“Aura (Gr. and Lat.). A subtle invisible essence or fluid that emanates from human and animal bodies and even things. It is a psychic effluvium, partaking of both the mind and the body, as it is the electro-vital, and at the same time an electro-mental aura; called in Theosophy the âkâsic or magnetic aura.” (H. P. Blavatsky, “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 44)

“The astral form clothing the Monad was surrounded [i.e. in the earliest Root Races], as it still is, by its egg-shaped sphere of aura, which here corresponds to the substance of the germ-cell or ovum.  The astral form itself is the nucleus, now, as then, instinct with the principle of life.

“When the season of reproduction arrives, the sub-astral “extrudes” a miniature of itself from the egg of surrounding aura. This germ [i.e. seed] grows and feeds on the aura till it becomes fully developed, when it gradually separates from its parent, carrying with it its own sphere of aura; just as we see living cells reproducing their like by growth and subsequent division into two.” (HPB, “The Secret Doctrine” Vol. 2, p. 117)

“Every person has about him a fluid, or plane, or sphere, or energy, whichever you please to call it, in which are constantly found elementals that partake of his nature. That is, they are tinted with his color and impressed by his character. There are numerous classes of these. Some men have many of one class or of all, or many of some and few of others. And anything worn upon your person is connected with your elementals. For instance, you wear cloth made of wool or linen, and little objects made of wood, bone, brass, gold, silver, and other substances. Each one of these has certain magnetic relations peculiar to itself, and all of them are soaked, to a greater or less extent, with your magnetism as well as nervous fluid. . . .

“Then there is that which I referred to in a preceding conversation, about the effect of our acts and thoughts upon, not only the portion of the astral light belonging to each of us with its elementals, but upon the whole astral world.” (“The Sage” speaking in “Laws Governing Elementals,” William Q. Judge) 

“. . . man projects upon everybody and everything he encounters a magnetic aura, peculiar to himself . . .” (HPB, “A Case of Obsession”)

“At a meeting [of the Blavatsky Lodge in London on 16th June 1887] . . . a discussion arose as to the aura and magnetism of any individual. Magnetism, it was stated [i.e. by H. P. Blavatsky], is an emanation which arises from all things, the earth, animal and vegetable life; it is a physiological thing and arises from prana; which is the individual life principle. The aura is an individualization of a Universal Life Principle (Jiva) and endures with a man in spite of his periodical changes of state and planes. The aura is the origin of the feeling of sympathy and antipathy; it is a magnetic emanation of Prana but in combination with Manas and Buddhi.” (“Blavatsky Lodge Minutes”)

“. . . every man – in common with every other living, and even inert object – has an aura of his own emanations surrounding him; . . .” (HPB, “Isis Unveiled” Vol. 2, p. 619)

“The great question mooted is whether there is or is not any actual fluid thrown off by the mesmerizer. Many deny it, and nearly all hypnotizers refuse to admit it. H. P. Blavatsky declares there is such a fluid, and those who can see into the plane to which it belongs assert its existence as a subtle form of matter. . . . This fluid is composed in part of the astral substance around every one, and in part of the physical atoms in a finely divided state. By some this astral substance is called the aura. But that word is indefinite, as there are many sorts of aura and many degrees of its expression. These will not be known, even to Theosophists of the most willing mind, until the race as a whole has developed up to that point. So the word [i.e. the general term “aura”] will remain in use for the present.” (William Q. Judge, “Mesmerism”)

“Occultism calls the force transmitted [i.e. in both mesmerism and hypnotism], the “auric fluid,” to distinguish it from the “auric light”; the “fluid” being a correlation of atoms on a higher plane, and a descent to this lower one, in the shape of impalpable and invisible plastic Substances, generated and directed by the potential Will; the “auric light,” or that which Reichenbach calls Od, a light that surrounds every animate and inanimate object in nature, is, on the other hand, but the astral reflection emanating from objects; its particular colour and colours, the combinations and varieties of the latter, denoting the state of the gunas [i.e. Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, in Hindu terminology], or qualities and characteristics of each special object and subject – the human being’s aura being the strongest of all.” (HPB, “Hypnotism and Its Relations to Other Modes of Fascination”)

“Animal magnetism [i.e. a term coined by Franz Anton Mesmer] is a fluid, an emanation. Some people can emit it for curative purposes through their eyes and the tips of their fingers, while the rest of all creatures, mankind, animals and even every inanimate object, emanate it either as an aura, or a varying light, and that whether consciously or not. When acted upon by contact with a patient or by the will of a human operator, it is called “Mesmerism.”” (HPB, “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 199, Entry for “Magnetism, Animal”)

For more on mesmerism, hypnotism, and related subjects, please see Is Hypnotism Always A Psychic Malpractice?

