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• A Sense Of Humour Are you flighty or a bit of a hypochondriac? Quick-tempered or lazy? Dr Karen Parham looks at the four humour
• The Secret Language Of A few more centuries were to pass before the sophistication of exchanging messages through jewellery developed
• Children Of The Evoluti f you’re reading this article, you were probably an indigo child. Known as the pioneers of our age, indigo c

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  A SENSE OF HUMOUR – SANGUINE, MELANCHOLIC, CHOLERIC OR PHLEGMATIC?

  Are you flighty or a bit of a hypochondriac? Quick-tempered or lazy? Dr Karen Parham looks at the four humour personality types…

  One of the most interesting aspects of popular psychology is its categorisation of personality types, whether this is Jung’s eight personality types, the Enneagram’s nine types, Caroline Myss’ archetypes, or the more current adapted Myers-Briggs 16 personality types. Theories on personality types are useful in all walks of life, from determining learning styles for school children to finding suitable careers, while the three Ayurvedic doshas of India provide a guideline of what you should eat in order to optimise your positive characteristics. The practice of defining personality types stems far back into our history, to medieval times, when the predominant characterisation of personality types was into one of four temperaments.

  The ancient Greek Hippocrates, founder of the Hippocratic Oath, was the first to identify four humours; four bodily fluids that make up our physical constitution. These four humours – blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm – were not visible, but were more like life forces within a person. An imbalance of one of them caused an affiliated illness. So, an excess of phlegm would be responsible for a head cold. The goal of a physician was to restore the balance of humours for optimum health.

  Galen, the Greek/Roman physician (of around 131-200 AD) linked the four humours to four temperaments or personality types, the choleric, the melancholic, the sanguine and the phlegmatic. These four humours corresponded to the four elements of Fire, Earth, Air, and Water respectively, where a combination of the qualities warm, dry, cold and moist would be predominant in that element. So, a phlegmatic temperament would be associated with Water – that is cold and moist; a choleric was like Fire, hot and dry; a melancholic is fixed of the Earth, cold and dry; and a sanguine is linked to Air and is hot and moist. Apart from the odd bit of ancient knowledge that this Galenic medicinal theory has informed, most of it is considered outdated today. However, the personality characterisation still remains popular among many famous psychologists such as the behaviourist Ivan Pavlov or the differential psychologist Hans Eysenck.

  Rudolf Steiner, a leading spiritual authority, claimed the temperaments were an expression of our inner being that also manifested as a corresponding body type; temperaments “strike a balance between the eternal and the ephemeral”. It is for this reason that they are still felt to provide valuable insight into the way we are and the way we interact with others. You too can discover your humour, the key to your psyche. Almost everyone will be a combination of temperaments, although you are likely to have one dominant one that’s responsible for both your character, your outlook on life, how you interact with others and your physical build.

  Choleric

  Galenic-Hippocratic theory associates the choleric temperament with yellow bile or chole, a warm, dry fluid produced in the gallbladder. It is associated with the summer season, the months of July, August and September, and youthfulness. Cholerics were, therefore, believed to be hottempered, passionate types. They suffered from heavy knees and loins and colic in the belly. A medieval physician would treat choleric conditions with laxatives and emetics, sometimes potent enough to cause reactions more violent than the initial symptoms. Bitter was the taste of the choleric humour and bitter herbs, such as dandelion, are still used in our modern world in herbalism as an appetite stimulant.

  The choleric temperament, corresponding to the element of Fire, was appropriately depicted as a warrior in medieval times. Cholerics will be extroverted, excitable, restless, impulsive people as well as energetic, hardworking and honest. If you are choleric, you will be a person of action, someone who people can rely on to get the job done. You are courageous and determined; you believe in persevering until the end. Cholerics are divergent thinkers who are more fl exible and willing to compromise. Cholerics are also optimists in much the same way as sanguines, but can be a lot more assertive. They are resourceful, ambitious and have a determination that will make them successful at anything they want to achieve.

  Steiner sees the choleric temperament as being predominantly focused on the ego or ‘I’. He mentioned Napoleon as a typical choleric personality, who always had to have his own way. The short and stocky build of the choleric is explained by the predominance of the ego holding back the other physical and subtler bodies. Cholerics are muscular, strong individuals with a full, red, flushed complexion. They have sharply distinguished facial features with piercing eyes. Cholerics have a purposeful and rapid stride in their walk and in their approach to life.

