Metro Pulse/Snarls/Agents of Orange, Orange Oui

Comment
on this story

Would a big orange, by any other aura, seem as sweet?

by Scott McNutt

A web site I found (utsports.fansonly.com) had this to say about UT's colors: "The colors Orange and White were selected by Charles Moore, a member of the first football team in 1891, and were later approved by a vote of the student body. The colors were those of the common American daisy which grew in profusion on The Hill." Of orange, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, says "orange n [ME, fr. MF, fr. Oprov aurunja, fr. Ar naranj, fr. Per narang, fr. Skt naranga orange tree] 1a: a globose berry with a yellowish to reddish orange rind and a sweet edible pulp..." Such are the prosaic facts of UT's iconic hue. But are these pallid details all there is to orange?

I decided to delve deeper into the world of orange. And I found that orange is everywhere. There are orange trees, orange groves, orange juices, Orange Juliuses, orange crushes, orange peels, and FedEx Orange Bowls. There are orange blossoms, Orange beaches, Orange counties, East Oranges, West Oranges, and orangutangs. There are orange slices, orange sherbets, Orangeries, Orangemen, Agent Oranges, Clockwork Oranges, and Williams of Orange. Most importantly, there are orange auras.

And, you ask, what are orange auras? I dunno. But, based on what I found at the Aura-Soma web site (www.aura-soma.co.uk), I'd say ol' Charlie Moore was sniffing more than the daisies when he chose orange as the Vols' signature shade. Some concepts Aura-Soma preaches in its "Teachings on Orange" are:

KEY INSIGHTS: ...Deep insight and ecstasy. The physicality of the RED combined with the self-knowledge of YELLOW. I think we can all agree the importance of "the self-knowledge of YELLOW" is so self-evident it warrants no further discussion.

A METAPHORIC VIEW: ...Renunciation/Divinity (the robes of Buddhist monks). Dedication and devotion to a higher ideal. As we look beyond the material level, we start...aspiring to higher levels...Trust. Acceptance. Bonding...Orange calls in our whole relationship to all life... This aspect of orange exactly reflects the UT football program. Winning a national championship is a higher ideal, right? Team players trust, accept and bond with each other, right? Football is often used as a metaphor for our relationship with all of life, right? And Coach Fulmer's charge was to "take the program to the next level," right? I wonder how he'd look in the robes of a Buddhist monk, though. Like a Big Orange Buddha, probably.

POSSIBLE ORANGE ISSUES: Orange asks the question: "Where and how do I fit in to the whole human context?" The consciousness has either yet to be transformed and you are refusing to look at it, or you have already transmuted it. If I have to explain this, then your consciousness has yet to be transformed, bub.

SPIRITUAL BODY MEANING: From the yellow component comes Insight and self- knowledge...In the Orange component, one finds...the willingness to belong to a team effort. Gregariousness in spirit...group consciousness...Bliss. The social color. Connects us to our etheric body... If this description of "spiritual body meaning" doesn't convince you that our Holy Ghost is a Big Orange shade, you just don't have enough "yellow component" to understand.

MENTAL BODY MEANING: ...Deep insights. Orange increases oxygen flow through the...brain which helps with clarity on a mental level. Wasn't Charlie Moore gifted with astounding inner vision to foresee that, by choosing orange as the school color, he was giving UT increased oxygen flow to the brain? Too bad the Gators wear orange, too. We can only hope Spurrier's visor cuts off his blood flow. That's probably why he's always taking it off and throwing it.

EMOTIONAL BODY MEANING: "Gut feelings". Spontaneous (red) wisdom. Sexuality for pleasure and joy, not with the intent to conceive. Excitement...Deep delight... And you wondered what all that butt-slapping was about.

RECOMMENDED CRYSTALS : Agate. Amber. Coral. Topaz. THIS...this is the one aspect of orange that's missing from UT football. UT needs to adopt a Crystal Mascot. I vote for Amber, UT's Petrified-Tree-Sap-with-Bugs-in-It Mascot. An Amber Mascot will give us what all true Vol fans have been longing for: "The self-knowledge of YELLOW." That'll take us to the next level.