“Student. – When a clairvoyant, as a man did here a year ago, tells me that “he sees a strong band of spirits about me,” and among them an old man who says he is a certain eminent character, what does he really see? Empty and senseless shells? If so, what brought them there? Or elementals which have got their form from my mind or his?

“Sage. – Shells, I think, and thoughts, and old astral pictures. If for instance, you once saw that eminent person and conceived great respect or fear for him, so that his image was graven in your astral sphere in deeper lines than other images, it would be seen for your whole life by seers, who, if untrained – as they all are here – could not tell whether it was an image or reality; and then each sight of it is a revivification of the image.” (WQJ, “Elementals and Elementaries”)

“. . . it is necessary to know and admit the following: . . . The nature of the mind, its operation, its powers; the nature and power of imagination; the duration and effect of impressions. Most important in this is the persistence of the slightest impression as well as the deepest; that every impression produces a picture in the individual aura; and that by means of this a connection is established between the auras of friends and relatives old, new, near, distant, and remote in degree: this would give a wide range of possible sight to a clairvoyant.” (WQJ, “The Ocean of Theosophy” p. 149-150)

These next two passages are regarding Sir William Crookes (1832-1919), a famous English physicist and chemist of that era, who had an interest in Spiritualism and the paranormal and was also a member of the Theosophical Society although never particularly involved with either the Society or Theosophy itself. Among other things, Crookes was the discoverer of what he called “radiant matter” and is recognised by today’s scientists as essentially the first discoverer of what is now called plasma:

“I never thought he was so learned – till I heard Masters’ opinions about him and his aura. Master [i.e. the Mahatma M. or Master Morya, the Guru of HPB] says, there is no one higher than him in chemistry in England, nor elsewhere except Butlerof [i.e. Alexander Butlerov, 1828-1886, pioneering Russian chemist] who is dead.” (“The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett” p. 226)

“I doubt whether the news I have to give you will be found satisfactory by yourself or Mr. Crookes. I have heard from Master and – Masters. It appears (as I have thought from the first) that he is on the orthodox occult path, in his general method. “No one went nearer than he did to the laya region” I am told. The laya is the Nirvana of all organic (we have no inorganic) Substance, the zero point or “neutral centre” where all differentiation ceases. But when I asked for a few lines written in a language that I could not write, using scientific (chemical?) terms and symbols to show Mr. Crookes that the Masters were (a) in earnest and (b) that they knew what Mr. Crookes was talking about with his Greek letters and figures and H.’s & N.’s & N.C.’s – Master told me very coolly that He would be very sorry to be showing his ignorance!! He [i.e. the Master] knew nothing of modern chemical terms and Mr. Crookes knew nothing of Alchemical jargon. He looked into the aura [i.e. of a scientific pamphlet by Crookes] . . . and found in the said “pamphlet aura” only two deflections, and one small point, half of one – which showed error. I asked Him to point it out and he laughed, and I saw no more of Them.” (“The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky to A. P. Sinnett” p. 225)

The Master K.H. also describes looking into the aura of a particular book: “I have not read the work – nor ever will; but I have its unclean spirit, its brutal aura before me, and I say again in my sight the advices offered in the work are abominable; they are the fruits of Sodom and Gommorah rather than of Philosophy, the very name of which it degrades. The sooner we leave the subject – the better.” (“The Mahatma Letters” p. 405)

Elsewhere in her letters to Sinnett, HPB refers briefly to her own abilities to look into the auras of countries or nations:

