Learn To See Auras

by

Lourdes Gray, Ph.D.

Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to Elisabeth Clark for her help in editing this manuscript and insistence
on clarity. To Kathy Rawson for both her artistic contributions to the Power Point presentation and for keeping the
office running while I completed this project.

To Cathy Botkin for taking care of my house and yard so that I could have more time to write. To both
Houston Galloway and Richard Willis for their scientific insights.

I wish to acknowledge the students who have participated in the “Learn To See Auras” courses.

To Omega University for granting me the opportunity to explore this subject.

I specially wish to thank my husband, John Harvey Gray, for giving me the love and encouragement which
made this project possible.

Thank you all.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. PHILOSOPHICAL AND SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF THE HUMAN AURA . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

4. THE HUMAN ABILITY TO PERCEIVE AURAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

5. EXERCISES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

6. CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

For thousands of years, clairvoyants and psychics have described the presence of auras around people,
animals and plants. The aura has often been depicted as a halo of golden light surrounding the head of a spiritual
master or saint, or as layers of glowing colors around living things. Ninety-seven different cultures, from the
Ancient Chinese to the modern Theosophists, have described the existence of auras from a spiritual as well as
from a metaphysical perspective. (White 550-555)

Modern science has also addressed the existence of auras. Studies supporting the existence of energy fields
or auras can be traced from the 18th Century work of Anton Mesmer with animal magnetism to current research on
the existence of bioplasmic fields in living organisms by the Bioinformational Institute of A.S. Popow, Russia. The
term ‘aura’ is defined in this document as the electromagnetic frequencies present in the bioplasmic field of living
organisms, particularly human beings, as theorized by scientists from the Bioinformational institute, A.S. Popow,
Russia. (Brennan 33) (See Ch. 3 for more information)

The purpose of this course, “Learn To See Auras,” is not only to teach you how to perceive auras visually and
kinesthetically but also to investigate how persons are able to acquire information about auras. Philosophical and
spiritual foundations for the perception of the human aura will be described, scientific theories pertaining to the
human aura will be discussed, the human ability to perceive auras will be examined, and finally, the author will
conclude by extrapolating on the known facts and makings recommendations for further study into the perception
of the human aura.

The author hypothesizes that the perception of auras is a natural human ability that does not require years
of intense spiritual work to develop. She postulates that most humans are able to learn to perceive aura after only
a short period of training.

Some people believe that the ability to perceive auras is a spiritual gift granted only to a few lucky
individuals. Others regard it as a skill requiring years of intense spiritual work to develop. Yet, thousands of
ordinary people have learned to perceive auras after having only a few lessons.
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 Australia’s foremost aura teacher Judith Collins explains that everyone is born with the ability to see auras,
and infants and toddlers have no problem observing them. Collins claims that although seeing auras is a form of
psychic ability everyone is born with, most people repress this ability as they grow older. She believes that
children’s psychic abilities wither when adults fail to give the children encouragement and support in their intuitive
pursuits. (Collins 48-49)

Even if the mind represses the ability to perceive auras, most people are able to regain the ability. Evidence
supports the fact that the perception of auras is a learnable skill which does not require a high degree of spiritual
development to master. For example, both Judith Collins and Walter Kilner have taught hundreds of people to see
auras. Dolores Krieger and John Harvey Gray have taught thousands of people to perceive them kinesthetically.
(Collins, Kilner, Krieger, and Gray)

Spiritual development enhances a person’s ability to perceive the aura by allowing him or her to be more
aware of its subtleties. The quality of aura interpretation is relative to the observer’s degree of spiritual
enlightenment. Nevertheless, many aura observers do not engage in advanced spiritual practices nor are they
involved in metaphysics or the occult.

For instance, Walter Kilner, a British medical doctor who taught himself and hundreds of others to see auras
in the early 1900s, had no special psychic abilities or metaphysical training, yet he accurately diagnosed hundreds
of patients based on aura readings alone. At first, he worked with color filters to enhance the eye’s ability to see
auras. Later, he found using the filters no longer necessary. Kilner meticulously documented cases of dozens of
patients who had indications of health problems in their auras. Kilner wrote two books on the subject of aura
perception, The Human Atmosphere in 1911 and The Human Aura in 1920. Details contained in both books have
made a significant contribution to understanding how the human eye is able to detect auras.

The working mechanism of the eye plays an important role in aura viewing. Some of today’s the most
effective aura teachers have used this knowledge to teach their students to see auras.

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 The visible aura appears as fluctuations of light around an individual. These fluctuations may be caused in
part by perturbations of the refractive index of air by both infrared emissions and body heat conducted into the
atmosphere. (Galloway, see Ch. 4)

In other words, light bends as it moves through the aura. The fluctuations caused by the bending of light
cannot be distinguished by using regular vision alone. Instead, they can only be observed by utilizing both regular
and peripheral vision at the same time.

Most people can learn to see auras by understanding how the human eye works, knowing what makes the aura
visible, and practicing techniques that enhance auric vision. The visual perception of auras is easy to learn. The
tactile perception of auras is even easier. Energy healers such as Dolores Krieger and John Harvey Gray have
taught thousands of students to perceive auras through the sense of touch. (Krieger, Gray)

Learning to perceive auras through the tactile senses involves feeling the aura with the hands and fingertips.
This is easy to learn because the hands and fingertips, rich in sensory nerves, can transmit an abundance of
information about the aura to the brain.

Visual and kinesthetic perception methods are incomplete on their own. Visual methods are fascinating but
due to the limitations of human sight do not represent the entire aura. Tactile methods are more thorough but lack
the excitement provided by the former.

This course is based on the belief that most people have the ability to learn to perceive auras,that this
ability can be gained quickly and is not dependent on years of spiritual practice. It combines both visual and
kinesthetic techniques. These techniques enhance a student’s ability to feel the aura’s energy while enjoying its
brilliant colors.

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 Chapter 2

PHILOSOPHICAL AND SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS

The human energy field, or aura, has been written about as well as depicted in art by almost every culture
since the beginning of recorded time. The book Future Science by John White lists the names of 97 different
cultures that have made references to the human energy field throughout the ages. (White 550-555)

Ancient India

The word ‘aura’ comes from the Greek word ‘avra,’ which means breeze. (Regush 55) Although I have not yet
been able to ascertain when the actual word ‘aura’ was first used to define the luminous glow surrounding living
things, some of the earliest writings about auras are found in ancient Hindu texts dating back to 3,000 B.C.

The ancient Hindus wrote about a universal force or energy which encompasses all life. They called this
universal force ‘prana.’ The Hindus believed that the aura was a vehicle for prana and called it
“pranamayakoska,’which means vehicle of prana. In these ancient texts, the Hindus explained that since a person’s
health depended on how much prana he or she had available, they developed various exercises to increase their
level of prana. Barbara Brennan writes in her book Hands Of Light: A Guide to Healing through the Human Energy
Field : “Prana, the breath of life, moves through all forms and gave them life. Yogis practice manipulating this
energy through breathing techniques, meditation and physical exercise to maintain altered states of consciousness
and youth far beyond their normal span.” (Brennan 29)

Ancient China

The ancient Chinese also held similar views about universal energy, exploring energy and its effects on the
human body as early as 3000 B.C. They described an energy that emanated from the universe and connected
everything together. They called this energy ‘qi.’ Giovanni Maciocia in his book, The Foundations of Chinese
Medicine, states that the ancient Chinese philosophers understood the connection between universal qi and human
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beings. The Chinese believed that qi not only condenses into a person’s physical shape but also manifests as his or
her ethereal body, i.e., his or her aura. Maciocia bases his assertion on two ancient texts, the Simple Questions: “A
human being results from the Qi, of Heaven and Earth…The union of the Qi of heaven and Earth is called a human
being,” and from the Classic of Difficulties: “Qi is the root of a human being”(Maciocia 37)

Classical Greece

The ancient Greeks also wrote about energy fields and auras. The Pythagoreans, a group of followers of the
Greek mystic and scholar Pythagoras, recorded observations of luminous bodies of energy around persons circa 500
B.C. They believed this energy fulfilled a variety of purposes, including those of a therapeutic nature. (Brennan 30)

Democritus, the father of atomic theory, believed that a person’s soul is comprised of atoms, which although
not perceivable by human sight, can be known intellectually. Jeffrey Mishlove quotes Democritus in his book The
Roots of Consciousness: “at death soul molecules detach themselves from the corpse, thus giving rise to specters.”
Mishlove also explains that Democritus believed people outwardly manifested their thoughts, emotions and
character constantly in the form of subatomic particles Democritus called images.

Judeo-Christian Traditions

The Bible contains numerous references to visual perception of auras, often describing them as halos,
brightness, or glowing lights surrounding the heads and faces of prophets and saints. For example, Exodus, Chapter
34, verses 29 through 35, describes a glow around Moses’ face after he came down Mt. Sinai:

“When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the
terms of the covenants, he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to
the Lord face to face. And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of
Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them and asked
Aaron and the community leaders to come over and talk with him. Then all the people
came, and Moses gave them the instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When
Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he went
into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil until he came out
5
 again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and
the people would see his face aglow. Afterward he would put the veil on again until he
returned to talk to the Lord.”

The New Testament also contains a number of references to the visual perception of auras. Matthew,
Chapter 17, verse 2 provides such a description in reference to the Transfiguration: “As the men watched, Jesus’
appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became dazzling white.”

The Middle Ages

From as early as 200 A.D. to the present, auras have been portrayed in Christian art. They are usually
interpreted in the form of halos and bright lights, surrounding the heads of saints and other spiritually evolved
beings. However, artistic depiction of auras is not exclusive to Christians. Artists from many different cultures
have painted adepts, avatars and other advanced individuals with halos around their heads and shoulders. “In
Chinese and Japanese art, a single and sometimes a triple halo surrounds the head of the bodhisattva or Buddha. In
ancient Egyptian culture, the aura was often depicted as wings enfolding the body. In Native American tradition,
the radiant aura of the buffalo has given rise to the legend of the white buffalo.” (Bruyere 17)

Paracelsus, a great physician and alchemist of the sixteenth century, was one of the first to write about the
astral body and an invisible “fiery glow” that extends beyond the physical plane. (Ouseley 10) Franz Hartmann, a
doctor and member of the Theosophical Society explains that Paracelsus believed energy radiates around humans
“like a luminous sphere.” He writes in the book The Human Aura: “this force or magnetic influence, he said, could be
used to heal and even made to act at a distance.” (The Human Aura 1)

Paracelsus held radical views about health and healing that did not agree with the standards of his day. He
believed that nature and God, not the doctors, are the true healers. Paracelsus postulated that physicians must
cultivate intuitive skills in order to be effective in their profession. He made numerous enemies because of his
unconventional views and was eventually assassinated.

19th and 20th Centuries

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 The Theosophical Society founded in 1875 by both Russian occultist Madam Helena Petrovina Blavatsky and
American Henry Steel Olcott has contributed greatly to the dissemination of knowledge about the spiritual nature
of auras. With its headquarters in Adyar, Madras, India, The Theosophical Society is today a worldwide
organization dedicated to the study of philosophy, religion and science. (The Human Aura 80) One of its most
eminent members was Charles Webster Leadbeater.

