Aura (paranormal)

In parapsychology and many forms of spiritual practice an aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object like the halo or aureola of religious art. [http://parapsych.org/glossary_a_d.html Parapsychological Association website, Glossary of Key Words Frequently Used in Parapsychology, Retrieved January 24, 2006] The depiction of such an aura in religious art usually connotes a person of particular power or holiness.

According to the literature of movements (such as Theosophy, Anthroposophy, Archeosophy, etc.) each color of the aura has a precise meaning, indicating a precise emotional state. A complete description of the Aura and its colors was provided by Charles Leadbeater, a theosophist of the 19th century. [LeadBeater, Charles: "Man: Visible and Invisible", 1902.] The works of Leadbeater were later developed by Palamidessi [Palamidessi, Tommaso: "The Occult Constitution of Man and Woman", 1968.] and others.

Skeptics such as Robert Todd Carroll say that auras may be seen for explainable reasons such as migraines or synaesthesia. [http://www.skepdic.com/auras.html "The Skeptic's Dictionary" by Robert Todd Carroll, entry on auras, Retrieved Oct 13, 2007] Some people see auras as the result of a migraine, epilepsy, a visual system disorder, or a brain disorder.cite web | last = Deprez | first = L. et al. | title = Familial occipitotemporal lobe epilepsy and migraine with visual aura | url= http://neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/23/1995 | accessdate=16 July | accessyear=2007] cite web | last = Hill | first = Donna L. et al. | title = Most Cases Labeled as "Retinal Migraine" Are Not Migraine | url= http://www.jneuro-ophthalmology.com/pt/re/jneuroophth/abstract.00041327-200703000-00002.htm;jsessionid=GhrQLFv3rNwf4Jn7BmDjDxh3LGxwfLpVVvswDrV41nRTlPpdQY7M!675572714!181195628!8091!-1 | accessdate=16 July | accessyear=2007] Eye fatigue can also produce an aura, sometimes to referred to as "eye burn". (See Aura (symptom) and synesthesia.)

Background

W.E. Butler has connected auras with clairvoyance and etheric, mental, and emotional emanations. He classifies aura into two main types: etheric and spiritual. [Butler, W.E.: "How to Read the Aura", pp 181-182. Destiny Books, 1978.] Robert Bruce classifies auras into three types: etheric, main, and spiritual. [Bruce, Robert: "Auric Mechanics and Theory", "Capturing the Aura," pp 301-303. Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2000.] Various books have been written that derive various personality traits based upon the specific colors of the different layers of the aura. [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.] 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. [Butler, W.E.: "How to Read the Aura", page 183. Destiny Books, 1978.] 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 unless some portion of the person or object emitting the aura can also be seen. [Bruce, Robert: "Auric Mechanics and Theory", "Capturing the Aura," pp 293-296. Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2000.]

Debunkers of paranormal activity deny claims of the existence of auras, labeling them pseudoscience. One test, which was televised, [cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZeQGld5QBU |title=James Randi tests an aura reader|accessdate=2008-01-14] involved an "aura" reader standing on one side of a room with an opaque partition separating her from a number of slots which might contain either actual people or mannequins. The aura reader failed to identify which partitions had which behind them, claiming that all were concealing people. [cite web|url=http://skepdic.com/auras.html |title= auras|accessdate=2006-12-15|work=The Skeptic's Dictionary] According to Bruce's criteria for the visibility of the aura, this test would have been impossible.

See also

* Afterimage
* Astral Body
* Aura (symptom)
* Aureola
* Chakra
* Clairvoyance
* Energy medicine
* Energy (spirituality)
* Etheric Body
* Indigo children
* Walter Kilner
* Kirlian Photography of Semyon Davidovich Kirlian
* Kosha
* Kundalini
* List of basic parapsychology topics
* Mana
* Medical intuitive
* Odic force
* Parapsychology
* Prana
* Qi
* Synesthesia
* Succubus
* Energy vampire
* Spirit possession

Notes

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.
* Swami Panchadasi, "The Human Aura. Astral Colors and Thought Forms", Advanced Thought Publishing, Chicago, 1916. ( [https://dlib.stanford.edu:6521/text1/dd-ill/human-aura.pdf PDF] )

External links

* [http://www.archeosofica.org/en/content/view/136/37/ The Colors of the Aura] article from T.Palamidessi
* [http://www.starstuffs.com/innerwisdom/3rdWisdom.html Exercises to See Auras for Energy Awareness]
* [http://skepdic.com/auras.html Auras in the "Skeptic's dictionary"]
* [http://skepdic.com/kirlian.html Kirlian Photography in the "Skeptic's Dictionary"]