“Well, what can I say to Mr. Sergeant’s prognostication except – he is right. If he knows it astrologically and intuitionally, I know it by the aura whenever I think of India, Egypt and other countries. All the damned goblins of the middle spheres; all the storm-devas, the Hurricane, Water, Fire and Air spooks, are making themselves ready in proportion and apace with the preparations of the terrene inhabitants. But what’s the use in telling you what I see, and feel, and hear, and know?” (p. 204)

She also provides to Sinnett a remarkable description of colours in the aura of one of the Mahatmas, seemingly – from the context – referring to the Master or Mahatma K.H., i.e. Koot Hoomi, who Sinnett had a lengthy correspondence with by letter:

“But what I can swear to is that there was not [i.e. in a previous letter from her to Sinnett] a shadow of criticism against yourself personally meant or in the Mahatma’s thought when passing this to me. I was writing my letter to you and had written about three or four pages when the Countess [Wachtmeister] came in and read to me out of your letter those desponding lines in which you said that you are inclined to suspect that the “Higher Powers” do not wish the [Theosophical] Society to live any longer and that it is useless for you to try, or something like that. I had not had time to open my mouth for an answer and protest when I saw His [i.e. the Mahatma’s] reflection over the writing desk and heard the words “Now write, pray.” I did not listen to the words dictated except in a mechanical sort of way, but I know with what attention and intense interest I watched the “thought and feeling-lights” and aura, if you understand my meaning. The Mahatma wanted me to, I suppose; otherwise His thoughts and inner working would have remained impenetrable. And I say, that NEVER, since you know Him, never was there so much kindness, genuine feeling for you, and an utter absence of “criticism” or reproach directed to yourself as this time. Don’t be ungrateful; don’t misunderstand. Open your inner heart and feeling entirely and do not judge through your world and cold reason spectacles. . . . All you say is perfectly true, and just what I thought I had discerned in the Mahatma’s aura. The yellow-grayish streaks were directed all to Olcott, (London period, not now), Mohini, Finch (more reddish); and to others I will not name. Your full size portrait, or scin-lecca, received a whole torrent of blue, clear silvery light . . . Where is then the “criticism” or reproach?” (HPB, Appendix to “The Mahatma Letters” p. 475-476)

“Unable as I am to carry into your homestead the full magnetism of my physical person I do the next best thing by sending you a lock of hair as a vehicle for the transmission of my aura in a concentrated condition. Do not allow anyone to handle it except Mrs. Sinnett.” (Master K.H., “The Mahatma Letters” p. 451 – The “Theosophical Glossary” entry for “Hair” may also be read in this connection.)

“Sleep is a sign that waking life has become too strong for the physical organism, and that the force of the life current must be broken by changing the waking for the sleeping state. Ask a good clairvoyant to describe the aura of a person just refreshed by sleep, and that of another just before going to sleep. The former will be seen bathed in rhythmical vibrations of life currents – golden, blue, and rosy; these are the electrical waves of Life. The latter is, as it were, in a mist of intense golden-orange hue, composed of atoms whirling with an almost incredible spasmodic rapidity, showing that the person begins to be too strongly saturated with Life [i.e. Prana]; the life essence is too strong for his physical organs, and he must seek relief in the shadowy side of that essence, which side is the dream element, or physical sleep, one of the states of consciousness.” (HPB, “Transactions of The Blavatsky Lodge” p. 71)

“One evidence of the practical good sense shown in our management is the creation of the “Buddhist Flag” as a conventional symbol of the religion apart from all sectarian questions. Until now the Buddhists have had no such symbol as the cross affords to the Christians, . . . The Buddhist flag effectually supplies this want. It is made in the usual proportions of national ensigns, as to length and width, and composed of six vertical bars of colours in the following order: Sapphire blue, golden yellow, crimson, white, scarlet and a bar combining all the other colours. This is no arbitrary selection of hues, but the application to this present purpose of the tints described in the old Pali and Sanskrit works as visible in the psychosphere or aura, around Buddha’s person and conventionally depicted as chromatic vibrations around his images in Ceylon and other countries. Esoterically, they are very suggestive in their combination.” (HPB, “Our Three Objects”)