Leadbeater was born in England in 1847, an exceptional clairvoyant and leader of the Theosophical
movement. A prolific writer, Leadbeater wrote an average of five to six articles per week. In addition, he
published dozens of books on metaphysical subjects including the human aura.

For instance, in his book, Man Visible and Invisible, Leadbeater gave an insightful treatise on the human aura
and the seven planes of existence. He systematically described the attributes of the aura and of the planes of
existence from the Mayaparanirvanic to the Physical: “The Mahaparanirvanic the greater plane beyond
Paranirvanic; the Paranirvanic, a plane beyond Nirvanic; the Nirvanic, a state of bliss; the Buddhic, where the
reincarnating ego or soul exists; the Mental, containing intelligence and the Causal Body as well; the Astral, which
houses the emotions; and finally the Physical, which comprises the Dense Body and the Etheric Double.”
(Leadbeater 16-20)

Leadbeater elucidated on the significance of all planes except for the two highest ones, the
Mahaparanirvanic and the Paranirvanic. He explained that nothing is known about them except that it takes “cycles
of evolution” for man to reach them: “To gain the full use of the exalted consciousness of this exceedingly elevated
spiritual condition is to reach the goal appointed for human evolution during this aeon or dispensation—to become
an adept, a man who is something more than man. For the vast majority of humanity such progress will be attained
only after cycles of evolution, but the few determined souls who refuse to be daunted by difficulties, who as it
were take the kingdom of heaven by violence, may find this glorious prize within their reach at a much earlier
period.” (Leadbeater 16-17)

Leadbeater left a rich and enduring legacy to those interested in spiritual exploration. Many of today’s
theories about the spiritual nature of auras have developed based on Leadbeater’s work.

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 Edgar Cayce, one of the greatest trance mediums and medical intuitives of all time, maintained that he could
see auras and colors around people. A small booklet entitled Auras which he wrote just prior to his death in 1945
was the only material Cayce wrote on the subject. In this booklet, Cayce explained that correlations exist between
a person and his or her aura: “I do not ever think of people except in connection with their auras; I see them
change in my friends and loved ones as time goes by—sickness, dejection, love, fulfillment—these are all reflected
in the aura, and for me the aura is the weathervane of the soul. It shows which way the winds of destiny are
blowing” (Cayce 5)

Cayce believed that most people are born with the ability to see auras. Without going into much detail, Cayce
indicated that almost everyone can see auras if properly equipped. He also made mention of a professor who
measured and weighed auras in his laboratory but did not disclose who this person was. (Cayce 6-7) Cayce created
his own interpretation of aura colors, which, for the most part, concurs with aura color definitions found in
important metaphysical texts. A summary of Cayce’s aura color interpretation is listed below: (Cayce 20)

Color Musical Planet Interpretation Affliction

Note
Red Do Mars Force, Vigor, Nervousness
Energy Egotism
Orange Re Sun Thoughtfulness, Laziness, Repression
Consideration
Yellow Mi Mercury Health, Well-being, Timidity, Weakness of
Friendliness Will
Green Fa Saturn Healing, Helpfulness Mixed with yellow--
Deceit
Blue Sol Jupiter Spiritual, Artistic, Selfless Struggle, Melancholy
Indigo La Venus Seeking, Religious Heart & Stomach
Trouble
Violet Ti Moon Seeking, Religious Heart & Stomach
Trouble

Rosalyn Bruyere, modern day healer and clairvoyant, possesses remarkable abilities to see auras. She
participated as the principal aura reader in a research project conducted at UCLA by Valerie V. Hunt, Ed.D., named
“ A Study of Structural Integration from Neuromuscular, Energy Fields, and Emotional Approaches.” Bruyere
8
accurately interpreted changes in the subjects’ auras which were verified by readings from scientific instruments.
(Hunt ; Bruyere 219-233) In her book Wheels of Light, Bruyere tells how she was introduced to auric perception
as a young child by her great-grandmother Nana, who frequently took her out to the garden to see the auras of
plants. (Brueyere 19).

In her book Wheels of Light, Bruyere claims that the aura is formed by the spinning of small centers of
energy commonly called chakras, “a Sanskrit word for wheel of light.” She explains that chakras are first
mentioned in the ancient Hindu Upanishads of the Vedic texts, and later, in versions of the yoga text
Gorakshashatakan, written by the pundit Goraknath around the tenth century. (Bruyere 264-265).

“Human beings possess seven principal chakras,” says Bruyere. “These seven chakras are who and what we
are, what we feel and how we think and change. ” (Bruyere 18)

Bruyere talks about two additional chakras residing outside the body, the Atman and the Brahman, making a
total of nine chakras. “Each of the seven traditional chakras has a physical, an emotional, a creative, and a celestial
component. Besides these, each chakra has its own purpose or particular viewpoint based upon the area of
consciousness that it influences.” (Bruyere 40) Other teachers besides Rosalyn Bruyere have adopted the nine-
chakra system. One of them is Barbara Brennan, a healer and former astrophysicist.

In her book Hands Of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Brennan presents her own
interpretation of the nine-layer chakra system, along with instruction on seeing auras and healing the body by
repairing the aura energetically. Brennan claims that the aura is created by the energetic interaction of all chakras
and that each chakra creates a separate layer of the aura. Brennan explains: “Every other layer (of the aura) is
highly structured, like standing waves of light patterns, while the layers in between appear to be composed of
colored fluids in constant motion…Each succeeding layer interpenetrates completely all the layers under it,
including the physical body. Thus the emotional body extends beyond the etheric body and includes both the
etheric body and physical bodies. Actually, each body (of the aura) is not a “layer” at all, although that is what we
may perceive. It is, rather, a more expansive version of our self that carries within it the other, more limited
forms.” (Brennan 42-43)

9
 Brennan believes that the visual perception of auras improves with practice. She considers the lower layers
the easiest to see and suggests that the higher layers, viz.: the fifth, sixth and seventh layers, are best observed
in an eyes-closed meditative state. (Brennan 42)

In addition to her work as a healer, Brennan is also among the many scientists who have contributed to the
understanding of human energy fields. In section III, the scientific investigation of the human energy field or aura
is explained.

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 Chapter 3

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF THE HUMAN AURA

Nineteenth Century Research

Mesmerism

One of the pioneers in the scientific investigation of the human aura was a physician named Franz Anton
Mesmer. Although Mesmer is remembered today mostly as the founder of Mesmerism, a term synonymous with
hypnosis, he also led the way towards the scientific understanding of bio-energy.

Born in Austria in 1734, Mesmer trained as a physician in Vienna and later practiced medicine in Paris.
Mesmer theorized that everything in the universe is surrounded by a life-giving fluid containing healing properties.
As the result of this belief, Mesmer developed an unorthodox healing technique. This technique placed dozens of
patients in a swimming pool full of water and then moved magnetized iron rods back and forth along the sides of
the pool. This practice bewildered many of the patients. Their bewilderment induced a hypnotic-like state, from
which came the term Mesmerism.

Mesmer’s unusual healing method cured many patients. While the method’s effectiveness could be attributed
to the effects of hypnosis, it could also be credited to energy healing because patients often reported sensations
of “‘unusual currents’ and an energy flow during the treatments. (Oschman 5)

Mesmer later discovered that he could produce the same healing results by passing his hands over the
patient’s body without using magnetized rods. He named this phenomenon ‘animal magnetism’ and after extensive
experimentation, published his discovery in Memoir on the Discovery of Animal Magnetism in 1779. The medical
establishment did not agree with Mesmer’s findings and labeled him a fraud. Mesmer was discredited and forced
to leave Paris. He returned to his native Austria and died penniless in 1815. (Oschman 5-8, 256-258; Wiel 234-
236; Ostrom 69)

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 Odic Fields

A German chemist, Count Karl Von Reichenbach spent over 30 years during the latter half of the 18th
Century, experimenting with a form of life energy which permeates all living organisms. He called this energy ‘Od.’
Von Reichenbach discovered that the Odic force is in some ways similar and in others different from the forces of
electromagnetism as theorized by James Clerk Maxwell. (See section 4 part A, Electromagnetism for more
information on Maxwell’s discoveries.)

One of these differences is that Odic forces do not obey the laws of electromagnetism. For instance,
contrary to magnetic forces, Odic forces flow through non-magnetic objects as well as through magnetic ones and
like-poles attract while opposites repel. Von Reichenbach encountered unique properties associated with the Odic
force. For example, he discovered relationships between color and temperature and the physical sensations of
comfort and discomfort, noting that Odic forces which were red and hot, felt uncomfortable, but those which were
blue and cold, were pleasant. Von Reichenbach studied the relationship of the Odic forces with the periodic table
of elements. He found that electropositive elements produced uncomfortably warm sensations and electronegative
ones produced cool soothing feelings.

Von Reichenbach discovered that the sun’s emission of electromagnetic waves had an effect on the energy
concentration in the Odic field, with the highest concentration being in the red at 700 nanometers (nm) and blue
violet in the 400 nm range. He measured the velocity of conduction of the Odic Field through a wire and
determined it traveled at a speed of approximately thirteen feet per second. Von Reichenbach also discovered that
the flow of Odic forces was subject to the density of the medium rather that its electrical conductivity and that
objects could be charged with the Odic forces as well.

Von Reichenbach postulated that the Odic force has light-like properties, behaving as both a light wave and
a fluid simultaneously. Od can travel in a straight path through a lens like a ray of light or diffuse around the edge
of a lens similar to the way a candle flame spreads when blown by a draft. Von Reichenbach concluded that the
composition of Odic force is similar to gaseous fluids because it behaves like both a light wave and a fluid. (Von
Reichenbach)

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 Von Reichenbach claimed that Odic forces affect the human body by creating a negative polarity on the left
side of the body and a positive one on the right. This observation coincides with the Chinese theory of Yin and Yang
which states that the left side of the body corresponds with the negative or feminine or yin energy and the right
with the positive, masculine yang energy (Macciocia). Conclusions from Valerie Hunt’s research with Structural
Integration, to be discussed later in this chapter, also supports this theory.

Light Fields

Edwin D. Babbitt was a minister from East Orange, NJ. In 1873 he published The Principles of Light and
Color after gaining the ability to see auras. Babbitt discovered that the continued state of darkness had enhanced
his visual sensitivity after coming out of a dark room where he had secluded himself for several weeks and that
now he could see energy fields and auras. Babbit drew beautiful etchings depicting these fields. James Oschman in
his book Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis theorizes that these fields correspond to neuro-currents flowing
through the inter-hemispheric fibers of the corpus callosum in the brain. (Oschman 12-13)

As an interesting side note, rhodopsin, a chemical also known as visual purple, is present in the eye’s
photoreceptors to help us see in dim light. Auras are easier to see in dim light. Bright lights bleach out rhodopsin.
It takes about one-half hour in darkened conditions for rhodopsin levels to return to normal. Rhodopsin is partially
derived from retinol, Vitamin A. This is why people who are deficient in Vitamin A have problems with night vision.
It is interesting to speculate whether or not being in absolute darkness for weeks at a time caused Babbitt to have
a change in his eyes’ production of rhodopsin, which enabled him to see auras.

Modern Research
Human Atmosphere

Walter Kilner was a medical doctor who practiced as Chief of Radiology at St. Thomas Hospital in London in
the early 1900s. Kilner taught himself to see auras and documented his observations using hundreds of case studies
of people in health and in disease.

