Part Two of Four, based on The Spirit of Health: Mind-to-Toe Self-Care for Women
AURAS Although our life force energy is usually thought of as invisible, many people are becoming curious and more comfortable with the concept of visualizing this energy field, called the “aura.” When a person’s mind opens to this possibility, it is often followed by the ability to actually see auras. Sometimes the phrase “human aura” is used, but all living beings emit an aura, since it is life force. Our energy and our aura can become attached to objects as well. Like fingerprints, bits of energy can remain behind and radiate on objects and in places. Psychometry is the ability to obtain information psychically by touching objects, and “reading” the energy-imprint left behind. As an example, I was doing handwriting analysis at a group function and they also had a psychometrist there. When this woman held my amethyst crystal, she commented, “I feel that someone died while holding this.” She was certainly correct; years prior my father had a fatal stroke, and was in a coma for three days. When I visited him, I would place my crystal in his hand and talk to him. The morning he died, my crystal was in his hand.
Many people are blessed with the ability to see auras around themselves and other people. Children often see auras, sometimes describing them as “lights around people,” usually assuming that everyone else sees them, too. As a child, I remember sometimes seeing colored lights around people, but then the ability seemed to fade to that of seeing only a clear energy field, sometimes referred to as the “etheric body.” This is the first layer of the multi-layered phenomena of the aura. Usually seen radiating around the head and shoulders of a person, about half an inch in width or wider, it looks like clear light—sort of shimmery—and it moves along with the person, with somewhat of a trailing effect.
It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I began to see colors again in a person’s aura. This is considered the second layer in the auric field, and is called the “emotional body.” It usually surrounds the head, shoulders and upper body, and seems to radiate out farther and wider than the etheric or first layer. In this layer, a person’s predominant personality color stands out. Most people have a base color that remains constant in their aura, but sometimes if fluctuates between two or three colors.
When I began to see colors again, I first saw my own in a full-length mirror. I was vacuuming, and I remember being very angry with my husband. I was furiously vacuuming and thinking, fuming about our problems, and I glanced up at myself in the mirror. I saw myself, but I was surrounded by an emerald green glow all around my head and shoulders. I was stunned. I turned the vacuum off and just stared into the mirror. The more I looked, the more vivid the green became. I felt a rush of knowledge come over me, the kind I call “from an outside source.” At that moment I knew that I too was to blame for our problems and that my own attitude was making things worse. In that instant I felt not guilt, but compassion—compassion for my husband and for myself, for our humanness—and I was able to let go of the negative energy I was storing and move on. Often along with the ability of seeing auras comes the gift of “knowing” things that do not come from your intellect, but rather from your spirit, your inner wisdom.
Auras are often seen more easily in bright sunlight, in a room with bright overhead lighting, or on a stage setting. I’ve noticed that just as certain lights can emphasize the brilliance of a diamond, so it is with the aura. When my daughter was in grade school, I was at her choir concert. All the kids were lined up and standing on a set of bleachers; I commented to my husband that one particular little girl’s energy looked “funny.” He raised one eyebrow and said, “What do you mean?” And I said, “Well, her aura was there a minute ago, and now it’s gone.” Just then the girl fainted and promptly fell off of the bleachers! She turned out to be fine; it was just a case of stage fright. But it was clear: her energy crashed and so did she.
A few years ago, James Redfield wrote a book called The Celestine Prophecy. This book dealt primarily with the concept of energy and the auric field. For a book of “fiction,” it caused quite a delicious stir. When I read this book I remember feeling that the theory behind the fiction was a glimpse at Aquarian Age fact. I felt spiritual relief as Redfield described things that I had experienced in my own life relating to the human energy field. He talked about people ”sending energy” to each other, something I had witnessed myself.
For example, I was at a presentation where an elderly woman was speaking about women’s history. There was another woman sitting several rows in front of me with a beautiful aura around her. I noticed that she was sending the most exquisite stream of energy toward the speaker. I remember thinking, “They must know each other; there’s got to be some connection or bond between them.” At the conclusion, the speaker then introduced this woman in the audience, and together they reminisced about their wonderful experiences together acting in summer plays when they were younger!
