Indigo Pillows for a Midsummer Mood

Indigo is the “peace that surpasses all understanding,” being protective, benevolent, gentle, and cooling. It governs our higher psychic activities, insight, wisdom, and assists us in navigating deep changes.

It relates to the third eye, where the pituitary gland is located. Indigo relates to self responsibility of one’s own life, to following the soul’s path, and trusting one’s own intuition. It inspires the ability to see things from a ‘higher’ viewpoint rather than purely for satisfaction of the ego or one’s material comfort. In indigo, we feel a resonant sense of unity and clarity. Indigo relates to self-expression through speech and communication, and is the very essence of truth and purpose.

Indigo dye is among the oldest to be used for dying textiles and making prints, and was first documented in history as being used in Huaca Prieta, Peru. Since its discovery, indigo dye has been used in the ancient civilizations of Japan, India and Southeast Asian countries, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and Africa.

The color indigo is named after the indigo dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. Indigofera tinctoria, also called true indigo, has been naturalized to be cultivated in tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Since it is a legume, it is also widely used as a soil-improving ground cover, and is rotated into fields similarly to alfalfa and other beans. Dye is obtained through processing the leaves through fermentation.