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Auras

(Part 2)

Article by Graham Furnell

In Part 1 of this article, we considered various perspectives on the origin and nature of auras, followed by a detailed account of their characteristics and interpretations as conveyed by the ancient teachings of Yoga. In this, the second and final part of this article, we will continue the discussion by considering ways to sense, cleanse and enhance auras.

Auras are all around us, but the most powerful aura influencing our life is actually our own. The type of aura we project not only exposes us to its very characteristics and feeds back on us, but those living things and environments that we come into contact with will also be exposed to it - as we will be exposed to their auras. This is why it is important to try to maintain and strengthen a positive aura about ourselves, so that we and everything around us will be benefited, and also so that we will be better able to overcome the effects of the negative auras that may come our way.

So how can we sense an aura? Let’s consider some basic ways in which this can be done…

Perhaps the simplest way to do this is as follows. Choose a quiet moment to be seated and take a few deep breaths. In a relaxed and receptive manner, hold both hands out in front of you, with fingers extended straight and held together so that both hands are flat with palms facing each other. Now bring one still straightened hand around and use its fingers as a "pointer" to the open palm of the other hand and trace small circles in the air at a distance of one or two centimeters. Change the direction of rotation. Can you feel a slight tingling sensation being traced out in the palm that is being pointed at? Now try moving your pointing hand back and forth in a line along the open face of the other hand while still maintaining the same close distance. Can you feel the tingling sensation also following this traced path? This simple demonstration shows us that there is indeed a subtle energy field that emanates from our fingertips, and is no doubt why Nature has instinctively taught us to use these subtle energies for healing when, without even thinking about it, we immediately tend to use our hands and fingers to ease the pain of an injury or sore spot, or to comfort others in need.

A more dynamic technique for sensing the aura about our hands is to curl our fingers to form fists while keeping the thumbs straight and on top of each fist. Bring the fists together so that the sides of the thumbs come into contact, along with the curled outer part of the fingers between the second and third joints. Rub your fists rapidly up and down together in a "washboard" manner for about 45 seconds. Then open your hands and hold your palms facing each other, a few centimeters apart. Widen and narrow the gap between your palms. You should feel a slight resistance and tingling sensation which increases as you bring your palms closer together. Also, while your hands are still dynamically energized, try the above "palm pointing" technique again - you should experience the same sensations as before, only even stronger this time.

Now let us consider visualizing an aura, which is generally more difficult to do that "feeling" it. The simplest way to do this is to hold one of your hands with fingers outstretched and apart at arm’s length against a neutral colored background. Relax and stare at your hand using "soft focus" - that is relaxing your eyes so that they focus beyond the object being looked at. Slowly you should start to see a halo of white light outlining your hand. As you continue to look at your hand in soft focus, you may eventually see colors appearing at the edges of the white halo. Once you have gained some confidence in this basic technique, try using it to visualize the aura of another person, say seated about 3 meters in front of you. Particularly direct your attention around the head and shoulders region of the person, and if any colors are observed, use the associations outlined in Part 1 of this article to aid in an interpretation… For example - blue being an indicator of spirituality, red of passion, etc.

The last topic to be touched on with regards to the sensing of auras is through the use of a dowsing pendulum. After relaxing and directing your attention to the pendulum, the first thing to do is to determine its "yes/no" response to questions asked of it. This is done by holding the cord of the pendulum between your thumb and first finger and mentally asking it to show you how it moves (e.g. out-in or side-to-side swing, clockwise/anticlockwise rotation, etc.) for a "yes" response, and similarly for a "no" response. Once you feel confident with your connection to the pendulum, you can proceed to seek answers to various questions put to it when it is suspended in the vicinity of an aura. Such a question could be "Is this chakra healthy?" when suspending the pendulum over the region of one of the main chakras of someone lying in front of you. The pendulum technique can be refined by making use of a "dowser’s card". To do this, draw on a piece of cardboard a half-circle shape that looks like a "letter D on its back". The horizontal base of this shape will be assumed to correspond with a neutral side-to-side swinging motion of the pendulum. Write equally spaced around the circumference of the half-circle the names of the seven spectral colors - red, orange, … Now, sit with the dowser’s card on your lap, or alternatively on or held by another person. Consciously start gently swinging the pendulum in a side-to-side manner along the neutral base of the half-circle shape you have drawn. Then mentally ask the pendulum "What color is my/their aura?" while relaxing and letting the pendulum follow its own direction of swinging. The color it settles down to swinging over will be the answer to your question. Once more, you can use the color associations outlined in Part 1 of this article to aid in an interpretation. Of course your dowser’s card can be adapted to suit other question-answer options that may be of interest (e.g. write the percentages 0%, 10%, 20%, … 100% around the circumference of the half-circle to cater for questions that seek a numerical response, such as "How healthy is this chakra?").