Kilner became interested in the visual exploration of auras circa 1908 while working on a project that
required the use of chemically treated screens to observe changes in the color distribution of certain waves.
13
Wondering if auras were real, Kilner decided to undertake the scientific investigation of the subject. In order to
keep the research strictly scientific, Kilner purposely avoided metaphysical and occult literature on auras until his
research had concluded. (Kilner 1-4)

Kilner conducted his experiments years before the Russians’ discovery that the energy field of living
organisms is comprised of electromagnetic waves ranging from the infrared to the ultraviolet range. Believing that
the human aura consisted only of ultraviolet rays, Kilner focused his research on the ultraviolet spectrum and used
viewing screens dyed with a special chemical to help extend his eyesight into this range.

In his book, The Human Atmosphere, he calls this chemical dye “Spectauranine” but also confesses its real
name to be “Dicyanin,” a coal tar derivative. (Kilner, The Human Atmosphere 5)

To see auras, Kilner first gazed at a bright light through a Dicyanin screen for one to two minutes in order
to sensitize his eyes. Initially with the aid of screens, but later with no artificial means, Kilner observed his
patients’ auras as they stood undressed in front of neutrally colored backgrounds. The patients were always evenly
illuminated from the foreground.

Kilner was able to observe only three colors present in the human aura and blamed this limited spectrum on
the use of chemical screens: “Generally the Aura looks to the writer blue, or blue mixed with more or less grey, or
even grey itself. This constant colour is mostly likely due to the employment of the Spectauranine screen and to
its long period of action upon the retina after peering through it at the light.” (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 138)

Kilner described the aura as consisting of three layers, although most of the time, he was only able to
observe two of them. He claimed that the aura is only visible in sections due to its extreme transparency and fine
texture. (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 13)

Kilner named the layer closest to the physical body the Etheric Double. He described this layer as a slender
dark space from one to three-sixteenths of an inch in width adjacent to the physical body, which is often obscured
by other layers. Kilner observed that the Etheric Double is marked by parallel grooves. He wrote: “(the Etheric
Double is) distinctly striated, with very delicate lines of a deeper hue than the surrounding and apparently
homogeneous stroma.” (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 75)
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 Kilner did not find any correlations between the Etheric Double and the physical or emotional state of his
patients. (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 76) Kilner observed a second layer, the Inner Aura, arising from just outside
the Etheric Double two to four inches in width and becoming slightly narrower on the limbs. He considered it to be
the densest portion of the aura and noted that the Inner Aura does not vary significantly between males and
females but merely follows the contour of the physical body and frequently appears to touch the body itself. Kilner
explained: “The outer margin (of the Inner Aura) is free and irregularly crenated with large curves. The structure
is obviously granular, striated, and is exceedingly fine. The striae are parallel to one another, running at right
angles to the body, but have never been seen to possess any intrinsic colour…with care the lineation can always be
made apparent when the patient is in good health, but in ill health it is otherwise.” (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 80-
81) Kilner concluded from the observation of hundreds of auras that the Inner Auras of persons who enjoy good
health tend to be more extensive: “As it has been found that the Inner Aura of persons in good health is usually
more extensive when they are robust than when they have a delicate constitution, it is extremely unlikely when this
Aura is unequal on the two sides, for the broad side to be the abnormal one…It will be found that, whenever there
is a contraction of the Inner Aura, a corresponding change will have taken place in the Outer.” (Kilner, The Human
Atmosphere 223)

According to Kilner, the third layer or Outer Aura begins from the outer edges of the Inner Aura and varies
in size and shape according to the person’s gender and level of sexual maturity. The Outer Auras of men, boys and
pre-adolescent girls are narrow and follow the contour of the body, whereas the Outer Auras of sexually maturing
girls and adult women are oval shaped. Kilner explained:

“Males, independent of age, possess the same characteristics of the Aura, after making allowance for
individual peculiarities, as no two people are alike. Quite the opposite is the case in females, because their Auras
undergo a great alteration of shape at certain periods of their lives. In childhood it coincides almost exactly with
that of the male. In adults it is much more developed, while in adolescence—from twelve to thirteen until eighteen
to twenty years—it slowly advances from the masculine type to that of adult womanhood. (Kilner, Human
Atmosphere 14-15)

Kilner theorized that the Outer Aura loses its symmetry when pathology is present in the body. For
instance, Kilner described several case histories of epilepsy all showing the Outer Aura to be narrower on one side
15
of the body than on the other. He also detailed cases of hysteria where the Outer Aura protrudes from the lower
lumbar region of the patient in a rounded shape and narrows sharply at the pubis instead of following a gentle
graduation down the lower limbs typical in healthy persons. He explained: “It is extremely difficult to imagine that
any departure from health can occur without in some way influencing one or more of the auric forces, and
consequently the Aura itself. If the ailment be only local, then most probably there will be only a local change in
the Aura; but should the patient suffer from some general disease the whole Aura is likely to be affected, and, as
recovery takes place, it will very probably return to its pristine state.” (Kilner The Human Atmosphere 147-148)

Kilner also observed the presence of holes in the aura and theorized their cause to be illness or injury. One
of the most interesting cases he described was that of a patient suffering from herpes zoster whose aura was
honeycombed with holes over the area of the body affected by the rash. (Kilner, The Human Atmosphere 202)
Kilner cautioned the reader that the presence of holes in the aura can only be observed under favorable conditions,
viz.: on a patient whose aura is clearly marked and then only one section at a time. (Kilner The Human Atmosphere
200)
Kilner ascribed the aetiology of aura holes to the way auric forces are produced by the body: “The Auric
forces proceed from the body in direct lines at right angles. If from any cause a circumscribed area be deranged
in some manner so that no Auric force emanates from it, while all around this affected area the healthy part is
emitting Auric force in the ordinary manner, there will be formed a cylindrical void space with its long axis at right
angles to the body. Instead of the deranged area being separated from the healthy portion of the body by a sharp
line of demarcation, very frequently there will be found a zone more or less affected increasing in intensity as it is
farther from the diseased spot, i.e., from zero, until it has attained its natural intensity.” (Kilner, The Human
Atmosphere 200-201)

Kilner used an interesting method for evaluating the color quality of his patients’ auras. He called it the
complementary method. It consisted of gazing at a colored strip of paper, three inches long by three-quarters of
an inch wide, under a bright light long enough to saturate the observer’s eyes with the color and form an
afterimage with the complementary color. For instance, if the observer gazed at a yellow strip until his or her eyes
tired out, the result would be a blue afterimage. Once the observer attained an afterimage, he or she would quickly
glance over at the patient and notice the afterimage superimposed on the patient’s body. The observer would then
assess whether or not the afterimage contained changes in hue. Afterimages with hues deeper than the original

16
usually indicate the location of pain in the body. The exception, Kilner claimed, is that deeper hues observed over a
woman’s pelvic area indicate that her menstrual period will soon start.

In addition, Kilner held that a sharp demarcation to a darker hue typically indicates the presence of
pathology, whereas a gradual demarcation is more representative of normal biological cycles. Kilner seldom found
afterimages with lighter hues. When he did, these were usually interpreted as states of deficiency in the body.
(Kilner, The Human Atmosphere, 114-146 & 231-290)

Kilner discovered after a while that he no longer needed chemical screens to see auras. He claimed had
learned to see auras naturally. Kilner taught hundreds of people to see auras and found that 95 percent of his
students were able to see them. Although Kilner declared no knowledge of what initially enhanced his ability to see
auras, for lack of a better explanation, he credited the effect to the chemical Dicyanin, for expanding his eyesight
into the ultraviolet range. (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 7; Human Aura 2)

Origins and Properties of the Human Aura

Oscar Bagnall, a biologist from Cambridge University, became fascinated by Kilner’s ideas and successfully
duplicated the majority of his experiments. Bagnall presents a detailed account of his research in his book The
Origin & Properties of the Human Aura including anatomical details and insights into the energies that comprise the
aura.

Bagnall postulated that the human aura is comprised of a field of electromagnetic energy ranging from
ultraviolet at 300 to blue at 400 nanometers. Knowing that humans are able to see only a small section of the
electromagnetic spectrum, viz. from approximately red at 770 nm to blue at 380 nm in length, he designed
chemically treated screens to sensitize his eyes to see beyond the normal human range. Bagnall utilized some of
the same types of screens used by Kilner to see auras, but mostly experimented with his own.

Bagnall concluded that peripheral vision is largely involved in the process of seeing auras. He explained that
auras appear as a bluish-gray or lavender-gray haze because peripheral vision is mostly void of color receptors.
Bagnall claimed that this is what persons would see if they were able to observe light waves shorter than blue

17
without the aid of a chemically treated screen. (Bagnall) Although, Bagnall work was largely dismissed prior to
WWII, today’s aura researchers value it.

The Fields of Life

Harold Saxon Burr, pioneer in the field of aura research, was professor of anatomy at Yale University during
a time when discoveries in molecular genetics were starting to unravel some of the mysteries of heredity. Burr
realized how little was actually known about what controls form in the body.

Molecular genetics was already revealing how parts of the body were manufactured but there was little
understanding about the blueprint that directs this assembly to form into a living organism. Burr wondered how a
living organism knew to orient itself. For instance, by what process does the body know on which side of the hand
to place the thumb, or for that matter, any of the other fingers. Questions such as these, spurred Burr into the
investigation, during the 1930s and 1940s, of what he eventually called the L-fields or fields of life that exist
around all living organisms. According to Burr’s research, L-fields form the energy blueprint of living organisms. He
studied L-fields using sensitive electro-magnetic measuring devises. Burr conducted research on the electro-
magnetic field of salamanders, gradually following their course of development to the earliest stages of life,
eventually discovering that L-fields already exist in the unfertilized egg. (Burr 63)

Burr wrote in his book, Blueprint For Immortality: The Electric Patterns of Life, “The pattern or
organization of any biological system is established by a complex electro-dynamic field which is in part determined
by its atomic physio-chemical components and in part determines the behaviour and orientation of those
components. This field is electrical in the physical sense and by its properties relates the entities of the biological
system in a characteristic pattern and is itself, in part, a result of the existence of those entities. It determines
and is determined by the components.” (Burr 33)

Burr’s research supports not only the existence of the human energy field but also explains its relationship
to the physical body. Burr elucidated that the energy field forms a “jelly-mould” or duplicate of the physical body.
Anything that exists in the physical body is also present as an energetic double in the L-field. (Burr 12-13)

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 In his work with cancer detection, Burr found evidence that the electrical (L-field) components of diseased
glands and organs exhibit a polarity reversal from their normal state. In studies conducted with hundreds of
patients, Burr’s early diagnostic technique proved reliable.

Burr also theorized that a disturbed L-field could be returned to normal and the disease averted. “Burr’s
work showed that the electrical field of biological systems was a sensitive indicator of biological activity. There
were indications that in some applications the electric field would be used to predict biological activity before it
happened. This was evidence for the hypothesis that the electrical field of a living system regulated its structure
and functioning.” (Burr 172)

Orgone

Wilhelm Reich was a psychiatrist trained by Sigmund Freud who discovered Orgone, a form of life energy.
Born in Austria of Jewish ancestry, he is often considered a man ahead of his time. Early in his career, Reich
discovered that unexpressed emotions are held in the body in the form of trapped energy. “Holding emotions
instead of expressing them can cause a tightening of specific muscle groups” (Future Science 103-104; Mann) Reich
believed that if these emotional holding patterns become chronic, lasting for months or even years, poor health can
develop due to unbalanced energy flow.

