
Color Magic: Properties and Uses of 10 Basic Colors
Colors are one of the simplest and most powerful forms of magic. Each color fuels and is representative of a magical outcome or intention. Learn the 10 basic color magic properties and how to weave them into your magical practice and daily life. Plus view our helpful color guide to crystals and herbs.
Color Magic Basics
Not only is color effective in magic, it permeates daily life. Certain colors lift our mood, help us relax, energize us. Other colors fuel our fire or can even create a negative effect. For example, if you’re feeling depressed, being in a room of blue or gray walls won’t help lift your mood. You need an uplifting color like yellow or orange. If you’re feeling anxious, avoid the color red. And so on.
But, as we typically find in magic, it’s not just the color it’s how YOU use it. Here we provide the basic color magic properties, and you can use them as stated. But keep in mind, color magic is also an individual practice. While I might use red for protection, you might find white is best. If I use purple for healing, you might prefer blue. And so on.
10 Colors and Their Magical Properties
1. Black
Black is a color that polarizes people from different cultures. Some cultures associate black with death and mourning (think what we wear to funerals in America), while still others associate black with evil and the darkness. Yet those who practice magic know the real power of black. It is mystery and wisdom in one. Black reflects negativity and prompts us to go deeper.
2. White
White is another polarizing color. In America, we see white as a symbol of purity which is why most brides wear white to their wedding. Yet in other Eastern cultures, white is associated with death. For example, in Vietnam white is worn to funerals not weddings. How you use white in your practice is up to you! The color white’s magic properties are: purity, protection, connecting with the divine, Healing, and enlightenment.
3. Brown
Brown might not be everyone’s favorite color but it is as powerful as the rest. It is a color of Mother Earth. It represents the soil we walk on and where things grow. Use brown in your magic when working with the element earth. Brown is also useful for: animal magic, grounding, environmentalism, and Earth protection.
4. Blue
Nearly everyone in my house loves the color blue. It’s a fan favorite, but why? Blue is the color of the sky, flowers, fruits, and of the water. This color’s magic properties are: healing, peace and harmony, communication (verbal, nonverbal and written), and truth. It’s linked to the throat chakra, which also links it to one’s ears and listening.
5. Purple
Purple is the color of modern metaphysics. You might have noticed metaphysical stores using purple in their logo, decor, etc. This isn’t a coincidence – purple is the color of magic. Purple also represents royalty, intuition, and psychic abilities *all the clairs: clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairsalience, clairaudience and clairgustance*. I see it as an extravagant color and therefore think of all things rich, powerful and elegant when I use purple in my magic.
6. Pink
When I was young, I hated the color pink. Now that I’m an adult, it’s one of my favorite colors for one particular reason – it represents femininity. As a young person I avoided being in tune with my feminine self – including self-love, sexual empowerment and honoring my emotions. But pink represents more than just this. It also represents friendship, soft, romantic love, and empathy. It’s linked to female sexuality because of the color of female genitalia.
7. Red
Red invokes strong emotional reactions from nearly everyone on the planet. It’s another polarizing color. It’s an energizing color, igniting one’s passions. OR in a state of anxiety or anger, it might push those emotions out of control. Use red wisely and how you prefer. Red’s magical properties include: Active protection, passion, anger, Blood, ancestor work, love, lust, and motivation.
8. Orange
Orange is a magical color linked to the sacral chakra and therefore a powerful color for creativity of all kinds. I don’t use orange a lot, but when I do…it gets the job done. It helps with energy and vitality. It’s also useful to boost your inspiration and drive for long term projects and new opportunities. Orange color magic properties also include attraction, vitality, fertility and adaptability.
9. Yellow
Yellow is a bright color that is linked to the Sun and also our solar plexus. It brings energy, confidence and self esteem. Yellow color magic properties are: wisdom, intellect, imagination, inspiration, confidence, self esteem, immortality, growth, joy and career success. It can be helpful when breaking through old negative thought patterns of oneself.
10. Green
What witch or pagan doesn’t love the color green? It’s the color of the earth: plants, trees, herbs, etc. It’s also the color of the heart chakra (that’s right, the heart chakra is green not red). Therefore green magic properties include: unconditional love, Mother Earth, abundance, growth, resurrection, youth, good luck, health, connection to fae and the old gods, and balance.
