Large Blue Elephant Pottery Essential Oil Burner

Blue (23) - Truth, peace, wisdom
Colours can affect our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states, both consciously and unconsciously. We can use colours to help us feel better, to inject an element of vitality into our life, or to calm strong feelings and promote a sense of peace and relaxation.

The colour blue is typically associated with a range of emotions and states of being including: calmness, purity, truth, wisdom, depression and peace. Different people perceive colours in different ways, so you may have other associations, which are equally valid.

In Buddhism blue is linked to wisdom, and in Hebrew traditions it's associated with mercy. Both Christ, and the Virgin Mary, have both been depicted wearing shades of blue, representing their detachment from worldly goods, materialism and possessions. Blue is the colour of the sky and as such is associated with a sense of peace, freedom and calmness.

The ancient Egyptians regarded blue as being the colour of truth, and the images painted on the walls of their tombs were on a sky-blue background. It's also a colour that's been linked to scores of gods, particularly sky gods, such as the Egyptian Amun, the Greek Zeus, Roman Jupiter, the Hindu Indra, Vishnu and his incarnation, Krishna (who was said to have blue skin).

When people are feeling low in spirits or depressed they're often said to be, "feeling blue." It's thought this phrase may stem from the twilight blues songs sung by African slaves whilst being held captive in North America.

In the case of the chakras, blue represents the throat chakra.

Elephant (5) - Wisdom, loyalty, intelligence
The elephant is one of the most popular and best known animal symbols. Elephants are highly regarded as being a symbol of loyalty - as they tend to stick together - and of strength and power, as they're one of the largest and most powerful creatures. They're known for their intelligence and wisdom too (they live long lives) and, the classic phrase, "Elephants never forget," reflects an elephant's intellect and memory abilities. Due to this, anything associated with an elephant makes a great gift for a special friend, signifying that you'll never forget them or their kindness.

Many people also regard the elephant symbol as lucky and something that could bring them good luck, especially ornaments or statues that feature raised trunks. Elephants feature in Buddhism, as Buddha chose a white elephant as one of his incarnations, and they're considered as being holy, patient and wise.

Elephants are very important in Thailand, both in the culture and way of life, and are regarded as a symbol of power and peace. In the late 17th century, a Thai king had 20,000 elephants trained ready to do battle in war. A white elephant still features today on the flag of the Royal Thai navy.

Overall, anything involving elephants, such as a mini statues, ornament or jewellery, is good to have around and promotes positive feelings of loyalty, wisdom and strength, reminding us that we have much to learn from elephants.