Blue is the first of the cool spectrum colours (followed by indigo and violet) and is the other main primary colour with red, in both subtractive primary (hue) colour groups and additive primary (light) colour groups.

It seems further away from the eye than the warmer colour group and therefore gives a sense of space, peace but also distance and coolness.

It is commonly known as the nations' favourite colour and in research has been found to have effectively help reduce pain.

Blue is the intellectual colour, it speaks how we depict our attitudes, how we think and how we communicate and is less emotional than the other intellectual colour, yellow.

It has a many positive attributes and naturally several negative attributes and as with other colours these depend on tone, tint and surrounding colours. Each attribute relates to how we feel when we are in the presence of the colour as well as what it says about our own personalities when blue is our favourite or least favourite colour.

Positive traits:

Communication, intelligence and mental aptitude

Inner truth, idealistic and inspirational

Peace, calm and gentleness

Creativity, clarity and concentration

Reflection, serenity and composure

Soothing

Negative traits:

Cold

Unfriendly

Aloof

Lack of emotion

Frigidity

Self Righteous

Unfaithful

Misery

If you are one of the many people who have blue as your favourite colour, you are probably a calm, collected individual who stores value by intelligence and is capable of communicating well with others. You enjoy a sense of peace and composure in your spare time and prefer not to get too over emotional or stressed.

If you are not so keen on blue, you may find its coolness and seeming lack of emotion to be contrary to your own emotional state of being. This may lead to overreacting and an inability to see the clearer picture, stand back and be objective at times, and a tendency to be hot headed.

When we don't like a colour one of the best things to do is acknowledge what negative aspects or traits relate to us and try to embrace the colour's positive traits through meditation, wearing the colour, or surrounding ourselves with that colour in a personal space (not necessarily by going as far as decorating, but with a throw or piece of material). Tune into the colour and try to learn the lessons it is sharing with us.

In the home, blue is a lovely colour for areas such as bathroom and kitchen, where cleanliness and coolness are preferred. Communication can increase in these rooms, so be prepared for company when taking a bath! As it has restful properties it is a good colour for the bedroom, although some find it to be too cold and moving towards the warmer end of the spectrum in the violet range is probably better.

Blue is related to the throat charka, located at the throat and associated with self expression.

In Tarot, the major arcana cards associated with blue are Temperance, The Hanged Man and the High Priestess. The Minor arcana suit of Swords can be associated with blue also.

Blue is the colour of the element Water and connected with the direction West (Western Tradition) and North (Eastern Tradition).