We will now move on to consider ways to cleanse and recharge an aura. When one wishes to do this - be it your own aura, that of someone else, or of a location - there are number of techniques that can be used either individually or in combination. A quick and easy way to do this is to simply gain some exposure to sunlight, or alternatively moonlight when the occasion permits. We would all be familiar with the positive impact of getting a little sunshine in our lives, something akin to drawing back the curtains and letting light into a gloomy house.

Perhaps the most ancient and widely accepted cleansing technique is that of "smudging", where the smoke from smoldering herbs or other materials is wafted over the person being cleansed, or into the spaces of a location - a feather being an excellent aid for doing this, though any form of fan or even your hand will suffice. Much of our current knowledge of smudging has come from Native North American culture, where the herb sage is most commonly used; however, other materials may also be used either individually or combined with good effect - for example cedar, pine, rosemary, sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh. The basis of smudging can also be seen in the indigenous Australian "Smoking Ceremony", which is performed on important occasions to purify an environment and ward off negative energies. I am always fascinated and inspired when I see this technique accompanying a public ceremony, such as a "Welcome to Country". If one wishes to recharge the aura to suit a particular intent, the process of smudging can be repeated using a specific incense blend. Scott Cunningham [see sources] has recommended a range of these for such purposes - for example, to encourage protective energies the following simple blend is proposed: 4 parts frankincense, 2 parts sandalwood, 1 part rosemary.

For those seeking more details on how to perform the smudging technique, many resources can be found on the internet - here is a good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZpoC4sLK3A

Also, here is an interesting example of a smoking ceremony conducted in a contemporary context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyAM9EbHRaQ

Disruptive sound vibrations such as the clanging of cymbals, chimes and bells are also effective for cleansing an aura, as is also the beating of drums - these being particularly suitable for cleansing the aura of a location, for example when house clearing. However, two of my personal favorite, though somewhat more subtle, cleansing sounds are the mesmerizing tones of a struck or rubbed singing bowl, and the mystical droning of a didgeridoo. Make the sounds as near to, or directed as much as possible at, the area of the aura. For the aura of a person, this would involve sweeping the played instrument all around and over them, thus completely "shaking out" all negative pockets of energy that may be residing within the aura.

Finally, remaining on the theme of using sound vibrations, let’s consider the energizing of one’s chakras, and consequently one’s personal aura, through vocal toning. This will involve reference to the table which appeared at the end of Part 1 of this article. In that table, each main chakra was associated with a particular color, musical note and vocal tone. First relax and clear your mind, closing your eyes if you wish. Now proceed to progressively vocalize, long and loud after a deep in-breath, each note and tone, from middle C/UH, D/OO,… to B/EE; while mentally visualizing the relevant color glowing at each main chakra as you go - charging them for an all-round uplifting therapeutic effect. As you perform each tone, you should be able to actually feel the vibrations of your voice being naturally focused within your body to the area of the relevant chakra.

By paying extra attention to a specific note/tone/color, the energies of the relevant chakra will be even more strongly charged. This is an effective counter for a particular depletion of that chakra’s energy, as may be indicated by personal symptoms or by the dowsing pendulum technique discussed above. Additionally, a focused technique such as this can also be used to actually draw desired energies into your life, by producing a specially charged personal aura which will work for you in a "like attracts like" manner. Here’s an example, say that you would like to draw more loving energies into your life. From the table, "Love" is associated with the heart chakra, Anahata – whose color is green, and musical note/vocal tone is F/AH. As before, relax and clear your mind, then proceed to repeatedly vocalize, long and loud, the note F (Fa on the solfege scale) with the sound AH (as in "ma"), while visualizing glowing green energy flooding into your heart chakra, plus other imagery associated with your intent. Repeat this regularly to gain the desired effect. To complement this, you can even take to wearing some green colored clothing, or exploiting other correspondences such as wearing a copper ring or pendant [copper being the metal sacred to Venus, goddess of love], to add to the potency of your message to the Universe.

