SCIENTISTS SAY IT NOW: RED IS DEFINITELY A WINNING COLOUR
The Chinese have known it since forever, so it has always been the principal colour at the start of each New Year, during weddings, at celebration occasions and to contain money when giving it as gifts to one’s nearest and dearest. Ang Pows or red packets are, as the name suggest, always red in colour. So when anyone wants extra luck in their lives, this is the colour they call on. It signifies the Fire element whose energy rises upwards, brings fame, attracts a good name and welcomes honour into your life… so it is the all-time lucky colour!
Now it seems western scientists in compiling statistics the western way are also saying it – that RED is the colour of victory! They point to the fact that RED is the colour worn by the football teams that have dominated the game. Those who wear red tops, jackets or clothing score 10 per cent more in any competition than those wearing any other colour. But the scientists explain that this is because RED makes individuals and teams feel more confident; and that helps them intimidate the opposing side. Others look on them as being more aggressive, and more likely to win. More than a winning colour, red is also an intimidating colour.
Are the red shirts behind the success of football teams? Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal wear it. Is it the colour red that is bringing them their run of success?
United and Liverpool have won a record 18 league titles, while Arsenal have had an uninterrupted run in the top flight for longer than any other team. England’s victorious World Cup team in 1966 led by Bobby Moore wore red – but have since switched to white.
Red’s pre-eminence emerged from a study by German sports psychologists at the University of Munster and was recently reported in New Scientist magazine.
FOR HARMONY IN THE HOME: POWER OF RED APPLES
Did you know that ripe red apples have the power to dissolve disharmony in the home, bring peace and completely disintegrate all hostility between spouses, between siblings and between employers and their maids?
One of the best displays to create on your dining table or on your coffee table in the living area is a bowl of red apples. It is much better when they are fresh but if apples are not your favourite fruits, you can shop around for realistic looking fake apples.
The Chinese word for apples is ping kor which sounds like the word peace. This fruit thus symbolizes peace. The colour red meanwhile signifies Fire element energy, which exhausts the Wood element that personifies quarrelsome vibes. All hostile behavior, quarrelsome acts or negativities are associated with the Wood element, which can thus be kept under control with Fire energy. Hence the colour red has the power to subdue aggressive hostility. Red apples are a very potent combination. Remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?”
LUCKY INSECTS IN YOUR GARDEN: LADYBUGS & DRAGONFLIES
Ladybugs with their distinctive red bodies with black dots are said to bring exceptional good luck when they inadvertently land on you, and should you kill them, then the good luck transforms into severe bad luck. The next time you encounter a lady bug, gently let it transfer to a leaf and as a reward, the bug will bring you windfall luck.
It is the same with dragonflies, which humans usually see as richly hued varieties that seem to hover just above the water, usually near swimming pools. Its presence in your home brings a good “harvest” and what this means is good profits for those of you in business.
In the old days, the Chinese believed that dragonflies straddled two realms, the human and the celestial realm, darting easily between the two and hence bringing the potent magic of the celestials into gardens inhabited by them. They are as comfortable with water as they are with air. When they stay close to water, they are in our realm, and when they fly upwards into the sky, they cross over to the celestial realm.
Dragon flies are fantastic flyers, darting here and there so fast they are like lightning. They twist and turn and change direction, even going backwards when the need arises. Their deep colours are a result of reflecting and refracting the power of light so they are often associated with colour magic, like illusions, causing you only to see what you think you see, so there is an element of mysticism associated with them.
When a dragonfly lands on your arm, it brings some truly excellent news and even when they do not land on you but only seem to fly near to you as if trying to get your attention, it means something very nice is going to come your way.
GOOD FORTUNE IN A RARE VARIETY OF LEAF: THE FOUR LEAF CLOVER
If you accidentally find a four leaf clover, it brings you four types of good fortune. The first leaf brings fame, the second brings wealth, the third brings love and the fourth brings health.
The belief in the magic of four leaf clovers stem from their rarity and it has been estimated there is one four leaf clover for every ten thousand. In modern times however, horticulturists have created varieties of shamrock trees that bear lots more four leaf clovers… and in so doing have even produced plants that create as many as 21 leaf clovers!
Despite this however, many people in Europe and North America still subscribe to the belief that accidentally finding a four leaf clover brings the finder special magical powers for a day – that is when whatever they wish for will manifest in splendid way for them that very day! They also believe that if you have a plant that produced it, you must never part with the plant, as doing so symbolizes you giving away all your good luck!
