The Witches' Psychology of Color: Red

Red is a color that can evoke great passion and great anger. When it comes to angry feelings, we think of the matador with his red cloth taunting the bull -- the angry bull. But then we think of red hearts and Valentine's Day ... right? So red is a color that has a lot going on with it.

Red is also considered a power color by many. Men wear red ties to big business meetings to show that they are in charge and women may paint their nails red to express that they, too, are in charge.

Red is the color of love

Let's start on the happy side of things. Red makes us think of love and passion. It's one of the main colors of Valentine's Day and Christmas. Red roses stand for love.

But why is this? Perhaps it is because the human heart is red? Red is the color of the root chakra -- our base, our balance. And, it could be this "balance" connection of the color that makes this color both passionate and angry -- if you're off balance, your emotions could run rampant.

What happens when you get angry?

For most of us, when we get angry we get red in the face and perhaps even the chest. Red flushes our cheeks and makes us feel like we're about to have steam come out of our ears.

It's believed, by some, that being surrounded by the color red can make people angry. This is why you should avoid painting walls inside your home red.

And perhaps that's why it's a symbol of danger as well ...

Red lights and stop signs on the road alert us to stop before we get hit by another vehicle. We're warned of red flags in friendships and romantic relationships.

So how did red become a power color?

There's something about wearing this color that makes us feel confident and draws attention our way. Of course, if you don't want the attention of others, wear black instead.

When thinking of confidence, feeling good about ourselves helps boost that feeling -- so think of when you're working out and getting red and how good it actually feels because you're making yourself stronger and more powerful.

Candle magic and beyond

When working with the color red in magic, it's often used to bring love to us, whether it's love from another person or we're working on a self-love spell. Red candles are also used to bring in more power and more energy to a spell.

Another time when you may use the color in magic is when working with blood magic. Using your own blood in a spell is a great way to add power and ensure the spell is connected to you. Blood is red. Thus, you're adding your own power to the spell to make things happen.

Using the color red in your magical life

Even when you're not doing a specific spell, you can use the power of this color. Here are some ways:

• Gift someone you love some red flowers.
• Celebrate Valentine's Day with all things red.
• Wear red to your next interview or business meeting.
• Use red crystals to help balance your root chakra.
• Add red accents to your romantic space (but not too much, you don't want to invoke a fight).
• Write a letter in red ink when you're angry at someone (red ink is often used for correcting papers and doing edits, so it has a way of telling you that you've done something wrong).