In this article, I have tried to present some basic information on auras - beginning with their representation in religious and spiritual contexts, followed by an outline of their nature and characteristics according to the teachings of Yoga. We then considered some practical ways to sense, cleanse and enhance auras. The aim throughout has not been to provide any kind of definitive reference on the subjects discussed, but simply one particular perspective from which the reader can draw on, and if they wish, merge with their own metaphysical understandings to further their own unique spiritual development. To this end I wish you well, and may many blessings be yours :-)

List of Images:

The main chakras.

Indigenous Australian Smoking Ceremony. [Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation]

Native North American frame drum. [Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art]

Some tools of the trade.

"Exploring Auras – Cleansing and Strengthening Your Energy Field" by Susan G. Shumsky, New Page Books, Franklin, New Jersey, USA, 2006.

"The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews" by Scott Cunningham, Llewellyn Publications, Woodbury, Minnesota, USA, 2006.

Unless otherwise stated, all images were either created by the author or sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org

This article is © Graham Furnell 2014

My grateful thanks to the author Graham Furnell for his permission to reproduce this article here.

Best wishes and Blessed Be

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Correspondence Tables:

Incense /  Candles /  Colours /  Magickal Days /  Stones and Gems /  Elements and Elementals

Traditions:

Traditions Part 1  -  Alexandrian Wicca /  Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) /  Ár Ndraíocht Féin (ADF) /  Blue Star Wicca /  British Traditional (Druidic Witchcraft) /  Celtic Wicca /  Ceremonial Magic /  Chaos Magic /  Church and School of Wicca /  Circle Sanctuary /  Covenant of the Goddess (COG) /  Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) /  Cyber Wicca /  Dianic Wicca /  Eclectic Wicca /  Feri Wicca /

Traditions Part 2  -  Gardnerian Wicca /  Georgian Tradition /  Henge of Keltria /  Hereditary Witchcraft /  Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (H.O.G.D.) /  Kitchen Witch (Hedge Witch) /  Minoan Brotherhood and Minoan Sisterhood Tradition /  Nordic Paganism /  Pagan Federation /  Pectic-Wita /  Seax-Wica /  Shamanism /  Solitary /  Strega /  Sylvan Tradition /  Vodoun or Voodoo /  Witches League of Public Awareness (WLPA) /

Other things of interest:

Gods and Goddesses (Greek Mythology) /  Esbats & Full Moons /  Links to Personal Friends & Resources /  Wicca/Witchcraft Resources /  What's a spell? /  Circle Casting and Sacred Space /  Pentagram - Pentacle /  Marks of a Witch /  The Witches Power /  The Witches Hat /  An esoteric guide to visiting London /  Satanism /  Pow-wow /  The Unitarian Universalist Association /  Numerology:  Part 1  /  Part 2  /  Part 3 /  A history of the Malleus Maleficarum:  includes:  Pope Innocent VIII  /  The papal Bull  /   The Malleus Maleficarum  /  An extract from the Malleus Maleficarum  /  The letter of approbation  /  Johann Nider’s Formicarius  /  Jacob Sprenger  /  Heinrich Kramer  /  Stefano Infessura  /  Montague Summers  /  The Waldenses  /  The Albigenses  /  The Hussites /  The Native American Sun Dance /  Shielding (Occult and Psychic Protection) /  The History of Thanksgiving /  Auras  - Part 1 and Part 2 /  “Doreen Valiente Witch” (A Book Review) /   

Sabbats and Festivals:

The Sabbats in History and Mythology /  Samhain (October 31st)  /  Yule (December 21st)  /  Imbolc (February 2nd)  /  Ostara (March 21st)  /  Beltane (April 30th)  /  Litha (June 21st)  /  Lammas/Lughnasadh (August 1st)  /  Mabon (September 21st)

Rituals contributed by Crone:

