I love purple.
That’s it.
What else is there to say?
I love purple.
Any shade. Any variation. Any hue. Purple is my favourite colour.
Not to wear necessarily, as this olive-in-late-summer tone doesn’t vibe and mix well with it, but anything purple draws my eyes like a moth to a crackling pyrotechnic flame.
Although it is one of the rarest colours in nature, there always seems to be purple in my vicinity out of pure reverence.
Purple, how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways:
To kick off the list on a personal note, arriving for me today is a brand-new Epiphone Les Paul Modern Figured guitar in spectacular purple sunburst colour.
Perhaps someday, there will also arrive Lari Basilio’s LB-1 signature Ibanez axe (blending virtuoso technique and beautiful melodic phrasing).
Mike and Ike Jolly Joes, grape Mr. Freezes and popsicles, grape Big League Chew, grape Airheads and Laffy Taffy and Jelly Belly jellybeans of the grape persuasion.
Crackling fireworks high above when strontium salts and copper compounds mix, especially when tempered with gold sparks.
Mortal Kombat’s Mileena (be still my heart, as long as the mask remains worn) and X-Men’s Psylocke (and bring me back to life).
When the universe (such as the Lagoon, Trifid, Carina and Rosette Nebulae) or the skies (streaming in the aurora borealis or during sunsets) reveal the colour.
Violet-backed starlings, purple sea urchins, purple jellyfish and purple tangs.
Purple irises, violets, orchids, lilacs and crocus flowers.
Lavender by sight, but I can do without the smell.
Amethysts, similar gemstones, and rare forms of sapphire, fluorite, spinel and tanzanite.
Purple ribbon shirts and dance regalia, especially worn by fancy shawl dancers.
Blackberry or plum candles. The Purple Store.
Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Very Berry Cheerios, grape Froot Loops and seasonal Boo Berry cereal.
Mortal Kombat’s Rain, purple Yoshi from Super Mario World, peacocks, iridescent dragonflies, the atmospheric lighting of an APC live show and Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker.
Mace Windu’s lightsaber, his Vaapad fighting style, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Jem’Hadar warships, and Guinan’s presence in The Next Generation.
Wild Berry Pop-Tarts, Fruity Pebbles (can you guess which ones?), grape Kool-Aid, grape Powerade and the unnamed, mysterious grape pop.
Grapes. Blackberries. Purple Bic highlighters and pens (Pilot GT-10s are my game).
Grape Fanta slushies and Corey Taylor’s tribute to “Purple Rain” at First Avenue in Minneapolis, albeit always holding the original in reverence.
The regal iridescence of ravens, crows and grackles. The Ninja Turtle Donatello.
Wild Berry Gummi Savers. Alex Grey’s paintings. Purple LEDs below motorcycles.
Welch’s Grape Jelly on Dempster’s cinnamon raisin bread… guess the colour of the packaging.
Blueberry cream cheese. Mister Munch.
A cinnamon, raisin and walnut spread on a piping hot cinnamon, raisin and walnut bagel from Best Bagels and Coffee on West 35th Street A in midtown Manhattan.
Prince. Twilight Sparkle. Dizzy Devil. Share Bear. The Cheshire Cat (my favourite cartoon character next to Grandpa Cotton Hill). Dino. Daphne from Scooby Doo.
The Minnesota Vikings (and although I am a committed Toronto Maple Leafs, Blue Jays and Raptors fan – I have an appreciation for the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Ravens, and the LA Kings).
Stitch.
Gengar. Mewtwo. Ditto. Nidoran. Spyro–even though I have never owned a single Pokémon card or seen an episode of Dragon Ball X, Y, or Z.
Jimi Hendrix’s vibe and Danny Carey’s Mandala drum pads.
Making their way through the sky, the purple emperor, great purple hairstreak, purple-spotted swallowtail (and the purple morphos).
Star Sapphire. Galactus. Superhero Raven. Purple jelly beans and the purple Minion.
The Member Berries. My Yeti mug.
Purple Christmas lights and garland (especially when tempered with gold).
When it comes to adoration of the colour purple, I agree with how it is revered in the words of author Alice Walker in the novel of the same name.
What is this Madness?
My love of purple rests in pure wonder.
It really has nothing to do with politics or identity.
It begins with antiquity and holding pride in such gems of days past, carrying those insights, and standing back to observe stunning sights in our world today.
In Ancient Greece, purple (porphura) was often reserved for esotericists, philosophers, prophets and spiritualists.
The vibrant dye would be harvested from the secretions of the particular sea snails (Murex and Purpura).
Up to 12,000 Murex snails would be squeezed to extract a mere one gram of dye. Because of its vibrancy and rarity, the wearing of dyed fabric was reserved for the most revered.
Those who produced it often had stains on their hands, while those involved in ancient mystery schools (connected to many such as Medea in antiquity) would have purple-dyed skin around their mouths from imbibing mixtures in initiatory practices.
At times, the dye would reveal softer tones as the practice was perfected.
A similar pattern is revealed from all corners of the human family in symbology.
Purple quahog shells were harvested with northern whelk shells to visually convey ancient agreements by means of wampum belts.
The Crown Chakra (Sahasrara), the Triple Moon, amethyst crystal motifs, and the purple lotus are only a few associations between purple and wisdom, mystery, spirituality, imagination, transformation and esoteric imagery.
In time, the colour would also be associated with royalty, power, wealth and prestige in many regions of the world.
Today, it appears in marketing to note premium branding.
The love of purple does provide some unique challenges.
Of what?
Well, it’s who.
Grimace. Barney the Dinosaur. Ursula the sea witch. Tinky Winky. Waluigi. Spyro. Ditto. Count von Count. Eggplant. Thanos. Cabbage. Coleslaw.
Each profoundly eerie.
Each equally repellant.
Sometimes, I guess you can’t have your Grape Fanta and sip it too.
There is also the challenge of captivation and enchantment.
During Halloween in 2011, Thunder Bay’s downtown scene hosted annual costumed pub crawls. A group of fellow Thunder Bayers arrived as Mileena, Kitana, Jade and Skarlet. It was the only time in my life when I nearly proposed marriage to a total stranger.
I guess life can’t all be Mileenas, masks, and marriage proposals.
Reminders of Reverence
When I invested in my home, acknowledging the deep and significant history of antiquity, the ancient mystery schools, and those who shared wisdom and insight was paramount.
Among painting prints of notable figures such as the Pythia (Oracle of Delphi), Marie Laveau, those within Raphael’s School of Athens and paintings by Alex Grey, purple is always visible.
Blankets. Sheets. grape jelly carpet. Violet walls. Towels. Lighting—all needed to be purple.
Perhaps ensuring the muses feel welcome in my home.
However, decorating in this way was a must—and the reasoning, simple but clear:
Purple is a personal reminder that wonder in the world is ever-present, inspiration exists indefinitely, awe exists within the common, spirituality in the secular, and wisdom is within and without. Perhaps the first step of seeing is looking.
It’s a choice to remain attentive to mystery, to be open to inspiration, to be enchanted – even in ordinary things.
Purple simply happens to be my reminder.
Robert Horton is an educator, author, orator and linguist. He is a member of Rainy River First Nations.
