Today is a particularly exciting day because I get to acknowledge the brilliance of the woman who was my personal mentor in my feng shui studies— and who I consider to be my mentor in Feng Shui eternally— Dr. Gabriele Van Zon!  Since we’ve all heard more than a few mutterings about Tangerine Tango being named the 2012 Color of the Year by Pantone, Gabriele explains the feng shui importance of adding fire to our lives (tangerine being a perfect way!) in this year of the Green Dragon in this article from her fabulous monthly newsletter which she invited me to share with you! 

Color of the Year! by Dr. Gabriele Van Zon

Tangerine Tango is the color of the year for 2012.

According to Pantone, the famous color forecaster, we have moved from the friendly Honeysuckle Pink of 2011 into the more active and futuristic shade of a vibrant orange.  They call it “a spirited orange” that continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.

The Pantone Color Institute, in its effort to distill the prevailing mood into a single hue, suggests that color can answer to people’s needs and that in 2012 Tangerine Tango encourages us to face everyday troubles with vigor and action.

Tangerine can be a strong accent color, like in this table I found on House of Turquoise.

In feng shui we sense a synchronicity in trends that express the feeling of the zeitgeist, encapsulating a mood, an attitude and an increased momentum of moving into the future.  Therefore, we address all needs with reference to the elements and what they represent.  The fire element is the unifying principle for 2012 in both color and light.

Feelings, notions and abstract ideas can graphically manifest in the layout of the feng shui ba gua.  When we stand at the entry to our space, which is the point of the” self in the now” and look straight ahead, the farthest area in our visual field represents the future.  Symbols of what we strive and wish for should be placed into this sector of the ba gua.  A bouquet of flowers in our enticing Tangerine Tango will stimulate visual acuity with a positive outlook for a better future.  Since fire is the missing element in this year of the Dragon, the futuristic shade of Tangerine Tango can be used to balance the elements in your personal choices for fashion, home and business environments.  We recommend Tangerine Tango as an accent color rather than a dominant color since it can be overwhelming in its intensity.

McQueen's runways were spotted in tangerine...

Another interesting and parallel trend in this year of change and positive development is the popping up of neon colors in a variety of hues and shades.  Again, as accent colors they can transform the grays and blacks of recent fashion trends into an updated version of mood enhancing coordinates.  If you really can’t stand a futuristic orange, a neon lime green will boost the missing fire element in this year of the green Dragon.  Neon colors and the mix of yellow into red to create Tangerine Tango expand our vision for the study of light as this year’s theme of adding fire for a lighter and brighter future.