The Human Atmosphere
or
The Aura Made Visible by the Aid of Chemical Screens
by
Walter J. Kilner

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CHAPTER III
THE INNER AND OUTER AURAS

THE Aura proper will be found lying just outside the Etheric Double. For some time we were obliged to consider it to be indivisible, although the part nearest the body was manifestly more dense and had a different texture from that further off; nevertheless, the one appeared to shade into the other too gradually to be treated separately. After experimenting for some time, we have found it possible to divide the Aura into two distinct divisions, by means of different screens other than those containing spectauranine. These parts are the Inner and the Outer Auras. The new screens have made a great addition to our knowledge by opening up a new field of observation in disease, and by affording an explanation of several phenomena which were previously inexplicable.

The most useful screen, besides the ordinary spectauranine ones, are A, a dark carmine, B, a light carmine, and C, a pale blue (methyl blue). They are especially valuable to the observer, who has gained the power of seeing the Aura without the intervention of any spectauranine screen. After the patient has been investigated in the usual manner, his Aura may be examined through C. By its means the two Auras may be clearly separated: the Inner will appear more dense and generally more granular, having its outer margin defined, but its general structure hardly differentiated. The Outer Aura stands out clearly, and its distal border can be distinguished with tolerable accuracy, so that its size and shape can be noted. Next, the screen B may be employed, when the Outer Aura will be diminished or entirely obliterated, according to the amount of light admitted and the tint of the screen. These factors ought to be so arranged that the two Auras may be visible, in order that the width of the Inner Aura, as seen through the screen C, may be corroborated.

At this stage the structure of the Inner Aura can sometimes be discerned, but generally only indistinctly. The last step is to view the Aura through the dark carmine screen A, when it will be necessary to admit much more light. It might fairly be conjectured that the screen A cuts off some of the Inner Aura, in addition to the whole of the Outer Aura. However, it has been found, after repeated trials, that such does not seem to be the case if the light has been properly regulated; and it is especially to avoid this error that the breadth of the Inner Aura has been previously determined by the screens B and C. The Inner Aura, as seen through the dark carmine screen, is usually two to four inches in width, according to the age and individuality of the patient, being perhaps relatively wider, although in reality narrower, in a child than in an adult.

In health the boundaries are distinguished by the distance to which the striae reach, as can be seen through the carmine screen. As a rule, the breadth is practically equal over the head and trunk, being sometimes, but not always, slightly narrower down the limbs. Occasionally, both in males and in females, the Aura will become more coarse and wider locally; but, as lineation can be made out, although it may be with difficulty, there can be no doubt of the increase of breadth. This is quite different to what takes place in local disturbances. The most common position for this enlargement is by the waist as a woman faces the observer, and the next is the small of the back in men; but, when a granular appearance is seen here in women, it is generally pathological, and will be described later on. In the latter sex there is often an increase in front of the breast and abdomen, which will be explained in the chapter devoted to pregnancy.

As a rule the Inner Aura follows the contour of the body, having its proximate border in juxtaposition to the Etheric Double, or often apparently to the body itself. The outer margin is free and irregularly crenated with large curves. The structure is obviously granular, but the granules are so arranged as to look striated, and are exceedingly fine. The striae are parallel to one another, running at right angles to the body, but have never been seen to possess any intrinsic colour. They appear to he collected into bundles, having the longest ones in the centre and the shortest on the outside, with a rounded margin. The marginal bundles are massed together, and their shape causes the crenated outlines. In some cases the striated appearance is seen without the slightest difficulty, while in others it can only be detected by a careful arrangement of the light, and the choice of a suitable screen. With care the lineation can always be made apparent when the patient is in good health, but in ill health it is otherwise.

Whenever this Aura encroaches upon the Etheric Double, it will almost obliterate it; and this fact again forces upon us the question, whether its granules are not always in the Etheric Double, notwithstanding their invisibility, or whether they are driven by some force emanating from the body to some distance, so as to leave the Etheric Double free from any granules, and therefore quite transparent. In the latter part of the previous chapter, this question was considered when the patient was in good health; and the conclusion arrived at was, that the Etheric Double does not contain any material. Ill health, however, alters the conditions, and it seems to be highly probable that then the granular substance of the Inner Aura does invade the Etheric Double. This will be discussed hereafter.

