Green: biology and life change
Bio [Greek: bíos – life, living beings, life processes] stands for the primordial connection between human beings and the environment. This becomes particularly clear in the term biography, which relates one’s lifetime with the spatial, geographical home. Biography also expresses the deeply rooted connection to mother earth. Geo is derived from the Greek: ge – earth, ground. Earth is yellowish-brownish or reddish-brownish – just like the colours of autumn.
Biology comes from biologics and geology from geologics. – and thus, biology addresses the connection between climate, location and one’s biological home.
Green: Biosphere and atmosphere
According to the ‘Brockhaus Encyclopedia’, a biosphere is the “totality of the earth’s layers populated with living organisms”. The word ‘atmosphere’, used to describe the mood of a space and a surrounding, is originally derived from the Sanskrit word atman, which means air, breath, and soul. Cultures such as the Hebrews, Lakota Sioux and Navajo peoples of North America also see atmosphere in relation to wind, breath, spirit, aspiration and inspiration. In Greek, atmos was translated with vapour and sphaira (sphere) described a layer of gases that surrounded a material body. The ancient Greek word for breath and mind was psyche. These definitions show that the oriental cultures linked the individual’s wellbeing and feeling with the perception of a space. On the contrary in the Occident the perception of space was linked to the cognitive understanding of its constituting elements rather than the relation between space and one’s individual mood or feeling.
Green: balance, transformation and change
When it comes to finding your own balance and by means of self-guidance, questions may arise, such as: “Why did this happen to me? What is my chance for insight in this situation? Where do I get the energy to overcome possible limitations or counterforces?” In order to face these questions, we look for a safe place, emotionally and socially as well as spatially. Places that are filled with good, positive energy and familiar people and inspiring vibes and conversations provide the framework in which self-development will be empowered.
Green: How much “bíos” do I want?: a question of lifestyle and self-guidance in life
Lifestyle, literally translated, means way of life. It is a question of style of living and way of life. While lifestyle is primarily or exclusively defined by fashion trends and ideas of consumerism, way of life addresses the attitude towards a more holistic understanding of living your life. Lifestyle is defined by external means of communication that suggest a society’s attitude towards important life issues. While lifestyle is a matter of following the recommendations and trends we learn about in advertisements, lifestyle magazines, lifestyle shops or other external impulses, self-guidance in life is a purely internal matter that is connected with self-development, self-reliance and the recognition of responsibility for oneself. Those who are able to lead their lives themselves, make themselves inwardly free from the demands, regulations or constraints of the environment.
Conducting one’s life is thus an individual and very personal decision, which deals with questions such as what matters and is important in life. This determines the personal life achievement and becomes apparent in our biography. The more we turn towards our pure and real self, create desires, make use of talents given and aim for reaching goals, the more leadership we take in our own lives – and when everything is “in the green”, this is an expression that we feel good, have arrived and are satisfied.
Green: On the relationship of absorbing sunshine, prudence and contemplation.
Sense and sense perception are connected. Humans and other living beings are connected to the sun, the source of all life energy, through sensory perception. The connection to the sun is the essence of all life (bíos) and energy supply. Energy regulation between people and their environment is therefore always linked to bio-physical processes, such as the ability to perceive colour and the sensation of climate and temperature, as well as via bio-chemical processes, such as in the context of photosynthesis in plants. Environmental health and the health of all life forms – both individually and as a community – are thus directly related. The more sun we get, the greater the opportunity for sensory perception. Consciously created colour concepts relate to the visible spectrum and evoke the notion of absorbing sunshine, which allows for more prudence and self-contemplation.
Change of mindset – back to the centre and into one’s own strength or on the way in the wide world to search for one’s own centre in a foreign land?
Imagine crossroads with signposts directing to either: back to yourself or towards the horizon and into the unknown. Meanwhile, there are more and more people who pause, think carefully, rest for the time being and postpone their definitive decision because a change of heart is taking place, driven by the search for more meaning and sensual experiences. There is a rising number of people that are longing for something real, the honest truth and for genuine experiences. In the context of general deceleration (quarantine times, extensive home cooking, fewer city trips or short vacations), more and more people are taking their time to consider how they want to live, with what and with whom they spend their time and which values and goals in life really matter. In the past, it seemed easier, clearer and safer to follow a signpost pointing in the distance, disregarding what the destination may be. Meanwhile, more people aim for a stable home. They are looking for places to live in the countryside in search of re-connecting with nature. Vast numbers of dense housing blocks made of concrete in combination with exaggerated real estate prices seem to lose attractiveness compared to places with character and personality, culture and communal life factors. This tendency can also be felt when it comes to the inside of buildings. At Latrace, requests for scientifically sound and healthy colour, furniture and spatial concepts are increasing. Also, we note a greater demand of courses on colour, energy and principles of wellbeing. It seems quite clear: the new era is all about finding balance, deceleration, and relaxation as well as drawing on a greater sense of humanity. New concepts, which enable a combination of art and science, supported by ever-improving technologies and data storage options, can drive creativity and innovation while assuring a good quality of life. The world has never been smarter, faster and more ruthless – which is precisely why it makes sense to start with yourself and embark on the most exciting and rewarding, simply the best, journey of all: the journey to yourself. When you feel balanced and centered, you can also experience the unknown without fear and much more certainty and joy.