Sometimes ideas emerge as “fiction” or “science fiction,” and later are validated by scientists. In The Celestine Prophecy, Redfield describes experiments where people “send energy” to plants, making them grow not only faster than those of the control group, but actually increasing the nutrient content of their harvests. In Dr. Larry Dossey’s groundbreaking book, Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing, he describes experiments dubbed “the green-thumb studies.” Dr. Bernard Grad of Montreal’s McGill University demonstrated that the growth (and lack of growth) of seeds was affected by the “mood” of the people that were involved in the experiments. The scientists called this the “mood;” Redfield called it “energy.”
Often people have a sense of their own personal auric color, and this manifests itself by them dressing in “their theme color,” and including it in their daily lives. Other people have a more intimate knowledge of their personal auric color, and it becomes a part of their lives, too. Years ago, in New Mexico, I met an American Indian woman who was a potter. During a discussion about Indians having a given Indian name, as well as an “Americanized” name, she began to emit the most incredible purple glow around her head and entire upper body. I was astounded. I then asked her what her “Americanized” name was, and she looked at me with penetrating eyes, smiled and replied, ”They call me Purple Mountain.”
Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we could see a person’s inner being first, followed then by their exterior being? I can’t remember the name of it, but years ago I read a futuristic story that described a garment that people wore that changed color according to the quality of their spirit, like an energy suit—a mood suit! No one—whether genuine or truthful, or a fake or a liar—could wear it without their “true colors” shining through for all to see.
There are many layers to the aura. Following the etheric body and the emotional body comes the mental body, the astral body, the celestial body, and the causal body. (Theories about this differ, just as different scholars and schools of thought differ on just about any subject. We each are influenced by our education, culture and religious backgrounds.)
When people report seeing what they call “ghosts,” I believe that it is the auric energy of the deceased that is being seen by the living. It’s been said that energy fields vibrate at different speeds depending on many influences. Using an electric fan as a metaphor, think about when you first turn it on; you can see the blades as they begin to spin slowly. Then in a matter of seconds, the blades begin to spin at such a rate that your eyes can no longer see them spinning—but they’re still there, aren’t they? Of course they are. When we’re on the physical plane, our energies are spinning at a much slower rate, and we can be “seen” in the traditional sense. When we die and go to the other side, our energies spin very rapidly, and we cannot be “seen,” but we’re still there.
When a person sees a “ghost,” I believe it is the spirit’s energy—spinning slowly—that is being seen on the physical plane. For example, a few years ago, I went to my niece’s house on a sunny summer’s afternoon. She and her husband were building an addition, so we walked into the backyard as she told me about their plans. We were standing outside, when all of a sudden I began to see a golden glow along her left side. This was unlike any aura I had ever seen in my life; I said to her, “Are you all right? Are you feeling okay?” And she told me she was. The aura continued to shimmer and sparkle beautifully, pulsing bright gold and magnificent, at least five feet in height and two feet wide. I knew then that it wasn’t my niece; and I tried to explain—without frightening her—that someone was paying her a visit from the other side.
It was clear to me that it was a celestial body, wanting very much to communicate with her; this was a Divine gift. We learned several hours later that her best friend had been killed that morning in a plane crash in the Florida Everglades. We knew then that it was the beautiful spirit of her friend that I saw, wanting to connect. Several times in the following weeks, this young woman’s spirit communicated to my niece’s little boy, who was also her godson and only two years old at the time. Out of the blue, he would look past my niece and say, “Oh, look mommy, there’s Auntie Lynn!”
The term “aura” was coined by Dr. William Kilner. In 1911 he did extensive research on the human energy field and reported that it varied considerably from person to person, depending upon their age, their sex, their mental ability and their state of health. During his research, Kilner learned that illness and disease appeared as “patches” or “irregularities” in the energy field. He wrote a book called, The Aura, documenting his studies, and basically ruining his medical career—the Piscean scientific community was not ready for this. Later, Russian scientists Semyon and Valentina Kirlian did amazing research using electrophotography, or Kirlian photography. (Check out the book, The Kirlian Aura: Photographing the Galaxies of Life, 1974.)
