Shades of Magic: Aura Colours

One of my favourite manifestations of colour magic is in the reading and analysis of our own personal aura.

The human aura is a strong electro-magnetic field, and an extension of our energies, be it strong or weak, fair or otherwise, light and bright or dull and dense. It is a band of energy that surrounds us, a life energy that can be sensed around every living thing, plants, trees, animals, birds and people. You can feel this energy force in a room full of people, where varying energies, positive and negative, are being interchanged. When you intuitively pick up a “vibe” from someone in person you are sensing their own auric field. When the aura is perceived visually it appears as a vibrantly colourful glow, and of course, the colours that are found in the aura can tell you a lot about a person and how they interact with the world around them.

Aura Colour Meanings

Black:
This is a confusing color. There is nothing wrong with black in one’s aura. Black generally means one is shielding oneself from outside energies. This can also mean being unbalanced; one is hiding something or keeping secrets. A black ring could indicate some form of abuse, adults who have not dealt with early abuse may carry this black ring till they are healed and find ways to feel safe.

Blue:
This comes in different shades. An indigo or royal blue is a sign of psychic energy, intuition, or that the person has regular communication with the world of spirit. Intuitive people may have a combination of this blue and purple that emanates from the heart, third eye, or stomach. A deep navy blue can indicate loneliness. A very vibrant blue shows devotion, honesty and good judgment whereas muddier shades of blue indicates a domineering person or a tendency towards depression.

I’ve written about the magic of blue before! Check out Shades of Magic: Very Periwinkle Blue!

Brown:
This color can indicate growth in a person – indeed people in tune with earth element energy or connected deeply with nature may have brown in their aura along with green. Seen around the head and with other colors emanating in combination, it indicates a person who is developing mentally, intuitively and organizing within. Brown by itself can indicate lack of energy, or one who feels “stagnant”.

Gold:
Indicates lots of spiritual energy, in tune with oneself. Can also indicate youth and being in a transitional phase. Someone who is full of solar energy and expresses lots of brightness and energy may have flecks of gold throughout their aura. Muddy gold means one has not really come to terms with one’s higher levels.

Yellow:
We associate this colour with cheerfulness and joy which could certainly be the case, but in the aura it can also indicate an analytic mind or one that’s constantly thinking. Yellow could also indicate an emotionally “balanced” person. Intellect-focused people show this color around their heads, while those with a desire to spread joy to others show yellow around their hearts and solar plexus. A sickly yellow colour, like something you’d associate with nuclear waste, could highlight anxiety and social fears. This is someone who wants to see happiness and joy, but fear colours everything around them.

Green:
Sympathetic to others, dependable and has healing abilities. Muddier shades could indicate jealousy- like “green with envy”. Green is a colour of growth and earth energy, and green in the aura can be an indication that someone is connected deeply with nature. Green around the heart indicates a generous spirit. Around the feet, green could indicate restlessness and wanderlust! They want to get out there and experience life from other places and perspectives.

Gray:
Can indicate someone who spends a lot of time in their own head. Silvery gray may represent a connection with lunar energy, while darker gray can mean secretiveness or physical imbalance. It can also indicate someone who doesn’t really know who they are or what they’re about yet.

Orange:
Bright orange means one is growing emotionally and spiritually. Orange is also a colour of attraction and creativity! Orange around the head and face may indicate that someone is currently expressing themselves creatively. These people want to be seen authentically by others. A dull shade means a person is unsure how to accept this growth. Muddy orange shows in a person with too much pride or who needs too much outside validation.

Pink:
The color of love, sweetness, and honesty. It also depicts the quieter side of an artistic and creative person. Dark pink may indicate immaturity – and by that I mean literal growing pains. Exploration and experimentation related to age and growing can appear hot pink in the aura. A dull or dusty looking pink can indicate that someone is lying about their true motives or feelings, though this is often in an effort to protect themselves and their heart.

Purple:
The color of intuition, a deeper purple hue shows a strong- willed and passionate person who really exemplifies that connection between purple and royalty. Purple is also the colour of magic and mysticism, and a purple aura is common in people who work with magic, dedicate much of their time to the spiritual and paranormal, and are see the world in new and innovative ways. It can also reflect intense erotic imagination, ooh-la-la!

