The Aura:

We as human beings define our bodies as consisting of physical matter, it is usually all we can see and, therefore, all that we believe exists. However, this isn’t entirely true, there is so much more to each of us than we can even begin to understand. Not only do we have a physical body, but we also have a subtle-energy system that is seven layers deep. It surrounds and penetrates our bodies and it is called an aura.

An aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (like the halo or aureola in religious art). The depiction of such an aura often symbolizes a person of particular power or holiness.

In Medieval Europe artists painted religious paintings with both humans and angels surrounded by auras, though these auras were usually confined to the persons head. In mystical Indian teachings over 5,000 years ago they spoke of prana, it is considered to be the universal life force that flows through all things. In the same time period Chinese teachings spoke of ch’i, the Chinese name for energy that pervades everyone and everything. 

Sometimes, however, it is said that all living things (including humans) and all objects manifest such an aura. Often it is held to be perceptible, whether spontaneously or with practice: such perception is at times linked with the third eye of Indian spirituality. Various writers associate various personality traits with the colors of the different layers of the aura. It has also been described as a map of the thoughts and feelings surrounding a person.

This subtle-energy encompasses us like an egg from head-to-toe, front-to-back, and is essentially an extension of our physical bodies, most of us aren’t able to see it so we are not aware of it’s existence. We need to take care of it just like our human bodies so it can remain healthy.

The aura consists of an electromagnetic field and this enables us to make contact with the psychic plane. Even though most of us aren’t aware of it, our subtle-energy systems are continually connecting with one another, transmitting and receiving complex messages. 

Kirlian Photography:

Kirlian photography was developed by a Russian scientist named Professor Semyon Kirlian, his work is still used today. In 1939 he accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a source of high voltage an image is produced on the photographic plate, essentially the aura of the object was captured on film.  

Layers:

Although there is some debate as to how many layers are within the human aura, most would agree that there are seven layers. Each layer vibrates at a higher frequency and is finer in energy than the previous one. So, the Etheric Body, which is the densest layer of the aura is closest to the body, and the Ketheric Template, the finest layer, is farthest away from the body. The layers may appear to be separate from one another, each one overlaps the layer or layers beneath it.  

1. Etheric Body- densest layer, closest to the body

2. Emotional Body

3. Mental Body

4. Astral Layer

5. Etheric Template

6. Celestial Body

7. Ketheric Template- farthest away from the body

Connecting:

You can teach yourself to become more in tune with your aura, and recognize when someone or something penetrates through it. This is something you must do if you are constantly coming in contact with your aura for whatever reason. 

You may have come to believe that your body affects you aura, when in fact it is said by Clairvoyants who have observed the development of human fetuses in the womb that the layers of the aura form first, giving a template for the physical cells to copy. 

Colors:

The colors a persons aura are constantly changing due to their emotions and health, but everyone has a main color in their aura. Though some people believe that the colors of the aura mean many different things to many different people, here are some examples of what some of the main colors in a persons aura may mean. 

Red- Energy, Action, Leadership, Innovation- Base Chakra

Orange- Optimism, Confidence, Emotional warmth- Sacral Chakra 

Yellow- Communication, Creativity, Mental Agility, Gregariousness- Solar Plexus Chakra

Green- Love, Kindness, Peacefulness, A Love of Nature, A Need for Harmony- Heart Chakra

Pink- Affection, Compassion, Strong Spirituality- Heart Chakra

Blue- Consideration, Idealism, Ethical Values, Spiritual Knowledge- Throat Chakra

Indigo/Purple- Love, Psychic Ability, Intuition, Spiritual Purpose- Brow Chakra

White- Spiritual Evolution, Connection with the Divine, Humanitarianism- Crown Chakra

(I found this information on wikipedia and from the book The Psychic Bible by Jane Struthers)