How to Cast SIMPLE Color Magic
There are so many ways to use color in your magical practice. Let’s talk about the fact that color is in literally everything we do. It’s all around us. It’s a part of us. So what not think about the colors you use in your spells and rituals? Here’s some ways to incorporate color magic into your practice:
- Wear certain colors to match your intentions for that day (red for drive, green for money, yellow for growth, white for spirituality, etc.)
- Match your candle colors to your spell or ritual intentions
- Decorate your altar in the colors of the season, sabbat, or to honor your gods’ and ancestors’ favorite colors
- Paint the rooms of your house to match whatever mood you’d like to set (red in the kitchen for hunger and ancestor work, blue in the bedroom for peace/rest, etc.)
- Flowers, herbs, and other spell materials – be mindful of the colors you use (for instance for money spells, try to use gold and green materials)
- Consider the chakra colors when you need to work on yourself
- When disposing or keeping spell remnants, choose a specific colored bag or sachet for storage
- Choose a grimoire of a certain color to match your intention: green for green witchery, red for hearth-craft, purple for dreaming, etc.
Crystals and Herbs By Color for Color Magic:
If you’d like to correspond spell ingredients like herbs and crystals by color, here’s quick guide:
1. Black
Herbs/Flowers: black dahlia, black magic hollyhocks, black calla lily, blackberry, pepper
Crystals: obsidian, hematite, Apache tear, black onyx, zebra jasper
2. White
Herbs/Plants: chamomile, daisy, chrysanthemum, yarrow, feverfew, watercress, moonflower, garlic chives, heliotrope, white rose, magnolia, rosemary, jasmine, elder flower, hawthorn
Crystals: selenite, moonstone, calcite, white beryl, topaz, lepidolite, clear quartz, diamond
3. Brown
Herbs/plants: mare’s tail, pineapple lily, sea buckthorn, pine cones (part of tree), coconut, potato, cinnamon, pipe vine
Crystals: tiger’s eye, cat eye, butterscotch jasper
4. Blue
Herbs/Plants: forget me not, morning glory, hydrangea, aster, delphinium, columbine, clematis, cornflower, blueberry, lotus
Crystals: lace agate, sodalite, lapis lazuli, angelite, Amazonite, Celestine, blue calcite, sapphire
5. Purple
Herbs/Plants: verbena, catmint, basil, wisteria, clematis, viola, violet, lavender, belladonna, salvia, iris, monkshood (aconite), heather, indigo, morning glory, spearmint, beautyberry, eggplant, beet, passion flower, echinacea
Crystals: amethyst, lepidolite, sugilite, jasper, tanzanite, charoite, ametrine, fluorite
6. Pink
Herbs/Plants: penta, rose, hibiscus, camellia, begonia, carnation, rosemary, hyacinth, dahlia, peony, petunia, rhododendron, yarrow, chives, echinacea, heather, raspberry
Crystals: rose quartz, agate, aventurine, mangano calcite, chalcedony, morganite, pink opal, rhodochrosite, thulite, marsh mallow
7. Red
Herbs/Plants: rose, penta, pineapple sage, firecracker, strawberry, watermelon, red rooibos, chili pepper, paprika, dragon’s blood, red sweet pepper, tomato, roselle / hibiscus, eclipse sunflower
Crystals: ruby, jasper, cinnabar, morganite, garnet, red carnelian, red calcite, topaz
8. Orange
Herbs/Plants: orange, tangerine, poppy, zinnia, lantana, marigold, gerbera daisy, lilium, cosmo, aloe vera, canna, red hot poker, butterfly weed, carrot, sweet potato
Crystals: carnelian, orange calcite, aragonite, peach selenite, sunstone, fire quartz
9. Yellow
Herbs/Plants: sunflower, black eyed susan, buttercup, hibiscus, rose, daffodil, blanket flower, tulip, goldenrod, primrose, coreopsis, carolina jessamine, carnation
Crystals: citrine, lemon quartz, yellow jasper, goldstone
10. Green
Herbs/Plants: rosemary, mint, catnip, bay, oak, pine, grass, ivy, holly, chives, succulents, basil, literally every plant!
Crystals: emerald, moss agate, bloodstone, green calcite, green fluorite, aventurine, jade, malachite, chrysocolla, turquoise, peridot, Amazonite

3 Comments
M N
November 30, 2020 at 8:00 pmblack’s description is unfinished
Bernard Charles
September 18, 2020 at 11:50 amWhat I love about color is how diverse it impacts our world.
admin
September 19, 2020 at 1:31 pmAgreed, 100000%!