Red:
A color of love or hate, strong emotions and a lot of energy. People with red in the aura have an inner fire and feel things very deeply. A dark red in the aura could indicate anger and even a desire to cause chaos, but it can also show a strongly sensual person – someone in touch with their body and physical ways of expressing emotions.

Learning to “See” Auras

Technically, there are plenty of ways to perceive an aura that have nothing to do with seeing the colour with your physical eyes. I’ve had my aura read by two different people who worked very differently, but came up with the same main colour. The first reading was by someone who can intuitively sense the colour of a person’s aura, though she had no idea what each meant. She wasn’t a pro, but someone who had had this gift her whole life and was just beginning to learn. She said my aura was a cobalt blue colour. The second person who an experienced reader who looked at a person and physically saw colours around them. He told me he saw mainly cobalt blue, but with purple around the crown of my head, and orange near my heart. Not only was I shocked that they’d both seen the same colour, one that I have long associated with my magical side, but how accurate all of these colours and their placement was for me at the time. I’ve since learned to perceive auras in an intuitive way of my own, and I’ve found it to be an incredible way to know and understand others. Even if I don’t share what I percieve with a person, if I get big time green vibes from somebody, I know that they are somebody who lives to heal and has a strong connection with nature.

The following passage is from my book Green Witchcraft and can help you practice seeing and perceiving the aura of a friend or willing test subject, haha!

During their practice, every green witch has asked the same question: “What does energy feel like?” I wish there was a concrete answer, but the truth is that it feels different for everybody. Our psychic senses are just like our physical senses, and are influenced by our personality and natural environment, as well as the energy of those around us. These three exercises focus on experiencing the colorful energy field, or aura, of another person. Don’t look up any of the meanings about aura colors just yet to keep the experiment unbiased, but go to your local hardware store and get identical paint swatches in the main rainbow of colors and grab a friend who would like to know more about their aura.

Start with observation. Without talking, show your friend each color and watch their reaction. Do they smile or frown? Hand them the color swatches and ask them to go through each one and silently recall a memory connected to each color. Which colors do they linger on the longest? Finally, hold each color up to your friend one by one, and take stock of what you see. Is this a color they wear all the time, or maybe one you know they really hate? Take note of which colors produce positive reactions in your friend and in you.

Sit close and put your hand on their shoulder (if they’re comfortable allowing you to do so) to interact with your friend’s energy. Show them each color one at a time, but this time talk about their feelings and reactions. What does red make them think of? What memory is tied to the color green? Feel free to laugh, or cry, and discuss each color in as much depth as you want. Let yourself feel their laughter or their pain. Notice if their skin gets warm or cold, if they tense up, and what kind of movements they make during each conversation.

Think about all the colors and your friend’s reactions, and choose a few that produced a positive reaction and that feel right to you. Narrow it down to one and hold that color in your mind. Focus hard on it, and ask your friend what color they associate most with their identity. Whether you agree, or each pick a different one, now’s the time to look up the meanings of those aura colors. How did you do? What did you feel? What does your friend’s energy feel like to you?

The energy around us is constantly changing based on our moods, beliefs, health, and spiritual development; and that includes our aura. At different points in your life, your aura may change color or size. For example, when you open up the psychic senses, purple will often appear in your aura around the crown chakra.

Get a copy of Green Witchcraft from Amazon.com (US) or Amazon.ca (Canada)

Another way of seeing your aura is through Kirlian or Aura photography! These special cameras and programs capture both your likeness and your auric field, which can be interpreted by the operator. This is, quite frankly, the coolest fucking thing. It’s hard to find anyone who does aura photography in my area, and even harder to get ahold of a camera, so it’s something I’ve never been able to experience myself. There is a company that takes the entire studio on tour called Radiant Human that you can find profiled on Bri Luna’s Hoodwitch website and also on Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, though that’s not really my bag. If you’ve ever gotten your aura photographed, I’d love to see it!

Colour is an undeniably magical force in our world, and the ways it can be used to help you interact with the world and the people in it are limitless. Working with colour in magic can be as simple of using a brightly coloured taper, or as complex and beautiful as looking deep inside those you love and seeing the radiant rainbow that lives within us all.

There is also a Radiant Human book, which you can find on Amazon.com (US) or Amazon.ca (Canada)