Aura (paranormal)
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In New Age belief, Aura refers to the energy field emanating from the surface of a person or object. This emanation is visualized as an outline of cascading color and may be held to represent soul vibrations, chakric emergence, or a reflection of surrounding energy fields. Auras may be viewed by the naked eye, though some psychics, like Edgar Cayce, believe this ability weakens with age. Focused training may improve one's ability to see auras. Layers of aura are separate and distinct yet connected to all the remaining layers. In the books of Carlos Castaneda auras are referred to as luminous cocoons.
Science and auras
Modern New Age metaphysics identify the aura as electromagnetic fields. The existence of electromagnetic fields around every object in the known world is a scientifically proven fact. What is debatable is whether or not humans can see these electromagnetic fields as colors with the naked eye. This claim is considered paranormal because devices that sense electromagnetic fields at magnitudes many times smaller than that which allegedly exists in auras have recorded nothing.
However, these energy fields are sometimes claimed to be documented by a rare form of photography called Kirlian photography. These claims are vigorously denied by debunkers about paranormal activity. The magician James Randi, for example, has for many years (as of 2006) offered one million US dollars to any person capable of repeatedly detecting auras; no one has yet succeeded (although at least one person has tried and failed). (see The $1 million challenge) The test would involve the aura reader standing on one side of a room with an opaque partition separating them from a number of slots which may contain either actual people or mannequins. All that would have to be done is that the aura reader would have to consistently be able to tell which were real people and which were not.
Perceiving auras
Some people see auras as the result of a migraine, epilepsy, a visual system disorder or a brain disorder. Eye fatigue can also produce an effect similar to the claimed aura. (See Aura (symptom) and Synaesthesia.)
References
- Brennan, Barbara, Hands of Light : A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, Bantam, 1988, ISBN 0553345397.
- Brennan, Barbara, Light Emerging : The Journey of Personal Healing, Bantam, 1993, ISBN 0553354566.
- Cayce, Edgar, Auras, ARE Press, 2002, ISBN 0876040121.
- Kilner, Walter J., The Human Aura, Citadel Press, 1965, ISBN 0806505451.
- Krippner, Stanley and Rubin, Daniel, The Kirlian Aura: Photographing the Galaxies of Life, Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1974, ISBN 0385065744.
- Larson, Cynthia Sue, Aura Advantage, Adams Media, 2004, ISBN 1580629458.
- Leadbeater, C.W., The Chakras, Theosophical Publishing House, 1987, ISBN 0835604225.
See also
External links
- [Exercises to See Auras for Energy Awareness]
- [Auras in the "Skeptic's dictionary"]
- [Kirlian Photography in the "Skeptic's Dictionary"]
- [A selection of articles related to the human aura]
- [Detecting the human energy field]
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