To see auras, soften your gaze and use peripheral vision: place a person against a plain white background, relax your eyes from their normal sharp focus, and look slightly past them rather than directly at them. The etheric body (a thin band of light one to two inches from the skin) usually becomes visible first, often within minutes. With consistent daily practice, colours in the emotional and mental layers emerge over weeks to months. Both Steiner and Brennan confirmed that auric perception is a trainable skill, not a rare gift.
- Auric perception develops in stages: the etheric body (colourless shimmer) appears first, followed by emotional colours, then mental patterns, and finally the subtle frequencies of the spiritual layers.
- Steiner's approach emphasises inner development (clear thinking, moral integrity, emotional balance) as the prerequisite for genuine supersensible perception, warning that perception without this foundation produces illusion.
- Brennan's approach is more directly perceptual, training students to begin with peripheral vision exercises and gradually expand awareness outward through the auric layers.
- The single most common mistake beginners make is straining the eyes, which produces afterimages and optical artifacts that are mistaken for auras. The correct approach requires relaxation, not effort.
- Consistent daily practice (10 to 20 minutes) produces measurable results within weeks for most people, with the etheric body often becoming visible in the first few sessions.
Can Anyone Learn to See Auras?
The unanimous answer from the major traditions is yes. Leadbeater, Steiner, Brennan, and Bruyere all taught that auric perception is not a rare psychic gift bestowed on a select few but a latent capacity inherent in every human being that can be developed through practice.
Steiner was particularly insistent on this point. He described the organs of supersensible perception (what the Indian traditions call chakras and what he called "lotus flowers") as existing in every person in a dormant state. Through specific practices, he wrote, "these organs of perception may be called forth from their dormancy" and "what was formerly invisible becomes visible." The key word is "dormant," not "absent." The capacity exists; it simply requires activation.
Brennan, approaching from a therapeutic rather than philosophical perspective, trained thousands of students to perceive auras as part of their education at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. Her experience confirmed that the ability develops reliably in students who practice consistently, with individual variation in the timeline but not in the eventual outcome. Some students perceive the etheric body within their first exercise; others require weeks. But the capacity develops in virtually everyone who persists.
What differs between individuals is not the underlying ability but the degree of conditioning that must be overcome. Modern Western culture trains people from childhood to attend exclusively to the physical dimension of reality. This training is effective: most adults have so thoroughly suppressed their capacity for subtle perception that they are unaware it exists. Developing auric vision is, in large part, a process of un-learning this suppression.
What You Will See: The Stages of Auric Perception
Auric perception does not arrive fully formed. It develops through recognisable stages, each corresponding to a deeper layer of the energy field.
Stage 1: The etheric body. This is almost always the first perception. The etheric body extends one to two inches beyond the surface of the skin and appears as a thin band of colourless or faintly coloured light. Most people describe it as resembling a heat shimmer, a haze, or a faint glow. It is most visible against a plain white or light-coloured background and in slightly dimmed (not dark) lighting.
Stage 2: Etheric colours. With continued practice, the etheric body begins to show colour, typically a faint blue-grey or blue-white. Brennan noted that the etheric body ranges from a light blue (in lighter physical constitutions) to a deeper grey (in more robust constitutions). This stage confirms that you are seeing beyond the physical and that your perception is genuine, not an optical artifact.
Stage 3: Emotional colours. The second layer of the aura (the emotional body) begins to show its characteristic shifting, cloud-like colours. This is where the full range of aura colours becomes visible: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The colours shift in response to the person's emotional state and may appear as blobs, streams, or clouds of colour surrounding the body.
Stage 4: Mental patterns. The third layer (mental body) displays primarily yellow light organised into geometric structures and thought forms. Perceiving this layer requires more developed sensitivity, as its frequency is finer than the emotional colours.
Stage 5: Higher layers. The fourth through seventh layers (astral, etheric template, celestial, and ketheric template bodies) become perceivable only with sustained development. These layers extend several feet from the body and display increasingly refined frequencies: the shimmering gold and silver of the spiritual layers.
The Peripheral Vision Technique
This is the foundational exercise taught by Brennan and the most accessible entry point for beginners.
1. Ask a willing partner to stand against a plain white or very light-coloured wall. The background must be uniform; patterns or colours in the background make perception more difficult.
2. Stand six to ten feet away, facing your partner. The lighting should be moderate: bright enough to see clearly but not harsh or fluorescent. Natural daylight from a window (not direct sunlight) is ideal.
3. Focus your eyes on a point on the wall about six inches above and behind your partner's head. Do not look at the person directly. Look past them.