Samhain / Yule /  Imbolc /  Ostara /  Beltane /  Litha /  Lammas /  Mabon

Tools:

Tools of a Witch  /  The Besom (Broom) /  Poppets and Dolls /  Pendulums / Cauldron Magick /  Mirror Gazing

Animals:

Animals in Witchcraft (The Witches Familiar and Totem Animals) /  Antelope /  Bats /  Crow /  Fox /  Frog and Toads /  Goat / Honeybee /  Kangaroo /  Lion /  Owl /  Phoenix /  Rabbits and Hares /  Raven /  Robin Redbreast /  Sheep /  Spider /  Squirrel /  Swans /  Unicorn /  Wild Boar /  Wolf /  Serpent /  Pig /  Stag /  Horse /  Mouse /  Cat /  Rats /  Unicorn

Trees:

In Worship of Trees - Myths, Lore and the Celtic Tree Calendar.  For descriptions and correspondences of the thirteen sacred trees of Wicca/Witchcraft see the following:  Birch /  Rowan / Ash /  Alder /  Willow /  Hawthorn /  Oak /  Holly /  Hazel /  Vine /  Ivy /  Reed /  Elder

Sacred Sites:

Mystical Sacred Sites  -  Stonehenge /  Glastonbury Tor /  Malta - The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni /  Avebury /  Cerne Abbas - The Chalk Giant /  Ireland - Newgrange /

Rocks and Stones:

Stones - History, Myths and Lore

Articles contributed by Patricia Jean Martin:

Apophyllite  / Amber /  Amethyst /  Aquamarine /  Aragonite /  Aventurine /  Black Tourmaline /  Bloodstone /  Calcite /  Carnelian /  Celestite /  Citrine /  Chrysanthemum Stone / Diamond  /  Emerald / Fluorite /  Garnet /  Hematite /  Herkimer Diamond /  Labradorite /  Lapis Lazuli /  Malachite /  Moonstone /  Obsidian /  Opal /  Pyrite /  Quartz (Rock Crystal) /  Rose Quartz /  Ruby /  Selenite /  Seraphinite  /  Silver and Gold /  Smoky Quartz /  Sodalite /  Sunstone /  Thunderegg /  Tree Agate /  Zebra Marble

Wisdom and Inspiration:

Knowledge vs Wisdom by Ardriana Cahill /  I Talk to the Trees /  Awakening /  The Witch in You /  A Tale of the Woods /  I have a Dream by Martin Luther King /

Articles and Stories about Witchcraft:

Murdered by Witchcraft /  The Fairy Witch of Clonmel /  A Battleship, U-boat, and a Witch /  The Troll-Tear (A story for Children) /  Goody Hawkins - The Wise Goodwife /  The Story of Jack-O-Lantern /  The Murder of the Hammersmith Ghost /  Josephine Gray (The Infamous Black Widow) /  The Two Brothers - Light and Dark

Old Masters of Academia:

Pliny the Elder /  Hesiod /  Pythagoras

Biographies

A "Who's Who" of Witches, Pagans and other associated People

(Ancient, Past and Present)

Remembered at Samhain

(Departed Pagan Pioneers, Founders, Elders and Others)

