THE HUMAN AURA

The Human Atmosphere, by Walter J. Kilner, [1920], at sacred-texts.com

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CHAPTER I

The Aura of Healthy Persons

INTRODUCTION

HARDLY one person in ten thousand is aware that he or she is enveloped by a haze intimately connected with the body, whether asleep or awake, whether hot or cold, which, although invisible under ordinary circumstances, can be seen when conditions are favourable. This mist, the prototype of the nimbus or halo constantly depicted around saints, has been manifest to certain individuals possessing a specially gifted sight, who in consequence have received the title of "Clairvoyants," and until quite recently to no one else. This cloud or atmosphere, generally termed the AURA, is the subject of this treatise, in so far as it can be perceived by the employment of screens containing a peculiar chemical substance in solution. It may be stated at once that the writer does not make the slightest claim to clairvoyancy; nor is he an occultist; and he specially desires to impress upon his readers that his researches have been entirely physical, and can be repeated by any one who takes sufficient interest in the subject.

As long as the faculty of seeing the aura was confined to a few individuals, and ordinary persons had no means of corroboration or refutation, the door to imposture was open. Since this has been the case up to the present time, the subject has always been looked

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on askance; but there is no more charlatanism in the detection of the human aura by the means employed than in distinguishing microbes by the aid of the microscope. The chief difference lies in the claim of some people that they are able to perceive the one through the possession of extra-normal eyesight, while no one has yet had the hardihood to assert that they have the power of seeing an object one-thousandth of a millemetre in length without instrumental aid. There cannot be the least doubt of the reality of the existence of an aura enveloping a human being, and this will in a short time be an universally accepted fact, now that it can be made visible to nearly every person having ordinary eyesight. ^*

It, indeed, would be strange if the aura did not vary under different circumstances, and there is good reason to believe that a study of its modifications will show that they have a diagnostic value in disease.

The writer asks the indulgence of his readers while he makes a few personal remarks. He has endeavoured to be as far as possible impartial and accurate in recording all observations and to avoid pitfalls and faults having their origin in uncontrolled enthusiasm and imagination. This, in one part of the subject is very difficult, as so much depends upon subjective vision. It is only fair to add that his sight is his most perfect sense; and consequently he may be able to distinguish by its aid a little more than the average man, and may thus have perceived effects which escape the notice of other observers. Some of the deductions he has made may be thought, and perhaps rightly, too dogmatic, since they are founded upon such a small number of cases; but the excuse advanced is, that they have been brought forward solely

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with the intention of providing working hypotheses to assist in future investigations.

The discovery of a screen making the aura visible was by no means accidental. After reading about the action of the N rays upon phosphorescent sulphide of calcium, the writer was for a long time experimenting upon mechanical forces of certain bodily emanations, and had come to the conclusion, whether rightly or wrongly, that he had detected two forces besides heat that could act upon his needles, and that these forces were situated in the infra-red portion of the spectrum. There was a hitch in his experiments; and in the early part of 1908, he thought certain dyes might help him. After considering their different spectra and, as far as he could, ascertaining their properties, he made a trial of several, and fixed upon the coal tar dye "Dicyanin," as the most likely to be useful. While waiting for this chemical, a thought flashed across his mind that the substance might make some portion of the effects of the above forces visible; and should this be the case, he expected to see the human aura. He had heard about that phenomenon, but until that moment never had any intention of investigating it, as he believed it to be far beyond his natural powers.

As soon as the dye had been obtained, glass screens coated with collodion or gelatine and stained with it, were made, but were found entirely useless as decomposition took place almost instantaneously. Several other methods were tried with varying success, but the only one which gave really satisfactory results was glass cells filled with an alcoholic solution of dicyanin. Even these after a time change their colour from chemical decomposition, and should be kept in the dark when not in use. Two of these screens are needed for ordinary work, one being dark and the other light, but as will be mentioned later on, other screens quite different will be required for

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special purposes. Immediately a screen was finished, the writer looked at a friend through it, and instantly saw round his head and hands a faint mist greyish in colour, which he concluded could be nothing else than the human aura. In the course of his early experiments, it was not long before he noticed that he could for a few minutes see the haze without the intervention of a screen. This power only lasted a short time, but was found to be renewed by looking through a dark screen at the light, which, it is interesting to note, is the general rule. A minority of persons who are not able to see the aura, or only to a slight extent after gazing through the dark dicyanin screen at the light, will find that they can detect it more easily and distinctly if they examine it through the light dicyanin screen. Herein lies the main use of the second screen.

At first the aura had such a fascination that every free moment morning, noon, and night, was occupied using the screen for experiments, but the writer found to his cost, that dicyanin had a deleterious effect upon the eyes, making them so painful that it was necessary to cease work for some days. On this account it is recommended that the dark dicyanin screen should not be used for a longer time than about one hour daily. The action of the dye is apparently cumulative, so that the power of seeing the aura without any previous use of the screen is gradually acquired, nevertheless the writer deems it expedient to gaze at the light for a few seconds before inspecting a patient.