  Melancholic

  The melancholic temperament was not highly thought of in medieval times. To be overwhelmed by such a black humour was to surrender to dejection and be incapable of worshipping and obeying God. Melancholics were considered self-centred and self-pitying individuals. Melancholic people were notoriously depressed, introspective, troubled and often in pain. An excess of black bile, a fluid believed to be a derivative of either yellow bile or blood and stored in the spleen, was responsible for melancholy, which produced extreme mental states and psychic disorders. These disorders led to apathy and a general unwillingness to act or speak. An excess of black bile could also create hypochondria. On a more positive note, the melancholic state was often associated with the contemplative thinker and governed by the planet Saturn. Saturn symbolised someone possessing a staunch willpower and wanting to keep to old ways and traditions. The melancholic temperament is, therefore, linked to the heaviest, least malleable of the elements, Earth. It’s the humour of maturity and the autumn months and is cold and dry. It is manifested in the taste of sour.

  In the 15th century, the melancholic would be depicted as a clerk, blinkered and bent over his work. Melancholics are obsessed with the bleak side of things and believe they have more worries than anyone else. As a melancholic, you may even go out of your way to find things to worry about. You will be introverted, reserved and have a quiet manner, shunning most inter-personal interaction. The scientists and specialists among you may be melancholic by nature. Melancholics are convergent thinkers, good at logical problem solving. You are conventional in your attitudes and rigid in your thinking, feeling and doing. Melancholics tend to be emotional and moody but persistent. A typical melancholic catchphrase might be ‘I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist’.

  According to Steiner, the melancholic temperament’s outward feature is the physical body. The physical body, which is intended to be an instrument for the soul, dominates. A melancholic perspective on life is reflected in their posture, the drooping shoulders, hanging head and dull eyes. The gait is firm but leaden.

  Sanguine

  According to ancient and medieval medicinal practice, sanguine people had an imbalance of the humour of blood, a fluid confusingly distinct from the blood that runs through the veins, that was produced in the liver. Sanguine people were youthful and born in the spring months of April, May and June. The sanguine humour was the most neutral of the fluids. It was believed to be manifested in the taste of salt. Sanguine temperaments were generally considered to have good health and mental balance, optimism, serenity and sensuousness.

  In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the sanguine temperament was personified as the jovial and extroverted Franklin. In medieval times, the sanguine was associated with the profession of being a courtier. The sanguine humour is linked to the element of Air. Consequently, if you have a sanguine temperament, you are likely to be flighty. Sanguine people are young at heart. Their attention is easily aroused initially, but will soon wane when the novelty has worn off. As a sanguine, therefore, you are impressionable, curious and sociable, but you have a tendency towards superficiality and procrastination.

  Similar to cholerics, sanguines are divergent thinkers; you are quick to find solutions to any problem and you are generally a jackof- all-trades with a can-do attitude. According to Steiner, the sanguine temperament is present in those people who focus around their astral body, that subtle body that links the nervous system with the cosmic reservoir of energy. Sanguines easily adapt themselves to their continual, changing flux of images, fluctuating feelings, ideas and sensations because the astral body and the nervous system dominate them. The sanguine person can be identified by their tall, elegant build with delicate bone structure and lean muscles. Most male and female fashion models are sanguines. Their facial expressions are expressive and changeable and they have lively, sparkling eyes.

  Phlegmatic

  The phlegmatic humour was a fluid that could be found anywhere in the body and was sometimes regarded as a by-product of blood. Those of a phlegmatic temperament were thought to have an excess of phlegm in the brain or lungs which resulted in sluggishness in the body. A phlegmatic was particularly prone to what Hippocrates referred to as ‘the sacred disease’, which would nowadays be recognised as epilepsy. Phlegm is moist and cold, associated with old age and the winter and its associated ailments of colds and flu. It is manifested in the taste of sweet.

