Deep Purple Ritchie Blackmore chose the name for the band, apparently because it was his grandmother's favourite song. He is said to have a ‘fascination for the paranormal’ (not black magic, rather communication with the spirits). Purple is a mysterious colour, suggestive of shadows. It has associations with the occult and spiritual matters. Maybe the colour purple had a deeper significance for him. He has even continued the connection with the release last year of the album Under a Violet Moon.
Purple is a colour of power, combining and balancing the two extremes of the electro-magnetic spectrum, the vibrant energy of red and the calm of blue, hot and cold. The closest we get to purple in the electro-magnetic spectrum (the colours visible in the rainbow) is violet. It is the colour with the shortest wavelengths and highest vibration. There is, you may argue, a difference between these two colours but it is not great enough to cause a problem. Purple or violet are interchangeable in what follows.
What does the word conjure up for you?
Heather-clad mountains; the rich hue of the purple emperor butterfly; a US army medal for wounds received in battle; a stimulant pill.
Nature gives us purple in all its shades and tints; lavender, gentian violet, lilac, heliotrope, plum, damson, mulberry, grape and aubergine.
Tyrian Purple, the purple dye sacred to the Greeks and Romans was a mark of wealth and power. The Greeks squeezed it, drop by costly drop from the molluscs Murex Trunculus and Purpura Haemastoma found along the eastern Mediterranean shores near Tyre. They used it to dye the cloth for robes worn by emperors, kings, magistrates and military commanders. In medieval times manganese oxide was used to stain glass violet. This was expensive to produce so the colour continued its association with wealth and power.
Purple has continued to be used to adorn the altars and lecterns to match the vestments of priests in the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Roman Catholic and Church of England.
Homer referred to the "purple sea" (porphurea thalassa), and "purple blood" gushing forth, and even a "purple rainbow" in the Iliad. Scottish writers often favoured this colour to describe the blood that flowed into the streams in battles. Purple patches or passages are flowery pieces of writing.
A Byzantine emperor born while his father was reigning was given the name ‘Porphyrogenitus’ meaning ‘born in the purple’ a reference to the purple room used by the empress for her confinement.
Amethyst is the precious stone associated with this colour.
How does purple affect you?
Violet and purple affect the psyche. They help to restore balance to the mind and remove obsessions and irrational fears. These colours have used successfully in psychiatric care to calm and pacify patients. The colours are associated with artistic and musical ability, sensitivity, beauty and higher ideal. they can help inspire and stimulate the creative impulse, to heighten sensitivity and spirituality. These colours allow us to make changes in our lives and help us to connect to the spiritual side so that we can change and grow. As red is aligned to masculine energy and blue to feminine, purple can balance these two energies within us.
Purple is deep, soft and atmospheric but can be dark and forbidding like shadows. Avoid purple if you are lonely or in despair.
Is purple your favourite colour?
You are extremely sensitive and may be a musician, artist or writer. Certainly you are creative. You are easily hurt and you need to ensure you have supportive people around you. You may be seeking spiritual development and could even be a psychic or a healer. Because of your sensitivity you may have a tendency to nervous or mental disorders. Bring a little balance into your life with the colour yellow.
An attraction to the colour purple can indicate a need to let go of the past and look forward to the future
Are you obsessed with purple?
Is it the only colour in your life? Beware you may be living in a fantasy world. I know for I am one obsessed, obsessed with Deep Purple. But purple protects and I feel quite safe with my fantasy.
Do you dislike purple?
The colour may have a bad association for you. It may remind you of a person or a place that holds bad memories. Perhaps you feel trapped by someone else’s authority. Maybe you are suffering from a creativity block. Do you avoid close relationships? Do you feel full of self doubt and are you always apologising for yourself? Maybe you are trapped by someone else’s unreasonable demands. Strangely, instead of avoiding the colour, what you really need to do is introduce some of the colour into your life. Try to relax more, take up yoga or meditation and listen to soothing music. Add some purple to your life.
How? (apart from listening to some Deep Purple of course, always recommended!)
Clothing
Wear purple or violet if you want to find peace and unconditional love, or authority without being over-bearing. These colours will help you to be more aware of your own spirituality and help you attune to your creative energy.
Don’t wear these colours if you are feeling over-sensitive, if you find silence difficult to handle or if you feel your personal space being invaded and rules and regulations are oppressing you.
Shades and tints of purple and violet such as mauve, lilac and lavender will help to calm you and make you more approachable. People will respect your insights. You don’t have to dress from head to toe in the colour, just add a scarf, socks, underwear or a blouse.
Do you wear a lot of purple anyway? You are very intuitive and have high ideals. You want the best of everything including your associates. Be careful that you do not dismiss what other people have to say or offer. Listen to everyone. You have a tendency to be arrogant.
Essential oils
Purple oils are lavender, frankincense, juniper and clove. They rejuvenate, purify and protect.
Flowers
Pansies, violets, lavender, orchid, gladioli, freesia, sweet pea, Michaelmas daisy, foxglove, crocus, anemone and clematis.
Food
Purple occurs quite naturally in certain foods. They are full of vitamin C, bioflavonoids and ellagic acids. They are immune-boosting cancer preventors and also help to pacify and relax you. Great for insomnia. Try beetroot, plums, prunes, damsons, aubergines, purple-sprouting broccoli, globe artichokes, red cabbage, raddichio, blueberries, plums, purple onions, grapes, herbs such as purple sage, thyme, feverfew and lavender.
Decorate your home
Purple/violet being composed of red and blue are sheltering and protecting colours as well as stimulating the mind. Purple is luxurious: think of sinking into purple velvet cushions. It can be overpowering so need to be used with care. It may be best to stick to suggestions of the colours by way of soft furnishings such as cushions or rugs. Purple goes well with yellow, its complementary colour, or with some shades of green. Go and see a Deep Purple concert and watch the lighting. Particularly at the Royal Albert Hall they made very effective use of purple and green together.
Purple/violet are balancing colours and can provide you with a place to be quiet and compose yourself. Closely linked with creativity, painters and composers often like to surround themselves with these colours when working.
They are cool colours and so suitable for bedrooms. You could paint your front door purple. It is ideal as it suggests protection and it provides a dramatic backdrop to green foliage. It will add a touch of class to your house and get people talking.