The aura can only be satisfactorily defined when certain conditions are fulfilled. In the first place the light must not be too bright. The requisite amount has to be determined at each observation, and experience is the only guide, as some persons can best perceive the aura when the light is much too bright for other people. Roughly, the body of the person under examination should be just distinctly visible after the

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observer has become accustomed to the dimness. The light should be diffused proceeding from one direction only, and illuminating the patient equally all over. The best arrangement is obtained when the observer is standing with his back to a darkened window while the subject faces it. An alternative method, and occasionally the only one that can be employed away from home, is to have a tent similar to the X folding portable dark room used for photography, except that it should be lined with a dead black material instead of the ordinary yellow fabric, and have the front curtains removed. Generally it is possible at a patient's house with a little manœuvring to place the tent facing the window, otherwise if a sufficiently large room can be obtained, it may be placed to, and about three or four feet in front of, a window, so that the person under examination will be illuminated. Every window in the room, except the one at the back of the tent, should be completely darkened, while this one must have the blind drawn down to a greater or less extent as needed. The important objection to this arrangement is, that the observer has to stand opposite the light, which is inconvenient for every part of the inspection, and is especially awkward for observations connected with the complementary colours as described later on. It is always essential to have a dead black background.

A large portion of the writer's work has been conducted in a room with only one window. This window is fitted with an ordinary blind at the top, and below another blind ^* consisting of two thicknesses of black serge, that can be raised to any desired height. The serge permits a considerable amount of light to pass through, in fact too much, except on very dark days; but the illumination is further regulated by lowering the ordinary blind. This arrangement is

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convenient, as a slight gap can be left between the two blinds, allowing extra light to pass into the room when the patient is being examined through the deep carmine screen, and occasionally when the complementary colours are being employed.

Opposite about eight to ten feet from the window is a rod supporting black and white curtains, either of which can be utilized as required.

It is important to bear in mind that the patient should stand at least a foot in front of the background, to prevent any shadows or marks on it from producing optical illusions, and vitiating the observations.

Click to enlarge
Diagram 1

Trouble from this cause, however, is not likely to occur, unless the investigator is fresh to the work.

As a number of people have tried to see the aura and failed, some through faulty arrangement of the light, some through straining of the eyes, and others again through various misunderstandings, all of whom have been able to perceive it quite easily under proper conditions, a short description of a few preliminary experiments may be of assistance in the early attempts at detecting the aura. When these have been carried out conscientiously and successfully, the observer will have overcome the main difficulties.

A beginner should get someone to hold his hands about a foot in front of the black background on the same plane and parallel with it, from eight to ten inches apart with his fingers extended as in diagram 1. He must then peer through the dark dicyanin screen

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for about thirty seconds at the daylight (the sky if possible, but not directly at the sun). This screen ought to be held quite close to the eyes, to prevent all light impinging upon the retina unless it has traversed the blue fluid. Without this precaution the screen has little or no effect upon the sight. The influence of the screen usually persists for an hour or more, but sometimes on the first few occasions for a much shorter period, when the operation may be repeated as often as necessary. Next, the blinds ought to be so

Click to enlarge Diagram 2

arranged that the hands to be examined are just clearly visible to the observer as he stands with his back to the window and shades them with his body. This position enables him to in=crease the light upon the hands to a greater or less extent without altering the blinds, simply by moving a little to the right or left. The observer will, as a rule, be almost immediately able to detect streaks proceeding from the fingers of the one hand to the fingers of the other, and a haze in the interval between the two hands. Directly he has perceived the haze. and streaks, he will probably be able to see a similar, but not quite as plain, mist around the arm if bared. Now and then there is some slight difficulty at the first trial, which can be generally overcome if the other hand is held at right angles, and a short distance from the arm. (See diagram 2.) By this means the aura will be intensified, and when the hand is removed the observer will be able to see it round the bare arm. Needless to say, as the eyes become accustomed to the subdued light, the illumination will periodically require alteration.

A large percentage of persons after gazing through

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the dark dicyanin screen at the light, are able to perceive the aura as described above, but a small minority find it impossible to detect it without the aid of the pale dicyanin screen. It stands to reason that when this screen is used the light will have to be increased a trifle.

After the aura around the arm and hand has been satisfactorily inspected, the observer may with advantage inspect it through the deep carmine screen. For this purpose it will be necessary to raise the blinds a short distance, until the arm and hand can be seen through the screen to the same degree as before. He will now find that the larger portion of the aura has vanished, while the part that remains encircles the limb closely, being usually from one and a half to three and a half inches in breadth. At a cursory glance the texture of this portion of the aura will appear more opaque, but when examined carefully will be found to be finely striated, looking as if brushed out with a camel's hair brush. At places which vary from minute to minute, the lineation can be more easily distinguished than at others. The striated portion has been named the inner aura, and the wide amorphous part, not seen when using the carmine screen, the outer aura. At times, but by no means always, a close scrutiny will detect an apparently void space between the body and the inner aura. This area is called the etheric double. All these different parts will be described in later chapters.