Pagan Pioneers:  Founders, Elders, Leaders and Others

Abramelin the Mage /  Agrippa /  Aidan A Kelly /  Albertus Magnus - “Albert the Great” /  Aleister Crowley - “The Great Beast” /  Alex Sanders - “King of the Witches” /  Alison Harlow /   Allan Bennett - the Ven. Ananda Metteyya /  Allan Kardec (Spiritism) /  Alphonsus de Spina /  Amber K /  Ann Moura /  Anna Franklin /  Anodea Judith /  Anton Szandor LaVey /  Arnold Crowther /  Arthur Edward Waite /  Austin Osman Spare /  Balthasar Bekker /  Biddy Early /  Barbara Vickers /  Bridget Cleary - The Fairy Witch of Clonmel /  Carl " Llewellyn" Weschcke /  Cecil Hugh Williamson /  Charles Godfrey Leland /   Charles Walton /  Christopher Penczak /  Christina Oakley Harrington /  Cornelius Loos /  Damh the Bard - "Dave Smith" /  Dion Fortune /  Dolores Aschroft-Nowicki /  Donald Michael Kraig /  Doreen Valiente /  Dorothy Morrison /  Dr. John Dee & Edward Kelly /  Dr. Leo Louis Martello /  Edain McCoy /  Edward Fitch /  Eleanor Ray Bone - “Matriarch of British Witchcraft” /  Eliphas Levi /  Ernest Thompson Seton /  Ernest Westlake /  Fiona Horne /   Frederick McLaren Adams - Feraferia /  Friedrich von Spee /  Francis Barrett /  Gavin and Yvonne Frost and the School and Church of Wicca /  Gerald B. Gardner - The father of contemporary Witchcraft /  Gwydion Pendderwen /  Hans Holzer /  Helen Duncan /   Herman Slater - Horrible Herman /  Heinrich Kramer /  Isaac Bonewits /  Israel Regardie /  Ivo Domínguez Jr. /  Jack Whiteside Parsons - Rocket Science and Magick /  James "Cunning" Murrell - The Master of Witches /  Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone /  Jean Bodin /  Jessie Wicker Bell - “Lady Sheba” / Johann Weyer  / Johannes Junius - "The Burgomaster of Bamberg" /   Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim  -  the “Hexenbrenner” (witch burner) /  John Belham-Payne /  John George Hohman - "Pow-wow" /  John Gerard /  John Gordon Hargrave and the Kibbo Kith Kindred /  John Michael Greer /  John Score /  Joseph “Bearwalker” Wilson /  Joseph John Campbell /  Karl von Eckartshausen /  Lady Gwen Thompson - and "The Rede of the Wiccae" /   Laurie Cabot  - "the Official Witch of Salem" /  Lewis Spence /  Lodovico Maria Sinistrari /  Ludwig Lavater /  Madeline Montalban and the Order of the Morning Star /  Margaret Alice Murray /  Margot Adler /  Michael Howard and the UK "Cauldron Magazine" /  Margaret St. Clair - the “Sign of the Labrys” /  Marie Laveau - " the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans" /  Marion Weinstein /  Martin Antoine Del Rio /  Matthew Hopkins - “The Witch-Finder General” /   Max Ehrmann and the "Desiderata" /  Michael A. Aquino - and The Temple of Set /  Monique Wilson /  Montague Summers /  Nicholas Culpeper /  Nicholas Remy /  M. R. Sellars /  Mrs. Maud Grieve - "A Modern Herbal" /  Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Morning Glory /  Old Dorothy Clutterbuck /  Old George Pickingill /  Olivia Durdin-Robertson - co-founder of the Fellowship of Isis /  Paddy Slade /  Pamela Colman-Smith /  Paracelsus /  Patricia Crowther /  Patricia Monaghan /  Patricia “Trish” Telesco /  Paul Foster Case and the “Builders of the Adytum” mystery school /  Peter Binsfeld /  Philip Heselton /  Raven Grimassi /  Raymond Buckland /  Reginald Scot /  Richard Baxter /  Robert Cochrane /  Robert ‘von Ranke’ Graves and the "The White Goddess" /  Rosaleen Norton - “The Witch of Kings Cross” /  Rossell Hope Robbins /   Ross Nichols and the " Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids" (OBOD) /  Rudolf Steiner /  Sabrina Underwood - "The Ink Witch" /  Scott Cunningham /  Selena Fox - founder of "Circle Sanctuary" /  Silver Ravenwolf /  Sir Francis Dashwood /  Sir James George Frazer and the " The Golden Bough" /  S.L. MacGregor Mathers and the “Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn” /  Starhawk /  Stewart Farrar /  Sybil Leek /  Ted Andrews /  The Mather Family - (includes:  Richard Mather, Increase Mather and Cotton Mather ) /   Thomas Ady /  T. Thorn Coyle /  Vera Chapman /  Victor & Cora Anderson and the " Feri Tradition" /  Vivianne Crowley /  Walter Brown Gibson /  Walter Ernest Butler /  William Butler Yeats /  Zsuzsanna Budapest /  

Many of the above biographies are briefs and far from complete.  If you know about any of these individuals and can help with additional information, please contact me privately at my email address below.  Many thanks for reading  :-)

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