Another fascinating book, Hands Of Light: A Guide To Healing Through The Human Energy Field, by Barbara Ann Brennan, is the most detailed compilation of aura information that I have seen to date. Diane Stein, author of The Women’s Book of Healing, provides very practical information about auras, how to develop your abilities to see them, and how to use them to heal. Stein cites Dr. Kilner’s work, which tells us that people, particularly women, can alter their auric field through their own willpower, enabling them to send healing energy to one another. Perhaps this theory can shed some light upon the inner workings of prayer, another ancient power source that scientists are now beginning to “prove.”
It is often thought that energy and auras are seen with the vision of the “third eye,” the organ of perception and psychic sight, located in the center of the forehead. But I think that energy and auras are seen with four “eyes”: the two common physical eyes; the third eye of in-sight; and the “eye” of our heart that uses the vision and power of love. Usually I am unable to control whether or not I can see an aura, but the following process is one aid that has helped me greatly to ”zero in.”
HINTS ON HOW TO MORE EASILY SEE AN AURA
Relax your body and breathe deeply. Take a few moments to connect your body with your breath. Now imagine that your feet are rooting into the Earth; the palms of your hands open and you feel them receiving energy. Next, look at the person (or yourself) and soften your gaze, relaxing your face and the skin between your eyebrows. Looking with your eyes, envision a stream of energy flowing from your eyes toward the person. Find a little window in the center of your forehead, and “open” it with your imagination. Now envision another stream of energy emanating from your forehead and flowing toward the person, as you look with your third eye vision. Next, send a stream of energy from your heart center outward toward the person and look with your heart. Now, picture these three streams of energy as arms and hands, and reach out with them; merge all three streams around the person, and embrace them with your energy. Continue to breathe, stay relaxed, and grounded. Open your view and simply observe.
Sometimes this works right away, sometimes it can take time to develop. Know that feeling skeptical or negative can greatly inhibit your ability to see the aura. It is important to be in a receptive frame of mind and heart. (The chapter “Cleanliness” discusses how to cleanse your home of auric debris; and the chapter “Recipes & Remedies” includes a recipe for a chakra cleanser spray.)
The aura has been compared to an envelope or an outer husk that encircles the physical being, and protects the substance within—the spirit. In the Piscean Age auras were reserved only for the “holy,” depicted mainly in religious artwork and shown as a halo (an aura) around the holy person. The word “halo” comes from the Latin word “mandorla” which means almond, and symbolizes the spiritual “fruit” or substance hidden within the shell. In Hebrew, it is called the “Luz,” meaning “something hidden.” The halo traditionally is egg-shaped and encircles only the head; this is often called an elliptical or oval halo. Another word for halo is “nimbus”—a luminous cloud or a misty vapor; it settles around the head of a deity, radiating light and the energy of spirit.
As the door to the Aquarian Age opens wider, many controversial ideas and concepts are ushered in. I think of this as the “age of the aura.” Life force is not invisible, and when you open your mind, your heart and your spirit, you too can see this energy. The more we recognize our own inner divinity and the Godliness in each of us, the more we will see our own circle of radiant light as we walk our Earth-path.
Personally, I feel that the halos shown around spiritually enlightened individuals were more than expressions of “artistic mythology;” they were very real. Twice in my life, I have witnessed a pure golden halo; once around a woman who was a participant in a church funeral service, and the second—and most amazing—was around His Holiness the Dalai Lama, during his speech at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While on stage, a brilliant, radiant beam of golden light radiated and emanated from and around the Dalai Lama’s entire body—he was spiritually illuminated. Seeing this was a Divine gift, and the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.
Collectively, our consciousness is expanding and we are recognizing our own divinity. This collective expansion and recognition is joined by an acceptance of the expression of our divinity through the phenomena of energy and auras, through the evolution of human spirituality, and our re-connection with the Earth. This growing global awareness is not blasphemy or heresy: it is a profound recognition of our own inner sacredness, and that we are God and Goddess, and Buddha and Allah—and that in our human “alone-ness,” we are recognizing our human “all-oneness.”
End of Part Two of Four
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