It is imperative that the hands and the arms should be viewed exactly as if looking at a picture; there must be no straining of the eyes. The more accurately the observer can focus his eyes upon the plane in which the hands are held, the more easily and plainly will he be able to discern the aura: Straining the eyes is not merely a hindrance, but frequently will entirely prevent the perception of the haze. The reason for this will appear later on,

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Directly the observer feels that he will be able to see the aura fairly easily, he may proceed to examine it round a large portion of, or better still, the whole body. For the first trial it is preferable that the subject should be in good health and if possible robust, because the aura always loses in distinctness during illness. It is also useful to remember that the aura varies in clearness from day to day even in rude health.

While the subject is undressing and getting into position for examination, the observer, unless he has previously done so, should look through the dark dicyanin screen at the light for a few seconds. The light must now be regulated by drawing down the blinds, when it will be noticed that the amount needed is much less if the whole body is being inspected than when the hands alone are looked at. Standing with his back to the window, and opposite to the subject (using a pale dicyanin screen if necessary), the observer ought to distinguish immediately, or certainly after a few seconds, a faint mist enveloping the body. This varies even in health according to age, sex, and individual peculiarities.

The first thing to observe is the texture, whether fine or coarse, as no two persons have identical auras. Note the colour, which is generally some shade of blue mixed with a greater or less amount of grey. A great help in determining the colour is to get the person to place the hands upon the hips, and at the same time to extend the elbows, when in the space between the trunk and the arms the aura emanating from the body will be reinforced by that proceeding from the arms.

At the commencement of a systematic inspection it will be advisable for the patient first to face the observer and the light. The aura round the head can • best be seen as he stands or sits with his hands hanging down by the sides. Its breadth can be roughly measured by noticing the distance it extends beyond

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the shoulders, and this position also permits comparison of the aura on the two sides, which is of great importance because in certain cases of disease it will be wider on one side than the other. At this stage attention ought to be paid to the general shape of the aura while the hands are hanging down, as there is often a difference from what is seen when they are raised to their full extent. During the greater part of the examination it will be found advantageous to let the patient stand with his hand lightly resting on the top of his head, so that the aura from the axilla down the trunk, thighs, and legs may be as little influenced as possible by that proceeding from the arms. This is also the time to determine the size and shape of the aura, and whether it follows the contour of the body, or whether it is wider by the trunk than by the lower limbs; and if so, how far it descends before it contracts. Some abnormality of texture can frequently be detected, which is best studied later with special screens.

Occasionally the aura can be separated by its appearance into two or sometimes three distinct portions, but the further study of these must be deferred to a later stage of the examination. After all the information concerning the aura at the sides has been obtained, the subject should be turned sideways to allow the aura at the back and front to be investigated. Should at any time suspicion arise of irregular illumination the aura must (in addition to the foregoing inspection), be again scrutinized when the back has been turned to the light, and again completed as the patient is standing sideways facing the opposite direction to the one he had previously assumed. This simple manœuvre eliminates a number of errors.

The aura envelops the whole of the human frame, but on account of the delicacy and transparency of its texture is only visible in sections; consequently when it is desired to investigate a portion emanating

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from one particular spot, it becomes necessary so to turn the patient that this portion may be seen against the background.

The next stage of the examination is to separate the inner aura from the outer by means of the dark carmine screen. Should the patient have anything wrong with this aura, the defect will often become manifest through some change, such as want of definition, or alteration of texture, which may for instance be granular. Generally the impairments are merely local. The complementary coloured bands may now be used, and finally the aura between the body and the arms while the patient is posed with arms akimbo, may be investigated through different coloured screens.

In addition to the varieties in size and shape of the aura, both in health and disease, there are great modifications in the texture. The alterations are usually so subtle that to translate them into words is an impossibility, but any person who has inspected several auras would, indeed, be a poor observer, if he had not noticed how rarely two are alike. Although diagrammatic drawings may look alike, resemblance ends here. It would answer no good purpose to label auras fine, medium or coarse, as the differences so grade into one another, that it would be frequently impossible to decide the class to which a given aura should be referred.

Apart from factors such as ill-health, fatigue, depression, etc., which are known to affect individual auras, it has been found that all, or nearly all, auras vary in distinctness from time to time, being generally clearer on days which, as tested with the actinometer, are most favourable for photography. Temperature and humidity changes do not seem to be concerned. The true explanation of these phenomena remains obscure. The above teaches one important lesson, namely, the necessity for trying to see the aura a second time should the investigator fail at the first trial.

