Aura Energy: A Brief History to Understand the Concept

Auras are something that most cannot perceive visually, although there are many psychics and energy healers who claim that they can see it. There are also certain medical conditions that can actually cause “auras” around things in their vision. Among these are some forms of epilepsy and migraine headaches.

The word itself is of Greek and Latin origin, meaning “wind” or “air in motion”. It was adopted to have a changing figurative meaning in English, starting in the eighteenth century when it meant an aroma surrounding a person. This developed into being related to one’s personality by the mid-nineteenth century. It was adopted by spiritualists to a meaning closer to how it is most commonly seen today as an actual energy given off by a person.

Because auras can change and reflect different aspects of one’s life, identity, and personality, we can use the study of all aura interpretations to cultivate empathy and self-awareness. It is believed that one’s career choices, exercise routines, and communication styles can all be directly influenced by or connected to one’s aura.

One of the Western spiritualists who popularized the concept of the aura as a field of vital energy around our bodies was Charles Webster Leadbeater, an English priest who after a trip to India, began to mix his own beliefs with traditional Indian and tantric ones. These were described in his 1911 book, The Inner Life. His ideas would be cited by other thinkers as the century continued, finally gaining popularity in the new age scene in the 1980s.

Many psychics claim that every living thing gives off an aura, sometimes even inanimate objects. There is a belief that this energy field can thus be read and interpreted to learn different information about a thing including health, personality, or emotions, and changes in these things can cause fluctuations in an aura’s appearance. One such example is the clarity of the field. Happy, healthy people may have bright, clear auras, but those who have psychological issues may have a murky appearance to their auras.

Despite the claims of many aura readers, scientists have struggled to find much of any empirical evidence and various studies have shown that aura readers cannot even do what they claim. Despite this, surveys in multiple countries show that about 5% of the population claims to see auras. Some of these people believe they can see them even when the sight of the person is blocked by a screen, but numerous studies have shown these claims to be false.

For example, Robert Loftin had an aura reader try to identify how many people stood behind a screen, while also controlling for sound and light differences. The psychics did no better than chance at completing the task.

In order to tackle the difficulty of researching such a phenomenon that is mostly self-reported, there has been the suggestion of differentiating between the different natures of auras. One idea proposed by Charles T. Tart in 1972 is that the only way we can really get a grip on it is to categorize different models or types of auras.

There have been claims that one’s aura can be photographed using a method called Kirlian photography. The general method is to have a person stand before photographic paper while electromagnetic energy is passed through them. It was famously exhibited by photographs of a leaf’s alleged vital energy.

As the leaf died, so did the vibrancy of the aura surrounding it, thus suggesting that the Kirlian photographs actually visually captures an image of a living thing’s life force. This idea has been disproved though. The image was just the object’s corona and the aura’s decreasing strength was more exhibiting the loss of its moisture and thus its loss of conductivity.

Some people believe that auras may have a protective element to them. That having a strong enough field around us may be able to ward off negative energies or spells being directed towards a person.

Three things can be the source of this negative energy: negative people, negative environments, and negative self-talk. Because of measurable energy, or our ability to read non-verbal and vocal cues, people are often able to perceive the positive or negative energy that others emanate.

Past experiences and the physical environment can affect one’s sense of comfort in different environments. For example, clutter has the potential to be stressful.

While positive thinking can increase longevity, immunity, and cardiovascular health, negative self-talk can be detrimental to one’s health. Individuals who maintain a positive outlook do not avoid challenges, but rather they are better equipped to deal with them effectively.

Whatever the nature of this phenomenon, the concept of auras is well-known and is an accepted word for describing a field or atmosphere around an object. This comes divorced from any belief in the supernatural.

Updated: July 14, 2024. – This article was originally published on February 7, 2021.