“Baron von Reichenbach . . . proves that the body of man is filled with an aura, “dynamide,” “fluid,” vapour, influence, or whatever we may choose to call it; that it is alike in both sexes; that it is specially given off at the head, hands, and feet; that, like the aura from the magnet, it is polar; that the whole left side is positive, and imparts a sensation of warmth to a sensitive to whom we may apply our left hand, while the whole right side of the body is negative, and imparts a feeling of coolness. In some individuals this vital magnetic (or, as he calls it, Odylic) force is intensely strong. . . . he proceeded to observe the effect upon the latter of a similar aura or power found by him to exist in crystals. . . . One of his patients was a Mlle. Nowotny, and her sensitiveness to the auras of the magnet and crystal was phenomenally acute.” (HPB, “Nature’s Human Magnets”)

Karl or Carl Reichenbach (1788-1869) was a German scientist, philosopher, industrialist, and many other things, and is mentioned repeatedly in the original Theosophical literature due to his experiments and findings regarding an energy field emanating from all living beings and objects. He called this Odic or Odylic force or sometimes just Od. Some sources say he named it after the god Odin, who is widely revered in Germanic paganism as well as in Norse mythology. H. P. Blavatsky pointed out that “Od” also happens to be the Tibetan word for “light,” “radiance,” “radiation,” or “luminosity.”

“The Occultist follows the ethnological affinities and their divergences in the various nationalities, races and sub-races, in a more easy way; and he is guided in this as surely as the student who examines a geographical map. As the latter can easily trace by their differently coloured outlines the boundaries of the many countries and their possessions; their geographical superficies and their separations by seas, rivers and mountains; so the Occultist can by following the (to him) well distinguishable and defined auric shades and gradations of colour in the inner-man unerringly pronounce to which of the several distinct human families, as also, to what particular respective group, and even small sub-group of the latter belongs such or another people, tribe, or man. This will appear hazy and incomprehensible to the many who know nothing of ethnic varieties of nerve-aura and disbelieve in any “inner-man” theory, scientific but to the few. The whole question hangs upon the reality or unreality of the existence of this inner-man whom clairvoyance has discovered, and whose odyle or nerve emanations von Reichenbach proves.” (HPB or one of the Adepts, “Leaflets from Esoteric History” in “Five Years of Theosophy”)

“It is of supreme importance that the one who attempts to heal disease should have an absolute and implicit faith (a) in his science; (b) in himself. To project from himself the healing aura he must concentrate all his thought for the moment upon his patient, and WILL with iron determination that the disease shall depart and a healthy nervous circulation be re-established in the sufferer’s system. It matters nothing what may be his religious belief, nor whether he invoke the name of Jesus, Rama, Mohammed, or Buddha; he must believe in his own power and science, and the invocation of the name of the founder of his particular sect only helps to give him the confidence requisite to ensure success. . . . Those who may, after reading our remarks, feel a call to heal the sick, should bear in mind the fact that all the curative magnetism that is forced by their will into the bodies of their patients, comes out of their own systems. What they have, they can give; no more. And as the maintenance of one’s own health is a prime duty, they should never attempt healing unless they have a surplus of vitality to spare, over and above what may be needed to carry themselves through their round of duties and keep their systems well up to tone. Otherwise they would soon break down and become themselves invalids.” (HPB, “The Power to Heal”)

“. . . if we consider every individual a medium in whose magnetic atmosphere the denizens of higher invisible spheres can move, and act, and live. In such a sense every person is a medium. Mediumship may be either 1st, self-developed; 2d, by extraneous influences; or 3d, may remain latent throughout life. The reader must bear in mind the definition of the term, for, unless this is clearly understood, confusion will be inevitable. Mediumship of this kind may be either active or passive, repellent or receptive, positive or negative. Mediumship is measured by the quality of the aura with which the individual is surrounded. This may be dense, cloudy, noisome, mephitic, nauseating to the pure spirit, and attract only those foul beings who delight in it, as the eel does in turbid waters, or, it may be pure, crystalline, limpid, opalescent as the morning dew. All depends upon the moral character of the medium.