  In the 15th century, the phlegmatic would be depicted as the merchant. Phlegmatics are linked to the element of Water. Like melancholics, they are introverted, thoughtful and convergent thinkers, but more stable in character. If you are a phlegmatic, you will be patient, cautious, reliable, easygoing, even-tempered and conservative. However, you have hidden depths that only the honoured few ever see. As a phlegmatic, you are extremely sensitive, but you will never show this and so you are difficult to provoke. Phlegmatics want to feel secure and so you are forever trying to attain a status quo. You seldom take the initiative in anything except food and drink as you will be a natural gourmet.

  According to Steiner, the phlegmatic temperament is primarily connected to the etheric body; the etheric or life body is the first layer of the aura and regulates growth and metabolism. The result is a sense of wellbeing. The more a person lives in his etheric body, the less he is interested in external events. Phlegmatics tend to have an inert physiognomy and be a bit on the plump side. According to Steiner, this is due to the activity of the etheric body that expresses an inner sense of comfort. Phlegmatics have round faces with watery eyes and a disinterested gaze. They have rounded chins and swollen noses.

  A match made in heaven

  The ideal combination in a relationship between the humours…

  • Cholerics and sanguines make a good partnership. The relationship can be explosive, but also rewarding as both temperaments have many things in common: their extroverted natures, go-getter attitude to life and divergent way of approaching problem solving. However, sanguines are spontaneous, whereas cholerics like to plan which could cause frustration but might well be a good balance.
  • Initially two sanguines together can create an atmosphere of tension with lots of disagreements and fallings out, but as time progresses and the two sanguines become accustomed to one another, their relationship will start to blossom.
  • Sanguine and phlegmatic combinations have the potential for a very good relationship. They are opposites, the one being flighty and adventurous, the other being stable and steadfast, but these opposite qualities may be what both of the partners are looking for.
  • Two phlegmatics together can make a good stable combination, although the stability can lead to an overbearing apathy and possibly dullness. There is likely to be minimal conversation between the two as there is very little to discuss, no fiery tempers and no one wanting to dominate the other.
  • Phlegmatics and cholerics are opposites, so at first sight this blend may not be ideal and may well be fraught with arguments and disagreements. The phlegmatic’s nonchalant response to the choleric’s anger may wind up the choleric. However, the passive phlegmatic will have no problem with the active choleric taking charge.
  • The combination of cholerics and melancholics can be compared to an irresistible force trying to strike an immovable object. Both parties have inflated egos and both are determined to get their own way. However, together they also make a lovely and caring couple who are both sympathetic towards each others’ struggles. The pessimistic approach of the melancholic may dishearten the choleric at times, but their optimism is difficult to sway.

  Relationships on the rocks

  Marry in haste, repent at leisure: relationships that could be rocky…

  • A sanguine and melancholic combination is like chalk and cheese. The eternal optimist sanguine may soon tire of the melancholic’s pessimistic outlook while the moody, sensitive melancholic may never forgive the flippant remarks of the sanguine. The sanguine will have little patience for the melancholic’s hypochondria. Essentially, if this relationship is to work, there will be much compromise involved which could result in resentment later on in life.
  • Melancholics and phlegmatics are an unlikely match. The demanding melancholic will seek to dominate the easy-going, placid and patient phlegmatic. The phlegmatic’s indifference will eventually lead to him or her going their own way, and this will irritate the melancholic, who seeks to control. The melancholic’s tolerance threshold is not very high and this indifferent attitude of the partner may lead to the melancholic becoming depressed and feeling powerless as the melancholic is unable to bring about any change in his or her phlegmatic partner. This relationship is a bit of a stalemate. Misery finds company: destructive but lasting relationships
  • Melancholics find interpersonal communication hard at the best of times and so two melancholics together will probably result in a lack of communication or respect for one another’s fears and phobias. On the other hand, if the needs of the other are appropriately acknowledged then only another melancholic can truly understand and sympathise with what it is they both require… which is somthing that the other three humours have little patience for! Melancholics are, after all, the most sensitive, sympathetic and compassionate of the four temperaments and this relationship has the potential to reach profound depths.
  • The union of two cholerics could be destructive as both are of an explosive nature and strong-willed. Neither of them is tolerant and both are prone to competitiveness, where they are both trying to outdo one another. However, they are both like-minded which will bond them and their innate kindness and compassion towards one another will surface in situations of dispute.
• 

  The secret language of jewellery
  

  A few more centuries were to pass before the sophistication of exchanging messages through jewellery developed to the level used by Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Although, it’s interesting that the jewel Henry gave Jane Seymour, his third wife, on their wedding day was an emerald and pearl pendant. The emeralds indicated love and fertility, the pearls patience, purity and peace. As this marriage took place a mere 10 days after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Jane would have understood the significance of this gift and taken the hint that, after the furore of Henry’s previous marriage, she should remain pliant and, hopefully, fertile. She was able to fulfil this role and, just over a year later, gave Henry his longed-for son and heir.

