As souls inhabiting the human form, we are surrounded and supported by fields of light that facilitate our bodies and lives. These swirling light bodies have come to be known as auras or energy fields
An aura is multi-layered electromagnetic energy field which surrounds all living things. As perceptible light, auras are visible to some people, though invisible to most; they are often more sensed than seen.
“The aura often depicted around saints is not imaginative, but the inner divine light suffusing the whole being.”
— Paramahansa Yogananda
The word aura stems from ancient Greece and fittingly means breeze, wind, or air; alluding to it’s atmospheric qualities. In 1992, a committee at National Institute of Health (NIH) coined the word biofield; a term they felt more comfortable using in the murky realm of scientific medical research. For this article, we will be using the classical word aura as that is the term that true adepts and masters use; in addition to that fact that there is quite a bit of misunderstanding in those who refer to it as a biofield.
One writer has even developed a biofield map of this surrounding energy that is completely inaccurate and based more on trauma than truth. She couples this with a variety of tuning forks which she has trained numerous others to wave around people in order to “heal” them. In a world where our own mind-power and self-healing abilities are too often discounted, all sorts of harmful drugs, procedures, and psuedo-new age techniques can be misinterpreted to be effective when what’s really happening is purely a placebo response.
This is obvious when you are aware of people who can clearly see auras and immediately initiate healing from their own sight and intuition. One such person living today is an Australian author named Judith Collins who was born with this ability—which she likely carried over from positive development in previous lives. Judith has become so adept over the years that she can read auras in photos, videos, feel auras via phone calls, and remote view auras from afar. What a great skill for all to hone in this time of AI fakery where many have been saying that they can no longer tell what is real anymore.
In her fascinating book, How to See and Read the Human Aura, Judith shares many interesting personal experiences she’s had. The book is an enjoyable read, filled with insight, honesty, and genuine care and concern for others:
“As we journey together through How to See and Read the Human Aura I will share with you my vast experience. You will learn to determine the strength and quality of your eyes and to evaluate your intuitive perception. There are numerous exercises in this book which will stimulate and develop your auric skills. But most of all, you will learn that auric perception allows you to make informed choices in all areas of your life…
I discovered that I had spiritual healing abilities in my mid-thirties. When I place my hands on a person, I simply relax and allow the divine source of healing to work through me to bring my client relief from suffering. As a service to the public, I established Earthkeepers Healing Sanctuary where I treat the sick and the aimless. Planes have become my second home as I dart back and forth across the states of Australia seeing as many people as I am able to. When I close my eyes to sleep each night, I see all the smiling faces of those who have found new life through my ability to see auras.”
Understanding Auras and what they can teach us about ourselves and others is a very enriching and empowering process. Our auras demonstrate the physical, astral and etheric qualities of our bodies. Reflected in these whirling multi-layered light-fields are the five pranic (vital life-force energy) currents of Creation. This is the kind of knowledge that imbued Jesus, as well as the Jedi-masters that trained in ancient Egypt who were known as the Masters of the Net. These five vital currents are as follows:
Crystalizing, Assimilating, Circulating, Metabolizing, and Eliminating
Auras are the outer emanations of the 5 koshas (sheaths) which are layered like an onion in the spinal column and correspond with the spinning vortexes we call chakras. The outermost sheath is the food body and called the Anandamaya Kosha (see below chart). This is linked to the crown chakra, while the bliss body—the Annamaya Kosha, is tied to the base chakra. This subtle body is animated by the a vast network of nadis, where they intersect and concentrate prana (life force power). You can think of them as the pranic rivers that flow within. This energy emanates out to form the various layers of our aura demonstrating the Natural Law: as within, so without.
This is one of the many reasons that aura education should be a natural part of our healthcare system—it is an excellent diagnostic tool to determine where there are blocks and imbalances that lead to dis-ease. This would also eliminate the need for x-rays and the growing array of medical scan machines (or maybe we should call them medical scam machines since the data they render is often completely misinterpreted), in addition to that fact that they also emit harmful radiations. Our entire medical system is overdue for a major makeover.
I watched an excellent documentary on this years ago that is still very applicable today and highly recommended, here’s the trailer for Escaping Fire: The Fight to Rescue America’s Healthcare—this documentary won numerous awards and is very powerful:
The Layers of the Human Aura
There are unique features in each of the layers that Judith has charted above. As you may expect, the physical layer indicates if someone is in good physical health or not. This layer has real physical components that many animals, and in some cases people with heightened senses, can actually detect. It is the electromagnetic nature of the particles in the physical layer of the aura that animals can perceive. This, along with the scent of the actual body, is what allows animals to track people so effectively. It is also the physical aura that can be captured by Kirlian Photography.