The Outer Aura commences where the Inner leaves off, and spreads round the body to a variable distance. It has no absolutely sharp outline, but gradually vanishes into space, although it is, as a rule, sufficiently defined for measurement. This statement is, however, hardly correct, because occasionally, under very favorable circumstances, an exceedingly faint haze can be seen extending outwards a very long distance, which gives the impression that we are aware of its presence, but are not quite able to distinguish it. This very elusive portion of the Aura is most probably a continuation of the Outer Aura: because, on all occasions in which it has been noticed, the periphery of the Outer Aura has been more indefinite than usual. It has only been noticed when the patient has an unusually extensive Aura, but may simply be an ordinary component which is too delicate to be often seen. For the sake of reference alone, we have called it the Ultra-Outer Aura.

The size and shape of the Outer Aura has already been fully described in Chapter I. It consists of a faint cloud and appears entirely structure less, capable of being illuminated, but not luminous. Very shortly after the commencement of our observations, rays, or streams, or patches of brightness were noticed emanating from various parts of the body. These projections often suddenly appear, then as quickly vanish, while others may remain visible during the whole time of our inspection. The ordinary manner of their occurrence is for one part of the Aura to become brighter and generally more dense. Commonly, rays are colorless, but they may be tinged with different hues. As far as is known at present, these rays possess no diagnostic value, but indirectly they are very important. They may be divided into three groups: 1st. Rays appearing in and surrounded by the Aura itself, being entirely separated from the body. In this case they often look like bright patches and nothing more. 2d. Rays proceeding from one part of the body to another. 3d. Rays projected straight out from the body into space.

The first group of rays consists of patches lighter than the surrounding Aura, but enveloped by it. They are always seen to be in close proximity to the body, but not quite touching it. In their most common form they are elongated, with the long axis running parallel to the body. Their sides can usually be seen quite distinctly, but their ends often fade gradually into the adjacent Aura. For the most part, when present they remain visible during the whole of the observation, but occasionally they suddenly vanish. Had it not been for this latter property, these patches would have been more appropriately placed under the heading of alterations of the Inner Aura.

For a long time the origin of these patches was a great puzzle; but directly the Outer and the Inner Auras could be made out as distinct phenomena, one portion of the difficulty disappeared, as these patches were found to lie entirely within the Inner Aura, and through their whole length have their margins, as a rule, exactly coincident with those of the Inner Aura, while their ends are usually contracted and become less bright. The explanation of the insularity of these patches is, that they are merely alterations of the Inner Aura, being bounded on the proximate border by the Etheric Double, and on the distill by the Outer Aura. When examined through the dark carmine screen A this portion of the Inner Aura seems entirely to have lost its striated appearance, and instead looks granular. The granules of which it is composed are, in some instances, much coarser than in others; and the brightness is often commensurate with their size. When the patch is evanescent, the granules are commonly fine; and, as the patch becomes more lasting, the tendency of the granules is towards coarseness. As these granules must be referred to when considering the Aura in disease, it will be convenient to divide them into fine, medium, and coarse.

Persistence of these patches during the whole of the observation is, certainly, prima facie evidence of their having a prolonged existence; and, then, they are more often than not the sign of some local disturbance.

Until quite recently no striae of any kind had been perceived in them; but, in Case 40, the Aura of a pregnant woman whose foetus was dead showed, in an unquestionable manner, the physiologically fine striae in front of the whole sternum; while over the upper part of the distended abdomen the Inner Aura was coarsely lineated, and the lower half had a common pathological granular appearance, all these variations being visible at the same time. These patches never seem to be coloured.

The rays of the second group are, perhaps, the most brilliant of all, and can be observed emanating from any part of the body, running to any other, provided that the two parts be sufficiently near each other and the angle between them be not too great. For example, when the arm is held away from the body, one or more rays may connect them. Here they seem to proceed from the body towards the arm, rather than the reverse way, because the rays are generally perpendicular to the body and take a different angle to the arm. Another good example is obtainable when the patient stands with his hands on his hips and his elbows outwards - a ray appears from the axilla to the wrist. A similar effect can be obtained if the observer holds his hand at a short distance from any part of the patient, when rays will intervene between the two. Once, when this experiment was being tried, a ray emitted from the hand of one person towards the hand of another was a bright yellow, changing in a few seconds to a liquid ruby colour.

