violet thoughts

Inspired by Easter, I decided to talk to you about violet , usually called purple, a color that is also in vogue this spring. Violet is a very ambivalent color, as it comes from the combination of colors with opposite characteristics (red: energy; blue: tranquility) which symbolizes, on the one hand, spirituality, mysticism and, on the other, wealth, power, luxury , vanity, ambition and sensuality.

It is, then, the least natural color , in the sense that little exists in nature. It is the one that is least accepted and chosen for personal or decorative use, both for men and women. In fact, the color is violet, the independent color. If we add white, we have lilac. The name purple is given to all shades between red and blue, although popularly, the strongest or darkest shades of violet are assumed as their own color, which we call purple.

Purple, produced by man, through elements of nature, first appeared in Phoenicia, city of Tíria, called “Tyria purple” being extremely expensive, because in addition to being the only city in the world where it existed, natural products they were extracted from molluscs, purple snails, (thorny snails, so designated by zoologists) from their glands that contained a purple pigment, requiring a high number of molluscs, for the equivalent of one gram of that same pigment. These glands placed in deposits, exhaled a fetid smell, which from so many hours of work, led the men who embraced this activity, to keep that constant smell in their hands, which gave the right to, due to the impossibility of bearing it, the respective women could request the dissolution of the marriage, which was accepted. These facts date back to 1500 BC, and even today there are layers, meters high, of shells of these molluscs in this area of ​​ancient Phoenicia, today Libya, along the Mediterranean coast. In antiquity, due to its price, the purple pigment was only acquired by the rich classes: nobility and clergy, thus becoming associated with materialism and power.

Of the purple natural stones, the best known is the amethyst, a gemstone that can range from intense violet to a light lilac. Amethyst was used against headaches and even hangovers. Its name, of Greek origin. Amethysos, means "not drunk". However, this feature was attributed to it because the cups of the nobility were made of polished amethyst, which did not let you see what they were drinking. Putting water, they got the purple hue of the amethyst itself, looking like wine. That way, and to stay sober, they discreetly drank more water than wine.

Interestingly, in Thailand, it was assumed to be the color of mourning . Also in Portugal, purple was allowed in festive moments or in formal or ceremonial situations, as a way to bring a little color to the absolute black, characteristic in the heavy mourning of close people, even in widowhood, in which many women assumed the black attire. for life. It could be used in a second piece, on a blouse, for example, or even as an accessory: scarf or jewelry inlaid with amethyst, when a natural/precious stone.

I remember as a child, at night, the aroma of lavender that came to us, through the washed sheets, which were kept in closets, where home-sewn bags, made from fabric scraps, filled with sprigs of this plant that perfumed and drove away the moths .

Violet was never my color of choice, I've always looked for the blue ones par excellence, the whites, the reds and the yellows. The colors that kept me in my comfort zone. With which I felt comfortable, at home!

Yes, because we all have a comfort zone, which snuggles us, which prevents anxiety from invading us without warning, keeping us in a serene, peaceful state. Color is also one of the elements that transmits this state to us, in addition to many other factors. When we get up in the morning and choose the clothes we are going to wear that day, we do it not only in a functional way, but also in an emotional way: today, I feel like wearing these pieces, this color! How many times do we leave the clothes prepared the day before and change everything in the morning because it is no longer with the clothes planned, that I feel the way I want: comfortable or formal or daring, according to my emotions when I wake up. As if at that moment, we didn't identify with those colors, with that style. The more confident and in a good mood we are, the more we take risks, being able to even dare a more challenging style, an accessory that we don't usually wear, a less assumed color. But when something bothers us, be it anxiety, anguish, nostalgia, we turn to what gives us greater security: what keeps us in our comfort zone.

Also, the comfort zone can stop us from experiencing other emotions, even other opportunities in life, keeping us in a passive, inert state, in which we live our daily lives, without any change or challenge, with difficulty in coping with to setbacks and adapt to unfamiliar situations, running the risk of crystallizing in that register of behaviors and emotions. It can get to the extreme of not being able to live without panic and anxiety, outside that comfort zone and then, we already experience an imbalance that we have to overcome with specialized help.

We all resort to strategies to achieve our balance and maintain it in the face of situations that are perceived as hostile, which oblige us to move significantly away from our comfort zone. Sometimes these are procedures that we assume on a daily basis and that respect simple behaviours. One of them is exactly as we are already guessing, the choice of color that will comfort us that day: Confident, we want to stand out, challenge the world! Insecure: we want to be discreet and assume what refers us, albeit symbolically, to our so-called comfort zone.

The same color, in decoration, can be used in a living room, in a reading corner, in a bedroom, promoting introspection, spirituality, sophistication, even refinement or luxury.

Violet - attributed to a lighter purple - is the color that is less perceptible to human eyes, having the lowest wavelengths and above these, the color is no longer visible, speaking then of the famous UV, of the ultraviolet rays that so much we are recommended to defend our skin. It promotes concentration, spirituality, balance and calm. It's a good color when you need to speak in public, as it encourages the audience to focus on and respect the speaker.

Finally, we can still associate purple with luxury and ambition, present in advertising messages and cosmetic wrappers or even, naming a Diet, advertised by Mariah Carey: the “Purple Diet”, based on purple foods ((aubergines ; red onion; purple sweet potato; açaí; blueberries; plums; blackberries; grapes; lilac cauliflower), which have a high level of antioxidants, with the respective benefits.

Color is one of the elements of nature that we bring into our lives and it is so important that its existence, its representation for each of us and the way we use it, can reinforce our balance, granting it us joy, confidence, stability; keep us in a melancholic, inactive or even rage or rage state. And we ourselves, too, seek it, according to our state of soul, creating a symbiosis between Nature and Man, through the colors that nature itself provides us and our own identity.

Dress according to your mood or the mood you are looking for! And we, will speak again!

By Matilde Proença