Shades of Specters: A Possible Correlation between Auras and Orbs
Someone emailed me this article a while back from Ghost Magazine. I found it to be an interesting theory.
Gabreael
Shades of Specters: A Possible Correlation between Auras and Orbs
by Ken Summers
http://www.ghostmag.com/issues/2004-06/2004-06-Tech-AurasandOrbs.html
Are you green with envy; perhaps feeling a little blue? Or are you just too yellow to handle it?
For hundreds of years, colors have been associated with emotions. We use these expressions so often in daily life we forget their origins are in auras: the radiance surrounding a person that shows their physical and mental well-being. With this understanding, it is only natural to question whether or not the deceased still have auras as well. And if they do in fact show mood with color, is it possible for us to see or better still photograph it?
Observations of auras began in 1777 when scientist George Christoph Lichtenberg first observed a high voltage corona discharged from a human hand in resin dust. As photography advanced, scientists started finding ways to capture this phenomenon on film, giving it the name electrography.
In 1939, Semyon Kirlian invented a special type of camera to capture this unusual electrostatic-like occurrence. Living objects were placed upon an electrified plate, and photographs were taken, which depicted an unusual electrical discharge emanating from the subject. In some fascinating experiments, freshly cut leaves appeared to have the same aura’s as the living tree though from which they came.
From Kirlian’s work, came the standardization of the aura colors, known generally as color therapy, where the colors of the aura were defined to represent a persons state of being. However, the results of experiments in the Kirlian Effect are still highly debated though. A lack of clinical studies and a standardized research method left this field open for further research. Even so, the results of these experiments cannot be completely ruled out. It may in fact be a way of showing the essence of living beings.
So how can auras and Kirlian Effect have a possible connection with the every day paranormal investigator? The answer is both simple and debatable: Orbs.
Orbs are spherical “lights” or balls of energy appearing on film and in photographs believed to be the simplest form of a spirit. Orbs have been captured on both video and photographic film. They come in a range of sizes but more importantly, on some rare occasions, they appear to have different colors.
This begs the question: could there be a connecting principle between aura and orb colors? In order to gain a better understanding of this, we must explore what an orb really is.
In the rare instances when orbs are actually witnessed by individuals on a first-hand level, they are generally described as a round, transparent object, having a thicker outer layer or membrane and with sizes varying from a 6-inches to several feet in diameter. Some witnesses have reported orbs hovering around an individual or object, giving rise to the belief that orbs are intelligent had have a firm grasp of the world of the living.
Contrary to popular belief orbs, as a paranormal phenomenon, are a relatively new subject to the paranormal community even though their occurrence has drastically increased with the emergence digital technology. However if one can rule out all possible naturally occurring reasons for a photographic orb (i.e. dust, insects, and moisture), what is left is the common belief that orbs are some form of electrostatic energy, either being part of or an entire spirit entity. This would mean that these objects are in essence globules of energy and/or light particles (in the case of ‘visible’ orbs). With some basic understanding of the workings of digital cameras, this could make some sense. Unlike 35mm cameras, digital cameras do not directly take “photographs” of an image. Photons (particles of light having similar properties as energy) are converted into electrons (electric current) when they make contact with the charged coupled device or CCD (a collection of light sensitive diodes). Essentially, the product is a black and white imprint of the energy patterns emitted by objects and surroundings. Through filtering, colors are broken down and converted into a form the processors can understand, giving the orb its recognizable colors.
So could the occurrence of orbs on digital photos be capturing a form of Kirlian effect? At this time, one cannot be sure, though it is an interesting hypothesis and one that should be investigated further. The only thing that can be safely state is that some photo anomalies are unexplainable and could possibly be paranormal in nature. It can also be safely stated that the appearance of these anomalies having a definite color seems to indicate something unusual is going on.
And if that color can be linked to the energy of the orb and could that energy represent the state of being of a given spirit?
Until further information and research surfaces regarding the true make of the orbs, the color theory should be considered to be as plausible as the Kirlian Effect from which aura’s are based.
So the next time you are on an investigation and find yourself staring at a photo with an orb in it, first ask yourself, ‘Is it more than just dust?’
After that, if it’s not simply some shade of white, look at the possible meanings for that particular color. Compare them to notes, observations, and evidence use EVP’s recorded at the time and place of the colored orbs, to see if the words could indicate a mood or mind set similar to the meaning behind the colors. Who knows, you may just be surprised by what you discover?
Ken Summers, a paranormal investigator with 10 years experience, and director of The Moonspenders, a paranormal investigative group with emphasis on Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley.
posted by Eastern Paranormal @ 8:30 AM