Reich’s work with emotional holding patterns sparked his interest in energy flow. He began constructing the
theory of Orgone energy in the mid 1930s with experiments conducted at the Institute of Psychology of the
University of Oslo (Future Science 103-104) Reich believed that Orgone exists in the atmosphere and in living
systems. He used sensitive electronic equipment to search for and measure Orgone. Reich studied Orgone visually.
“He would look into the clear blue sky and describe ‘dancing dots of light, pinpricks which seemed to assume an
arclike configuration.” (Future Science 103-104)
Some of Reich’s most salient discoveries were related to the differences between electricity and Orgone.
Reich explained Orgone as unitary, in contrast to electricity which is bipolar. This discovery corroborates Von
Reichenbach’s theory which states that the like-poles of Odic fields possess attractive forces.

According to Reich, the slow, wavelike motions of living tissue, produced by Orgone, are at variance with the
rapid angular motions of electricity. Electrical stimuli result in body sensations, foreign to the organism. These
19
have a disturbing effect, and are at variance with organic sensations. Orgone’s motion through the body is quite
slow compared with the speed of electro-magnetic radiation. This last observation is also in agreement with Von
Reichenbach’s measurements of the approximate velocity of Odic forces.

Reich postulated that Orgone can take three different forms: First, it can appear as a blue-gray vapor.
Second, it can appear as blue-violet dots which float slowly and form loops at regular intervals. Third, it can
manifest as rapid, straight yellowish rays. (Future Science 109)

Reich theorized that living organisms emit an Orgone field. He became convinced that Orgone from nature
interacts with and enhances the Orgone present in the body. Thus, he constructed a variety of Orgone
accumulators and marketed them for therapeutic purposes.

The medical establishment, angry because Reich was selling Orgone devices to the public, convinced the Food
and Drug Administration to investigate the matter. Reich was brought to trial. He conducted his own defense
asserting that the government had no right to try scientific theory in a court of law. (Future Science 114) He was
convicted of contempt in 1954, and died in prison of a heart attack two years later.

Kirlian Photography

Russian electrician Semyon Davidovich Kirlian and his wife Valentina accidentally discovered electro-
photography in 1939. Semyon Kirlian was repairing equipment at a hospital in the city of Krasnodar when he
observed flashes of light emanating from an electrotherapy device while a patient was using it. Kirlian intuited that
the light might be coming from the patient’s body and wondered if it was possible to capture it on film.

Kirlian replaced several of the device’s parts with others which permitted images to be photographed. Then,
he proceeded to take a picture of the coronal discharge stemming from his own hand. (Iovine 24)

The only means by which the aura can be photographed is through contact photography. The subject’s body
most touch the photographic plate. Aura cameras that purportedly take full portraits of people, displaying arrays
of colors around their bodies are not taking genuine photographs of the aura.

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 Most aura cameras displayed at New Age bookstores consist of a camera attached to both a computer and a
galvanic skin resistance (GSR) device. A GSR device is an electronic instrument that measures a person’s level of
stress by the degree of conductivity present in his or her skin. In order to take an ‘aura portrait,’ a person
typically sits or stands in front of the aura camera, placing his or her fingertips in contact with the GSR
electrodes, while the photographer snaps the photo. Once the picture is taken, the person’s GSR measurements are
instantly sent to the computer. The computer reads them and superimposes colors onto the photograph that match
the person’s GSR levels.

A true aura camera does not have a lens. Instead, it is comprised of an electrical device, such as a Tesla coil,
which transmits a charge from the subject through the photographic plate. The subject’s surface or skin must be
in contact with the plate in order for the auric image to transfer to film. Here is how the process works:

“Kirlian photography uses high-voltage, low current electricity to expose film. The high-voltage electricity
creates a corona discharge around the object being photographed. Because the object is usually in direct contact
with the film, the film accurately records the coronal discharge from the object. The exposure plate is made of a
conductive material, usually a metal with a thin layer of insulating material (dielectric) on top. The film lies on top
of the exposure plate, emulsion side up (facing the object to be photographed). The object is placed on the film.
The high-voltage source is connected to the plate. If the object is inanimate, it is connected to a ground. The
Kirlian device is turned on for a short time to make the exposure. When the film is developed, the resulting picture
or transparency is a Kirlian photograph.” (Iovine 23)

A Kirlian camera captures elements of the aura which no other device has been able to thus far. Most
subjects, living or non-living, can be photographed with a Kirlian camera. Dramatic differences can be observed
between the Kirlian images of living organisms and those of inanimate objects. The coronal emanation (energy flow)
of inanimate objects is static and unchangeable, whereas the corona of living organisms is dynamic. Its size, color
and brightness can be affected by health, mood, and physical surroundings. (Ostrander 200-213)

For example, the Kirlian image of a healthy person’s coronal emanation is symmetrically even, an indication of
balanced energy flow. Whereas the image of someone who is ill is covered with gaps or flares, an indication of poor
energy flow. (Iovine, Ostrander) Refer to the Power Point slide presentation “Learn To See Auras” for examples of
Kirlian photography by the author.
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 Bioplasma

Several Russian scientists have discovered data supporting the Kirlians’ research. One of them is Dr. Victor
Inyushin, a biologist at Kazah State University in Alma Ata. Dr. Unyushin proposes that living organisms not only
have a physical body, but also an energy body or bioplasma as well. (Iovine 24-25)

According to Inyushin, researchers have gathered evidence that a fifth state of matter exists. Inyushin
explains, “Scientists refer to the four states of matter: solids, liquids, gases and plasma. Plasma is a gas that has
all the electrons stripped off the nuclei of its atoms; it exists in outer space but can be experimentally
reproduced. In 1944, the Soviet scientist Y.S. Grischenko was the first to raise the possibility of a fifth state of
matter—one which exists in living organisms. He named it bioplasma. This state called bioplasma exists as a part of
each organism’s biofield. Bioplasma consists of ions, free electrons and free protons. It is highly conductive and
provides opportunities for the accumulation and transfer of energy within the organism as well as among different
organisms. Bioplasma appears to be concentrated in the brain and spinal cord. At times it may extend considerable
distances from the organism, raising the possibility of its involvement in telepathic and psychokinetic phenomena.”
(Future Science 115-120)

Inyushin hypothesizes bioplasma is the cause of light emission from an organism, when other causes, such as
high temperatures, are ruled out. He postulates that “energy (from the aura) radiates into space by means of
microstreamers (channels of bioplasmic particles forming through air) and bioplasmoids (bioplasmic fragments
broken away from the individual.” (Future Science 119) This is possibly what is seen as coronal emanations in Kirlian
photography and perceived visually as the aura.

A growing body of evidence exists in support of the presence of a bioplasmic field or aura, explains Inyushin.
For example, the presence of delocalized pi electrons in the bio field, the existence of semi-conductor properties
in cell membranes, high concentration of unpaired electrons in DNA and RNA, and the creation of electrical fields
by frictional charges concentrated on the surface of the body that can be detected at a distance. (Future Science
118)

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 According to Inyushin, all living organisms radiate energy and thus create energy fields around themselves.
“A living organism can be described as a ‘biofield’,” says Inyushin, “A field being a region consisting of lines of force
which affect one another. The biofield (aura) has a clear spatial formation and is shaped by several physical
fields—electrostatic, electromagnetic, acoustic, hydrodynamic and others not yet explored. It is likely that
bioplasma represents one of the fields within the biofield of living organisms. (Future Science 115-116)
Experimental evidence indicates that bioplasma consists of free electrons and free protons. An interesting
property of bioplasma is that it is more stable than the other fields. The negative and positive charges in bioplasma
keep it balanced. “Stereobioenergostasis impact from internal and external sources may cause it to break down—
this is usually temporary—it returns to balance. If equilibrium is not restored—serious damage can be caused to
the organism.” (Future Science 116)“bioplasmic particles are constantly being renewed by chemical processes in
cells, most notably from mitochondria, where direct transfer of electrons from one molecule to the another occur.
Bioplasmic particles are also absorbed from charges that exist in the environment. Some bioplasmic charges are
absorbed from the environment while others are radiated into space.” (Future Science 116) The exchange of
energy charges between living organisms and the environment may help explain the origin of the rays, streams and
patches Kilner witnessed on numerous occasions while observing human auras. (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 83)

While experimenting with Kirlian photography, Inyushin noticed a greater variation in the size of coronal
emanations of living animals than those of non-living objects. This observation corroborates the Kirlians’ assertion
that the energy field of living organisms is dynamic and constantly changing in relation to the organism’s state of
health whereas the energy field around inanimate objects typically remains static and unchangeable. Inyushin
wrote: “We think this is due to the bioplasmic field which interacts with the artificially created field (produced by
the electrical discharge from the Tesla coil during the Kirlian photography procedure) and, perhaps, sets the limits
for the corona. In experiments with rabbits, coronal discharge amplified two to three times its normal size
immediately after the animals were frightened and returned to their normal size after several minutes.” (Future
Science 117)

Gas Discharge Visualization

The scientific investigation of the human energy field continues today with Kirlian photography as well as
with a variety of devices based on Kirlian photography. It is worthwhile mentioning a Kirlian based device developed
by biophysicist Konstantin Korotkov from St. Petersburg, Russia. It is called Gas Discharge Visualization (GDV) and
23
uses a semiconductor camera attached to a computer instead of an emulsion film process to measure auras. The
GDV’s level of accuracy is remarkable because its images are not subject to distortion by ambient temperature and
humidity. Usually measuring coronal emanations one fingertip at a time, Korotkov has developed a sophisticated
diagnostic protocol that “spots malfunctions of the physical body and compares the effectiveness of various
therapies.” (Chalko 4) Although Russian scientists have made significant contributions to the understanding of the
human energy field, scientists in the West are also exploring the human aura. One of these scientists is John
Pierrakos, M.D.

Core Energetic Therapy

Pierrakos, a psychiatrist trained by Wilhem Reich, created Core Energetic Therapy, a method of
psychotherapy which blends Reich’s character structure analysis, modern theories about auras and pendulum
dowsing to help patients overcome emotional difficulties.

Pierrakos trained himself to see auras using Kilner’s method and developed psychotherapeutic applications
utilizing the visual perception of auras. Students at the Core Energetic Institute learn to use the visual perception
of auras and pendulum dowsing as diagnostic tools. In his book Core Energetics: Developing the Capacity to Love and
Heal Pierrakos writes: “I closely observe the aura of people with whom I work. I use the information it provides to
diagnose the illness, locate the skeletomuscular and characterological blocks that need to be dissolved, and guide
the person toward internal integration.” (Pierrakos 73)

Pierrakos explains that the aura does not produce a stationary image. Instead, he claims it emits
approximately 15 to 25 pulsations per minute, appearing brighter and dimmer continuously. Pierrakos theorizes
that these pulsations have their own motility and are unrelated to any known biological rhythm. (Pierrakos 57)
Pierrakos has trained hundreds of psychotherapists to visually perceive human auras and believes it is possible for
anyone with normal eyesight to learn to see them.