“About such men as Apollonius, Iamblichus, Plotinus, and Porphyry, there gathered this heavenly nimbus. It was evolved by the power of their own souls in close unison with their spirits; by the superhuman morality and sanctity of their lives, and aided by frequent interior ecstatic contemplation. Such holy men pure spiritual influences could approach. Radiating around an atmosphere of divine beneficence, they caused evil spirits to flee before them. Not only is it not possible for such to exist in their aura, but they cannot even remain in that of obsessed persons, if the thaumaturgist exercises his will, or even approaches them. This is MEDIATORSHIP, not mediumship. Such persons are temples in which dwells the spirit of the living God; but if the temple is defiled by the admission of an evil passion, thought or desire, the mediator falls into the sphere of sorcery. The door is opened; the pure spirits retire and the evil ones rush in. This is still mediatorship, evil as it is; the sorcerer, like the pure magician, forms his own aura and subjects to his will congenial inferior spirits.

“But mediumship, as now understood and manifested, is a different thing. Circumstances, independent of his own volition, may, either at birth or subsequently, modify a person’s aura, so that strange manifestations, physical or mental, diabolical or angelic, may take place. Such mediumship, as well as the above-mentioned mediatorship, has existed on earth since the first appearance here of living man. The former is the yielding of weak, mortal flesh to the control and suggestions of spirits and intelligences other than one’s own immortal demon [i.e. usually written “daemon” or “daimon,” an ancient Greek pre-Christian philosophical term synonymous with “god” or “angel”; in Theosophy it is typically used to refer to one’s Higher Ego, i.e. our own divine soul]. It is literally obsession and possession; and mediums who pride themselves on being the faithful slaves of their “guides,” and who repudiate with indignation the idea of “controlling” the manifestations, ”could not very well deny the fact without inconsistency. . . . This mediumship, whether beneficent or maleficent, is always passive. Happy are the pure in heart, who repel unconsciously, by that very cleanness of their inner nature, the dark spirits of evil. For verily they have no other weapons of defense but that inborn goodness and purity.  Mediumism, as practiced in our days, is a more undesirable gift than the robe of Nessus.” (HPB, “Isis Unveiled” Vol. 1, p. 487-488)

“In the case of a medium, the odic aura of the brain is rather poor and is constantly subject to fluctuations and disturbances by the surrounding astral influences, just like a flame of fire which loses its pyramidal form when fanned. But in the case of one who is not mediumistic, and especially in the case of an adept, this aura is compact and concentrated. Mahatmas, such as Buddha, are generally represented in Eastern pictures with pyramidal crown upon their heads. This crown is made up of purified, concentrated and undisturbed odic aura.” (HPB, Miscellaneous Notes, “The Theosophist” August 1884)

“Many of the subjective spiritual communications – most of them when the sensitives are pure minded – are real; but it is most difficult for the uninitiated medium to fix in his mind the true and correct pictures of what he sees and hears. Some of the phenomena called psychography [i.e. another name for “automatic writing”] (though more rarely) are also real. The spirit of the sensitive getting odylised, so to say, by the aura of the Spirit in the Deva-Chan [i.e. the temporary “heaven” state after death, created out of one’s own consciousness; see Death and The Afterlife and When We Die for explanations], becomes for a few minutes that departed personality, and writes in the hand writing of the latter, in his language and in his thoughts, as they were during his life time. The two spirits become blended in one; and, the preponderance of one over the other during such phenomena determines the preponderance of personality in the characteristics exhibited in such writings, and “trance speaking.”” (Master K.H., “The Mahatma Letters” p. 101)

In her article “The Dirge for The Dead in Life,” HPB comments that some instances of automatic writing are the transcribing of “a reminiscence from past incarnations of the one who wrote.” In her first book “Isis Unveiled,” referring to it by its synonym of “psychography,” she refers to two forms of mediumship, physical and spiritual: “. . . physical mediumship depends on a peculiar organization of the physical system; spiritual mediumship, which is accompanied by a display of subjective, intellectual phenomena, depends upon a like peculiar organization of the spiritual nature of the medium.” And adds: “Psychography, or the direct writing of messages by spirits, partakes of both forms of mediumship. The writing itself is an objective physical fact, while the sentiments it contains may be of the very noblest character. The latter depend entirely on the moral state of the medium. It does not require that he should be educated, to write philosophical treatises worthy of Aristotle, nor a poet, to write verses that would reflect honor upon a Byron or a Lamartine; but it does require that the soul of the medium shall be pure enough to serve as a channel for spirits who are capable of giving utterance to such lofty sentiments.” (Vol. 1, p. 367)