Rays of the third group are apparently projected at right angles from the body into space, without any deviation. Frequently they are only visible as far as the Outer Aura extends, but of course brighter. However, it is not uncommon to see them in the situation where the Ultra-Aura is supposed to exist. Whether they stretch beyond this point of the Aura it is impossible to ascertain, as it is not known how far the Aura extends. As the rays proceed outwards they gradually fade into the invisible. The sides of the rays are generally, if not always, parallel, and rarely appear fan-shaped, although after extending some distance they become pointed as the ends fade away. This is especially the case when they issue from the tips of the fingers.

A straight line perpendicular to the body is evidently the natural direction of the rays; but under extraneous influences they may be deflected and proceed at any angle from the body, but in no instance have we seen them curve. It is very easy to watch this phenomenon, as rays emanating from the tips will appear as a continuation of the fingers as long as there is no attractive substance near. But if another hand is held about six or eight inches away and moved about, all the rays proceeding from one to the other will be in straight lines, although from the movement the angles between them and the hands will be constantly altering, but there will never be the slightest sign of any bend.

An exactly similar condition can be produced if the observer holds his hand near a ray given off from any part of the patient's body. The size of the ray varies much, and is dependent, to a large extent, upon its position. For example, rays proceeding from the shoulders are almost always broad, whilst those emitted from the finger-tips rarely exceed one and a half diameters of the digits. Although rays have been seen emanating from every part of the body, when the patient has been standing in favorable positions for their perception, yet, none have ever been noticed proceeding directly from him towards the observer. This is accounted for by the extreme transparency of the rays making their visibility dependent upon a suitable background - flesh colour is a very poor background owing to the want of contrast - while the difficulty of seeing them is further increased by their being foreshortened. On the other hand, the ordinary black background is very efficient; for, when the rays are silhouetted against it, they are made as distinct as possible. Even though the rays proceeding directly from the patient to the observer are invisible, yet they make their presence known by frequently causing an alteration on the complementary coloured band, as will be described in a later chapter.

Besides the ordinary bluish grey colour, red and yellow have been noticed tingeing the rays, so that it is not at all improbable that the rays may possess all the colours of the spectrum. They have one striking peculiarity, namely: that in no instance have the rays been seen to diminish the adjacent Outer Aura, either in density or in brightness, so that they can hardly be considered to arise from that Aura. As their structure resembles that of the Inner Aura, the conclusion is forced upon us that the two have a common origin, viz., the Body; in short, that a ray is only a lengthened out fascicules of the Inner Aura.

The Aura has been searched for constantly in the dark without the slightest sign of its being observable, proving that it is not luminous to the ordinary perception. Visibility is derived, as in other non-luminous bodies, from the reflection of light from some extraneous source, the best results being obtained from diffused daylight graduated to the proper extent. It has been our endeavor, but without much success, to ascertain whether one part of the spectrum showed the Aura more plainly than another. It can be seen through red, yellow, green, and blue screens to different extents, varying, of course, with their depth of colour. One very valuable detail, however, becomes more apparent when the red screen is employed, viz., the striae of the Inner Aura.

Another effect of the same screen is that it sometimes imparts to the Inner Aura a different tint, a more pure red than that of the carmine screen. For the same purpose we called to our aid photography, hoping to obtain some information by means of panchromatic plates and others dyed for the Ultra red rays, and ordinary ones for the Ultra violet, with different coloured filters. Unfortunately, however, the results were negative, owing to the inordinate exposures necessary under the conditions thought to be advisable. Nevertheless, we are inclined to think that the vibrations of the Aura lie outside the ordinary visible spectrum; and this opinion is strengthened by the fact that the Aura would necessarily have been recognized a long time ago by a number of people who possess ordinary eyesight, if the rays lay within the visible spectrum; while at the same time it has been universally accepted that clairvoyants are the only people capable of discerning it.