Spectral Measurements

John Pierrakos along with Barbara Brennan and Richard Dobrin conducted experiments measuring the
spectra of a darkroom, with and without people present, in order to study whether or not the human body emits
24
enough light to cause a measurable change. Barbara Brennan explained in her book Hands Of Light: A Guide to
Healing Through the Human Energy Field, “(We) measured the light level at a wavelength of around 350 nm in a
darkroom before, during and after individuals were there. Results show a slight increase of light in the darkroom
when people are in. In one case, the light level actually decreased. Someone who was very exhausted and full of
despair was in the darkroom… In another experiment, done with the United Nations parapsychology club they were
able to show part of the auric field in black and white television.” (Brennan)

Rolf Study

Researcher and former U.C.L.A. professor Valerie Hunt, Ph.D. conducted a study titled “A Study of
Structural Integration From Neuromuscular, Energy Field, and Emotional Approaches” at U.C.L.A. in 1977. (Hunt)
This study made a significant contribution to support not only the existence of auras, but also the human ability to
perceive them. According to Hunt, twenty-four subjects were Rolfed under controlled conditions. Measurements
were taken by scientifically accepted data analysis procedures such as wave shape analysis, Fourier Frequency
analysis, and Frequency spectrogram.

The Rolf Institute provided the grant to conduct the study. Four of the experimental subjects were
selected to be Rolfed with simultaneous electronic field-testing as well as with an aura reader reporting. Rolfing is
a form of massage or bodywork comprised of deep massaging techniques to help restore the body’s balance and
proper structural alignment. Seven aura readers participated in the study, including Rosalyn Bruyere. Data
collected from the subjects indicated that each individual had a unique pattern of amplitude and synchronicity
between chakras. Each kept this pattern over time. The instrumental measurements corroborated the aura readers
reports. When the aura reader observed a weak chakra open during a session, the instrumental data confirmed the
chakra’s amplitude. The auric colors reported by the auric readers coincided precisely with the data collected by
the instruments. When the aura readers detected changes in color and amplitude in the aura, these changes were
recorded by instruments several seconds later suggesting that changes take place first in the energy field or aura
before they are experienced physically in the body. When subjects were sick, the aura readers saw muddy and
unclear colors in their aura. The aura readers, while observing chakras, frequently reported observing colors
frequently reported in metaphysical literature. The color red was observed at the root chakra, orange at the lower
abdominal chakra, yellow at the solar plexus chakra, green at the heart chakra, blue at the throat chakra, violet at
the brow chakra, and white at the crown chakra. These observations were corroborated by scientific data.
25
 When subjects experienced pain in a certain area, the aura readers saw the color red over it. Hunt explains:
“the common red dimension served as an indication that the body was alerted to danger. Those becoming emotional
changed their fields to orange-red, those who went out of their bodies changed to red with white added, and those
who tolerated their pain had an elevation of the red spectra. Rolfers’ hands changed from blue to violet-pink in
response to a subject’s expression of pain, which seemed to calm the pain. Rolfers’ hands changed to white when
subjects experienced expanded states of awareness or imaging. We observed that before the brain wave was
activated and before stimuli altered the heat rate, blood pressure or breathing, the field had already responded.
This led us to postulate that a person’s primary response in his world takes place first in the auric field, not in the
sensory nerves or in the brain.” (Hunt 25, 9-36)

Hunt claims in her book Infinite Mind that recent discoveries indicate that all cells, including subatomic
particles, contain tiny electrical elements. She asserts that this evidence adds to the growing belief that life is
electromagnetic and cannot be explained by mechanical or biomechanical means. (Hunt 19) Hunt writes:

All matter which exists in space is composed of atoms. Atoms are the same whether they
comprise inert or living matter. Electrons open around the nucleus throwing off some
electrons. Other electrons rush to fill in. Some electrons come from living things, other
from inert sources. There are two primary electrical systems in the body. One, the well
known alternating systems nervous system, (brain, neurons, and nerves which cause muscle
contraction, nerve, glandular secretion and sensation.) The other, a newly discovered
electromagnetic system probably emanating from atoms and cells. Electromagnetic energy
allows energy exchange. This corona invisible to most people is seen at times as a halo or
light colored mist around a living body. Although composed of the same electrons as inert
substances, the human energy field or aura absorbs and throws off energy dynamically. It
interacts with and influences matters, whereas fields associated with inert matter react
positively. Again, these have been many names associated with this human energy; chi, life
force, prana, odic force, and aura. (Hunt 20)

Bioinformation Institute

26
 Another discovery which supports of the existence of auras comes from the Bioinformation Institute of A.S.
Popow in Russia. According to Barbara Brennan, scientists from the Bioinformation Institute have announced the
discovery of electromagnetic waves ranging between 300 and 2,000 nm in the bioplasmic field of living organisms.
Brennan claims that these findings have already been confirmed by the Medical Sciences Academy in Moscow and
also supported by research in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. (Brennan 33)

The scientific evidence discussed in this chapter supports the existence of the human energy field, or aura.
In the next chapter, the human ability to perceive this energy field will be examined.

Chapter 4
27
 THE HUMAN ABILITY TO PERCEIVE AURAS

A plethora of documentation has been collected throughout history in support for the existence of auras and
the human ability to perceive them (see Chapters 2 and 3). Because it is beyond the scope of this work to explain
how humans arrive at spiritual and metaphysical interpretations of auras, the writer will instead offer a hypothesis
for the visual and tactile observations of auras based on current scientific understanding with the caveat that as
science makes new discoveries and modifications to its current theories, these explanations will require the same.

This hypothesis states that the biological activity of living organisms produce a bioplasmic energy field
composed of ions, free protons, and free electrons that make up the aura. (Future Science, Inyushin 115-120) This
field, or aura, may be partially visible to most humans (Kilner) under certain circumstances. These circumstances
may be created by a combination of the reflection, refraction, diffraction, absorption and transmission of light as
it travels from air into a more optically dense medium, such as the human energy field.

In order to comprehend what enables humans to perceive auras, one should first understand some basic
concepts about the nature of electromagnetism, the mechanics of visual sensation, the behavior of light and the
workings of tactile perception.

The Nature of Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism was discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in 1820. Oersted, a professor at a Danish
college, discovered that electricity could produce magnetic fields. Prior to Oersted’s discovery, electricity and
magnetism were considered to be completely unrelated.

Oersted’s strong background in Kantian philosophy made it easy for him to understand how natural forces
such as electricity and magnetism come from the same source. He called this source ‘original power.’ However, it
was not Oersted but Michael Faraday who gave us the second half of this discovery, which is that magnetism can
produce electricity as well.

28
 Michael Faraday, a British scientist proved the existence of electromagnetic induction in 1831. Again, like
Oersted, Faraday’s background assisted him in making this discovery. Faraday was raised in the Sandemanian
religion, a Fundamentalist Protestant sect that emphasizes the interconnectedness of everything in the universe.
In a simple but elegant experiment that has since become a classic, Faraday attached a coil to a battery, thereby
creating a magnetic field. He then took a second coil, not attached to a battery, and placed it in a circuit next to
the first coil. Even though the second coil was not attached to any power source, it produced electricity. The first
coil’s magnetic field induced the second coil’s electricity. In this manner, Faraday demonstrated the relationship
between electricity and magnetism. Later, another British scientist, James Clerk Maxwell, formulated four
mathematical equations to explain the laws of electromagnetism.

Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism can be explained in words. The first equation states that a force
must exist between two electrically charged objects. The second equation states that every magnet has two poles,
a north pole and a south pole. The third equation explains that a changing electrical field will produce a magnetic
field. And the fourth equation states that a changing magnetic field will in turn produce an electric field.

Maxwell discovered through mathematical calculation how to explain the relationship between electricity and
magnetism. He described this relationship as a wave traveling at 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light in a
vacuum. Thus, Maxwell made an amazing discovery and solved a riddle that had puzzled humans for thousands of
years. He discovered the true nature of light, that light is an electromagnetic wave.

Light visible to the human eye occupies only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The complete
electromagnetic spectrum consists of miles long radio waves to infinitesimally small waves called gamma rays, which
are measured in electron volts. Although the electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of all possible wavelengths,
seven divisions have been created in order to facilitate their understanding.

Electromagnetic waves range from long waves with low energy to extremely short waves with high energy. On
the long and low energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum are found radio waves. Radio waves range from one
foot long to several miles in length and are used mostly for communication. Microwaves follow radio waves in the
electromagnetic spectrum and measure from one-third of a meter to one-third of a millimeter in length.
Microwaves are created by rapidly oscillating electric and magnetic fields and are used in communication
technology as well as industry.
29
 Infrared waves are next in line, ranging from a thousandth to a millionth of a meter in size. Infrared
frequencies generate heat. For example, the human body produces infrared waves.

Visible light, tiny in comparison to the rest of the spectrum, occupies the next region. Visible light ranges
from red, the longest wave the human eye can see at 770, to violet at 380 billionth of a meter (nm or nanometer =
10 –9 m). All colors humans see fall within this range. (Rhoades 70) The division of colors in the spectrum is not
equal. Yellow covers a narrow strip whereas red and green fill in a much wider gap. Yet, because we evolved on a
planet that receives a considerable portion of its light in the form of yellow rays from the sun, our eyes are well-
adapted to yellow light. It is the strongest light we see.

Ultraviolet light, beginning just after the blue range, is divided into three sections. The first section is
called near ultraviolet. These rays measure approximately 380 to 320 nm and are absorbed by the skin to produce
vitamin D. They also cause the skin to look tanned.

The next section is known as the far ultraviolet. These rays measure from 320 to 280 nm in length and can
penetrate deeper into the body, killing good cells.

The final section is named the extreme ultraviolet. These rays measure from 280 to 10 nm. Fortunately,
most of the extreme UV waves are trapped in the upper atmosphere and never reach earth; however, those that
get through are harmful and can produce severe damage to skin, including cancer.

X-rays follow the ultraviolet band and range from 0.1 to 100 billionths of an inch. These rays are used in
medical and scientific technologies.

Gamma rays are the smallest waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. They measure about a hundredth
trillionth of a meter and possess the highest energy of all. A wave’s energy level is inversely proportional to its
length; the shorter the wave the more energy it carries and vice versa. In fact, the vibrations of gamma rays are
so strong that they displace the protons in the nucleus of atoms, forcing them to shoot out into space. Scientists
manufacture gamma rays in small quantities for research. Gamma rays are also emitted by some astronomical
objects in deep space. (Hazen 7-51; Asimov 7-80)
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 As previously mentioned, Russian scientists have reported the discovery of wavelengths in the bioplasmic
field measuring between 300 to 2000 nm. If this data is accurate, and confirmation from various sources states
that it is, (Brennan 33) then, it is likely that this discovery also applies to the aura since it is considered to be
synonymous with the bioplasmic field.

If this is true, we could hypothesize that the aura is composed of a field of electromagnetic frequencies
created by the electrical processes of the body ranging from the near ultraviolet to the infrared portion of the
spectrum.