  While jewellery still has its very obvious symbols indicating wealth, status and religion, the more subtle language remains something of a mystery today. Yet, by embracing the ancient meanings of symbols and precious stones, it’s possible to communicate clearly and simply without words. How many women today, if given an engagement ring shaped like a snake, would think it was a beautiful gesture? Most would be appalled, but when Queen Victoria became engaged to Albert in 1839, this was exactly the style of ring she chose. The snake symbolised eternity, so the message within the ring was that Albert would love her forever.

  In fact, it was the Victorians who took the secret language of jewellery to a new level. The era was a period of great change and prosperity and jewellery was now available to the majority of the population. Added to this, the Victorians had a queen who was deeply in love with her prince and romance was thriving. Yet, as it was still necessary for young men and women to be chaperoned, they embraced the language of symbolism within jewellery to express their feelings – something they could not do vocally as lovers were rarely alone.

  Entire courtships could be carried out through secret messages in the tokens lovers exchanged. If a man was to present a woman with a heartshaped pendant studded with amethysts, she would understand it to mean he loved her with true devotion. While, if she reciprocated with a tiepin featuring a small robin with glittering rubies emblazoned on its red chest, the message would be: trust in the passion of my love. Forgetme- nots made from tiny sapphires were another popular jewelled memento, again usually in a brooch. If lovers had to be parted they could wear the brooch indicating to other potential suitors that they were pining for another who was absent. The Victorians were also very fond of wearing lockets and sometimes rings with a lock of a beloved’s hair inside. This was the ultimate expression of loyalty and often preceded an engagement.

  However, when Prince Albert died in 1861, the devastated Queen Victoria wore mourning jewellery made from Whitby jet. It was said this was because of its intense black colour – she wanted nothing to alleviate the sombre mood. Yet, jet is also considered to be a stone of sympathy, which aids with healing grief. It absorbs negative energy and, as our Scottish lady of 2150BC knew, offered protection.

  Not just for decoration

  Even today, jewellery is symbolic. Every day many people use it to identify themselves as part of a group or faith – whether it’s a Christian cross, a Jewish Star of David, a Kara (bracelet worn by Sikhs to encourage a calm spirit), a Muslim Allah necklace, an Egyptian ankh (key of life), a Jewish Hamsa pendant to ward off the evil eye or Thor’s hammer to represent the heathen religion of Odinism – the meaning is instant.

  We still have rituals surrounding jewellery, which are of huge signifi cance. The wedding ring is the culmination of the marriage service and is also a public display of your relationship status. The reason the ring is worn on the third fi nger of the left hand is largely due to the Ancient Egyptians. They understood that the vein from this fi nger leads directly to the heart, so to wear a ring on this fi nger, given to you by the person you love, indicates your heart belongs to them.

  Modern trends for using images from nature within jewellery – including a sea creatureinspired collection by Fabergé – are inspired by the old Victorian styles. While the secret code of jewellery may have slipped out of our minds on a subconscious level, there is something instinctive about adorning ourselves with items from nature; fi tting ourselves into our natural surroundings rather than viewing ourselves as separate. The symbolism and signifi cance of jewellery link us through the centuries to our deepest roots. Perhaps by listening to our instincts when choosing a piece of jewellery, we too can learn that it’s far more than decoration. It can be a link with the distant past and a sincere expression of our most personal feelings.
  

  Find your perfect piece

  First ask yourself these questions:

  • What kind of jewellery do I want – necklace, bracelet, ring, earrings?
  • Will I wear this piece for special occasions or every day?
  • Will it represent an event, show my allegiance to a cause or belief or is it purely decorative?
  • Am I drawn to any particular shapes, designs or colours?
  • How much do I want to spend? (A bit boring but essential)

  Write down your answers and see what images spring to mind. Write down any colours and draw shapes. Then comes the fun part of looking. Research styles on the Internet and browse shops, antique fairs and auctions. Don’t rush – allow yourself to find the piece and for the piece to find you.