The etheric auric body is the only layer of the aura that is two-tiered—the first is a replica of the human body and the second is a mass of luminous colors. It is because of this body, that people feel the phantom limb syndrome. It is also this body that is involved in near death experiences and bilocation; as well as what we are really seeing when we see spirits, ghosts, and divine apparitions. Judith shares the following story in her book:
“A client of mine recounted to me such as experience. While in the kitchen making a cup of coffee she felt like someone was watching her. She turned around and saw her daughter standing very still with a dazed smile on her face. She was whispering repeatedly, ‘Goodbye Mom, I’ll always love you’. As my client began to question her, her daughter’s image faded. During the moments that followed she felt that her imagination had run wild. Twenty minutes later there was a knock on the front door. They reported a fatal car accident in which her daughter was killed instantly.”
The vital auric body, in contrast to the other layers, is a multi-colored two way energy system—it not only absorbs energy, but also radiates it outward. This layer is also where ones life-force, personal vitality, and emotions circulate. The more happy and excited one is, the more expanded this layer becomes. When one is sad or depressed, the size decreases significantly. While spending time in nature, it is this layer that helps us revitalize as we absorb the inspiring harmony. This is one of the reasons why so many children on the autism spectrum, who often have unique sensory traits, enjoy spending time outdoors so much. This greater awareness of how these auric layers operate will help one strengthen the positive radiations of their own aura so that negative environmental influences can be more easily deflected and positive influences more easily magnified.
The astral auric body is also called the auric egg because of it’s oval contours. It is this body that interacts and exchanges with others. Judith shares some interesting insights about this:
“I always refer to the astral aura as a ‘blender’, mixing and churning individual ingredients to create a whole substance. To me, this is the easiest way to understand it’s role. Aurically, we give or take what we need without question or conscious recognition, from whatever energy source is in close contact. At this level of the aura, all forms of energy affect you: people, plants, light, sound, electricity, and so on, and the astral layer absorbs as much as it can. This is why the health and wellbeing of people and animals who reside near power generation stations or dense overhead power lines is affected over a period of time. In these situations, I can imagine how the astral aura, whose job it is the ensure electromagnetic harmony , becomes confused and frustrated by foreign electrical currents.
The aura is very sociable at the astral level, freely exchanging it’s energy with others. Firstly, it combines with those who share it’s home life to create a family aura. This then expands and connects with the aura of neighborhoods., creating a neighborhood aura, which in turn connects to the community aura and forms a social aura. This connects with atmospheric forces and transmutes to a global aura.”
The lower mental auric body is yellow in color and displays the level of intellect and consciousness of the person it surrounds. It also reveals dishonesty; such as when a person is lying to others or themselves. The healthier the mind and thought-processes, the more radiant this aura becomes—a pulsating rich golden color is seen. This is the layer that Judith uses to help people find their true career path, as well as remove mental blocks that are holding them back. Because of this, Judith has been able to assist many with medical issues that were not detected by doctors. This also provides evidence for how much our mental attitudes influence our health and wellbeing. She tells one interesting story here:
A few years ago, I was summoned by a woman to a nearby hospital to determine why her husband has not come out of a coma following an accident. I searched his aura for reasons and located in the lower mental level a fear of crippling energy. In short, he was too frightened to wake for fear of being seriously incapacitated. I informed his wife of the problem and suggested ways in which she and the family could help. I conducted some healing to resolve a blood clot on the man’s brain which I found during my observations. The family kept a vigil near his bedside, repeatedly reassuring him of his wellbeing, so that the lower mental aura would activate other auric layers to speed up his recovery. Within twelve hours he was conscious.
The higher mental auric body is of finer frequencies and may take some training in order to perceive. It took Judith years to clearly see this colorful level. It is this layer that we tune into during meditation. It offers Divine Inspiration and is an integral part of our spiritual paths. Through this layer comes Divine guidance, communication from deceased loved ones, and Universal Wisdom—which explains why human development often happens in tandem with others reaching this same level since we all have the ability to access this field depending on how coherent and intuitive we are. It also explains why people in different parts of the world can come up with similar inventions at the same time. This layer can also stimulate healing, and unleash a seemingly miraculous cascade of movement that brings the body back into homeostasis as Judith shares here:
“Determined individuals in need of healing can also access and connect with the higher mental auric body, setting about a chain reaction of spontaneous healing down through the various layers of the aura. John, a client of mine in his fifties, proudly told me his story. He had not felt well for a few weeks and decided to visit his doctor. Extensive tests were carried out to determine the elusive cause. The prognosis was stomach cancer. When his doctor described the proposed gruesome treatments and the limited hope that accompanied them, John decided to heal himself. He read extensively on diet, nutrition, and the cause of cancer, as well as various natural healing modalities. He then visited a news agency and scanned health magazines in search of healers’ advertisements. He also enrolled in a meditation course and learned how to harness the power of his mind.