Thus if auras are more than metaphorical or spiritual constructs and do possess a scientific basis, are human
beings able to perceive them? And if so, how?

The Mechanics of Visual Sensation

In order to understand what enables humans to perceive auras, we shall explore some basics of the
mechanics of sight, the behavior of light and the workings of tactile perception. Let us begin with sight.

Light enters the eye through the cornea, passes through the pupil, aquaeous humor, lens, vitreous humor
until it finally reaches the retina, located on the innermost posterior wall of the eye. It is here in the retina that
light-sensing photo receptors called cones and rods convert light into electrical signals that are sent to the brain
by way of the optic nerve. What is seen through the eyes, is interpreted as sight by the visual cortex located on
the occipital lobe of the brain.

Cones provide the ability to see detailed images and colors. They work best in daylight. Cones contain three
types of color receptors, red, blue and green. Each of these receptors is sensitive to the primary colors present in
the visual portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The primary colors the human eye sees are blue, red, and
green. All color variations are a combination of these three and fit somewhere in the range between red at 770 and
blue at 380 nm. (Rhoades 70) People who are colorblind and cannot distinguish certain colors, usually red or green,
have one or more of the color receptors functioning improperly.

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 The human eye has approximately six to seven million cones. Out of this total, 64% are red-sensitive and
32% green-sensitive. Red- and green-sensitive cones are concentrated mostly in the fovea centralis, the middle
portion of the retina, an area about 0.3 mm in diameter, where vision is sharpest. Blue cones comprise only 2% of all
cones, but in a manner not yet understood, the brain is able to compensate for the deficit in numbers. Blue cones
are mostly found external to the fovea centralis. “The visual perception of intensely blue objects is less distinct
than the perception of objects red and green. This reduced acuity is attributed to two effects. First, the blue
cones are outside the fovea, where the close-packed cones give the greatest resolution. All of our most distinct
vision comes from focusing the light on the fovea. Second, the refractive index of blue light is different enough
from red and green that when they are in focus, blue is slightly out of focus (causing chromatic aberration).”
(Hyper-physics)

The human eye has approximately 120 million rods. Rods help distinguish fluctuations in light intensity and
movement. Rods do not have color receptors and are not are present in the fovea centralis. Rods work best in dim
light and provide night vision, This is why one sees mostly shades of gray in dim light. Rods are concentrated
mostly on the sides of the retina and provide peripheral vision. (Thibodeau 244-251)

Blue-sensitive cones are intertwined with rods throughout the retina. This makes blue the last color seen as
dimness increases and colors turn into shades of gray. When light intensity changes, so does the level of brightness
in colors. For instance, one may find that a red rose petal is brighter in daylight but dimmer in comparison to its
blue-green leaves at dusk. The rose’s shift in brightness is merely due to the eye’s adaptation of night vision. As
the eyes adjust, the blue color receptors begin to work more efficiently than the red ones, making the blue-green
leaves appear brighter than the red petals by comparison. Daylight allows people to see red colors better because
the red-sensitive cones are located in the fovea centralis, the part of the retina that provides acute vision. The
color red is difficult to see in dim conditions because of the absence of red color receptors in the peripheral vision
area where night vision is created. On the other hand, light-sensitive blue receptors reside in the peripheral vision
area and work well in low light. As the day progressively darkens, the blue-sensitive cones become dormant and only
rods, which provide black and white vision, stay active.

The Behavior of Light

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 When a light ray strikes an object, several things can happen: it can be absorbed, transmitted, reflected or
refracted.

A light wave with the same natural resonant frequency as that of the atoms present in the object is
absorbed by the object and transformed into kinetic energy. When light enters the object, the electrons with the
same frequency begin vibrating and absorbing the light. This action transforms the light into kinetic energy. It
turns into heat, and never leaves the object in the form of light again. (Asimov 12)

However, if the object is transparent, the light wave is transmitted exiting the object intact. In this
instance, the natural resonant frequencies of the light wave do not match the atoms present in the object.

The light can be selectively transmitted if the object is semi-transparent. In this case, only some of the
atoms present in the object have the same natural resonant frequency as the light wave, thus, the object absorbs
only a portion of the light wave’s frequencies. (The Physics Classroom: Transmission)

A light wave can be reflected by an object. The only colors that can be seen are those which are reflected
by the object. The only colors that can be reflected by an object are those which are not absorbed by it. White
light is comprised of all frequencies, blue, green and red. If an object looks white, is because it has not absorbed
any of the incident light. It is reflecting back all of the frequencies: blue, green, and red. If the object appears
red, it has absorbed green and blue lights and is reflecting only red. But if the object appears black, it has
absorbed all the blue, green and red and is reflecting no light at all. A pavement made of black asphalt becoming
hotter than a concrete sidewalk is a good example of how black objects absorb all frequencies of light and
transform them into thermal energy. (The Physics Classroom: Reflection)

According to the Trichromatic theory, white light is the combination of red, blue and green lights. Red, blue
and green lights are called primary lights. “They are also called the additive primary colors because as you add
color the result is more white.” (Blatner 121) All other lights the eye sees are a combination of these three lights
and are called secondary lights. Yellow light is produced by combining red and green lights, cyan, by combining blue
and green lights and magenta, by combining of red and blue lights. (Sobel 52; Blatner 119-130)

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 The pigments of paints are made up of molecules that absorb certain frequencies of light. They are called
the subtractive primary colors because when they are added to an object, e.g., a white sheet of paper, they absorb
light and cause the reflected color to appear darker. (Blatner 121) Yellow pigments absorb blue light. Green
pigments absorb magenta light. Cyan pigments absorb red light. Blue pigments absorb yellow light. Magenta
pigments absorb green light. And red pigments absorb cyan light. The primary of pigments are: yellow, cyan and
magenta. The secondary pigments are: green, orange and purple (Blatner 119-130) The key point to remember here
is that the only colors visible are those which are not absorbed by the object but are reflected back to the eye.

A light wave is refracted when it passes at an oblique angle from one medium into another medium of
different optical density. The optical density of a medium is related to the length of time its atoms hang on to the
absorbed energy of the electromagnetic wave before transmitting it. The more optically dense the medium is, the
slower the wave will move through it and the greater its index of refraction. (Asimov 7-28)

For instance, light traveling from air into water will refract or bend at the point where the two meet. Most
people have observed how a perfectly straight stick when partially submerged in water looks bent at the air-water
boundary. But upon removal from the water, the stick appears straight again. The reason the stick appeared bent
is because the light waves slowed down as they passed from air into water (a more optically dense medium than air).
(Asimov 23-24) Air has an index of refraction of 1.00029 and water of 1.33, 1.0 is the refraction index of light
traveling in a vacuum where the speed of light equals c (186,000 mile per second). (Asimov 26)

Asimov explained how Sir Issac Newton first discovered this effect: “In 1666, he allowed a shaft of sunlight
to enter a darkened room and fall on a prism. The beam of light, refracted through the prism, was allowed to strike
a white surface. There it appeared, not as a spot of white sunlight but as an extended band of colors that faded
into one another in the same order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet) as the rainbow. It was a colored
image and it received the name of spectrum, from the Latin word for ‘image.’” (Asimov 51)

White light refracting through a transparent medium with uneven edges produces rainbow effects where
the light rays break into individual colors. Asimov wrote: “White light, because of this difference in refrangibility
of its components, always breaks into colors on passing obliquely from one medium into another of different index
of refraction. However, if the second medium is bounded by parallel interfaces (as an ordinary sheet of glass is)
the effect produced on entering is canceled on leaving. For that reason white light entering a sheet of glass is
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white once more on leaving. When the edges of a transparent medium are not parallel, as in a prism, at the edge of
a sheet of glass, or in the case of water droplets, the color production process is not canceled, and a spectrum or a
rainbow results.” (Asimov 52)

The visible aura appears as fluctuations of light intensity around an individual. Houston Galloway, industrial
physicist from General Dynamics Corporation, Lexington, MA, specializes in lasers, quantum electronics and fiber
optics. He considers that these fluctuations may be partially caused by perturbations of the refractive index of air
by both infrared emissions and body heat conducted into the atmosphere. Galloway claims that there is no evidence
that the aura emits sufficient light for the human eye to detect and that the aura is not visible in total darkness.
He explains that although the eye requires a minimum of 120 to 150 photons in order to see, most of these photons
are lost in transmission and only 5 to 15 photons are able to reach the cones and rods in the retina. Furthermore,
the stimulation of sight is frequency specific, where the greatest levels of stimulation reside in the green range at
approximately 555 nm and much lower levels at the red and blue ends of the visible spectrum.

Although the aura’s index of refraction is unknown at the present time, it can be assumed to be sufficiently
different from that of air to cause the refraction or bending of light waves around the individual making his or her
energy field visible under certain conditions.

One of these conditions is the illumination of the subject with a white light of low to medium intensity.
Auras cannot be distinguished in bright light because their delicately transparent layers become obscured by the
light’s intensity. When lights are bright, only the cones, which provide day vision, are active. Cones are designed to
provide color vision and to bring objects into sharp focus. Auras can only be observed by employing peripheral
vision, night vision.

Walter Kilner, Barbara Brennan and Judith Collins recommended viewing auras with a white light of low to
medium intensity. In this manner, the white of the light allows all colors to be present, while the low to medium
intensity stimulates the rods in the peripheral vision to become active and detect the various layers and colors
present in the auric field.

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 Another condition that needs to be met in order to see auras is the presence of a suitable background
against which the light passing through the aura can reflect back to the eye. White, which reflects all colors,
makes the most suitable background.

Light must reflect from a surface back to the eye in order to be seen. One cannot see light while it is
traveling through air unless it is somehow reflected back to the eye. Light can reflect against water droplets,
dust, smoke or other types of suspended particles. But in their absence, the light of the aura will need a suitable
background in order to reflect back to the eye.

Not all backgrounds are adequate for seeing auras. The pigments of the background colors can interfere
with observing the aura. As previously discussed in this chapter, the pigments of paints are made up of molecules
that absorb certain frequencies of light. If the aura is being observed against a colored background, some of its
light will most likely be missed.

For instance, if a person’s aura is observed against a yellow background, the blue light in the aura will not be
visible because the yellow pigment will absorb the blue light. Green pigments absorb magenta light. Cyan pigments
absorb red light. Blue pigments absorb yellow light. Magenta pigments absorb green light. And red pigments absorb
cyan light. Thus, the rules of color subtraction must be kept in mind when selecting backgrounds. White
backgrounds are best because they reflect all colored lights.

We are able to see the colors of the aura because of the unevenness of its form. Because the edge of the
aura is not perfectly parallel, and its density not completely uniform, light rays refracting through the aura are
able to break into their individual components allowing individual colors to become more visible. Reports from
various sources including Barbara Brennan (Brennan), Dolores Krieger (Krieger) and John Harvey Gray (Gray)
support the hypothesis that the edges and density of the aura are neither parallel nor uniform in size. Many
factors can alter the shape of the aura and account for some of its colors. These factors include injuries, disease
and heightened emotional states.