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Examination of a number of people in good health, shows not merely individual variations which might be naturally expected, but also the existence of group differences. Males, independent of age, after making allowances for individual peculiarities, all possess the same characteristic aura. Quite the opposite is the case with females, because their auras undergo a veritable transformation at one period of their lives. In childhood the aura is identical with that of a male. In adults it is far more developed, while in adolescence—from twelve or thirteen up to eighteen or nineteen years of age—it slowly advances from the masculine to the more extended feminine type.

Inspection of a man shows that the aura enshrouds the head equally all round, usually being three to four inches broader than the width of the shoulders. When he stands facing the observer with arms raised and hands resting on his head, the outer aura will appear narrower by the sides of the trunk than round the head, and following the contour of the body, where it does not usually exceed more than four or five inches in width, or roughly speaking, one fifteenth of his height. Viewed in profile it will be seen down the back about as broad as down the sides, but barely as wide in front. It is always continuous down the lower limbs, though a little diminished in width. Around the arms it resembles that encircling the legs, but it is usually broader round the hands, and constantly projects a long distance from the tips of the fingers. The inner aura is generally from two and a half inches to three and a half in extent, and keeps the outline of the body all over.

The above description also applies to the auras of girls up to the age of twelve or thirteen years, but the texture is generally finer, occasionally making it difficult to distinguish the edge, as is also the case with boys. Children, therefore, are not good subjects for early observations.

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The aura of a woman has a specific shape of its own. Above the shoulders, round the head, and down the arms and hands it is very similar to that of a man. The difference at once becomes evident when facing the observer, she places the hands on the head, for the aura extends further from the sides of the trunk than in males, and broadens out until at the level of the waist it has reached its full size. Hence it gradually contracts until it approaches the ankles. This is the most perfect form, the ovoid, but sometimes it appears to narrow higher up, but not in health before it arrives at the level of the lower part of the thighs, from which it proceeds downwards much the same in width or else only shrinking slowly. This gradual diminution is so difficult to describe in words that it is referred to as "following the outlines of the limbs," etc. Of course, this is a slight inexactitude, yet it gives a good general impression.

When a woman stands sideways, the aura will be seen wider behind than in front, and the broadest part is at the small of the back owing to the spinal curve. It ought to descend in a straight line from the shoulders to the nates (being an equal distance from the body at each of these places), and afterwards to follow the form of the thighs and legs. The haze is often more pronounced in front of the breasts and nipples, and this increase is evidently dependent upon the functional activity of the glands, as it becomes most definite during pregnancy and lactation, and occasionally also, only to a less extent for a short time before, during and after menstruation. When once the aura has been fully developed, age does not produce any alteration, but disease may. Figs. ⁹ to ¹⁸ are good diagrammatic representations of the auras of women in health.

Amongst healthy women auras may depart in shape from the above description. Modifications arise from differences in width by the sides of the trunk and the

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level at which full contraction takes place over the lower limbs. At the same time it will be noticed that the breadth in front of the body varies, but not to the same extent. At the back the variations are more frequent and marked, and are generally related to temperament. With one person the outer margin of the haze is seemingly quite straight from the level of the shoulders to the most prominent part of the nates, and from thence it takes the outline of the thighs and legs. Another person will exhibit an outward curve at the small of the back that diminishes as it reaches the middle of the thighs, or may nearly reach the ground before it has fully contracted. In chapter 6 a detailed account of these bulges is given. The average breadth of the aura of a woman at the waist is from eight to ten inches, sometimes it does not extend to more than six or seven, while occasionally it may attain the width of fifteen inches. The inner aura resembles that of a man except, perhaps, that it is not quite as wide.

At the approach of puberty the aura begins to expand, leaving the infantile form to acquire in five or six years the shape characteristic of the adult female. The change generally commences a short time before menstruation appears, but only very rarely has the transitional stage been noticed before the beginning of external bodily development. For example, a girl of fourteen years of age (case 10, figs. ⁷ and ⁸), had a marked transitional aura previous to menstruation. The youngest child to exhibit any increase of the aura by the side of the trunk, was just two months over twelve years. She was a big tall girl, precociously developed. Another instance of early enlargement of the aura, was that of a well grown girl subject to epileptic fits, who at the age of thirteen had an infantile aura, but six months later this had commenced to develop. A second girl of the same age possessed an aura in the transitional

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stage, and judging from its size, it must have begun enlargement before she had entered her teens. She was strong and healthy, and only properly developed for her age.

