Aura

Origin and etymology

The word "aura" comes from the Greek aura ("breeze, breath"), of the same Indo-European root as Sanskrit vata (wind) and Latin aer (air). In ancient spiritual traditions, the idea of a "vital breath" surrounding the living being appears under various names: prana in Hinduism, chi/qi in Chinese Taoism, ki in Japanese Shintoism, pneuma in Greek philosophy, ruach in the Hebrew Kabbalah.

The modern conception of the aura as "coloured light of several layers" was popularised in the late-19th-century Theosophy (Helena Blavatsky, Charles Leadbeater) and in Spiritualism. Kirlian photography, developed in the USSR in the 1930s, fuelled the belief that the aura could be photographically captured, although most scientists attribute its images to electrical phenomena on damp surfaces, not to a real bioenergetic field.

Aura layers and colours

In the classical theosophical tradition, the aura has seven concentric layers: etheric (closest to the body, physical health), emotional (feelings), lower mental (everyday thoughts), astral (bonds), upper mental (beliefs), causal (soul) and atmic (the divine). Each layer can be seen by trained psychics.

The aura colours have meanings according to an inherited key: red (vitality, passion), orange (creativity), yellow (intellect), green (healing), blue (peace, communication), indigo (intuition), violet (spirituality), white (purity), gold (divine connection), black or grey (heaviness, blockages). A "muddy aura" indicates poor health or imbalance; a "clean aura" indicates good energy.

Auric cleansing

In energy practices, "cleansing the aura" is recommended after heavy events, contact with toxic people or dense environments. Traditional methods: salt baths, sage or palo santo smudging, visualisation of enveloping white light, contact with nature, real rest, practices like Reiki. Although science does not validate the existence of the aura as a measurable field, the practices that "cleanse" it usually have real psychological effects on those who do them.