At first sight the cloudlike appearance might suggest that the Aura was some form of vapour. This is highly improbable, for the following reasons: The Aura remains stationary, whether the patient is hot or cold. Vapour, it exuded from the body and warmed, would rise in the cooler air. The only conditions that could possibly make it stationary (if it were a vapour) would be similar ones to those governing the cloud banner seen on the mountain peaks where the exact amount of vapour is generated as is lost by diffusion and evaporation. In the latter case any change of the wind will alter the shape of the cloud, but no amount of draught or movement of the body changes in any way the Auric cloud. Its structure is so delicately fine that, comparing it to an ordinary mist, would be analogous to the comparison of the finest cambric to coarsest canvas.

When all the different aspects of the Aura are considered, no other conclusion seems possible, except one of the following two: The first is a most improbable theory, so improbable that it would not have been mentioned had we not found hints of it, viz.: "that the Aura is an integral part of the covering of the body. which may be looked upon in the same light as the skin. If this were so every time anything touched the body the Aura would be compressed or forced asunder and immediately close up again, and it could have no protective influence upon the body; neither has it, so far as we can discover. Besides, it would be difficult to imagine how the rays so often seen in the Aura could possibly be generated in it, or what would be their use.

The second theory, most probably the correct interpretation of the Aura, is that it consists of a "force emanating from the body, which, like all forces, is invisible in itself, but which becomes perceptible by means of its action on the Ether, or Atmosphere." Whether this supposition is true or not, it certainly deserves careful consideration.

The first question which naturally arises, is whether there are any other instances of force proceeding from substances making themselves visible in the surrounding medium in the form of a haze? It is by no means necessary that the force should be exactly similar to the one issuing from the body. Fortunately, Magnetism, Radio-activity, and Electricity (whether static or from the poles of an open galvanic cell) will supply three different kinds of force, all producing analogous results; and they can be seen under conditions similar to those that make the human Aura visible.

It is by no means us easy to see the Magnetic Cloud as the Human Aura. In order to obtain the best results, care must be taken in the selection of the background, which must be perfectly smooth and black. The illumination ought to be diffused, and at the same time it is better not to place the magnet opposite the source of light. It might reasonably be expected that the visible cloud would exactly follow the magnetic lines of force; but, as far as has been seen at present, such is not the case, although very likely the discrepancy between the two will vanish directly the haze can be more clearly perceived.

Before commencing an observation, the experimentalist will find it advantageous to look at the light through a dark spectauranine screen quite double the time he is in the habit of doing before the examination of the human Aura; subsequently, no change of procedure is requisite. The magnets used were a six inch horseshoe that had lost a large portion of its power, and an eight inch bar magnet that had been blackened all over. These were chosen in preference to an Electro-magnet, the latter being composite and consequently not so suitable for the present purpose. When the horseshoe magnet, closed by its armature, is inspected, a haze about half an inch wide will be seen encircling it evenly, and the central space will also appear cloudy. Directly the armature is removed, a great alteration takes place. There will still remain a haze round the magnet, but this will be seen to extend and become more dense by the poles, commencing about an inch lower down and culminating a short distance beyond them. A similar change occurs in the central space; but, as the space is a fixed dimension, the cloud merely becomes more dense. From the poles themselves rays project into space, often being visible for several inches. The rays emanating from the south pole have little tendency towards expansion, while those originating from the opposite pole become slightly fan-shaped, and the two sets amalgamate about an inch and a half beyond the poles.

When a bar magnet is examined in the same manner, the cloud will be seen surrounding its length, but becoming broader and denser as it approaches the poles. The rays projected from one pole are uninfluenced by those from the other pole, as these are as far from each other as is possible and thus allowing their arrangement to be accurately observed. It will now be seen that the rays coming off from the south pole are almost straight, while those emitted from the north pole are distinctly fan-shaped, apparently because the rays given off from the sharp edges of the ends are at a different angle from those proceeding from the plain surface. Suppose a tin tack be placed point outwards on the pole of a magnet, the mist will be brighter by the side of the nail and will concentrate at the point. The colour of the magnetic cloud is bluish, and can be intensified by the intervention of a very light blue screen free from any grey.

