Yellow Color Meaning
What is the meaning of the color yellow? Today we’ll explore this bright and vivid color and the different things it can mean mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Understanding what colors mean can help us apply this wisdom in many practical applications in our lives!
Yellow is one of the brightest colors of the rainbow. It is the color which falls between green and orange. It can be measured as any color which has a frequency range between 510-530 THz and a wavelength of 565–590 nm.
Common Meanings for the Color Yellow
There are many different things we associate with this bright and vivid color.
Some of these things we experience on a physical level. Our eyes are able to perceive yellow before all other colors.
Because our eyes are like a camera lens and it is our brain that actually processes how we view things, there are also many mental, emotional, and psychological effects from this color.
This color also has much significance and cultural history. There are many ways this color is used in spiritual customs and practices.
Bright, Sunshine & Happiness
We often associate the color yellow with bright and cheerful feelings and objects. It can be quite a welcoming sight indeed to see bright yellow daffodil flowers blooming after a long bleak and dreary winter!
While the sun is technically white, and not yellow, when we think of bright sunshine we often picture it and imagine it as golden rays of light.
A beautiful sunset or sunrise appears to have a golden hue mostly because as the sun sets the wavelengths of light appear shorter, hence giving it the appearance of looking yellowish or even red or orange, depending where the sun is in relation to the horizon.
Because the color is so bright, many people use the color yellow to represent cheerfulness and happiness. Optimistic
Yellow Means High Visibility: Calling Attention
As one of the brightest colors the human eye is able to see, the color yellow is highly visible. Our eyes and brains are wired to best see yellow first. This high visibility makes it ideal for any scenario which requires gaining someone’s attention.
For example, we may notice yellow stripes on a caution or warning sign. The bright hue is one of the reasons it is used in traffic lights and road signs warning drivers to proceed with caution through intersections.
Because we often associate this color with warnings, this sometimes causes people to feel subconsciously anxious or concerned when they see it. Whether or not someone makes this association typically depends on the person’s individual experiences.
The Color Yellow Can Help You Stand Out Amongst the Crowd
In business and marketing, many advertisers may choose the color yellow for their product packaging or even the color of the product itself to draw attention to the item away from competitors.
One example of a business that did this is The New York taxi company Yellow Cab. They are notorious for using yellow taxi cabs because it was the color of vehicle the most visible at a distance, therefore attracting customers more easily.
Notice the Highlights – See the Good
The color is also often used to highlight text in a book to call our attention to certain bits of information. Because the color is very bright, it is hard to ignore! This makes it very suitable for uses in which calling attention to a subject matter are important.
Weakness/Feeling Afraid
Occasionally, yellow can be associated as a symbol of weakness. There is the phrase “yellow-bellied coward” which implies a person is a coward and unable to confront their fears.
A yellowish skin tone in some people can also be a sign of illness, such as the case of jaundice or other liver diseases. While no dream can diagnose any sort of physical symptom, we may sometimes see the color yellow in our dreams when we are not feeling physically well.
Yellow: The Color of the Solar Plexus Chakra
Yellow is the color for the Solar Plexus chakra. The Solar Plexus Chakra is the chakra that often helps us understand our feelings of power and control.
When you dream about the color yellow or start noticing it all around you in different situations in the environment, it can sometimes suggest that you need to explore your feelings about power and control.
If you feel powerless about a situation, visualizing yellow light around you and the environment can sometimes be helpful to give you the optimisim and hope necessary to better take control of a situation.
It’s also important to examine your own feelings about power and control. Do you feel like you are in control of your life, or are you a victim of circumstance?
We can’t really fully control anything in our lives {we are just hanging around a giant rock spinning in space afterall} – but we DO have the power to adjust our attitude and how we deal with situations out of our control.
What Does the Color Yellow Mean in Dreams?
Like all of the other colors, seeing yellow can mean different things to different people. We have a number of both positive and negative associations with this golden ray of light. Sometimes it can be quite warm, cheerful and happy. Other times, it can be a signal of caution or concern.
Often times the actual symbol you dream of will give you a lot of clues as to what yellow means in the dream.
For example, if you dream of a banana, seeing the color yellow in dreams is quite normal and expected. It’s also a sign that you are on your way to abundance or some sort of call of attention to your business dealings.
Dreaming of a yellow tree could mean that you are experiencing changes in your life. The context of the dream and the health of the tree can help you understand whether yellow is a positive or negative symbol in the dream.
If you dream of crashing into a car and see the color yellow, it could be a subconscious call of attention that you need to pay attention to some situation in your life. It is also possible you are feeling afraid of taking control in a situation.
Dreaming about washing clothes that are yellow? This could be a sign that you are clearing your energy and space for more positive and brighter things ahead.
We have many, many, many dream symbols in the dream dictionary where the color yellow can be important to notice.
Here’s some questions to ask to help you understand your dreams about yellow:
- How do I feel in the dream?
- What are my personal experiences with this object and color?
- What things am I afraid of?
- What things do I look forward to?
In dream interpretation and symbolism, it is very important to consider the context in which it appears.
If you wake up from the dream feeling happy and optimistic, this is very different than having a dream where you feel scared or weak.
There are many benefits of understanding the meaning of the color yellow and how we can apply this meaning in our lives.
Have you noticed the color yellow in your dreams? Do you associate it as a positive, negative or neutral color?
Share your experiences about yellow as a symbol and what it means for you and any dreams you had where the color yellow was prominent in the comments section below – we would love to hear from you!