4. Allow your eyes to relax from their normal sharp focus. Let your vision soften, as if you were daydreaming or staring at nothing in particular. Do not squint or strain. The key is relaxation.
5. Maintain this soft focus for 30 to 60 seconds. During this time, continue looking at the point on the wall while allowing your peripheral vision to register the space around your partner's head and shoulders.
6. You may notice a thin band of light or a subtle distortion in the air around the head and shoulders. This is the etheric body. Do not shift your gaze to look at it directly. If you do, it will disappear (because direct vision engages the fovea, which is optimised for physical detail, while peripheral vision engages the rods, which are more sensitive to subtle light).
7. With practice, the band of light will become clearer and may begin to show colour. Note what you see without judgement or analysis. Analysis engages the analytical mind and suppresses the perceptual mode you are developing.
Steiner's Exercises for Supersensible Perception
Steiner's approach to developing auric perception differs from Brennan's in that it emphasises inner transformation as the prerequisite for genuine perception. For Steiner, seeing the aura is not a matter of visual technique but of consciousness development.
In How to Know Higher Worlds (1904), Steiner outlined a systematic path of inner development that includes:
Clear thinking exercises. Steiner recommended beginning with the practice of concentrated attention on simple objects: a seed, a crystal, a candle flame. The student observes the object with full attention for five to ten minutes, allowing the thinking to become quiet and concentrated. This practice develops the "thinking free of the senses" that Steiner considered the foundation of supersensible cognition.
Moral self-observation. Steiner taught that the organs of supersensible perception develop in response to moral qualities: reverence, wonder, equanimity, and what he called "positivity" (the practice of finding the good in every situation). Without these qualities, he warned, the organs may develop but will produce distorted or unreliable perceptions.
The six supplementary exercises. These are: control of thinking (directing thought deliberately), control of will (performing a simple chosen act at the same time daily), equanimity (maintaining emotional balance in the face of both joy and sorrow), positivity, open-mindedness, and the harmonising of all five qualities together. Steiner recommended practicing these for months before attempting to perceive the supersensible.
The Hermetic tradition teaches the same principle in different language: the capacity to perceive higher realities depends on the purification of the perceiver. The instrument of perception is consciousness itself, and consciousness distorted by moral weakness, emotional chaos, or intellectual confusion cannot perceive clearly. The Hermetic Synthesis course provides structured exercises aligned with this principle, developing the inner faculties that make genuine spiritual perception possible.
Brennan's Training Method
Brennan's approach is more directly perceptual and physical than Steiner's. She trained students through a progression of exercises designed to gradually extend sensory awareness beyond the physical body.
Body awareness. Before attempting to see external auras, Brennan's students practised feeling their own energy field through hand-sensitivity exercises. Rubbing the palms together briskly, then slowly separating them while paying attention to the sensations between the hands (warmth, tingling, magnetic pull, or subtle pressure), develops the capacity to sense energy kinesthetically.
Etheric perception. Using the peripheral vision technique described above, students then practised seeing the etheric body, first around their own hands and then around another person. Brennan recommended practising daily for at least 15 minutes.
Colour perception. Once the etheric body was consistently visible, students began working with colour perception, noting the shifting hues of the emotional body and correlating what they saw with what they sensed kinesthetically or intuitively about the subject's emotional state.
Layer differentiation. Advanced students learned to shift their attention to different distances from the body, "tuning in" to specific auric layers. Each layer has a characteristic frequency and appearance, and with practice, students learned to distinguish between them deliberately.
How to See Your Own Aura
Seeing your own aura is typically more difficult than seeing another person's, because the act of self-observation introduces a level of self-consciousness that can interfere with the relaxed perceptual state needed for auric vision. However, several techniques make self-perception accessible.
Hold your hand at arm's length against a plain white background (a white wall or a piece of white paper). Spread your fingers slightly. Soften your gaze and look at the space between and around your fingers rather than at the fingers themselves. Within minutes, you should notice a thin band of light around the fingers and in the spaces between them. This is the etheric body of your hand. With practice, you may begin to see colour, particularly around the fingertips, where energy emission is concentrated.
Mirror technique. Stand in front of a mirror with a plain, light-coloured wall behind you. Dim the lighting slightly. Soften your gaze and look at the space around your head and shoulders in the mirror, using the same peripheral vision technique described for seeing another person's aura. This technique works because the mirror provides the distance needed for peripheral vision to engage.
Darkened room technique. In a very dimly lit room (not completely dark), hold your hands in front of you with the fingertips nearly touching. Slowly separate and bring together the fingertips while gazing softly at the space between them. In low light, the etheric body becomes more visible, and many people notice fine threads of light connecting the fingertips as they separate.
