Taking photos of one's "aura" is the current trend

Scrolling through the "For You" content on TikTok and Instagram feeds, you may have come across images depicting people surrounded by colourful halos with various shades, perhaps accompanied by captions like "here are the colours of my energy body." But what exactly are we talking about? To understand, we need to start with a definition of "aura."

What is an Aura?

This concept has ancient roots and can be traced in many cultures, spiritual traditions, and philosophies. However, the term "aura" was likely introduced thanks to the culture of ancient Greece; Plato and Aristotle, in fact, discussed "aureola" or "light" (in ancient Greek: αὔρα, aýra, "breath") that surrounded living beings, especially those considered divine or particularly virtuous.

Later, during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, the theme was explored and interpreted in various ways by philosophers, alchemists, and theosophists. Over the centuries, the concept has continued to evolve through religions, spiritual practices, and literature, taking on different meanings. In parapsychology, the aura, or luminous halo, is the perception or sensation of a subtle and invisible energy believed to surround and permeate a living being or object. This subtle energy is often described as a field emitted by the physical body, capable of reflecting the emotional, mental, and spiritual state of a person.

The Kirlian Photography Case

The machine to photograph this phenomenon was invented by the Russian engineer Semyon Kirlian and his wife Valentina Kirlian in the 1930s. The technique is known as "Kirlian photography" or "aura photography" and is based on the idea that living objects emit a capturable energy field on photographic film. To get a shot with this device, you need to go to specific places, such as spiritual goods stores or esoteric bookshops, and request a photo of your luminous halo. Enthusiasts of these vibrations on social media recommend Magic Jewelry in New York, located in Chinatown. On this jewellery's website, there is a guide to interpreting the colours of your aura, but let's delve deeper into this aspect.

The Colors of the Aura

The idea of aura colours and their meaning has ancient origins and can be found in various spiritual traditions of different populations. However, their formal introduction to modern Western culture is mainly attributed to Charles Leadbeater, one of the early 19th-century "theosophists" and "mystics." Leadbeater extensively addressed the topic of aura colours in his books, including "The Chakras" and "Man Visible and Invisible." In his work, he described the aura colours as reflections of a person's mental, emotional, and spiritual state. For example, he argued that red could be associated with energy and vitality, while blue represented inner peace and spirituality. Despite the interest in the subject, it is essential to emphasize that Kirlian photography and the theory of colours have been subjects of debate and criticism in the scientific world. Many believe that the results are more related to humidity and electrical discharges than true human energy fields.

Aura and Science: Is There a Meeting Point?

True, phenomena like the aura may seem light-years away from the empirical fields of science and medicine, but surprisingly, the National Library of Medicine reports curiosity on this topic. In the 19th century, Francis Galton observed that a certain proportion of the general population, otherwise normal, exhibited a condition he termed "synesthesia." This phenomenon involves a sensory stimulus presented through a specific mode spontaneously evoking an unrelated sensation. For example, an individual might perceive a specific colour for each musical note, or each grapheme (printed number or letter) could be associated with a specific tone.

Understanding Synesthesia Models

To better understand a synesthesia model, the NLM presents a study focused on the case of a 23-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome. When he was younger, he found it impossible to understand facial expressions and emotions, both his own and those of others, making it challenging for him to socialize. Around the age of 10, his mother suggested associating a specific colour with each emotion, based on context, social situation, and facial expressions, in an attempt to communicate emotions to his parents. For example, during the experience of happiness, he would tell his parents that he felt "green." This strategy proved to be of great help, and concurrently with the start of associating colours with emotions, he began seeing coloured halos around people. The colour of these halos corresponded to the emotional stance of the boy towards that particular person, and each new acquaintance led to the appearance of a blue aura de-nouveau, progressively evolving with repeated exposures. The young man claimed that the auras were clearly "seen" or perceived around the face and body of the person, not merely imagined.

This, along with other cases reported in scientific articles and authoritative sources, shows that seemingly distant worlds like synesthesia and aura can intersect. Although the concept of an "aura" may seem far-fetched, it is gaining more and more space in the collective landscape. Just think about the TV series "Viola come il mare", where the protagonist often finds herself deciphering the coloured "auras" of the people she encounters. What about you? Would you like to take a photo to discover the colour of your aura?