  When you see something you like, try it on, handle it. See how it feels. If, once you’ve put it on, it feels wrong, then it isn’t the correct piece for you. Don’t be discouraged – keep looking

  You’ll know when you’ve found the right piece because it’ll feel right. Putting it on, you will immediately feel happy, as though you’ve been reunited with something you lost long ago.

  The secret jewellery code

  Arrow – Love
  Bee – Wisdom and faithfulness
  Bird – Soulmate
  Boat – Protection through life’s stormy seas
  Butterfly – Reunion
  Dog – Fidelity
  Feather – My soul is yours
  Ivy – Marriage
  Robin – Trust
  Starfish – Love stronger than tides
  Twinned bird – Two souls flying
  together for eternity

  Gemstones

  Agate – Success and happiness
  Amethyst – Devotion
  Coral – Protection against evil
  Diamond – Constancy
  Emerald – Hope and fertility
  Opal – Fidelity. If a lover is unfaithful the stone will shrink and fall from its setting revealing the betrayal.
  Pearls – Tears, patience and purity
  Ruby – Passion. In Sanskrit, rubies were called ‘ratnaraj’ – ‘king of precious stones’
  Sapphire – Truth and chastity

  Precious metals

  Gold – Wealth, health and success
  Silver – Unconditional love, sensitivity, balance and patience
  Platinum – Endurance, dreams coming true, courage

  Famous jewels

  The Koh-i-Noor diamond

  Supposedly found more than 5,000 years ago in India, this 105-carat gem is reputed to carry a curse. A Hindu text from 1306 reads, “He who owns [it] will own the world but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.” All the men who owned it either lost their throne or suffered other misfortunes. Queen Victoria was the only reigning monarch to wear the gem, mounted in a brooch.

  Harry Winston’s peacock brooch

  Winston was passionate about adorning women with precious stones, saying, “If I could, I’d attach the diamonds directly on to a woman’s skin.” Completed in the 60s, his peacock brooch has a 32- carat opal body, diamond neck and tail feathers of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, all set in gold. The peacock means power and acknowledgement of beauty; all the stones represent intense, passionate and constant love.

  Wallis Simpson’s panther bracelet

  Made of onyx and diamond, this was designed in 1952 by Toussaint and Lemarchand. Given to her after the abdication of her lover Edward VIII, it’s been said the bracelet was designed to reflect Simpson’s image as a sexual predator.
  
  
  

• 

  CHILDREN OF THE EVOLUTION: INDIGOS, CRYSTALS AND RAINBOWS

  Indigo, rainbow and crystal children are the new generation who are leading us through an evolution in global consciousness, as Prediction’s Deputy Editor Gemma Birss finds out…

  If you’re reading this article, you were probably an indigo child. Known as the pioneers of our age, indigo children are said to be guiding humanity through an evolution of consciousness into a new era. It’s said that they started being born around 100 years ago, with a significant number arriving on the planet in the 70s, defining the current age bracket of thirtysomething adults today. Indigo children continued to be born until around the year 2000, bringing with them increasing levels of sensitivity and intelligence. Definitions of indigo children include that they are creative, empathic, curious, determined, independent and quirky individuals with a strong sense of identity and a feisty warrior spirit. They demonstrate an interest in spirituality or paranormal phenomena from an early age and are sometimes psychically gifted. Highly intelligent and intuitive, they often rebel against authority and question social rules and roles. Because of their high levels of intelligence, indigo children are easily bored and, therefore, can be disruptive at school. Added to this, they don’t cope well in conventional school systems because of their resistance to established social codes and mistrust of authority.

  The concept of indigo children was developed in the 70s by psychic Nancy Ann Tappe in her book Understanding Your Life through Colour. Nancy was diagnosed with the neurological condition synesthesia, which means that there are ‘abnormalities’ in the body’s sensory system where two or more senses are ‘cross wired’. In colour synesthesia, some aspects of reality, like letters or numbers, are perceived as possessing an inherent colour. Nancy’s condition allowed her to see particular types of people as having different colours, depending on their nature and lifestyle. She honed her synesthetic perceptions into a formal structure of information that she could then share with others. The closest parallel that we may be able to equate this system to is aura colours although, according to Nancy, this is a very tenuous comparison.