For instance, reds may be perceived when there is excess heat in the body. This heat may be produced by
the pain and inflammation associated with a sprain or fracture or by the extra heat generated by rheumatoid
arthritis over swollen joints. Even the hot, itchy sensation of a chickenpox rash will color the aura with red. Kilner
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observed conditions such as these frequently but reported them as ‘holes’ in the aura. His chemically treated aura
goggles absorbed all visible light and infrared frequencies. Kilner only saw ultraviolet rays. He was unable to see
the visible spectrum and the infrared range. This is possibly why he perceived areas of body heat as empty spaces.
An example of this phenomenon can be found in his descriptions of the etheric double as a vacant outline around
the body. (Kilner)

Blues, greens and yellows are most visible in states of emotional arousal. In heightened emotional
states, sweat glands located on the skin secrete more perspiration. This perspiration augments the
conductivity of sweat electrolytes and ionizes the molecules of air, increasing their index of
refraction. For instance, the spectral lines of nitrogen gas in an ionized state are most intense in blue
range at 399 nm with a spectral line intensity of 1000 and in the yellow at 568 nm with a spectral line
intensity of 870. (Weast E-258)

Some of my students who are learning to see auras have been able to observe this phenomenon with subjects
who are engaged in experiencing various emotional states. While performing the experiments, an instrument that
measures galvanic skin response is attached to the subjects’ fingertips in order to measure changes in their stress
level. Stress creates perspiration and increases the conductivity of electrolytes. Invariably, the students report
observing more intense colors, specially blues, greens and yellows when the subjects are experiencing heightened
states of emotion and the GSR device concurs with their findings by reading numbers of 155 and higher.

Most students are unable to see all the auric colors when they initially learn to see auras. Instead, they
report being able to see the colors gradually.

Students usually see the blues and lavender-blues first. This may be attributed to the fact that the blue
cones are located adjacent to the rods in the peripheral vision area and work best in dim light. While training new
students to see auras, lights are purposely dimmed because auras are easiest to see in low lighting conditions.
The yellow and green colors come in next. This may be because the human eye is well adapted to yellow light
and is the strongest color it can see.

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 Red is the last and most difficult color for students to see. (Collins) This may be the fault of the red cones.
As mentioned earlier, the red cones are located only in the fovea centralis, the small section of the retina
specialized for day vision. Vision is sharpest in the fovea.

My hypothesis is that in order to see red in the aura, the eye needs to learn to juggle between keeping the
red cones active in the day vision area, and at the same time, allowing the rods to work in the night vision area. This
is not an easy feat, since rods will automatically become dormant in bright light.

Most people who try to see auras initially fail because they try to see them with their regular vision, their
day vision. They force their eyes hard upon the aura and usually don’t succeed. A hard stare automatically signals
the body to enter a state of alertness, activating the components of visual acuity in order to fight or flight. In this
state, the eye attains visual acuity but cannot discern subtle light variations that comprise the delicate layers of
the aura. Activation of the rods is necessary in order to see auras.

Here lies the dilemma about seeing auras: peripheral vision is necessary to see auras. Yet, because the eye
has a limited number of color receptors in the peripheral vision area, it is unable to efficiently perceive auras in
color by using peripheral vision alone. Both the ability to see colors, as provided by the cones, and the ability to
distinguish light fluctuations, as provided by the rods, are needed in order to see auras.

One solution to this dilemma lies in stimulating both rods and cones to be more efficient at capturing full
colored light from the aura. Many people report being able to see auras after utilizing some type of method that
improves the eye’s light-capturing ability. For instance, Walter Kilner found that by first looking through screens
painted with a solution of spectauranine (the real name of the dye is dicyanin), he, as well as others, could see
auras. In his book, Human Atmosphere, he wrote: “If the Aura be observed through a light spectauranine screen
without any previous preparation of the eyes, a number of people will be incapable of seeing anything, while a
second group will perceive the Aura more or less distinctly. If all these people peer first at the light through a
dark spectauranine screen for a short time, and then at the Aura, all will be able to see it—some immediately and
the rest within a minute. Of those observers who constitute the second group, a few will be found able, after
peering through a dark screen at the light, to distinguish the Aura without the intervention of any screen.” (Kilner,
Human Atmosphere 110-111)

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 Kilner spent years studying auras visually as well as training hundreds to see them. He believed that the
frequent stimulation of rods and cones with colored screens made the ability to see auras permanent even without
the aid of screens, “Any one using these screens constantly finds that the effect becomes cumulative, and will be
able to perceive the Aura at any time without intervention of any screen, provided the external surroundings are
favourable.” (Kilner, Human Atmosphere 111)

Another method that helps students train their eyes to see auras is the complimentary color method.
Variations of this method have been used by a number of aura teachers including Kilner and Collins. This is how it
typically works:

First, students focus on a colored strip of paper (red is best for beginners) under a bright light until its
complementary color (green) becomes visible. Next, they quickly dim the lights and then gaze at their hands and
fingertips with a soft focus, moving their hands back and forth in front of a white background. Soon an energy flow
appears emanating from their hands. This energy flow is the aura around the hands and fingers. This energy flow
usually appears grey or lavender-grey to beginners.

When one look intently at a colored piece of paper under a bright light, the cones become saturated by that
specific wavelength but not by the entire spectrum. For instance, red is a spectrum that ranges from
approximately 700 to 600 nm in length. If you look at a tomato which is colored with a red at 630 nm until your red
cones tires of that frequency, you will be unable to see that specific wavelength temporarily, but you will be able to
see the rest of the red spectrum without the slightest difficulty. In other words you may see other reds in the
tomato that you did not see before. All other colors perceived by your eyes will become greatly enhanced while
this effect lasts.

Using the complementary method along with relaxation exercises helps retrain the brain to see the aura.
Aura teacher Judith Collins believes that all people are born with the ability to see auras but many repress this
ability as they grow older because of emotional trauma or social pressure. Old traumas and social admonition create
mental blocks that interfere with the student’s ability to see auras. (Collins 48-49)

Although many of these students express a strong desire to learn to see auras, they also experience fear
and anxiety at the prospect of doing so. The old mental blocks interfere with their intuitive abilities and they lack
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self-confidence. For these students, learning to perceive auras kinesthetically before learning to observe them
visually provides a gentle way to get in touch with their intuitive skills and gradually build up their self-confidence.
For in-depth information on tactile methods, also called kinesthetic methods, of aura perception, refer to the
sections on Therapeutic Touch and The John Harvey Gray Method.

The Workings of Tactile Perception

Most students find tactile methods of aura perception easy to learn. These methods typically involve
manually scanning with hands and fingertips in order to feel the aura.

The hands and fingertips are well-suited to perceive the energy flow because of their rich supply of sensory
receptors. These receptors allow students to perceive subtle energy fluctuations as they scan the aura. The
somatosensory areas of the brain interpret the various types of sensations collected by the receptors. The
sensory receptors collect information about touch, e.g., light and deep pressure, warm and cold temperature, and
pain. More complex sensations including itching, tickling and wetness are also gathered by these receptors:
In general, areas of skin used in tasks requiring a high degree of spatial localization (e.g.,
fingertips,lips) have a high density of specific receptors, and these areas are correspondingly
well represented in the somatosensory areas of the cerebral cortex.

A number of receptors types serve the sensations of touch in the skin. In regions of
hairless skin (e.g., the palm of the hand) are found Merkel’s disks, Meissner’s corpuscles, and
pacinian corpuscles. The first of these are intensity receptors (located in lowest layers of the
epidermis) that show slow adaptation and respond to steady pressure. Meisser’s adapt more
rapidly to the same stimuli and serve as velocity receptors. The pacinian corpuscles are very
rapidly adapting (acceleration) receptors that are most sensitive to rapidly changing stimuli
such as vibration. In regions of hairy skin, small hairs serve as accessory structures for hair
follicle receptors, mechanoreceptors that adapt more slowly. Ruffini’s endings (located in the
dermis) are also slowly adapting receptors. Merkel’s disks in areas of hairy skin are grouped into
tactile disks. Pacinian corpuscles also serve to sense vibration in hairy skin. Nonmyelinated nerve
endings, also usually found in hairy skin, appear to have a limited tactile function and may serve
to sense pain. (Rhoades 69-70)

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 Although it is exhilarating to see the aura’s bright and beautiful colors, tactile methods have some
advantages over visual ones. Tactile methods of perception are not dependent on lighting conditions or background
colors. Students can scan auras regardless of these external circumstances.

In addition, students using tactile methods are able to collect a greater variety of perceptions than those
using visual methods. This is because humans can only partially see the aura. As stated earlier in this chapter,
evidence supports the theory that the aura extends much farther than the range of human sight.

Even when observing auras in optimal conditions, a person’s observation cannot extend much beyond the
range of visible light and no one can see auras in complete darkness. A solution to this dilemma may be in combining
both the visual and tactile methods of aura perception. This way, what the eyes cannot see, the hands will perceive.
This is the basis for the Lourdes Gray Method of Aura Perception.

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 Chapter 5

EXERCISES TO PERCEIVE AURAS

Visual Exercises

Color Stimulation – Exercise #1

1) Look at the red card for about 1 minute under a light source that is not fluorescent.

2) Quickly dim the light and look at both the white and the black card. Note the color effects. Both the white and
the black card should appear to be green.

By tiring out the “red” cells in your eyes, the “green” cells have become more sensitive by comparison. You should be
able to see the reciprocal* of the color just viewed displayed on the white and black cards.

3) Keep the lights dimmed. Extend your hands in front with palms facing you. Move the fingers of both hands
simultaneously towards and away from each other. Follow the technique for relaxing your eyes to activate peripheral
vision. Do not look directly at your hands, hold your gaze 3 to 4 inches away. You should begin to see a greenish mist
around your fingertips. Now, look at yourself in a mirror, you should be able to detect the same effect around your
head and shoulders.

Continue doing this exercise with each of the colored cards. With a little practice, you should be able to detect the
first three-to-four layers of the aura. Be patient if success does not come immediately, it takes some people a little
longer than others to obtain results.

Do this exercise twice daily to expand the rods and cones in your eyes and improve your auric vision.

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 Kinesthetic Exercises

1. Selecting The Primary Sensing Hand

Clasp your hands together and interlace your fingers so that they fit comfortably. The hand with the
thumb on the bottom is your primary sensing hand. You may find it easier to perceive energy with this
hand. It is important to take turns practicing with the other hand also, in order to develop your sensing
ability evenly.

2. Aura Dry Bathing

Sensitize your hands well. Place the right hand near the top of your left shoulder and draw it diagonally
across the body to the right hip. Next, place the left hand near the top of the right shoulder and draw it
diagonally across the body to the left hip. Repeat a few times.

3. Dead Sound
Part I. Break into small groups. Select a speaker from your group and listen attentively to him/her for a
few minutes. Then, stop listening. When the group is not listening, the sound waves created by the
speaker will lack resonance and feel empty to him/her. This occurs because by not listening, the group is
blocking the sound’s entrance into its energy field.
Part II. Keeping the same groups and speakers, repeat the exercise with the following variation: Each
speaker will step away from his or her group. Each group will now choose one person to give a secret signal
to the rest of the group when to stop listening to the speaker at some point during the course of the
speaker’s talk. The signal can be given at any time but when the signal is given the group is to immediately
stop listening to the speaker.
Next, the speakers return to their groups and complete the exercise. After the exercise is completed,
the groups discuss how the speakers’ ability to talk was affected when no one was listening. Was it more
difficult for the speaker to continue talking when the group was not listening? Could the speaker sense a
difference when the group was not listening?
Repeat Parts I and II, rotating speakers until each person has had a chance to take the position of
speaker.