Three months later he was cured. A change in diet and attitude, plus the power of the mind, had healed him. Proud of his achievements, he returned to the doctor and insisted that he be tested again. The results did not reveal an trace of cancer, however, they did show an overall improvement in his health.”
The spiritual auric body—a mother of pearl color encapsulated in a clear golden shell—provides the Cosmic energy needed for life and is the most difficult to see. It plays an important role in spontaneous healings and life threatening situations. Perhaps you or someone you know has experienced this directly. We’ve all heard the wonderous stories of people somehow surviving dangerous circumstances in which the logical mind would assume would surely result in death. It is likely this layer that has activated in order to ensure that souls do not cross over until their Divine time. This happened to one of Judith’s clients in a most fascinating way. Real superheroes are sometimes undercover angels or spirit guides. This one even wore a cape:
“When people are in a life-threatening situation and it is not their time to die, a message is sent from the vital auric body to the spiritual auric body, which automatically switches on it’s life-giving energy. One of my clients fell asleep at the wheel of his car and crashed at great speed into a tree on the side of the road. Although the impact was enough to crush his chest and kill him, he remained conscious. A woman in a blue cape came to the window and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep while she sought help. Believing her to be a passerby, he followed her instructions. As he tried to relax and relieve his pain, a warm tingling sensation moved throughout every part of his body. Within moments he was free of pain and felt very light-headed. Sleep overcame him. When he awoke in the hospital, he was surrounded by medical practitioners and his family.
Years later he sought healing from me, and during his first healing session his spirit guide, a lady dressed in a blue cape, appeared to me. He sat quietly as I recounted her story. Tears flowed down his face as he realized that this was the lady who had saved his life and he could finally thank her. Today he is aware that she truly is his guardian angel.”
Judith also gives many helpful exercises in her book for individuals to learn this skill themselves. In addition, she provides her view on how the inner chakras function since it is all connected.
The spiritual aura is also seen within as the spiritual eye (aka as the ajna or Christ Center). Here, Master Yogi Paramahansa Yogananda describes the source of the spiritual aura:
“During meditative concentration at the point between the eyebrows, the spiritual eye can be seen: a brilliant white star in the center, encased within a sphere of sapphire-blue light, encircled by a radiant golden aura.”
He also gives an excellent explanation to what many have come to know as Darshan: (“In Hinduism, darshan is a reciprocal act of spiritual connection. By looking at a holy figure, a sacred idol (murti), or a pilgrimage site, the devotee receives divine energy or blessings.”—Wikipedia)
“The saint’s thoughts and magnetic aura cast out a vibratory glow that changes the consciousness and brain cells of those who come within range.”
The History of Auric Studies
The MIT Press researched the history of the human aura and wrote about a study that was done by Auguste Jean Baptiste Marques, a medical doctor and General Secretary of the Aloha (Hawai`i) Branch of the Theosophical Society in the late 19th century. In their article titled The Long History of the Human Aura, the author covers quite a bit of ground—from religious iconography to modern mysticism. As you can see, this chart includes the same number of layers—although labelled in much different language— as Judith’s if you factor in the two tiered etheric auric body discussed above:
“Here we see the silhouette of an upper torso and head of what is presumably an “ordinary” human body. Around it is placed a series of colored, cloudlike arches, each of which appears to be wider and more translucent than the previous one. According to the text along the bottom of the panel, these arched layers cincturing the silhouetted body figure are assigned names derived from various Buddhist and Hindu Tantric idioms, such as the “kamic (astral in english) sheath,” while the outermost layer, encompassing all the others, is named the “auric egg.”
The author warns the reader that the width of these layers is not proportionally precise; their relative scale has been adjusted in order to fit onto the page. When taken diagrammatically, however, this illustration establishes the contours of a life-form that does not exactly begin or end where we might normally suppose — at the surface of the skin — but rather somehow extends beyond it. This gradually dissipating, ever-more translucent terrain “beyond” the physical body demarcates the realm of the aura.”
Edgar Cayce’s Essay on Auras
Edgar Cayce also wrote about this subject in his essay, Auras. This too is well worth the read and filled with interesting cases that he was involved in. It also includes a very helpful section on color, and a color chart that shows planets and musical tones as well—since these are interchangeable aspects of creation—a tone is also a vibration which is also a geometric shape (or pattern) which is also a color and certain radiance of light:
“An aura is an effect, not a cause. Every atom, every molecule, every group of atoms and molecules however, simple or complex, however large or small, tells the story of itself, its pattern, its purpose, through the vibrations which emanate from it.