As far as it has been possible to determine, the general rule is for the aura to start expanding between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and with one or two exceptions all the girls who have been inspected between fifteen and eighteen have had transitional auras. One weakly girl nearly seventeen years old, who had never menstruated, retained a perfectly formed infantile aura. A woman twenty-eight years of age, whose faculties were far below the average, had an aura the size and shape of a child of sixteen. Her aunt stated "that her habits and mental powers were about the same as those of a girl of that age." On the other hand a well formed woman thirty years of age, with an undeveloped uterus, who had only menstruated four times in her life, was surrounded by a very distinct aura, larger than usually seen. Another woman, forty-two years of age, sixteen years after the removal of both her ovaries, had a fairly plain aura quite up to size by the sides of the trunk, and exceptionally broad at the back and front.

There can be no two opinions about the growth of the female aura at the period of adolescence, but it remains uncertain whether this is entirely dependent upon the functional maturation of the sexual organs or whether other changes taking place contribute to this growth. Anyhow, it can be confidently stated, as will appear later on, that menstruation has a subtle effect upon the aura, while pregnancy produces marked alterations.

For the present it will be sufficient to state, that the aura can be naturally divided into three distinct parts

First, there is a transparent dark space, which is narrow and often obliterated by the second portion.

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[paragraph continues] When visible it looks like a dark void band, not exceeding a quarter of an inch, surrounding and adjacent to the body, showing not the slightest alteration in size in any region. This will be called the etheric double.

The second constituent is the inner aura. It is the densest portion and varies comparatively little, or even not at all in width, either at the back, front or sides, and in both males and females follows the outline of the body. It appears just external to the etheric double, but frequently looks as if it were in contact with the body itself.

The third portion or outer aura, commences at the distal edge of the inner aura, and is inconstant in size. It is the extreme visible outer margin of this haze that has hitherto been taken for the outside limit of the aura. When the whole aura is observed without the intervention of any screen, the two latter divisions appear blended together, but the part nearest the body looks the most dense. If, however, a pale carmine screen be employed, each of the factors can be distinguished, or should the screen be a dark one, and the light properly arranged, the outer will be altogether eliminated.

The following descriptions are selected from persons in good health, varying in age from early infancy upwards. They are arranged according to age, first the males and then the females.

Case 1. A, a fine healthy infant, fifteen hours old, was inspected while lying on a black cloth on his mother's bed. Although seen under adverse circumstances, his aura was plainly visible, being of a grey colour tinged with yellow. As far as could be distinguished it followed the outline of the body. This was the youngest child yet examined, and it may be interesting to note that both the mother and nurse were able to see the cloud around him when they looked through the dark dicyanin screen.

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He was inspected a second time at the age of four months under more favourable conditions, on a sofa with a black cloth under him. His aura followed the outline of the body and was slightly over an inch in width, with the exception of the part round his head, where it was broader. The colour had changed to a dark blue-grey.

FIGS. 1 AND 2. Healthy boy.

Case 2. B, a healthy boy four months old, was examined when lying upon a black cloth with a black background behind him. The aura could be easily detected, and had a bluish grey colour. The outer looked about an inch wide, round his body and limbs, but by the sides of the head it was a little broader than the width of his shoulders. Through the dark carmine screen the inner aura was quite plain, about three quarters of an inch wide, and displayed well marked striation.

Case 3. (Figs. ¹ and ².) C, a strong lad, healthy,

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five years of age, stood facing the observer. His aura appeared to be about six inches wide round his head. It came down by the sides of the trunk about three and three quarters of an inch in width, and a little narrower by the thighs and legs. The inner aura was conspicuous, being nearly two inches by the sides of the trunk and about one and a quarter by the legs. When he turned sideways, the outer aura was two inches in front, and the inner about a quarter of an inch less. Both these measurements were slightly diminished lower down. At the back the outer aura was about two and a half inches wide by the trunk, and contracted as it proceeded downwards. Here, too, the inner aura was about a quarter of an inch narrower than the outer. The colour was a blue-grey.

It is worth remembering that in children, especially in males, the inner aura is frequently almost as wide as the outer, and occasionally there is a little difficulty in separating the one from the other.

Case 4. D, a youth fourteen years of age, was rather tall and had always enjoyed good health. His aura was well marked and of a bluish grey colour. As he faced the observer, the outer aura was seven inches round the head, four inches by the sides of the trunk, and lower down three and a half. The inner aura was two inches in breadth all over the body. The etheric double was visible, one eighth of an inch in width. As he stood sideways, the outer aura was about three inches in breadth at the back by the shoulders and nates, coming down straight. It was three inches over the whole length of the front.

Case 5. (Figs. ³ and ⁴.) E, a professional athlete, thirty-three years of age. He was well proportioned in every way and robust in health. The colour of his aura was a blue with a little grey. The outer aura was eight inches round the head, and all down the trunk, arms, and legs five inches. The inner aura

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was extremely well marked, being three inches in breadth, and its striation was quite easy to see. A side view showed the inner to be the same width at the back, front and sides, but the outer aura was a trifle narrower in front than at the back. The etheric double was clearly defined, about a quarter of an inch

FIGS. 3 AND 4.
Healthy, strong man.

broad. This aura was unusually coarse in texture.