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4. Aura Handshake
Sensitize your hands. Pair up, standing and facing each other. Using your ‘sensing’ hand, reach towards
your partner in slow motion as if you were going to ‘shake hands.’ Instead, shake the ‘aura hand.’ Repeat
the exercise with your other hand.
Form a line. The first person in line walks down the line giving an‘aura handshake’ to each person in line.
Repeat until each person has given an‘aura handshake’ to every person in the line.

5. Awareness Of Energy Exchange

Sometimes people cannot understand why they feel tired in the presence of certain individuals or in
certain situations. Their weariness could be caused by losing energy through the process of energy
exchange. Individuals are constantly exchanging energy with everything around them, including other
people, animals and things. The following exercises will help you learn how to distinguish whether you are
losing or gaining energy during an energy exchange.
Stand facing your partner. Shake hands physically. Return your hands to your sides. Now, shake your
partner’s ‘aura hands’ very slowly. Feel who gives and who receives the most energy.
Form small groups. Pick two people from each group to engage in conversation while the rest of the group
observes their energy exchange. Notice who takes in and who gives away the most energy. Take turns
until each person in the group has interacted with every other person.
Walk about the room, noticing how your own aura interacts with the auras of other people, animals and
objects. Discuss your finding with your group.

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 Guided Meditation

The human ability to see auras is provided in part by peripheral vision. Activating peripheral vision requires entering
and maintaining a state of relaxation. The following meditation can be used as an exercise to help students learn to see
auras. Memorize this meditation and practice it often. This meditation requires both an observer and a subject. Stand the
subject in front of a white background facing the observer, at a distance of six to eight feet. Illuminate the subject with
either a medium or a low intensity light. The observer may use him- or herself as the subject by standing in front of the
background while observing him- or herself in a full-length mirror six to eight feet away.

Take a long deep breath, exhale and close your eyes. Let yourself relax deeply. As you continue to relax,
allow each gentle breath you exhale help you move deeper and deeper into a perfect state of comfort, ease and
peace. Notice how pleasant it feels.

Now, bring your attention to your eyelids. Imagine you can relax the eyelids to the point that you can’t open
them even if you try. When you are sure your eyelid muscles are relaxed to that point, test them to make sure
that even if you tried you cannot open them.

Next, bring the feeling of relaxation you have around your eyes to the top of your head. Imagine the
relaxation forms into a wave. Allow that wave to flow down your body, relaxing every part all the way to your toes.
Let yourself continue relaxing more and more deeply with each gentle breath you exhale.

Now, imagine a beautiful staircase in front of you. This staircase is made especially for you, so you can feel
perfectly safe and secure using it. The staircase has five steps. You are going to count from five to one, and as
you speak the numbers, imagine walking down the steps, doubling your present level of relaxation with each
number. Five… deeper and deeper …four… more and more relaxed…three…two… perfectly peaceful and calm… and
one. Now allow yourself to experience your own natural state of relaxation and gently open your eyes. Softly gaze
upon the subject in front of you. Close your eyes and let yourself relax even more deeply.

Now, draw the outline of this subject in your mind and allow yourself to imagine a flow of energy around it.
Remain relaxed and gently open your eyes again. This time, use your third eye as well as your regular eyes to see
the subject again. Pretend that both your physical eyes and your third eye are a camera. Take a photograph of
the subject and re-close your eyes.
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 Again, allow yourself to create the image or outline of the subject in your mind. Slowly allow the energy
flow to surround the subject. The outline may appear greenish, or bluish. It may contain yellow or red. Simply
allow yourself to imagine an energy outline around the subject. Allow this outline to grow brighter.

Once you see the bright outline through your closed eyes, remain relaxed and slowly and gently open both
your physical eyes and your third eye. Softly gaze four to six inches above or to the side of the subject. Select a
point on the white background on which to focus. Avoid looking directly at the subject. Now, allow the aura of the
subject to come into view. Do not strain to see it. Instead, allow the aura to come in on its own. Continue to
observe it with your physical eyes as well as with your third eye.

Your third eye is your spiritual eye. It provides you with interpretation and insight for that which you are
observing physically. Your ability to arrive at intuitive interpretation is dependent upon awakening your spiritual
eye. Meditations such as this one help to expand spiritual sight and intuition.

When you are finished observing the aura, you may walk back up the staircase, this time counting from one
to five. When you reach the count of five, all your physical senses will be operating beautifully and perfectly.
One…two, coming back slowly…three…coming back…four…and five.

Practice this exercise with gratitude for the opportunity to experience the ability to see auras.

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 Creating a Protective Energy Balloon

This is a meditation technique for creating an energy protection around yourself.

Take a long, deep breath, exhale and close your eyes. Allow yourself to relax. Bring your awareness to
your solar plexus area, imagining a tiny energy bubble lying there, resting quietly inside of you. You may give
this bubble a color.

Allow this bubble to float up through your crown chakra and expand into a strong and powerful balloon
that completely surrounds and protects you.

Allow yourself to feel comfortable and safe inside this balloon, knowing that as long as it surrounds
you, no negative energies can harm you. You can expand this balloon as much as you wish. You may even blow
the balloon big enough to cover your automobile or your home.

From now on, whenever you wish to create an energetic protection for yourself, all you have to do is
visualize this tiny bubble emerging from your crown chakra and expanding into a powerful balloon that covers
your entire body and shields you from undesirable energies.

Keep the balloon expanded for only a limited period of time. The length of time is up to you; however,
keep in mind that shorter periods work better than longer ones. This technique is partially based on intent.
Shorter time periods are more effective because intent gradually dissipates over time. Thus, limit the length
of time the balloon stays inflated; otherwise the technique can lose its effectiveness for you. When longer
periods of protection are necessary, the meditation may be repeated frequently.

The Protective Energy Balloon is a form of imagery that harnesses the power of the mind. It is based
on the theory that energy follows intent. The stronger the practitioner’s intent, the stronger the energy will
flow. Holding a strong intent is what will make this technique effective.

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 Chapter 6

CONCLUSION

In this manual, the concept of the human aura and the human ability to perceive it has been examined and
practical exercises have been included to train the student in the visual as well as in the kinesthetic perception of
the aura. The data gathered supported the original hypothesis that the perception of auras is a natural human
ability that does not require years of intense spiritual work to develop. The author concluded that most humans are
able to learn to perceive auras after having only a short period of training.

Evidence was found supporting the perception of the human aura throughout recorded history. Although
records for the philosophical and spiritual foundations of aura perception can only be traced back to the Ancient
Hindus, evidence that the human perception of auras is multi-cultural was also discovered. This indicates that
people from different cultures have been perceiving auras for at least five thousand years. Based on this evidence,
the author surmised that it is probable that humans have been perceiving auras since a much earlier period than
records indicate. The author concluded that the human aura holds a special fascination for many people. Its myths
and folklore adorn the pages of civilization and have been a source of inspiration to artists, mystics and writers
alike. Yet, human interest in the perception of auras is not only spiritual, it is scientific as well.

Several scientific theories from the early 18th century to the present were discussed and found to support
the existence of auras. A surprise to the author is the consistency of conclusions among researchers. For
instance, she found similarities between the properties of Od as postulated by Von Reichenbach, in the 19th
century and Orgone, as theorized by Reich in the 20th century. Both Von Reichenbach and Reich believed that each
force is both unipolar, with like-poles attracting other and much slower than electromagnetic waves.

In addition, the author interpreted findings from the Rolf Study pertaining to how responses to stimuli
occur sooner in the energy field than in the physical body. These findings supported both Ancient Chinese theory
and Burr’s L-field theory which postulate that change occurs first in the energy field, or aura, before it manifest
in the physical body. (Burr, Hunt, Maciocia)

53
 In the process of examining the human ability to perceive auras, consideration was given to reports by
scientists from the Bioinformation Institute that electromagnetic waves ranging from 300 to 2,000 nm exist in the
bioplasmic fields of living organisms. (Brennan 33) However, since the author has been unable to obtain data
concerning the concentration of these waves in humans, and since current scientific theories hold that the human
body is not luminous, she must surmise that the visual perception of the human aura depends upon external light
conditions and not upon luminous emissions from the aura itself.

The author agrees with the hypothesis that the aura is visible due to perturbations to the refractive index
of air by infrared emissions from the body and from the conduction of body heat. (Galloway) Furthermore, she
surmises that as light passes through the human aura, or bioplasmic field, it breaks into individual colors because
of the inconsistency of the aura’s density and the unevenness of its boundaries.

The author found that the presence of certain conditions make it easier for humans to visually perceive
auras and designed training exercises accordingly. These conditions are: a.) Illumination of the subject with a
medium to low light source b.) A suitable background against which the light passing through the subject’s aura can
reflect back to the observer’s eyes, a white background being the most helpful. c.) Eye relaxation in order to
activate both the observer’s cones to perceive colors and rods to distinguish the delicate layers of light which
comprise the aura.

In spite of proper training and ideal conditions, limitations of human sight prevent the eye from observing
the total aura. The author believes that tactile perception methods can supplement what the eye cannot see.

The author hypothesized that a combination of both visual and kinesthetic methods could prove most
effective in training students to perceive auras. Using the two together provides a more comprehensive
representation of the aura. This course, “Learn To See Auras,” combines these kinesthetic and visual training
perception exercises with meditative techniques to help students develop their intuitive skills.

Although a few questions regarding the perception of auras have been answered, many more remain. For
instance, what is the concentration of wavelengths present in the human energy field? What is the scientific
reason for the different auric layers? Can a truly effective diagnostic and healing method be developed based on
information gathered from the aura? What is the true function of the chakras? And finally, what is the role of the
54
mind in the process of aura perception? Understanding the perception of the human aura is in its infancy, in order
to reach a more complete understanding, the scientific and mystical traditions must work together even more
closely than they work now for the human mind is limitless and extends well beyond the boundaries of the physical
body.

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References
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 LEARN TO SEE AURAS

COURSE EVALUATION FORM

Date:_______________________

Student’s Name:_____________________________

Phone:________________________

PART I -- TO BE COMPLETED AT THE START OF THE TRAINING

1. Do you believe auras (human energy fields) are real and that you have the ability to see them?

2. What is your current level of Reiki training?

3. What other healing modalities have you studied?

4. What other courses related to auras have you taken?

2. Do you already see auras? If yes, please state when the ability started, the conditions under which you can see auras, and
whether you see auras in color or just in shades of gray.

6. Are you able to feel auras kinesthetically? If yes, give details.

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 Name________________________

PART II -- TO BE COMPLETED AT THE END OF THE TRAINING

1. Were you able to see the aura (energy flow) around your fingertips? If yes, did you see a color? What color?

2. Were you able to see the aura around a person or group? If yes, please state the colors and layers observed.

3. Were you able to sense and or feel the energy flow of the aura kinesthetically? Please give details.

Agree Undecided Disagree

4. Teaching strategies were effective 1 2 3

5. Time frame was appropriate 1 2 3

6. Physical facilities were appropriate 1 2 3

7. The Instructor was effective 1 2 3

8. General overall comments:

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