My Meditation of Pride

The rainbow flag. It has long been a symbol of Pride, encouraging diversity and love. It has shifted, evolved, and become varied in ways to meet specific needs within the overall Queer community. I really enjoy seeing everybody flying their own flags. I recently did research into the original 8 colors of the first Pride flag and meditated on the colors and meanings in order to make the symbol stronger for myself. I found myself walking away with a stronger sense of Pride, a better identification with gay history, and a more general sense of balance. I thought it would be good to share this meditation technique. Regardless of your gender and gender identity, I support trying out this meditation technique to enrich your life.

Let's start with Pink. This color represents Sexuality. This color is one of two that is no longer commonly used, but these two are just as important in my opinion as the others. This one may deflect people from continuing the meditation, but if you feel awkward then please work through that. This part of the meditation reflects on how we express ourselves in our most pure and vulnerable state to other people, so it is invaluable to start here with confidence if you want success. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color pink. Let pink bloom in your vision. Let the washes of pink transform into your sexual attraction. The blush of cheeks in the moment of heat. Soft, moist flesh. Pleasure, vulnerability, and desire. In this is your expression of love, of yourself and others. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Next is Red. This color represents Life. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color red. Let your vision be filled with red. It is a color of passion and boldness. It is heat and energy. It is the blood flowing through our veins. It is running, jumping, pushing and pulling. It encourages you to live your life with a fiery passion. You only have one life, so it is as precious as a ruby. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Next is Orange. This color represents Healing. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color orange. Let orange wash over you. Orange revitalizes, energizes, and invigorates. It encourages the warmth of a healthy mind and soothes the aching body. It is the color of oranges and is associated with Vitamin C, a common boost to our immune system. Think of Kintsugi, the Japanese practice of mending broken pottery with gold. Healing, whether it be physically, emotionally, or socially, is as valuable as orange tinted gold. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready. 

Next is Yellow. This color represents Sunlight. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color yellow. Let yellow flow in your mind. Sunlight is what gives this planet the life that it has. It is the balance between warm and cool. It soothes the skin and warms the bones. It promotes joy and playing. Yellow is the color of smiley faces. The color of dandelions and the bumble bees. It is the color of simple pleasures and relaxation. Without the simple pleasures we would grow cold. Laughter is contagious. Be like the sun and let your light flow through you and into other people. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Next is Green. This color represents Nature. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color green. Let green surround you. We are a part of nature. Think of walking in nature. Think of the grass beneath your feet. The leaves in the trees above your head. Ivy that climbs and bamboo that shoots out of the dirt. Nature is fragile, yet enduring. Think of the weeds that are cut down and spring back up when they have nothing left but their roots. We are the children and protectors of our Mother Earth. Think of your breathing. Every breath of fresh air is a gift from nature. Green is a steady strength that grows through the ages, much like how we grow from our experiences. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Next is Turquoise. This color represents Art and Magic. This is the other color that was removed from the current rainbow flag we see today. Not everybody understands art and magic, but it is important to the Queer community and the culture of our world. Many Queer people have helped shape our world through the gift of their art, and the Two Spirit people were seen as a blessing to their tribes, often being shamans in their communities with their sense of magic. The reality is that we all have art and magic, we just may not see it in ourselves within the strictest of terms. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color turquoise. Let turquoise shimmer in your mind. It's the same color as the never ending sky, stretching to the heavens and past our vision. It reflects off the water and, from our human perspective, connects the highest and deepest parts of our world in a reflection of our intuition. Art and Magic are reflections of our connection to our deepest and highest parts of ourselves. This is the passion of our potential. Think about these in your own life. Perhaps your art is in the precision of your science , or perhaps your magic is in the moment you achieve a victory in your sport. Turquoise explores and expresses the abilities and limitless nature of the human spirit. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Next is Indigo. This color represents Serenity and Harmony. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color indigo. Let indigo sink down into your chest. Indigo extends to the calmest and furthest reaches of outer space and the deep sea. These are places of serenity and harmony, places of stillness where all seems as one. Think of going to these places and seeing things that expand past our human existence within the most secret parts of ourselves. Your serenity and harmony start within these still places and you can only bring them home to share with others once you have explored them yourself. Indigo is like a sapphire, forged in the hidden places of your depths and visible to others once you can proudly wear it. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Finally is Violet. This color represents Spirit. Take the time to close your eyes and focus on the color violet. Let violet pulse in your gut. The spirit is the strongest identification of one's self. It is the mysterious energy that is our reason for existence. It is knowledge and secret in its purest form, extending past the ages. It is our past lives and our afterlives. It is the confidence to say that our existence is validated and that we have a secret purpose because we have a spirit. Now recognize that those around you have the same spirit and secrets of their own. Violet is the gift of our eternity that lays beneath our mortality. Take your time and continue reading below when you are ready.

Your meditative journey should have led you from our most intimate interactions with each other and led you to the most intimate interaction with yourself, which then leads you back to a deeper understanding of others. I have started doing this meditation in small steps. When a color stands out to me I will stop myself and remind myself of what it represents through this meditation. I will give the color recognition for its role in my life and focus on the attached energy. The meditation as a whole should teach appreciation and love, which is important in this time of revolution. Now go forth and show your true colors.