What Is An Aura?
Auras are fields of energy that surround all matter, living or otherwise. Sometimes called the “human energy field,” human auras tend to be stronger and more complex than the auras of animals, plants, or inanimate objects. Each individual’s aura is as unique to them as their handwriting or finger prints. You can learn a great deal about a person based on the color, vibrancy, and size of their aura.
Auras are often described as looking like a halo of light surrounding the human body. Though it varies from person to person, an aura can extend anywhere from two inches to three feet from the body. There are seven different auric layers. The first layer is closest to the body, while the seventh is furthest. Each layer varies in strength, color, and meaning, depending on the individual. These auric layers are:
Etheric: Represents your physical body and is connected to your physical health. This layer is weaker when you are unhealthy or ill, and stronger when you are physically active.
Emotional: Represents your feelings and emotions. This layer will change colors to reflect your current mood but also carries your previous emotional experiences with you.
Mental: Represents thoughts, your states of mind, cognitive processes, and intellect. This layer is typically most vibrant around your head and neck, and is strongest when are actively using your mind or being creative.
Astral: Represents love, well-being, gratitude, and your opinion of yourself. This layer is strengthened by loving, intimate relationships and is weakened by conflict with others.
Etheric Template: Represents your identity, personality, and creativity. This layer is closely linked with the etheric layer but is more related to your overall energy. It is strengthened by having confidence in yourself and your identity.
Celestial: Represents spiritual awareness, dreams, unconditional love, and oneness. This layer connects you to a higher power or something bigger than yourself.
Ketheric: Represents your soul’s entire journey throughout time. This layer allows you to connect with the divine (however you choose to define it) and be one with the universe.
The Meaning of Color
Auras can come in all colors, and it is rare for someone’s aura to be one color entirely. Depending on the person, the colors may be vibrant and bright, which indicates well-being, or they may be dull or murky, which indicates lack of harmony or illness. The colors symbolize:
Red: This color is full of energy and passion. It relates to the physical body, material goods, and the earth. People with a predominantly red aura have an affinity for life in this realm. People often perceive red as a dominating, aggressive color; this can be seen in an aura, as red can indicate anger or friction in this person’s life.
Orange: An orange aura means someone is creative or ambitious. If you have an orange aura, you are emotionally expressive and outgoing. If an orange aura is cloudy, it could signify that person is proud or vain.
Yellow: Yellow is often associated with happiness, optimism, intellect, and spiritual or psychic awakening. It is one of the easiest colors to see in an aura. A murky yellow aura may indicate a tendency to overthink or be critical.
Green: The color green is comfortable and calming. People with green auras tend to be compassionate, be peaceful, and enjoy helping others. Teachers, healers, and gardeners often have a green aura.
Blue: Calmness, seriousness, and authority are all traits associated with a blue aura. People who have mostly blue auras are balanced and harmonious. A blue aura can also mean that person is lonely or isolated. Like yellow, blue is a color that is easy to see in an aura.
Purple: Someone with a purple aura is spiritual, sensitive, and intuitive. They may also have heightened psychic abilities. Typically, purple is a weaker color in an aura and not as strong as others. It often looks more like a cloud or flame that flares up and fades quickly.
Pink: Though they are rare, pink auras suggest that someone is loving, kind, and gentle. A pink aura may also indicate that person has achieved a harmonious balance with their material and spiritual selves. Similar to purple, pink is often a temporary flare in an aura.
Black/Gray: Dark colors in an aura, such as black and gray, are typically a sign of negative energy or thoughts. They may even hint at something darker, such as physical pain, disease, or death, especially if the black or gray is vibrant or overwhelming other colors.
These are the most common meanings of each auric color, but other factors—such as how the colors interact with each other and how the reader interprets it—can greatly influence the essence of an aura.
How to Read Auras
Scientists have tried to explain why some people can see auras and others can’t, but this is the truth of the matter: Anyone can learn how to see an aura. Everyone has an inner psychic; some just need a little more help bringing her out.
Highly sensitive people or empaths may have an easier time learning this skill because they have a natural ability to read the emotions of others. However, even if you don’t consider yourself to be one, you can still teach yourself how to read auras; it just may take more time, practice, and determination.
1. Attune Yourself to Energy
Begin paying attention to others’ energy and emotions when you’re in their presence. It will be easier to see the visualization of energy if you can intuit it first. After all, how can you see something if you don’t know what you’re looking for?
Notice both your own emotions as well as theirs. How do they seem to feel? How do they make you feel? What is your instinctive response to their mood? It may be best to start with someone you know well, rather than a stranger, as you will already be familiar with their behavior and moods. As you build confidence in your abilities, try to do this with someone you don’t know very well.
2. Start Small
Human auras are the most complex and difficult to see, so try to read the aura of something simpler, such as a plant. Plants are a popular choice for beginners, as they have a stronger aura than an inanimate object but are still easy to read.
Pick a spot on the plant and look at it for at least 30 seconds. Keep your eyes trained on that spot, but let your gaze go soft and slightly unfocused, as if you are looking through the plant. Try to extend your vision further out and look at the periphery without stressing your eyes. This is when you may begin to notice an aura surrounding the plant.
3. Up Against A Wall
If you are having trouble, place the plant in front of a neutral backdrop. A white wall works especially well and will provide a stark contrast, making the colors of the aura easier to see. Once you’ve mastered the plant, you can begin to do this with brightly colored objects or other plants.
In addition, do your best to create a relaxing environment. You’ll need lighting that’s neither too soft nor too harsh. Relaxing music or even a podcast can help cultivate the right atmosphere, and meditating beforehand can help keep you relaxed and focused as you practice.
4. Phone a Friend
When you’re ready to move on to a human subject, start with a trusted friend. Ask their permission first; consent is always important. Position them against a neutral backdrop, stand somewhere between 12 to 18 inches away from them, and apply the same techniques as above.
Do not look at your friend, but through them. As you train your gaze, you can use your other senses to feel the colors of their aura—not just your vision. Once you have an established connection, ask your friend to move around. Do you still see or feel the same colors?
5. Practice Makes Perfect
As with most skills in life, you have to practice seeing and reading auras to improve your abilities. Continue to practice with your friends and family, but don’t be afraid to try reading your own aura too. You know yourself better than you know anyone else, so you will be able to do more nuanced readings of your own aura than another person’s. The more you practice, the better you’ll be at reading auras.
Top photo: Micah Williams/Unsplash
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