Consciously Working to Improve the Aura
Author: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Description: The seven chakras are great force centers, spinning vortexes of mind power. Colors within the aura as well as associated feelings are transferable and may influence the state of consciousness of those around us. The colors of the aura, being magnetic, reflect energies back from the emanations of the chakras, the mind and emotions. The auric colors change and are influenced as awareness moves through the vast universe of mind substance. You have the ability to consciously develop, improve and brighten the aura in the direction of more desirable colors and to eliminate undesirable ones. There is no need to remain stuck in a negative state of consciousness. Consistent effort yields results. Master Course Trilogy, "Merging with Siva," Lessons 230, 231.
Transcription:
Good morning everyone.
We are continuing with our series from "Merging with Siva" going through the chapters in the order of when they were presented. So we're still way back in 1960 with Chapter 33 "The Human Aura" which we're going to finish up today.
"Chakras and Nadis
"There are seven great force centers of psychic nerve ganglia, called chakras, within the physical body, the astral body and the body of the soul. Each chakra is a spinning vortex of mind power, (Isn't that a great phrase? "Spinning vortex of mind power.") a vast collective area of many, many different thought strata of odic and actinic energy. When awareness flows through any one or more of these areas, certain functions happen, such as the function of memory, the function of reason and the function of willpower. As the chakras spin, releasing energies into the body, these energies permeate the physical cells with life and vitality and radiate out through the force fields that surround the body. The forces are cloud-like or fog-like in consistency and reflect these energies in much the same way as a cloud reflects the rays of the sun. They appear to change color from white to pink to orange and then to darker shades. Of course, the clouds do not change color. The light waves change. The clouds faithfully reflect the color of the light. In a similar way, the human aura is a reflection of the wave length of energies generated in our mind by our emotions and from our body. The basic odic and actinic energy of the aura itself does not change. It is the energies emanating from the chakras that change. The aura simply mirrors those energies as color vibration."
So this is the first time Gurudeva mentioned this particular idea in the chapter about the aura, that it's basically the emanations from the activity of the chakras that's causing the colors that appear in the aura. That's the idea that's being presented for the first time.
"Within the aura are psychic nerve currents called nadis. It is through these nadis that you feel someone standing next to you without turning your head to look at him. Also, by standing next to a person, two or three feet away, you can feel how he is feeling. Feelings are transferable, for feelings are vibrations which can be felt through the subtle nerve system. You feel them with these astral nadis that extend out from the body into and through the aura. Oftentimes you may identify with the feelings that you pick up from others and begin to feel that way yourself, while actually you are just picking up the vibration from someone near you. As we have learned, through the clairvoyant vision these feelings can be seen as colors in the astral atmosphere surrounding your acquaintance. As feelings are transferable, the colors within our aura are transferable, too. We now know that our aura, and the thoughts and feelings which give rise to it, affects and influences those around us. In a sense, we 'rub off on one another.' A positive example is the way in which the pure and healthy aura of the faithful and devoted Hindu wife enhances the aura of her husband. His mental state is generally more positive as a result, and his business prospers."
So we have my commentary:
Gurudeva is pointing out that we are particularly susceptible to taking on the state of consciousness of someone standing or sitting close to us. And vice versa, we can easily influence the state of consciousness of someone standing or sitting close to us. We can even start thinking about the same subject that the other person is thinking about. Some people are particularly sensitive to that, they're not sure if their thought is their own or the person that's a little distant from them. So the question comes up: How do you know if a subject is being chosen by your mind or the mind of another? Interesting question, right? One way is that if it has no continuity to what you normally think about it is likely the mind of another. So that's one way we can identify if the thoughts of those around us are actually what we're thinking rather than it being our own thoughts as it's not something we would normally think about.
Then we get the next Lesson, 231:
"Improving Your Aura
"With the knowledge of the affect that we have on others through our mental and emotional astral atmosphere, we gain a wonderful siddhi: the ability to develop and improve our own aura and thus our daily mental and emotional state, and at the same time the power to improve the aura and mood of those around us. Your sadhana now is to take pains to develop your aura in the direction of more desirable colors and to gradually eliminate undesirable ones.
"Now we shall begin to understand how to perform this new sadhana. It works in two ways: 1) by visualizing one or more bright, positive colors flooding your aura, immediately your awareness leaves the undesirable area of the mind (such as depression, anger or jealousy), and you experience more positive feelings; 2) by consciously moving your awareness into more positive areas through the repetition of positive affirmations or mantras, while at the same time working to bring through the corresponding feelings, such as joy, happiness or contentment. In this way the aura is infused with bright, positive colors."
In other words, it works both ways, it's bidirectional. It can create colors in the aura and that changes our thoughts or we can change our thoughts and that, such as by affirmations and that changes the color in our aura. Individuals might have a preference to do one way or the other. It's easier for some people to utilize colors than it is for others. So, both directions work.
"Consciously working to improve one's own aura becomes doubly important when we remember that its colors, being magnetic, react back on our mind and emotions, thus intensifying and neutralizing the original mental states which called them forth. We have all found this to be true through the lesson that any negative mood or mental state seems to hold one in its clutches of its own accord, and it takes willpower to pull oneself into a more positive frame of mind. But, as you may have found in your previous experience with sadhana, consistent effort does yield results. You can steady and strengthen your mental and emotional faculty just as you can strengthen your physical muscles and steady your nerves through exercise and practice.
"By consistently visualizing desirable colors in your aura, especially during moments of trial and emotional turmoil, you can become quite facile and skillful in controlling your individual awareness. Brightening up your aura in this way neutralizes the remnants of negative emotion and charges the aura with actinic energy. Automatically, feelings of depression and despair give way to courage and confidence. Feelings of jealousy and resentment give way to confidence and compassion.
"As you continue with this sadhana, you will see how well it can work for you. This practice will also help you to further build and mold your character in accordance with the yamas and niyamas by keeping your awareness out of the darker or more dense states of the mind. You will soon develop a strong and more attractive personality which will naturally uplift others.
"You have discovered the five states of mind: conscious, subconscious, sub of the subconscious, subsuperconscious and superconscious. You also understand the three phases of the mind: instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. Now we are learning about our individual awareness, what it is and how it travels through the vast universe of the mind just as a traveler moves from place to place on the Earth. In each place that the traveler visits, he is affected by the vibrations around him. He absorbs the thoughts of others and their moods. He is influenced by the events he participates in. Similarly, when your individual awareness travels through the mind, it is influenced or colored by the vibrations within each area of the mind it becomes aware in. This influences your nerve system and lays the foundation for your thoughts and feelings, thus giving rise to the colors in your aura. These colors are ever changing because your own awareness is constantly moving through the vast universe of mind substance."
So my commentary, a summary idea which we all take for granted but some people haven't thought of it yet: You have the ability to improve your state of consciousness such as by visualizing colors in your aura and by using affirmation. There is no need to remain stuck in a negative state of consciousness. So some individuals don't think that way. They think this, in this consciousness that's the way things are. But we have the ability to move out of a negative state of consciousness and that ability gets stronger the more we use it
Have a wonderful day.