Sit down in front of an aura camera, put your hands on two metal plates, and you walk away with a photo of your face wrapped in clouds of color — and a booklet explaining what each one says about you. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli ask what an aura is supposed to be, where the idea actually came from, and what happened every time somebody put an aura reader to a controlled test. From Mesmer's animal magnetism and Reichenbach's odic force to Theosophy's color chart, Kilner's dicyanin screens, Reich's orgone, Kirlian photography, and the biofeedback cameras at your local fair — plus what the Christian tradition says about halos, luminous saints, and the light around holy people.

Learn more: https://mysterious.fm/431
Become a Patron: https://GiveMysterious.fm

Further Resources:
• Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater, Thought-Forms (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4x9lE8r
• Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder, Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain (Amazon): https://amzn.to/4wygYYv
• Walter J. Kilner, The Human Atmosphere (Internet Archive): https://archive.org/details/humanatmosphereo00kiln
• Karl von Reichenbach, Letters on Od and Magnetism (Etheronics): http://etheronics.org/Reichenbach/OdicForce/index.php?ch=-1
• Milán et al., “Auras in mysticism and synaesthesia: A comparison,” Consciousness and Cognition (2012): http://www.daysyn.com/Milanetal2012.pdf
• Zingrone, Alvarado, and Agee, “Psychological Correlates of Aura Vision,” Australian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (2009): https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rajc20/37/2
• Pehek, Kyler, and Faust, “Image Modulation in Corona Discharge Photography,” Science (1976): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.968480
• Robert W. Loftin, “Auras: Searching for the Light,” Skeptical Inquirer (1990): https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2019/03/Issue-04-11.pdf
• Bertram R. Forer, “The Fallacy of Personal Validation,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1949): https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1950-00057-001
• “Aura” (Psi-Encyclopedia, Society for Psychical Research): https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/aura
• “Kirlian Photography” (Psi-Encyclopedia, Society for Psychical Research): https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/kirlian-photography
• Mysteries from Beyond the Earth (1975 documentary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOQc6P3nkmc
• The Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with Nicholas Motovilov: https://christianorthodox.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/conversation-of-st-seraphim-with-n-a-motovilov-the-aim-of-our-christian-life/
• Society for Psychical Research: https://www.spr.ac.uk/
• Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World, Episode 288: The Mystery of Synesthesia: https://jimmyakin.com/2023/12/the-mystery-of-synesthesia.html

Chapters:
0:00:12 - Intro
0:00:43 - Cold open: an aura reading at the shop
0:01:40 - What an aura is supposed to be
0:02:36 - Layers, chakras, and prana
0:04:16 - What the colors are said to mean
0:05:21 - Rare gift or learned skill?
0:05:57 - Color and emotion across cultures
0:07:14 - Light around holy figures in scripture
0:09:31 - Halos, the nimbus, and the mandorla
0:11:06 - Franz Anton Mesmer and animal magnetism
0:12:41 - Mesmerism in Paris
0:13:49 - The Franklin Commission of 1784
0:17:18 - Karl von Reichenbach and the odic force
0:19:50 - The Society for Psychical Research
0:20:56 - Theosophy and Madame Blavatsky
0:23:21 - Besant, Leadbeater, and the color code
0:25:50 - Dr. Walter Kilner and the dicyanin screens
0:29:09 - Wilhelm Reich and orgone
0:30:39 - The FDA, the book burnings, and Reich's death
0:31:56 - Kirlian photography
0:33:26 - Clip: Mysteries from Beyond Earth (Thelma Moss)
0:39:39 - The modern aura camera
0:40:30 - How aura cameras actually work
0:41:56 - Auras today: apps and selfies
0:42:42 - Thank you to Patrons
0:43:13 - Sponsor: Rosary Army
0:43:35 - Sponsorship opportunities
0:44:40 - Reason Perspective: the seven theories
0:46:14 - Theory 1: Do aura cameras photograph a real field?
0:47:48 - Theory 2: Do the colors carry universal meanings?
0:50:54 - Theory 3: A literal electromagnetic field?
0:52:52 - What Kirlian photography actually captures
0:54:21 - Theory 4: An undiscovered subtle energy
0:56:51 - The screen tests
0:59:21 - Why negative results from parapsychologists matter
1:00:11 - Theory 5: Biophotons
1:02:55 - Theory 6: Synesthesia
1:06:57 - Theory 7: Ordinary perception and suggestion
1:11:06 - Faith Perspective
1:13:47 - Halos as symbol, not photograph
1:14:38 - Bottom Line
1:15:39 - Further Resources
1:16:21 - Mysterious Feedback: #420 Pre-Sputnik Transients
1:22:06 - Your mysterious feedback
1:22:46 - Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
1:22:51 - Jimmy's YouTube channel
1:23:52 - Next Time: The Shepherd of Hermas
1:24:23 - Share the show, write a review
1:24:34 - Get your Mysterious merch
1:24:45 - Show notes
1:24:52 - Become a Patron
1:25:04 - Sponsor: The Grady Group
1:25:20 - Outro

#Auras #AuraColors #AuraPhotography #KirlianPhotography #Synesthesia