While it is true that Theosophy is in general opposed to mediumship (which nowadays includes its more modern name of “channelling”) it recognises that there can be such thing as pure mediumship or spiritual mediumship – which HPB calls “the only harmless kind, and is often an elevating gift” – but it also recognises that this is very rarely encountered; the vast majority of all mediumship and channelling is impure because rather than being truly spiritual it is instead psychic, i.e. of an astral nature and character, and the mediums or channellers are usually entirely oblivious as to the distinction between psychic and spiritual. Our article The Psychic Is Not The Spiritual may be read in this connection.

“And the learned gentleman might have added on the same Occult principle: “That the ‘nervous Ether’ of one person can be poisoned by the ‘nervous Ether’ of another person or his auric emanations. But see what Paracelsus said of ‘Nervous Ether’”:—

““The Archæus is of a magnetic nature, and attracts or repels other sympathetic or antipathetic forces belonging to the same plane. The less power of resistance for astral influences a person possesses, the more will he be subject to such influences. The vital force is not enclosed in man, but radiates (within) and around him like a luminous sphere (aura) and it may be made to act at a distance . . . It may poison the essence of life (blood) and cause diseases, or it may purify it after it has been made impure, and restore the health” (Paragranum; “Life of Paracelsus,” by Dr. F. Hartmann.)” (HPB, “The Secret Doctrine” Vol. 1, p. 538-539)

“Magnetic emanations are constantly radiating from every human being. Their influence is present in the person’s shadow, in his photo or picture as well as everything else with which his aura comes into contact. It is interesting in this connection to refer to the “Chhaya grahini” (Shadow-Catcher), mentioned in Ramayana which was able to arrest the aerial progress of Hanuman by seizing on his shadow on the surface of the Sea. It is a well-known fact that the figure of a person or his picture is a great help to a black magician who intends to affect him by his infernal art.” (HPB, Editor’s Note to “Zoroastrianism”)

“For the Esoteric Buddhist they yet vibrate in space; and these prophetic words together with the true picture of the Sugata [i.e. one of the reverential titles of Buddha] who pronounced them, are present in the aura of every atom of His relics.” (HPB or one of the Adepts, “Sakya Muni’s Place in History”)

“The meaning of this [i.e. something written by the ancient Hindu Sage, Rishi Agastya] is simple enough to him who has studied the theory of rebirths in the Esoteric doctrine. This gradation and change of colours refers to our physical and moral constitution on (a) the various seven planets [i.e. the seven globes of the Earth Chain; click here for explanations] and (b) in the seven root races. Planet A, corresponds to pure light – the essence of man’s primeval body when he is all spiritual; on planet B man becomes objective – assumes definite colour; on C, he becomes still more physical – hence red, the red-earth or Adam Kadmon, being the material acquired by the monad in the preceding world prior to being developed as man – on this Earth; on planet D, white, the colour containing an equal proportion of spirit and matter; on E, he is yellow – (relating to the Yogi’s robe) more spiritual; on F, he is fast approaching “the peacock” colour, that bird being the emblem and vahana of Saraswati, the goddess of universal occult wisdom; while in the seventh and last birth man’s aura is compared to that of an egg-coloured crystal – pure crystalline, purity being the attribute of God-Man.” (HPB, Footnotes to “Yoga and Kalpa”)

There are a number of mentions in Theosophy of the Earth’s own aura, i.e. the aura of the planet. Likewise, every planet, every solar system, and even the entire Universe must have an aura. The human aura can be considered a microcosmic reflection of that macrocosmic aura, on the principle of “as above, so below” or “on Earth as it is in the Heavens,” etc. One vivid reference to the Earth’s aura and its effect on people is in the following passage:

“Few, comparatively, of any generation have ever or in the nature of things could ever see the splendid phenomenon of a Mahatma’s astral apparition; for merely the magneto-psychic law of attraction and repulsion keeps Adepts and the reeking stew of social corruption far apart. Sometimes, under very favourable conditions they may approach an individual devoted to occult research, but this happens rarely; for even he, pure though he be, is wallowing in the world’s corrupt akasa or magnetic aura and contaminated by it. To his inner self it is as stifling and deadly as the heavy vapour of carbonic oxide to his physical lungs. And, remember, it is by the inner, not the outer, self that we come into relations with Adepts and their advanced Chelas. One would not expect to hold improving conversation with a besotted inebriate, lying in a state of swine-like stupefaction after a debauch; yet it is quite as impracticable for the spiritualised Mahatma to exchange thoughts with a man of society, living daily in a state of psychic intoxication among the magnetic fumes of its carnality, materialism, and spiritual atrophy.” (HPB, “Projection of The Double”)

“So far as our present Fourth Round terrestrial period is concerned, the mammalian fauna are alone to be regarded as traceable to prototypes shed by Man. The amphibia, birds, reptiles, fishes, etc., are the resultants of the Third Round, astral fossil forms stored up in the auric envelope of the Earth and projected into physical objectivity subsequent to the deposition of the first Laurentian rocks.” (HPB, “The Secret Doctrine” Vol. 2, p. 684)

~ * ~

WHAT ABOUT KIRLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY?

The subject of the aura naturally raises a question about Kirlian photography: Does it really photograph the aura, like some people claim? 

According to science, this specialised method of photography records an image of the electrical discharge emanating from a person or object. As far as we can see, science does not offer any explanation as to why different colours are seen in this discharge, or why the electrical discharge photographed around one individual one day may be a completely different colour or set of colours from that photographed around the same person in the same conditions the next day. 

Scientists say, however, that this “definitely cannot” be the aura, seeing as (a) it involves scientifically measurable electricity, (b) the electrical discharge is seen emanating from inanimate objects, not only living beings. They are probably unaware that Esoteric Science affirms, rather than denies, the electrical nature of the aura, and also maintains that everything – even a book – has an aura. 

But it seems to us unlikely that any form of photography – which obviously uses material implements and methods – would be able to record an image of the aura in its entirety. We saw at the start of this article that H. P. Blavatsky spoke of our aura – the Akashic Aura – as having both an “electro-vital” and “electro-mental” component. If the electro-vital aura relates more to one’s bodily vitality, it does not seem unreasonable to us that Kirlian photography may take a picture of at least some aspect of that electro-vital aura. This seems confirmed when we consider that there is some reasonable evidence that certain medical diagnostic methods using a scanning device based on a form of Kirlian photography have rivalled and in some cases proved more accurate than conventional medical diagnostic machines, as in the case of Harry Oldfield’s discoveries. But we do not claim to definitely know that Kirlian photography photographs only some aspect of the electro-vital aura, especially as people have found that a change of thought can instantly alter the appearance and colouring of their “electrical discharge” using Kirlian techniques. Some early studies found that thinking passionate or angry thoughts caused a strong red colour to appear in the Kirlian photograph of that person and, according to Theosophy, red is the colour corresponding to the Kama principle or component of the human constitution, the principle of desire and passion within our lower nature. (See “The Theosophical Glossary” p. 276, entry for “Red Colour.”)

Science’s discovery – separate from Kirlian photography – that human beings each have an electromagnetic field or electromagnetic radiation also mirrors the ancient esoteric teachings about the aura. But again, seeing as that electromagnetic field is measurable via material instruments, it seems to us unlikely that it can be much more than just the lowest and most material level or aspect of our multi-levelled, multi-faceted, complex human aura. 

Yet even on the purely physical level, the awareness that we have our own electromagnetic field is very important and has many significant ramifications and applications which have thus far remained unexplored by science and completely unconsidered by human beings in general.

We must add that we cannot accept the arbitrary and purely mundane, low-level interpretations offered by most “aura photography” practitioners as to the meanings of the colours in a person’s alleged aura. For example, it is commonly claimed that if the photograph shows a lot of green, it means that person will be attracting material abundance or financial success into their life. The association of the colour green with money or currency is predominantly an American development of the past couple of centuries. Is it really plausible or even logistically possible that the ancient occult science of aura colours is based on contemporary American finance? The very notion is absurd and merely proves the point that spirituality divorced from philosophy is often little more than idiocy. But commercialised Americanised spirituality is often not true spirituality anyway.

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