Developing Colour Perception
The transition from seeing the colourless etheric body to perceiving the colours of the emotional and mental layers is the most significant milestone in aura development. Several approaches support this transition.
Emotional attunement. Practice sensing the emotional state of the person you are observing before attempting to see their colours. Emotional sensitivity and colour perception are closely linked: the same faculty that senses emotions in the subtle field is the faculty that perceives their colour expression.
Colour meditation. Spend time meditating on individual colours. Visualise pure red, then orange, then yellow, continuing through the spectrum. This familiarises the inner eye with the colour frequencies it will encounter in the aura and establishes a kind of "perceptual vocabulary" that makes recognition easier.
Practice with objects. Before working with people, practice seeing the energy fields of plants and trees, which have simpler auric fields than humans. Plants typically display a clear etheric body and a simple colour (often green or white) that is easier to perceive than the complex, shifting colours of a human aura.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
Straining the eyes. This is the single most common mistake. Auric perception requires relaxation, not effort. Squinting, staring intensely, or trying to force the eyes to see produces eye strain, headaches, and optical artifacts that are then mistaken for auras. If your eyes hurt, you are trying too hard.
Expecting dramatic visuals. Auric perception, especially in its early stages, is subtle. Expecting to see vivid, Technicolour halos leads to disappointment and the premature conclusion that one "cannot" see auras. The initial perceptions are faint, fleeting, and easy to dismiss. Learning to notice and trust these subtle impressions is a core part of the development process.
Analysing during perception. The moment you shift from perceiving to analysing ("That looks blue, which means..."), you engage the analytical mind and disengage the perceptual mode. Brennan taught her students to observe first, analyse later: see what is there, note it without interpretation, and reflect on its meaning afterward.
Confusing afterimages with auras. Staring at any coloured object and then looking at a white surface produces a complementary-colour afterimage. This is a well-documented optical phenomenon, not auric perception. Genuine aura colours do not behave like afterimages (see next section).
Afterimages versus Genuine Auric Vision
Distinguishing afterimages from genuine auric perception is important for maintaining integrity in your practice.
| Characteristic | Afterimage | Genuine Aura |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Complementary to the stared-at colour | Independent of physical clothing/background |
| Movement | Follows your eye movement exactly | Moves with the person, independent of your gaze |
| Duration | Fades within seconds | Persists as long as attention is maintained |
| Responsiveness | Static, unchanging | Shifts with the person's emotional state |
| Position | Appears where you were looking | Surrounds the body at a consistent distance |
| Caused by | Retinal fatigue from fixed staring | Genuine perception of the energy field |
A simple test: if you close your eyes and the colour persists in the same position, it is an afterimage. If the colour is only visible when your eyes are open and moves with the person rather than with your gaze, it is more likely genuine auric perception.
Setting Up Your Practice Environment
The physical environment significantly affects your ability to perceive auras, especially in the early stages of development.
Background: Plain white or very light, uniform colour. No patterns, textures, or contrasting colours that create visual noise.
Lighting: Moderate natural light is ideal. Avoid fluorescent lighting (which flickers at a frequency that interferes with subtle perception) and harsh direct light. Slightly dimmed room lighting can enhance etheric perception.
Noise: Quiet or soft ambient sound. Sharp noises startle the nervous system out of the relaxed state needed for subtle perception.
Physical comfort: Sit or stand comfortably. Physical discomfort distracts attention from the perceptual exercise.
State of mind: Calm, relaxed, curious. Anxiety, excitement, and impatience all interfere with the soft perceptual focus needed for auric vision.
Daily Practice Routine
Minutes 1 to 3: Centering. Close your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths. Allow your body to relax and your mind to become quiet. Set the intention to perceive clearly without forcing.
Minutes 3 to 5: Hand energy exercise. Rub your palms together, separate them slowly, and feel the energy between your hands. This activates the kinesthetic perception that supports visual aura sight.
Minutes 5 to 12: Perception practice. Using a partner, mirror, or your own hands against a white background, practise the peripheral vision technique. Maintain soft focus. Note any shimmer, light, colour, or distortion without analysing.
Minutes 12 to 15: Recording. Write down what you perceived, including the quality, position, and any colours noted. Keep a journal. Over weeks, patterns emerge that confirm the development of your perception.
Advanced Perception: Reading Layers and Patterns
Once basic colour perception has been established, advanced practice involves deliberately tuning to specific auric layers and interpreting the patterns within them.
