunting you and communicating that you can’t get where you want when you want it can trigger some solid emotions.

Use the red rather to redirect your thinking. Red also represents choice, so rather than be upset (which usually seeps in subconsciously) make it a conscious choice to look at the color red from a different viewpoint. Take the time you are stuck in traffic and be thankful about your choices, your ability to drive and to safely get to where you are going. If there is an accident, take a moment to send prayers and healing rather than cursing the fact you are going to be late. Red is about choosing, choose understanding and compassion rather than irritation and disgust.

Ok, onto other colors, white is another popular color. Many individuals that choose white as a car color do so for security and a feeling of safety. White is said to be visible, and often it is individuals that are established in their careers and use their cars for work will have white cars. When I was writing this I laugh because it seems that every Cadillac or Buick Escapade I have seen over the past week is white! There is a certain aristocracy about having a white sedan, we go back to the “white limo” for celebrations and weddings I think. There is a sense of purity and protection that emanates from a white car.

Practical reasons for white would be the ability for it to deflect heat, whereas the darker colors with absorb heat. There are a lot of white vehicles in the southern states for this reason, and I think that may be why the white car is associated with elderly people. I know it sounds silly, but think about how many of the elderly retire to the south? It doesn’t take much to create a stereotype!

Blue cars are all about solid, honest communication. Blue runs the gamut too, there are the gunmetal blues, the royal blues, the metallic blues, but through it all, I would have to say that blue is a pretty popular color particularly with guys and with trucks. There are more trucks that are blue than any other color, or at least shades of blue. This adds to the dependability of a truck, or a vehicle and often the person that drives the vehicle.

Black is another color to look at, yet it seems that many will shy away from black because it has a tendency to show every scratch and ding. Many rental companies do not have black cars because they do show road-wear more than most. Again, there are some contradictions in research that white shows more dings and dents, but I would have to go with black showing more dirt, dust, and dings. Black is intimidating, it isn’t aggressive like a red vehicle, black is all about being in charge and taking up space.

Black absorbs energy and heat, where white deflects energy and heat. So black in a way is an “energy sucker” and that is why the color can be intimidating to us. It is also a solid color in a sense that it is heavy and weighs more than blues browns, or grays. It won’t budge and contracts so it will take root and make a mark on the road.

Yellow is saved more for emergency vehicles and school buses as it is the color associated with safety. Yellow is the color that can been seen from the longest distances, and therefore it is used in construction and factories to indicate a need for caution. It was because of studies in the late forties and early fifties by the late Faber Birren that yellow was introduced as a color of caution. When introduced it reduced accidents in these areas by almost half!

From a metaphysical standpoint it is interesting to note that yellow activates your solar plexus area which is all about self and intellect, ego and will. So when this center is activated it prompts you to keep your mind on your work.

What is your favorite car color? What does that say about your personality? Many of us don’t necessarily choose the colors of our cars, particularly if they are used, but I can say that you are in the color car you need. The Law of Attraction is always working!
Blessings, Catherine