  During the 60s, Nancy noticed that many children were being born with the indigo colour. She described these indigo children as being recognisable from a very early age by their large, clear eyes and bright, precocious nature. She described them as a bridge to our future, integral to uplifting the planetary vibrations and guiding humanity to a new level of consciousness. According to Nancy, those born with the ‘indigo’ label portray the energy pattern of behaviour that now exists in over 95 per cent of children born in the past 20 years. In other words, most young adults today were born indigo children. Nancy divides indigo children into four categories. Indigo humanists (which include Barack Obama and Prince William) are the good-natured socialites of the indigo children.

  Being enthusiastic and impulsive, they love people and physical activity, and have a tendency towards hyperactivity. They resent long work hours and prefer a relaxed approach in the office. Indigo artists (like Serena and Venus Williams) are high-maintenance. Dramatic princesses, they love attention, expensive things and fashion. They zone out when disciplined and withdraw when stressed. Indigo conceptualists have a mission to introduce new technologies, designs and mechanical processes. Generally architects, IT experts and designers, they are genii when it comes to computers and electronics. They are controlling and generally use people to get what they want. Catalyst indigos are the rarest type of indigo child. They bring in new philosophies and religions. With a thick, heavy body, catalyst indigos are easy-going, but have a fiery temper. Their thought processes are different from the norm. They often make strange sound effects and can be considered eccentric or weird.

  Jan Tober and Lee Carroll explored Nancy’s life colour system further in their book The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, released in 1999. This book has established itself as the primary source of information on indigo children. Tober and Carroll linked the concept of indigo children with the increasing diagnoses of Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the Western world. This disorder affects three to fi ve per cent of children across the world and is most common in school children, causing them to be hyperactive and disruptive. There are a number of speculated causes of ADHD; diet, home situation or genetics, to name a few, but no defi nitive trigger has been identifi ed. Nancy explains that while not all indigo children suffer from ADHD, individuals with this colour certainly resonate at a higher frequency than other ‘colours’. It is argued that in response to the speeding up of time on our planet, indigo children are genetically engineered to cope with the increasing pace of life and their behaviour may refl ect this. Nancy states that indigo children from the humanist category are more likely to tend towards hyperactivity and ADHD.

  Tober and Carroll note that the increasing diagnoses of ADHD, rather than being a negative phenomenon, signify that children are at a new stage of evolution to their predecessors. They are the ‘new humans’, notably different from the generations of youngsters who went before them. Consequently, they require a different approach to care and attention rather than a simple dose of Ritalin, which is the drug commonly prescribed for ADHD. Tober and Carroll describe indigo children as displaying “a new and unusual set of psychological attributes, revealing a pattern of behaviour generally undocumented before. This pattern has singularly unique factors that call for parents and teachers to change their treatment and upbringing of these kids to assist them in achieving balance and harmony in their lives, and to help them avoid frustration.”

  The link between ADHD and the new evolution of human was leapt on by skeptics, who considered ‘indigo child’ to be a pseudoscientifi c label commandeered by the anxious parents of children with learning diffi culties and psychological issues. According to skeptics, the label is a way for parents to avoid dealing with the matter at hand, therefore justifying their child’s improper, inappropriate or extreme behaviour. Added to this, critics considered the list of indigo child traits (see left) to be vague enough to apply to almost anyone. However, if indigo children are not recognised for what they are, they will reach adulthood with a whole new set of diffi cult issues. It is far more helpful if the parents recognise their child’s condition early on, in order to better guide them to achieve balance and harmony in their lives rather than frustration. Older indigos often succumb to drug addiction and depression in reaction to the sense that they don’t belong in the established social structure. Their mission on the planet is to change things, so they often fi nd themselves hitting out at the system, which can be frustrating and stressful.