After considerable difficulty a full blooded negro, a native of the United States, was engaged for inspection.

Case 6. F, a healthy Negro man fifty years old, was examined in 1912. He was tall and well made—a typical specimen of his race. His outer aura was

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normal for a man round the body, where it was five inches broad, but was narrow by the head as it was only seven inches wide. The width of the inner aura was three inches all over the body, and striation was present, although at first it was troublesome to distinguish. The difficulty was palpably due to the colour rather than want of definition. The hue was an opaque hazy brown-grey. It did not stand out against the black background as distinctly as the ordinary blue-grey auras do. On the other hand it was easily visible through a pale blue screen when the background was white. The complementary coloured bands (see chapter 5), after making due allowance for the colour of the skin, were even all over the body and apparently normal. The mutual attraction of the auras emanating from the subject and the observer's hands will be described later on.

Case 7. G, a female infant lying on her mother's bed, was inspected when a week old. The external conditions were unfavourable, but with a little difficulty the aura was perceived as a greenish haze following the outline of the body, being very narrow, but widest round the head.

When the child was four months old (compare A, case 1, and B, case 2), she was examined a second time under better surroundings. The aura was exceedingly hard to detect as it was not nearly as distinct as was expected. It only looked about half an inch wide by the body, and a little broader by the head. The most interesting feature of this case was, that the colour had changed from a greenish to a grey shade.

Case 8. H, a fragile child, was examined when she was four years old. She was rather a small child, but in good health. She had an extensive aura for a girl of her age and size. The outer aura was three inches all over her body, except by her head, where it was five. The inner aura was two inches in breadth, distinct and striated. The colour was a true blue.

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Case 9. (Figs. ⁵ and ⁶.) I, a tall girl nine years of age was recently inspected. She had only suffered from childish ailments. The colour of her aura was very peculiar—green, yellow, and grey intermingled but not blended. (See chapter 3.) The outer aura was eight inches round the head, which is extraordinarily large and exceptional for a child. By the trunk and limbs it had the usual infantile shape, and

Figs. 5 and 6.
Young girl. Healthy aura.

was of average width, namely, three inches by the trunk and slightly less lower down. The inner aura was about two and a half inches broad, exhibiting striation plainly, exactly what might be expected for a girl in good health. The chief interest lies in the remarkable size of the aura round the head. (Compare with case 15 in an adult.) It is more than probable that when grown up she will be a clever woman.

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Case 10. (Figs. ⁷ and ⁸.) J, has always been very healthy, and her aura has been inspected from time to time, thus allowing the growth to be watched at different periods of her adolescence. When first examined in January, 1911, she was twelve and a half years old, and both her auras were distinct and normal

Figs. 7 and 8.
Transitional outer aura. Gradual development.

for a girl of her age. The outer was six inches round the head, and as she faced the observer, it was three and a half by the trunk, contracting somewhat by the lower limbs. When she turned sideways, it was the same width down the back and front. The inner aura showed normal striation and was two and a half inches wide.

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In December of the following year she was again examined, being fourteen and a half years of age. Her body had commenced to develop, and she had menstruated once or twice. The outer aura remained the same size round the head, but, as she stood facing, it had increased to five inches by the trunk, and made no change by the legs. A side view showed an enlargement of half an inch in front of the body, while at the small of the back it had become an inch and a half wider. No alteration had taken place in the inner aura.

After another twelvemonth the whole aura had expanded. It had reached seven inches round the head, six and a half by the trunk, and three and a half by the legs. Viewed sideways, it was three and a half inches in front, six at the small of the back, and three and a half by the legs.

After a lapse of another two years and a quarter, her aura was inspected a fourth time. Her bodily development was up to the proper standard for her age, nearly eighteen. The aura had attained the adult form, although it will probably still expand, but not to any great extent. The figures, as she faced the observer, were round the head and by the trunk nine inches, and by the legs four and a half, making a good ovoid shape. When she turned sideways, it was six at the small of the back, and elsewhere four and a half inches.

Case 11. (Figs. ⁹ and ¹⁰.) K. The following is an instance of a perfectly shaped aura of average width, enveloping a young woman twenty-three years old, an artist's model, her profession being a sufficient guarantee that she is well built. She is bright and intelligent, quite healthy, and has never suffered from any serious illness. When examined, both auras reached the average standard of distinctness and size, the outer being eight inches round the head and nine by the trunk. The curve of the ovoid commenced

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over the head and ended by the feet, where it was four inches wide. It was quite symmetrical. A profile view showed the outer aura to be four and a half inches in front of the trunk, contracting to four by the legs, while at the back it was six, coming down

Figs. 9 and 10.
Healthy woman (average aura).

straight from the shoulders to the buttocks. The colour was a blue-grey.