Brennan taught a technique of "focusing at different depths" by adjusting the distance at which the eyes are focused while maintaining peripheral awareness. Looking as if at a point one inch from the subject's body brings the etheric layer into focus. Shifting the focal point to three to six inches engages the emotional body. Further out (one to three feet) brings the mental body and higher layers into view.
Pattern recognition develops through experience. Blocked chakras appear as areas of diminished colour or dark patches. Emotional distress appears as turbulent, muddy colours in the second layer. Physical health issues often manifest as distortions or colour changes in the etheric body before they appear as physical symptoms. The relationship between aura colours and chakras provides the interpretive framework for understanding what these patterns mean.
The Ethical Foundation of Auric Perception
Steiner was emphatic that the development of supersensible perception carries ethical responsibilities. The ability to perceive another person's emotional and mental states through their aura is a form of intimate knowledge that demands respect, discretion, and the commitment to use what is perceived for the benefit of others, not for personal advantage.
Seeing another person's aura is a privilege, not a right. The colours and patterns you perceive reveal aspects of the person's inner life that they may not have chosen to share. Treat this information with the same confidentiality and respect you would extend to a private confession. Never use auric perception to manipulate, control, or gain advantage over others. The capacity for higher perception develops in proportion to the moral quality of the perceiver; misusing it degrades the faculty itself.
Steiner also warned against the premature announcement of clairvoyant development. Telling others "I can see your aura" before the faculty is reliably developed leads to self-deception, inflation of the ego, and the kind of performative spirituality that substitutes claiming to see for actually seeing. The development of genuine perception is a private process that matures in silence.
The development of auric perception is not merely a perceptual achievement but a transformation of consciousness. To see the aura is to see that human beings are more than their physical bodies, that thoughts and feelings have substance and form, and that the invisible dimensions of reality are as real as the visible. This seeing changes the seer. It is not possible to genuinely perceive the subtle bodies of another human being and continue to treat them as merely a physical organism. Auric vision, when genuine, produces compassion as a natural consequence, because it reveals the beauty, the struggle, and the luminous potential that every human being carries within their field of light.
The ability to see auras is already within you, waiting for the patient attention that will bring it to life. Begin with the exercises described here. Practise daily, without forcing. Trust the subtle impressions that arise and let them develop at their own pace. The aura has always been there, surrounding every person you have ever met, including yourself. You are not learning to see something new. You are learning to stop overlooking what has been visible all along.
Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field by Barbara Brennan
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone learn to see auras?
Yes. Both Steiner and Brennan taught that auric perception is a latent capacity in every human being, developed through practice, not a rare psychic gift.
How long does it take to see auras?
The etheric body can often be perceived in the first few sessions. Emotional colours typically require weeks to months. Full detailed perception may take years.
What does an aura look like when you first see it?
A thin band of colourless shimmer or faint blue-grey glow extending one to two inches from the skin, resembling a heat haze.
What is the best technique for seeing auras?
Peripheral vision: place a person against a white background, soften your gaze, and look past them rather than at them. The etheric body typically appears within minutes.
Do I need to be psychic to see auras?
No. It is a perceptual skill that develops through exercises, like learning to distinguish musical intervals.
Can I see my own aura?
Yes. Hold your hand against a white background and soften your gaze at the space around your fingers. The etheric body around fingertips is often the first self-perception.
What is the difference between seeing auras and imagining them?
Genuine auric vision produces consistent perceptions verifiable by other trained observers and correlated with actual emotional states. Imagination varies with expectations.
Why do I see colours around people sometimes?
Spontaneous auric perception occurs during relaxed alertness, in peripheral vision, or when emotionally attuned. Training makes these perceptions deliberate and consistent.
Can aura perception be scientifically explained?
The body emits measurable electromagnetic fields and biophotons. Whether trained perception corresponds to detecting these phenomena is an open scientific question.
What should I avoid when learning to see auras?
Avoid eye strain, forcing results, and interpreting afterimages as auras. The correct approach requires relaxation and patience, not effort.
Sources
- Steiner, Rudolf. How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation. 1904.
- Brennan, Barbara Ann. Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field. Bantam Books, 1987.
- Leadbeater, C.W. Man Visible and Invisible. Theosophical Publishing House, 1902.
- Steiner, Rudolf. Theosophy. 1904.
- Bruyere, Rosalyn L. Wheels of Light. Fireside, 1989.
- Kilner, Walter J. The Human Atmosphere, or the Aura Made Visible by the Aid of Chemical Screens. Rebman Company, 1911.
- Steiner, Rudolf. "First Steps in Supersensible Perception." GA 218, 1922.