Aura (paranormal)
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In parapsychology, spirituality and New Age belief, an aura is a subtle field of luminous multicolored radiation surrounding a person or object as a cocoon or halo.[1] An aura may be held to represent or be composed of soul vibrations or chakras, and may reflect the moods or thoughts of the person it surrounds. As with all paranormal phenomena, the existence of auras is highly controversial.
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[edit] Background
It is believed that auras may be viewed by the naked eye, though some psychics, like Edgar Cayce, believe this ability weakens with age. Focused training may be undergone in an attempt to improve one's ability to see auras. Layers of aura are seen as separate and distinct, yet connected to all the remaining layers.
W.E. Butler has connected auras with clairvoyance and etheric, mental, and emotional emanations. He classifies aura into two main types: etheric and spiritual.[2] Robert Bruce classifies auras into three types: etheric, main, and spiritual.[3] Various books have been written that derive various personality traits based upon the specific colors of the different layers of the aura.[4][5] Auras are thought to be related to the etheric subtle body and to serve as a visual measure of the state of the health of the physical body.[6] Auras are not thought to be actual light but a translation of other unknown sensory readings that is added to our visual processing. According to Bruce they are not seen in complete darkness and cannot be seen if some portion of the person or object emitting the aura cannot also be seen.[7]
[edit] Science and auras
Ancient shamanic and modern New Age metaphysics identify the aura as electromagnetic fields. The existence of electromagnetic fields around all living and many nonliving objects is purportedly demonstrated through Kirlian photography.
It is controversial whether or not humans can see these electromagnetic fields, perhaps as colors, with the naked eye. This claim is considered paranormal because devices that sense electromagnetic fields at magnitudes many times smaller than that which allegedly exists in auras have recorded nothing.
Debunkers of paranormal activity deny claims of the existence of auras. James Randi, for example, has for many years offered one million US dollars to any person capable of repeatedly detecting auras; no one has yet succeeded, although at least one person has tried and failed (see The $1 million challenge). One such test, which was televised, involved one aura reader standing on one side of a room with an opaque partition separating her from a number of slots which may contain either actual people or mannequins. The aura reader failed to identify which partitions had which behind them, by claiming that all were concealing people. [8]
[edit] Perceiving auras
Some people see auras as the result of a migraine, epilepsy, a visual system disorder, or a brain disorder. Eye fatigue can also produce an effect similar to the claimed aura. (See Aura (symptom) and synesthesia.)
[edit] General Human Perception
It is thought that perceiving auras is not limited to a few select humans, but like all other senses, is accessible by all. Like any other sense, concentration and focus is important in learning to fine tune first, the perception of, and later, the reading, of auras. Every human will perceive and interpret auras differently, hence the controversy between well (and lesser) known psychics and mediums.
In order to begin perceiving auras one must clear one's mind. Find a nice spot outside on a sunny day with few clouds and look up into the sky. Relax your vision and let your eye's focus begin to waver. After a few moments (the length of time will depend on an individual's sensitivity) one will be observe flashy "dots" or points of light that seem to move in erratic fashion. It is not known exactly what they are, or how they function, but it is assumed that they are a form of information-energy that the universe uses to communicate and replenish itself. Begin to observe these "dots" around the perimeter of a tree and one will perceive that they dart in and out of the tree.
If an individual really desires to learn to see energy and auras, it will come. Like everything else time and effort is involved, as well as an open mind.
1 Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Barbara Brennan
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://parapsych.org/glossary_a_d.html Parapsychological Association website, Glossary of Key Words Frequently Used in Parapsychology, Retrieved January 24, 2006
- ^ Butler, W.E.: How to Read the Aura, pp 181-182. Destiny Books, 1978.
- ^ Bruce, Robert: Auric Mechanics and Theory, "Capturing the Aura," pp 301-303. Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2000.
- ^ Oslie, Pamala: Life Colors, What the Colors in Your Aura Reveal, New World Library, 2000.
- ^ Bowers, Barbara, Ph.D: What Color Is Your Aura? Personality Spectrums for Understanding and Growth, Pocket Books, 1989.
- ^ Butler, W.E.: How to Read the Aura, page 183. Destiny Books, 1978.
- ^ Bruce, Robert: Auric Mechanics and Theory, "Capturing the Aura," pp 293-296. Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2000.
- ^ auras. The Skeptic's Dictionary. Retrieved on December 15, 2006.
[edit] References
- Alfred, Jay, “Our Invisible Bodies: Scientific Evidence for Subtle Bodies”, Trafford Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-412-06326-4.
- Baltz, Jennifer and Carl Edwin Lindgren, Eds. (1997). Aura awareness: What your aura says about you. Nevada City, CA: Blue Dolphin Publishing. (ISBN 0-9652490-5-0)
- Brennan, Barbara Ann, Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Bantam, 1988, ISBN 0-553-34539-7.
- Brennan, Barbara Ann, Light Emerging : The Journey of Personal Healing, Bantam, 1993, ISBN 0-553-35456-6.
- Cayce, Edgar, Auras, ARE Press, 2002, ISBN 0-87604-012-1.
- Kilner, Walter J., The Human Aura, Citadel Press, 1965, ISBN 0-8065-0545-1.
- Krippner, Stanley and Rubin, Daniel, The Kirlian Aura: Photographing the Galaxies of Life, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1974, ISBN 0-385-06574-4.
- Larson, Cynthia Sue, Aura Advantage, Adams Media, 2004, ISBN 1-58062-945-8.
- Leadbeater, C.W., The Chakras, Theosophical Publishing House, 1987, ISBN 0-8356-0422-5.
- Carl Edwin Lindgren, Ed. (1999). Capturing your aura: Integrationg science, technology, and science. Nevada City, CA: Blue Dolphin Publishing. (ISBN 0-9652490-6-9).
- Carl Edwin Lindgren (1995). A review of Aura imaging photography by Johannes Fisslinger. Journal of Religion and Psychical Research, Volume 18, Number 1:49-50.
- Carl Edwin Lindgren (1995 Jan.). Capturing your aura on film. Fate, 48(1), 32-35.
- Moss, Thelma, The Body Electric: A Personal Journey into the Mysteries of Parapsychological Research, Bioenergy, and Kirlian Photography, Los Angeles, J.P. Tarcher, 1979, ISBN 0-87477-109-9.
- Panchadasi, Swami, The Human Aura. Astral Colors and Thought Forms, Advanced Thought Publishing, Chicago, 1916. (PDF)