When a radio-active irregular crystal of Uranium Nitrate, which measured one inch in length and half in breadth at the widest part, was viewed in the same way as has just been described for a magnet, a haze was seen surrounding it. The haze was more concentrated at the smaller end. The colour was yellow and more clearly seen through a light yellow screen, while a blue one lessened or obliterated it according to the depth of colour. It is very interesting to note that when the crystal was placed near a magnet, there was a mutual attraction of the clouds surrounding the two bodies, each of which seemed to have extended further than they did when apart. Moreover, the two hazes could be seen (quite easily owing to their different colours) to interpenetrate one another for a short distance, and then were gradually lost as separate colours. Whether this is due to their intrinsic hues becoming too faint for perception, or whether they absolutely blend, we have been unable to determine.

As every one is conversant with the luminous cloud around the point of an electrified body, it will be quite unnecessary to say anything about it, as it has no connection with the present subject. However, the poles of a galvanic cell, when disconnected, are in a similar static state, but most people cannot distinguish any haze around them. This will become visible when examined in the same manner as the magnetic cloud. As might be expected the haze surrounds any conductor which joins the two poles. If a piece of wire be connected with the zinc element, and another piece with the carbon of cell, and these two wires are arranged so that they shall be parallel with each other and about two inches apart, the whole intervening space will become nebulous.

Suppose, now a non-conductor be placed between them, the cloud will no longer be so diffuse, but will concentrate around the two wires. The galvanic haze is bluish, intensified by a light blue screen. It is much coarser in grain than the haze from the Uranium Nitrate crystal, which in its turn is not nearly so fine as the magnetic aureole. It would be out of place to recount any more experiments, as sufficient have been quoted for the purpose of proving that a haze exists around some objects, in which there resides an energy - latent to our usual perception - which energy, however, can, under favorable conditions, be seen to react upon the surrounding medium. In the case of magnetism the force is supplied, according to the usually received opinion, by the peculiar arrangement of molecules, generally termed polarization. The galvanic haze depends upon chemical action taking place within the cell; while the radio-active cloud of the Uranium Nitrate crystal is evidently due to the disintegration of the atoms. It is more than probable that the force giving rise to the human Aura is quite distinct from the above three; and it is more likely than not that there is more than a single force at work - one producing the Outer and the other the Inner Aura. Obviously there is a great similarity between all these clouds, because they are mutually attractive, and possess in common one great peculiarity, that neither the north nor the south poles of a magnet, the positive nor the negative poles of a galvanic cell seem to differ in their attractive power; or, at least, the modification is so slight as not to be discernible.

The force or forces giving rise to the human Aura are most probably generated in the body in some such way as the nervous force. We cannot believe that these two Auras are the product of only one force, for it is to be remembered, firstly, that the Inner Aura has a rudimentary structure, being striated; that its borders are fairly well marked, and also that rays proceed from it. Secondly, the Outer Aura is entirely nebulous, with an ill defined outer edge, the visible proximate margin of which coincides with the distal border of the Inner Aura; and, again, that in no case as yet have rays been observed commencing in this one passing through to the other. This opinion is strengthened by the fact that the outer margin of the Inner Aura is crenated, showing that the intensity of the force producing it is a little variable; and, the ordinary rays being due to a greater display of the same force, it stands to reason that, if the Outer Aura were derived from this one, it, too, would have a very irregular margin, especially when projecting beyond all the rays; but such is not found to be the case.

Another circumstance pointing to the same conclusion is that the Outer Aura becomes much more developed in females from the age of puberty upwards, around the body, than in males, without any corresponding increase of the Inner Aura. We are compelled to the conclusion that there must be two forces, one which originates the Inner Aura, to be called No. 1 Auric force, or, for shortness sake, 1 AF; another producing the Outer Aura, to be termed No. 2 Auric force, abbreviated to 2 AF. If, however, there be only one force, and the two Auras are only two manifestations of it, still, for practical purposes, it will be advantageous to treat the subject as if two forces were present.

1 AF acts apparently very intensely within a prescribed area, and is, to a certain extent, under the influence of the will, which can cause a projection of the Aura as visible rays for some perceptible distance, and very likely much further than is perceived. Besides, rays are evolved unconsciously, through the local augmentation of the force. This affords a solution to the problem that greatly puzzled us whilst experimenting with the mechanical forces of the N rays. The difficulty then was that sometimes a large deflection of our instrument was obtained; in fact, often too large for measurement, even if the force had to pass through all kinds of obstacles; at another time, under exactly the same physical conditions, the results were negative. Now, it can be easily understood that a deflection of the needle took place whenever one of these rays fell upon it; and, when there was no ray, the needle remained stationary.

