©2004 by Donna Cunningham, Vibration Editor
Have you tweaked to the scheme behind the theme of this issue of Vibration?
Or have you just concluded that we've finally lost it? All these bright colors -- did
they perhaps seem just a tad over the top? Well, in the midst of a really,
really, but really gray February day, I was "fishing" the internet for a new artist for
a project, and was delighted to discover
Lesa Motz, our featured artist for
this issue. Her colors were so brilliant, I got lost in them for most of that
day, finding a delightful boost out of my annual case of SAFB (Seasonal Affective February Blahs).
I kept sending Deborah Bier, my co-editor, emails to show her still another page
of Lesa's marvels. We decided it might be fun to showcase a single artist for one whole issue.
And, after all, such vibrant, primary colors seemed perfect for an issue devoted to children
and the Inner Child.
After another day or two of visiting Lesa's site and building web pages based
on her color palate, we realized what was up -- a trip through the color wheel.
"Coincidentally," Deborah and I were struggling to verbalize what, exactly, it is
that we have been developing over the past couple of years with individual pages of
Vibration and other projects. We knew it was a form of healing, a new one for a new millenium.
We decided that this issue would also be a place to introduce the healing potential of the
world-wide web.
COLOR HEALING
Color was definitely one part of it. I'd studied light work maybe 25 years ago -- not using colored electric lights, but
visualizing and mentally directing color to certain areas within the energy body and chakras. Using auric color
of various shades remained a much-used tool for my client work and my own daily life.
Then, some time ago, I became entranced with the power of color on the computer monitor -- the
brilliance of color lit through on the screen seemed far more potent than any color
on paper or in textiles. I built hundreds of mandalas for the web based on that perception,
and you've seen those mandalas in many of Vibration's past issues.
The colors
selected for Vibration's graphic treatments are not random, but are consciously chosen to
evoke the healing power of colors that go along with the article's themes.
Based on principles taught in the light work school, for instance, I tend to use
gold
for strength and to lift people's spirits. Blue helps replace
fear
with clarity.
As we'll learn in our panel on color meanings, no single theory can
explain a color's effects. We all respond differently to different colors at different
times, and we all have our own special colors that help and uplift us. In reading the
series of articles in this issue of Vibration, however, you have experienced the entire
color spectrum and gotten a free color balancing and healing to boot. Were some of them like a balm,
while others were less comfortable? No doubt both types are relevant to your current
challenges.
ATTUNEMENT TO ESSENCE PLANTS
Even in the first issues of Vibration, some six years ago, we were unwittingly
tapping into a form of healing each time we used pictures of the flowers whose
essences were being discussed. We reveled in the freedom to illustrate the articles with
lovely graphics, because in a hard copy magazine, those images would cost the earth
to print. Only gradually did it become clear that the pictures were helping us and
our readers to open up to those flowers and their healing effects more fully. The
images were a strong tool for attunement to the flower spirits (called devas).
Any reader who looks attentively at
the photo of a plant can also derive some of the benefits to such attunements.
For an even better effect, consider
putting a photo of the flower of the essence you are taking up on the desktop of your computer, or using a screen saver with flower photos. To find a good photo, go to
Google's Image Search engine,
type in the name of the flower, and you'll be presented with thousands
of thumbnail images. Windows users can find a large image in high resolution (100k or more)
click on it, and when it loads on your screen, do a right click on the mouse and
hit the "set as background" option on the menu. (To see pictures of most of the Bach Remedy flowers,
click here.)
Besides the obvious pleasure we derive from looking at a gorgeous
flower or a spectacular sunset, gazing upon natural beauty is being
proved to have healing effects. Research has shown that viewing
scenes of nature -- be they out of a window or projected on a screen --
reduces physical indicators of stress and shortens hospital stays.
"METAPHORICAL HEALING"
Continuing over time to explore the web's healing potential, we also began using
images differently to illustrate Vibration. The ones chosen for an article needed to vividly evoke
the issues and emotions a group of essences were designed to heal.
(For examples, in addition to the articles in this issue, see
Long-term
Use of Rescue Remedy, and
Bleeding Heart.)
Finally, we grasped that the images themselves could exert a healing influence by showing
the possibilities for change
that could occur in the course of healing work. Our term for this subtle and indirect
use of images is Metaphorical Healing. Watch for it as you read articles in this
and other issues. In the article,
Bridge
Essences -- Making Transitions Less Traumatic, the repeated images of bridges
have a calming effect.
The bridge is a symbol, yet a powerful one, reminding the reader on a deep level that
we DO eventually get through times of change. In
Trial
by Fire, the images evoke the devastating fire a reader went through and
yet the joy of rebirth afterward. In that same issue, which had a theme of "Our Changing Times,"
another page made use of cartoon dinosaurs as a metaphor for what happens when you
refuse
to change.
HEALING THROUGH HUMOR
Humor itself is another tool we dearly love to use. We rely heavily on humor and
humorous images, for when readers can identify with the topic of an article and
find something to chuckle about, laughter uplifts their spirits and helps put their
difficulties in perspective. We're not just talking about pieces with high
comic relief like those by
Pansy Rosebud
Pepperplant and our newest columnist, Dear
Tabby. (For Pansy's fans who wonder why we haven't heard from her lately, please know she's now in the Witness Protection Program but misses all three of you.)
We are gifted with any number of funny yet wise writers, like
Joyce Mason, Ivory Phoenix, and Deborah Bier. When presented with an article
that is humorous in tone, we simply have to cut loose and illustrate it accordingly,
as in Ivory Phoenix's
Violet
Curls -- the Emotional Hangover Remedy and Deborah Bier's
Essences for Difficult Relationships.
MORE HEALING TO COME --
AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE QUEST!
Mastering the healing properties of the web and the home computer is the journey
of many years,
and this article is my way of spurring other web designers, artists, and healers to use these
potentialities more consciously. Those who are capable of using Flash will no doubt take
the quest even further than I am able. Two exquisite collections of mandalas using
Flash can be seen, at the Mandala Gallery, and
another at Hologram Communications.
Healing like this, I firmly believe, is the wave of the future.
Meantime, if I might be permitted to trumpet one of my own enterprises,
I have recently published
my first e-book, and it relies heavily on the healing capabilities
of the web and the computer monitor that we've been discussing here,
especially the metaphorical uses of images that convey more than words can do.
Part of a trilogy of astrological e-books called The Outer Planets and Inner Life,
this is Part One, The Career Path of the Exceptional Soul.
If you haven't studied astrology, it could be too technical, but stay tuned!
My first e-book on flower essences will be out in the next several months
as well. If you'd like to download a sample of the astrology book or
get on my mailing list to be notified when the essence book comes out,
click on the banner ad above and visit
Moon Maven Publications.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna Cunningham, MSW is co-editor for Vibration Magazine and is also
a well-known astrologer and author with over 35 years experience. For more information about her services, including her design services,
visit her web page.
Art credits: Background tile from our featured artist, Lesa Motz. Photos from
Photos.com.
Java script at the opening of the page is from Dynamic Drive.
The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
