Indigo = intensity, intellect, intuition & inspiration…

Indigo - a stunning, concentrated and powerful colour that can heal, stimulate dreams, aid psychic awakening, raise concentration - may help memory, eyesight, reduce bleeding, release tension, and release headaches. It is also used to help the sinuses and it certainly helps meditation.

Indigo conjures up the night sky, mysticism, magic and moonlight.

If you are out of balance with indigo, life may be spent too much in the mind, consorting with ‘what ifs?’ sleeplessness, mind chatter, distraction, headaches, eye trouble, sinus problems, and even some ear problems. Perhaps your veins could also be affected. 

It is the colour that represents the brow chakra, (also known as the ‘third eye’ or ajna chakra) which is strongly associated with the Pineal Gland (charged with producing the serotonin derivative melatonin – a hormone that - amongst other things - regulates/affects sleep patterns.)

The Brow Chakra has a correspondence to age 36 – 42, the age when 'what about me?' and 'what's this all about anyway?' often shows up - and of course - the bigger question 'WHO AM I?'
French philosopher Rene Descartes who named the Pineal Gland 'The Seat of the Soul', spent his life studying that very thing and is responsible for a very popular quote 'I think, therefore I am.' translated from 'Cogito Ergo Sum'. 
I prefer to look at it as 'I am the sum of my thoughts.' For a time we forget ourselves, we are somebody's child, brother, sister, mother, father, husband or wife, and sometimes we are our own nobody - but around 36 - 42, if we haven't already - we somehow awaken. 
What we dwell on, IS what we dwell in, it was true in Rene's lifetime (1596 - 1650) and it is true now. 

How do we have a healthy pineal gland? Keep up the indigo and limit your fluoride  exposure - studies indicate that fluoride plays a very large part in the calcification of the pineal gland – so avoiding fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water, and eating blueberries could be the best things you could do. Blueberries come from a family of plants called Vaccinium. 
Doesn't that sound like a vaccine to you? Could they really be a natural medicine, or an antidote to what ails us?? Yes they could. 

Blueberries contain a chemical called anthocyanin – which gives blueberries their COLOUR! and this chemical appears to be the one that protects neurons in the brain. Anthocyanin* promotes sharper vision, concentration, is anti inflammatory (a vasoconstrictor) and antioxidant. It’s beneficial for heart disease, and also is said to slow or stop internal bleeding. Knocking out some of the oxidative stresses associated with aging – partly by enriching and cleaning the blood. If you think about it – inflammation is going to make blood vessels swell, imagine all those tiny vessels behind your eyes and in your sinuses – it stands to reason that if they are swollen, breathing could be affected, sight may be affected, and concentration would be reduced. So introducing a vasoconstrictor into the diet - such as blueberries, is very likely to create a benefit.

If you, like me, have looked at blueberries and wondered why on earth they are so expensive – after all, they really are only food – think again. They most definitely are medicine – their lovely little fat indigo tummies bathe you in colour and with their amazing colour chemical medicinal properties – they could help your wellness significantly!!

AND you can grow them at home quite easily in large containers. 

*While researching this article I discovered that blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, huckleberries and black raspberries are  ALL part of the vaccinium family and all have very similar properties.  Leading plant expert Michael Moore says (of huckleberries) “some folks with allergies and the tendency for skin hyperactivity may find that the tea decreases their inflammatory responses”. Source - Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West 
(I expect that this would be to do with settling the capillary action/reaction that creates an itch or 'explosion' on  the surface of the skin.)

Colour has been largely overlooked as a sort of fringe or alternative study, but now greater store is being set by the psychological effects it has on the human body.

Jay Neitz, Professor of Opthalmology and colour researcher from the University of Washington says: 
"The cells that get excited by orange light and calmed by blue light don’t just connect to our circadian pacemaker; they also go to areas of the brain that control things like mood. This partially explains things like seasonal depression, but also helps make sense of our intuitive feelings that blues are calming and reds are energising."

'Intuitive feelings?' - isn't that good to hear coming from a scientist?

Blue and red are on the opposite ends of the spectrum which means if we have too much stimulation, too much GRRR and too much red, we could have issues with inflammation. 
We all know an ‘inflammatory situation’ – is an angry one that could blow up in our faces.
So read red, sometimes, as the out of balance angry colour/emotion that it can be – do a body check and ask honestly ‘am I a bit too angry at present?’ If you are and you've been 'seeing a lot of red' lately, try bringing in some indigo (just ask for it, or use fabric - a tee shirt or scarf) to balance, or even trade it altogether for some gentler pinks. 

Life needs to slow down, chill out and be restful, not restless. If you are restless, you could try an indigo duvet, to bring in the peace of the night sky, calming and tranquil. 

Ancient Indigo was a crystal talisman - Lapis Lazuli available from blues, through indigo to purple) was traditionally worn by royalty to denote power, wealth, wisdom - it was even powdered for medicines (funnily enough, one of them was for the eyes) and potions, and it was used in ancient times to ward off evil.
It contains gold pyrite within, so was considered to be a powerful 'gateway to heaven.' and it was powdered and mixed with a medium for use as a deep blue colorant in paints, dyes and porcelain. 

We must remember no chakra colour is more important than the next, but we need to feed our depleted colours. Being healthy in our indigo helps with clarity and order in our thoughts and in our lives. 
Traditional Indigo dye from the indigo plant, was unfortunately taken right out of balance when it's beautiful colour was so highly sought after that a slave trade was created to keep up with demand. Now commercial indigo is created, rather than grown, and the trade has mellowed into something a little more palatable. The indigo plant as an Eastern herbal medicine was used to induce purging, and it has never been taken to in the West, studies cite that it was too harsh and so it was crossed off the list forthwith. I believe it's here for great things, and possibly for the mind, but those things are undiscovered as yet. 

I’ve so loved looking at my own feelings about indigo and sharing some of this wisdom with you. For more information on detoxing your pineal gland – or for where to get some yummy Lapis Lazuli – message me below.

Note: The information contained in my writing is not a substitute for, or intended to be, a medical diagnosis. It is intended to inform, create awareness, pass on philosophy, studies, open possibility, and enhance wellness. My teaching and my work, partners with allopathic medicine. As always see a Doctor if you require a Doctor. There  is great benefit in partnering traditional and alternative medicine. 
All things in moderation. 

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Thank you so much for reading my post. 
Wisdom is for sharing, please share if you feel guided. I really appreciate referrals.

I do stage shows and work healing and guiding, in New Zealand and worldwide via Skype, Phone, Email & for One on One clients from my clinic space on Auckland's North Shore. 

I am the founder of BioSonar Imaging Therapy & The DeLightScope.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr. 
 
© Deb Rowley 2014    

Previous posts:
RIP Charlotte Dawson. Depression: CUT THE LABEL OFF.
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