The inner aura was distinct and lineation could be easily distinguished. It was three and a half inches by the trunk, front, sides, and back, but only three by the limbs.

As her aura has been shown to a number of medical men, there have been opportunities for seeing some

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curious effects. Once, when she was standing with her hands down by the sides of her body, three bright rays suddenly appeared simultaneously, all proceeding a long distance beyond the visible limits of the outer aura. No ostensible cause for this phenomenon, which lasted a considerable time, could be discovered. On another occasion, the room becoming a little over-

Figs. 11 and 12.
Healthy woman (very fine aura).

heated, the woman felt faint. The first intimation of this condition was that both auras became dim; subsequently, as recovery took place, they gradually returned to their normal state.

Case 12. (Figs. ¹¹ and ¹².) L, a strongly built lady with intellectual faculties certainly above the average, was recently inspected. She was robust and

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very energetic, and her aura, as might be reasonably expected, was large and fine in texture. The colour was a good blue. The aura was nine inches round the head, twelve by the sides of the trunk and gradually contracted to five by the feet, making a perfect ovoid. A side view gave five inches in front, and eight at the

Figs. 13 and 14.
Healthy woman (narrow aura).

small of the back, without any dorsal curve. The lineation was unusually distinct in the inner aura, which was four inches wide all over the body and limbs. An interesting feature was that the definition of the distal margin of the outer aura had not the common sharpness, and gave the impression of an almost imperceptible haze beyond, a phenomenon

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rarely present except when the aura is wide. It has been called the Ultra-outer aura. (See page 47, chapter 3).

The next instance is an example of a low grade aura, the complete antithesis of the one just described.

Case 13. (Figs. ¹³ and ¹⁴.) M, a diminutive, well shaped woman, twenty-eight

Click to enlarge Fig. 15. Healthy woman. Rays

years of age, had her aura inspected in 1913. She had never suffered from any serious illness, but her mental powers were decidedly below the normal standard.

The colour of her aura was a grey with hardly any tinge of blue, thus indicating an essentially low type. In shape and size, although its full growth had been attained, it corresponded with the transitional form normally found among girls in their teens. As she faced the observer, round the head and by the sides of the trunk the outer aura only acquired a width of six inches, and contracted to three by the lower limbs. viewed from the side, it measured three inches in front, but at the back it had a bulge, which was broadest at the level of the waist, where it was six inches. The inner aura was about two inches all over the body and faintly striated.

Case 14. (Fig. 15.) N, was a married woman twenty-five years old. The shape of her aura was quite ordinary for her age, but was remarkable for having several rays coming off from the body at the

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same time. There were two, one from each shoulder, proceeding upwards, one descending from the right axilla, and another ascending from the crest of the ilium. When she turned sideways, a fifth small ray could be seen emanating from a small fibro-adenoid

Click to enlarge

tumour of the left breast.

Case 15. (Fig. ¹⁶). O, a lady just turned twenty-three years, has had no serious illness, but has I never been robust, and was suffering from the effects of overwork and not taking proper exercise. She complained of having frequent palpitations and of great lassitude. There was nothing organically wrong with her, and she soon recovered. The main peculiarity was the shape of her outer aura, which was twelve inches by the head and eleven by the trunk, contracting to four by the feet, the curve being rather sharp. A side view showed that the aura was normal in front, being four inches wide, but at the back at the broadest part it was eight inches, and was bow-shaped, commencing at the head to curve outwards to the level of the waist, from which it turned inwards to the feet. The inner aura was two and a half inches all over the body, and did not display the usual distinctness owing to the state of her health; nevertheless lineation could be detected. In a subsequent

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examination her inner aura had regained its normal clearness.

There is another type of aura which is only occasionally met with among women. It is of the usual width by the sides of the trunk, and contracts very slightly by the thighs and legs, proceeding downwards straight. Generally the outer aura is equally broad at the back and front, and is even down the lower limbs. Its free margin is of the ordinary distinctness and there is no sign of the ultra-outer aura. The inner aura, too, is larger than the average. Taking it all round it approximates to an extra wide male aura. The following is a marked example.

Case 16. (Figs. ¹⁷ and ¹⁸.) P, a naturally strong young woman, well made, twenty-five years of age, came to have her aura inspected in 1918. The outer aura, as she faced the observer, was of medium size, being nine and a half inches by the head, nine by the trunk, and at the widest part by the thighs it was six incites, and continued the same breadth all the way down to the feet. This made the curve from the flank to the thigh small. A profile view showed the aura to be six inches wide in front without narrowing anywhere. At the back it came down straight, being at the thighs and legs six inches, and, of course, a little broader at the lumbar regions. There was nothing remarkable about the inner aura, which exhibited striation and was three and a half inches wide round the whole body. The colour of the aura was a grey-blue.

