🔴 Color Medicine: Red — Survival, Passion, and (Yes) a Decade of Celibacy
❤️ My Red Story
Let’s just rip the bandage off:
I’m a highly sensual, deeply sexual woman who has basically had sex once every ten years.
Why? Because life, trauma, and a herniated disc don’t care how hot you are. I fell at work, injured my back and neck, gained a ton of weight, and spent years healing from surgeries. Add in a neurodiverse brain, a clairvoyant nervous system, and a society that’s exhausting to mask in… and my love life went on ice.
But here’s the thing: while my body was celibate, my soul was red. Red food, red clothes, red décor. I was surrounded by crimson like a velvet stage curtain, even as my actual stage (sex) stayed dark.
Red became my anchor. My survival. My life force.
🧠 The Psychology of Red
Red is primal. It’s the first color we see as infants. It’s blood, fire, passion, survival. It spikes the pulse, stimulates the appetite, and grabs attention. In psychology:
Action & Vitality: Red raises energy levels and courage.
Love & Sex: Red signals attraction, desire, sensuality.
Survival: Red is root chakra territory — the base of security, money, shelter, health.
Carl Jung wrote that red represents “the great affect,” the most intense archetypal energy. It’s not subtle. It’s your unconscious screaming: I’m alive. I need. I want. He also named his opus book, “The Red Book”.
🌑 The Shadow Side of Red
But every color has its shadow. Red’s shadow is:
Aggression & Anger: Overheated tempers, impulsiveness, confrontation.
Overstimulation: Too much red can make a space feel anxious or hostile.
Desperation: The craving for love or sex without grounding, the compulsive need to consume.
If you’re drawn to red, you may be in a phase of building energy, of survival, of craving passion. Or you may need to slow down and ground yourself so red’s fire doesn’t burn you out.
Bleep: “Red’s great until you realize you’re eating Cheetos in a red room while texting your ex. Then it’s just a warning sign.”
🔥 Red as Medicine
During my ten-year celibacy streak, I didn’t realize it, but I was using red to keep myself alive. Red food (tomatoes, beets, strawberries). Red clothes. Red candles. Red lipstick even when I wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t just a color. It was my unconscious saying: You are still passionate. You are still alive.
This is what color medicine is about. You don’t always know consciously what you need, but your body does. Your unconscious does. Color is a bridge.
Bleep: “Also, red wine counts as a color therapy, right? Asking for a friend.”
🥩 How to Use Red in Your Life
Food: Add more red foods (berries, peppers, pomegranate) to spark vitality.
Wardrobe: Wear a red scarf, lipstick, or shirt when you need confidence or courage.
Space: A red accent (candle, pillow, rug) can warm a cold room, but don’t overdo it unless you like feeling like you’re living inside a siren.
Movement: Dance or exercise while imagining red light in your body.
Bleep: “Just don’t paint your whole bedroom red unless you’re running a bordello or a haunted house. Moderation, people.”
🧘 Three Contemplative Questions
When you see red — in clothes, food, or light — what happens in your body? Do you feel bold, anxious, hungry, turned on?
Where are you craving passion, security, or survival energy in your life right now?
Could adding (or removing) red from your environment help you balance your energy?
🌟 Final Word
Red is life force. It’s survival. It’s sex and blood and money and home. It’s also anger, danger, and desire. If you’re drawn to it, ask yourself why. If you avoid it, ask yourself why.
Color medicine isn’t about painting everything rainbow. It’s about learning to listen to your unconscious — the secret novel inside you — and using that awareness to heal, to balance, to thrive.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You can start with something as simple as noticing: What color am I craving? What color am I repelled by? That’s the doorway to your own medicine.
Bleep: “And if all else fails, eat a strawberry, light a red candle, and remember: even ten-year dry spells end eventually.”
🌈 Next Up: Orange (creativity, sociability, and that tambourine energy) — plus a matching soundscape to go with it. Stay tuned.