  Renowned angel expert Doreen Virtue has also explored the concept of indigo children, describing them as “highly sensitive and psychic, with important life purposes”. According to her book on the subject, the main difference between ‘normal’ children and indigos is their temperament. Indigos have a feisty warrior spirit, as their collective purpose is to beat down outdated systems that no longer serve our planet. They are here to quash any social system that lacks integrity. To accomplish this, they need hot tempers and fi ery determination. Adults who resist change and who value conformity and the status quo may misunderstand indigo children, preferring to diagnose them with ADHD and dull their passion with medications. Unfortunately, when medicated, the indigos often lose their sensitivity, intuition and warrior spirit.

  Doreen Virtue goes on to describe the supposedly new generation of indigo children in her book The Crystal Children. Although Nancy Tappe refutes the claim that there are children with new colours, saying that crystal and rainbow children are actually still indigo (and may well be a new type of indigo child), it is worth considering predecessors, crystal children are sensitive and empathic, but their demeanour is more peaceful. Generally easy-going, crystal children benefi t from the path that the indigos forged into a more enlightened world.

  Born from around 1995, crystal children are considered to be popular, adored and have magnetic personalities. They are late talkers, using telepathy to communicate in their early years and consequently may be diagnosed with autism. They are said to have an interest in crystals and stones, but more generally a love of nature and the outdoors. They are artistic and creative, and are drawn to music. Still young at this stage, crystal children will transmute society as they grow up. The role of the crystal child is to reveal to us our own Divinity. They function on the level of unity consciousness, hence their propensity for telepathic communication.

  Following the crystals, the rainbow children are said to be the third generation of gifted children, with very few currently incarnated on the planet. They are generally born to crystal adults and are unique in that they carry no Karma, so they have no need to choose chaotic childhoods to enable them to spiritually grow. They are not born to dysfunctional families and are about trust and fearlessness. Their mission on the planet is to complete the evolutionary work that was started by indigo and crystal children.

  Like indigo and crystal children, rainbow children have strong wills and spirited personalities. They need these qualities to build the new world on the foundations of peace and harmony laid down by the crystal and indigo children. They have a lot of energy, which they often channel into creative pursuits. They love colour and are fi lled with enthusiasm for life. They are good manifestors with an uncanny talent for telepathy and healing. Like their crystal predecessors, they are sensitive and loving. Apparently a large influx of rainbow children will occur from 2010 to 2030.

  Doreen Virtue describes these rainbow children as, “perfectly balanced in their male and female energies.” She explains that they are confi dent without being aggressive and intuitive without effort. They are magical and can bend time, become invisible, and go without sleep and food for long periods. Crystal children are sensitive and vulnerable to allergies and rashes, while rainbow children will overcome this. They operate out of joy rather than need or impulse. In this sense, rainbow babies’ energy is one of giving to parents, and not of neediness. Parents will realise that they cannot out-give their rainbow child, for these children are a mirror of all actions born from love. Whatever loving thoughts, feelings and actions you send to them are magnified and returned 100-fold.

  If you feel that as an indigo, you got a bit of a raw deal, fret not. Those born as indigos are now transitioning to crystal and are said to be undergoing a spiritual transformation that ignites their Christ consciousness – an evolved state of being which recognises that all is one. The indigos are joining the crystal children in their plight for evolutionary change. Furthermore, those who weren’t born indigo may find themselves evolving into crystals as they undergo the wave of spiritual awakening that is currently unfurling across the planet. It seems that whoever we were as children, we will all become children of the evolution.

  Nancy Ann Tappe’s Life Colours

  Psychic and parapsychologist Nancy Ann Tappe’s unique neurological condition synesthesia allows her to see a person’s life colour. Unlike an aura, this colour remains with the individual for their entire life, defining their purpose and life lessons during their time on the planet…

  Magenta, red, pink, lavender and orange are physical life colours and relate to action people. They are the doers and are most common in previous generations where the focus of life was on physical activity, like farming and hunting for food

  Yellow, tan and green are mental life colours and belong to those who think, plan and articulate with words. They are the academics and politicians. They observe, discriminate and evaluate

  Blue and violet are spiritual life colours, relating to idealists who are on the planet to live and work creatively. They are judgmental, tending to judge and pass judgement easily

  Indigo and crystal are floaters. They have no life lessons to learn and are the bridge to the future. They come during times of transformation to assist others to learn their life lessons.
  Find out more about Nancy’s life colours at www.nancyanntappe.com