Colors are the perceptions of these vibrations by the human eye. As the souls of individuals travel through the realms of being they shift and change their patterns as they use or abuse the opportunities presented to them. Thus at any time, in any world, a soul will give off through vibrations the story of itself and the condition in which it now exists. If another consciousness can apprehend those vibrations and understand them it will know the state of its fellow being, the plight he is in, or the progress he has made.
Colors reflect the soul and the spirit, the mind and the body, but remember they indicate lack of perfection, incompleteness. If we were all as we should be, pure white would emanate from us. Strive toward that, and when you see it in others, follow it as if it were a star. It is. But we who must take solace from smaller things can draw comfort from blue, get strength from red and be happy in the laughter and sunshine of golden yellow.”
Modern Science on Auras
(which they also refer to as Biofields as noted in the introduction of this article)
Today, modern science is still catching up to what Yogananda, Cayce, Judith, and others can perceive as the human aura, but some progress has been made. An article titled Living Creatures Cast a Faint Aura That Stops at Death, Study Suggests was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. This study used mice in order to make this determination which really was not necessary—no animal experiments or testing is truly necessary to arrive at real scientific conclusions. Let’s hope that this truth is recognized more and more and sooner than later:
“They placed mice in dark, temperature-controlled boxes and imaged them with a two-hour-long exposure. When they imaged a living mouse, they saw photons rising all over the mouse’s body, and with hotspots over its organs, head, and paws. However, dead mice exhibited a widespread drop-off in UPE, indicating that their light had been snuffed out, literally…
And it’s not just animals—living plants also give off an otherworldly glow. The researchers analyzed UPEs in an umbrella tree, finding that the strength of the glow increased when plants were injured or exposed to high temperatures. Chemical modifications, in particular the application of the anesthetic benzocaine, also increased the intensity of this light.”
Shamini Jain, founder of The Consciousness and Healing Initiative, has put together a comprehensive PDF on biofields called MIND, BODY AND BIOFIELD SCIENCE: How Consciousness Catalyzes Healing. This is a very nicely put together document packed with over 700 peer-reviewed scientific references—not that we should give credence to “peer reviewed” as that has been used quite nefariously by the scientific and medical communities. Nonetheless, Jain, in contrast to many other scientific researchers, does excellent work in this field and I appreciate her positive efforts and intentions to scientifically verify these truths and get this information out to others who it may help. Here’s a couple snippets from her PDF:
“Disciplinary boundaries and the bureaucracies they spawned are biological fictions that can restrict imagination and the transfer and application of technologies…On the contrary, the evidence indicates that relationships between so-called “systems” are as important and, perhaps, more important than relationships within “systems;” that so-called “systems” are critical components of a single, integrated network of homeostatic mechanisms. ”
—Bob Ader, co-founder of Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
“The biofield science and healing movement is in an even more advantageous spot than mindfulness was twenty years ago. Our current analysis, found in our Systems Mapping Report, indicates that there are over 70,000 practitioners nationwide. Similar to the mindfulness movement, as the science base behind biofield healing and biofield devices continues to grow, the healing service, education and technology sectors will expand exponentially. Energy/biofield healing has already been noted as the leading positive disruptor in medicine, aligning with the ever-growing, $4+ Trillion wellness industry.”
Conclusion
If you’d like to learn more about Judith’s work, I highly recommend her book, How to See and Read the Human Aura. I have only touched the surface of the depths she goes into. She also discusses telepathic auras, the aura of animals and nature, and much much more. Her chapter on strengthening and protecting the human aura is of utmost importance:
“Mobile phones have a fascinating but destructive effect on the aura. Not only do they rearrange the electromagnetic particles of the aura, but in addition they create circular wave-like motions that pulsate rapidly around the ears and head. Constant users could find themselves suffering physically from ear pressure, head-aches, or eye defects. Knowing this, everyone in my family holds their mobile phone on the outer edge of their etheric body, and are sure to limit it’s use…
It’s wise to remember that we are all vulnerable to ever-changing energy patterns of the aura as it lives and breathes, soaking up the world around us, so we must find suitable ways to maintain the self and bring it to peace…
You can change a disruptive environment by keeping your aura in balance and attuned to unity through consciously vibrating good emanations. Thinking positive thoughts, affirming corrective change and wishing the offending person well, sets up a protective screen in your aura while at the same time this offers a healing exchange to the offender. At all times, avoid becoming embroiled in an exchange of negative words or emotions…”
There are also numerous free articles on her site, YourHumanAura.com.
“The subtle body is one of yoga’s most profound gifts to humanity. It reveals that we are more than physical beings, more than thoughts or emotions — we are luminous fields of consciousness connected to the universe itself. By working with nadis, chakras, koshas, and prana, we learn to heal, transform, and ultimately transcend. For some, this means greater vitality and emotional freedom; for others, it culminates in the highest realization of union with the divine.”
—The Path of Light Yoga
