What Seeing The Color Blue Means Spiritually & Psychologically
Blue is calming and serene.
evaleenage, LunaKate, & piyaphong / Shutterstock Blue is the color of the ocean and the sky, and considering blue's color symbolism, it makes sense why this color is associated with calmness. In fact, one survey found that blue is a favorite color worldwide.
Whether it's in corporate logos, emojis, or sayings like "feeling blue," this color is a major part of our lives. And while we can appreciate its beauty, there are deeper meanings associated with this color and its shades.
What does the color blue symbolize?
Blue represents trust, loyalty, healing, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, health, tranquility, softness, the power of intellect, and adaptability. It also symbolizes open spaces, freedom, intuition, and the depths of consciousness.
In color psychology, the color blue has a special clarity to it: sadness, truth, honesty. By psychologically, it evokes feelings of serenity, calm, and relaxation. Perhaps that's why when you see the color blue, your mind psychologically associates it with vastness, freedom, and tranquility.
The color blue also represents both the sky and the ocean, which relate to infinite possibilities and feelings essential to human existence.
The pigment for the color blue comes from a rare mineral called lapis lazuli; blue, in addition to being a very universal color, is the color of many crystals and minerals essential to spiritual healing.
The Healing Power of Blue
Due to its associated meanings, blue can be used to induce calm and relaxation. This color also relates to the throat chakra, which represents the need to speak your truth.
When you are feeling particularly stressed, use a blue crystal or stone, taking 20 minutes to stare at it and reflect. Blue as a stone is a balancing color; it calms passions like obsession, rage, and adoration.
Blue light can help lower blood pressure as well. Its serene shade helps momentarily ward off the darker feelings that cloud your day. It awakens self-awareness and is the antidote to repression.
Blue Spiritual Meaning & Symbolism
1. Calmness
Blue symbolizes calmness and tranquility. Think about the way you feel when you look up at the bright blue sky, or down into the waves of the ocean. It gives you a serenity you can't find anywhere else. Blue actually has a calming effect on our brains that invokes relaxation within us.
2. Purity
Blue is the color of the sky, which is open, crisp and clean. Blue is also the color of water, which represents the ability to wash away "sins," uncleanliness, or the past, in general.
3. Divinity
In some cultures, blue is quite a powerful color, symbolizing divinity and the divine. Blue can also represent eternity since this color holds its hue for a long time.
4. Trust
As a color of trust, blue is calming and conveys stability. Perhaps that is why many businesses, corporations, and even country's flags contain the color blue.
5. Adaptability
Blue is often associated with water. And just like water and the way in which waves move, blue represents fluidity and adaptability.
Meaning of the Color Blue in the Bible
In the Bible, blue represents Heaven, moral law, and the truth; it's a color that reminds people of the sky, hence a direct connection to the heavenly realm.
In the holy book, sightings of God are often followed by pavements made of sapphires.
For example, Exodus 24:10 says, "and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky." Additionally, Proverbs 20:30 says, "The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly."
Meaning of Blue in Other Cultures
Blue Symbolism in Far East Asian Culture
In China, the color blue represents wood, the East, and spring. Wood symbolizes immortality and advancement.
Colors are associated with the elements, seasons, and direction in some Asian cultures, but the color blue is thought to bring positivity in Chinese culture. However, in Korea, blue is the color of mourning and grief, believed to represent hope, not sadness.
Blue Symbolism In Ancient Egypt
In Ancient Egypt, blue represented the heavens above, the domain of the gods, as well as water. Due to its connection to the Nile and the sky, it represented the world, life, creation, abundance, and fertility.
Blue was also used to ward off evil, which is why many of the pharaohs wore this color. Because of this belief, Egyptians preferred using stones like lapis lazuli and azurite, placing them in jewelry and using them in homes. Eventually, they created the first synthetic pigment known as Egyptian blue.
Blue Symbolism In Grecian Culture
Just like in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greeks used the color blue to ward off evil. This is so ingrained into their culture that, even in modern day times, people of Grecian descent wear a blue charm in their jewelry for protection.
Because of their connection to balance and harmony, blue crystals and stones were essential for cleansing and healing rituals because of how they evoke a sweet, gentle serenity.
For example, blue minerals help their wearers stay focused; the crystals promote balance, inner harmony, and honesty.
Blue Symbolism In Latin American Culture
In Latin American culture, blue represents the sky, freedom, infinity, and mourning. Because most of Latin America is deeply Catholic, they believe blue to be a sign of hope.
Blue Symbolism in African Culture
In many African cultures, blue symbolizes love, harmony, peace, and togetherness. As such, blue fabric was used throughout the Southern part of Africa; in modern day Western Africa, blue is used in fabrics because it represents the Senegal River.
Shades Of Blue Spiritual Meanings
There are many different shades of blue that carry their own specific, special meanings. However, lighter shades of blue tend to represent peace, calm, serenity, introspection, inspiration, and stillness; darker blues represent passion, honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, order, and intelligence.
Light Blue
Happy and bright, light blue is the more cheerful, carefree hue of the color family. Light blue is the color scheme of summer; it represents health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark Blue
Many associate dark blue with sadness, but it actually represents power, knowledge, control, and intensity. It's also often associated with masculinity.
Bright Blue
This shade of blue represents purity, cleanliness, strength, and reliability, as well as trust and help. In ancient times, bright blue was often worn by royalty, and because of its link to orderliness, it's often seen in hospitals or churches.
Sky Blue
Just like the feelings evoked by looking at the sky, it's no wonder the sky blue shade relates to serenity, relaxation, and calm. But it also symbolizes loyalty and confidence in one's self. In fact, wearing a color like sky blue can actually make others trust you more.
Navy Blue
Navy blue is most often associated with police officer uniforms, but it actually represents commitment, sacred order, infinity, and loyalty. Ancient Romans were known to wear this color out of respect for their deities.
Jessica Xing is a writer, former YourTango intern, and Enterprise Tech Reporter for INSIDER. She has had bylines featured in Business Insider, Vox, Washington Square News, Yahoo Finance, and others.