As heredity plays such an important part in determining the qualities of many constituents of the body, it would be, indeed, strange if some of the peculiarities of the aura were not transmitted by descent. The few cases of two or more individuals of the same family that have been collected show the surmise to be probably correct, but absolute confirmation will require long study and extended enquiries. A complete

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analysis of an aura should include observations on the texture as well as on the size and shape. In practice it has been found impossible to directly compare the texture of the various individual auras even of the same family, as the inspection of two or more persons cannot be made simultaneously, and

Figs. 17 and 18.
Healthy aura. Masculine type.

generally a considerable time elapses between examinations. It is fairly easy to compare the size and shape of adults one with another when they are of the same sex, but difficulties commence directly the comparison has to be made between the auras of a man and of a woman or of a woman and of a child, since the masculine type is so unlike the feminine.

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[paragraph continues] Practically the only method is to measure the breadth of the aura over the trunk, as the subjects stand facing the observer.

For this purpose some scale is indispensible. It is quite certain that the height of a person makes only a very slight difference in the breadth of the aura, since a tall person's aura does not appear much, if any wider, than a short person's, thus destroying any chance of finding a working ratio between the height of a subject and the width of the aura. Besides, it must be remembered that children have relatively broader auras for their heights than adults. To add to the difficulty, abnormalities will have to be taken into consideration. Similar deviations are found at times in several members of a family.

Since the ratio between the height of a patient and the breadth of the aura is precluded, there seems to be only one, and that not a satisfactory method, of obtaining a requisite standard. This is to fix arbitrarily the limits of the average dimensions of the aura, and to take any departure from them as abnormal. Thus all auras may be divided into three categories, namely, wide, average, and narrow. Roughly speaking, the aura of a woman may be called average, when it is from eight to ten inches broad by the sides of the trunk at the widest parts.

The standard for men is from four to five inches, and for children between two and a half and three and a half. As the auras of adolescent girls are changing from month to month, it will be necessary to consider each on its own merits, as no hard and fast rule is possible. These figures are the outcome of experience alone, and have no claim to scientific accuracy. It is frequently far from easy to decide whether a case ought to be classed as average.

One example will be sufficient to make this evident. Suppose that a woman's aura by the sides of the trunk is a little larger than the limits laid down for average

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width, and that it prematurely contracts down by the thighs and legs to below the normal, in fact is of the spatulate type (page 162), under which heading should it be placed? The case must be treated upon its own merits.

The following tables contain all the examples of individuals of the same family that have been inspected up to the end of 1918. The first table relates to those cases in which two or more generations are involved, and the second to those belonging to the same generation. In two instances the same persons come into both tables. The ages are those of patients at the dates of their inspection.

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TABLE I.—PARENTS AND CHILDREN.

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TABLE II.—BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

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Since the type of a given aura largely depends upon temperament, itself a transmitted characteristic, it seems almost certain that the main attributes of auras are hereditary, and in a given case will be retained more or less unaltered during life, unless modified by disease. It will accordingly be found that the auras of quick intelligent children, however young and untrained, are more extensive than those of the dull and phlegmatic, although the latter may have the advantage in physique. The former, too, will probably possess auras above, the latter below the general standard of size, since in adults the same rule obtains, the finest auras surrounding the most intelligent people, and the smallest enveloping persons who are dull or of a low intellectual type. This is not only seen round the body, but becomes most obvious round the head; and is more noticeable among men than women, as the auras of the former do not expand to the same extent round the trunk. Auras encircling women are more variable than those enveloping men, but the finest specimens will invariably surround naturally intelligent and energetic persons who have no tendency to neurotic complaints. In the above description perfect health is taken for granted.

Texture, the next character to receive consideration is more difficult to deal with, the delicacy of the modifications at times defy description. The inner aura will be found to be better defined and broader in persons of both sexes who are naturally robust, and in good health, but fainter in weakly subjects, revealing that it is bodily rather than mental powers that are the chief energizers of this portion.

In general, the grain of the outer aura of men is coarser than that of women; but after making due allowance for this, fineness and transparency may be considered a higher type than coarseness and dullness. Later it will be shown that the more grey

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there is in the colour of the aura, the duller and more mentally deficient is the owner.

Education is a factor that ought, theoretically, to have an immensely refining influence, but any changes induced by it are so delicate as to be imperceptible by our present means of examination.

The influence of heredity and temperament upon the aura is an exceedingly fascinating part of the subject, and it does not require a prophet to foresee that an enquirer in this direction will reap a rich harvest.

Footnotes

2:* The author considers that ninety-five per cent. of people with normal eyesight can see the aura. One gentleman states that only one person out of four hundred, to whom he had tried to show the aura, was unable to distinguish the phenomenon.

5:* In his present house the outlook is more open, so two blinds are installed.