We ceased experimenting by this method, after having come to the conclusion that, however interesting the result might turn out to be, yet there seemed to be no prospect of its being useful for diagnostic purposes, as we had at first hoped. Directly the Aura could be seen we felt that better results could be obtained by studying what was visible, than by working only on the unseen.

2 AF is certainly more mobile, and has a wider range of action than 1 AF; and, as far as has been determined, is entirely independent of the will power. Different states of health, either general or local, react upon the forces, and indirectly upon the Auras, altering them, but not necessarily in the same manner. When the affection is local, it is not at all uncommon for all the striae to disappear from the Inner Aura, which then presents a more opaque and dense mass, having a different tint to the neighboring parts. It may, however, appear roughly rayed in a manner very different from the fine striation of health. At times a space may look absolutely devoid of the Inner Aura. When-ever a change occurs within a large portion of the body, the Inner Aura may be correspondingly narrower on one side of the body than on the other; and when this happens, it is always accompanied by an alteration of texture in the Inner Aura and, often, by some ill understood colour change, which will be referred to later on.

The Outer Aura consequent upon 2 AF varies much less than the Inner; the colour may change, but, as a rule, the chief alteration is in its width, which contracts, but never quite disappears. A change over a large area of the body may cause a complete alteration in the shape of the Aura, which in some cases is quite diagnostic. The Outer Aura may become narrower, while the Inner Aura retains its normal breadth; but the converse does not occur, as the Outer Aura never keeps its proper size after the Inner has shrunk.

The body, as has already been mentioned, has the power of generating Auric rays, which, as well as the Aura itself, possesses the peculiar property of being formed or attracted by outside influences. For example, let the observer hold his hand a short distance from any part of the patient's body, he will find in almost every instance a ray will become visible between his hand and the patient's. Usually, as the first alteration observable, the Auras of both persons become brighter locally, and in a short time a junction is effected producing a complete ray.

It is worthy of notice that these rays can be more easily obtained between points than between large surfaces. For instance, if the observer holds one finger near the side of a patient, a ray will soon appear, but it will certainly near the finger than near the body; subsequently the ray may or may mot become equally bright throughout its whole length. Again, if the observer holds his finger the same distance from some pointed part of the patient's body, such as the nose, chin, bended elbow, or fingers, he will notice that the rays will be more quickly generated, and frequently will be brighter. Thus, if we may use the expression, the Auric potential is greater at points than over a flat surface, having in this respect an analogy to static electricity.

Yet again, if the observer holds a bare arm parallel to the patient's body the intervening Auras will become brighter, and frequently, but not always, blend, showing that a mutual attractive force exists between the two Auras. In all these cases the distance between the patient and the observer should be sufficient to allow one or two inches between their visible Auras. It is also extremely important that the minds of the two persons should be in as passive a state as possible, in order that the will may not affect the Auras. This is a very good point at which to demonstrate that the Aura is influenced by the will power. The observer can do so by holding his finger some further distance from the patient than in the previous experiments; he must then will that a ray should extend from the end of his finger towards the patient. The ray will soon make its appearance, and it will disappear directly he leaves off willing.

As to "How the spectauranine screen enables the Aura to be seen?" It is very important, if possible, to solve the question. Its solution depends upon the constitution of the Aura, the part of the eye most affected in its perception, and, lastly, the action of the screen upon this part. These must be considered in order.

It may be regarded as an axiom "that if any substance emits a force which produces in the adjacent Ether, vibrations corresponding in number and in wave length to the undulations of any part of the visible Spectrum, this substance is "auto-luminous. " It does not signify whether the force is self-generated, as in a radio-active crystal, or whether the force has been acquired extraneously, as in the case of luminous Sulphide of Calcium; and, of course, this statement holds good, it this force only produces undulations which are invisible to the ordinary, but which may be seen by persons gifted with some peculiar sight, or by others by means of Instrumental Aid.

Reichenbach, in his "Researches upon Magnetism," gives instances of over fifty sensitives who could see light proceeding from magnets, crystals, etc., in total darkness. Unless all these people were frauds (and there is no reason to suppose them so) they must either have possessed a very acute sight, which enabled them to perceive a light to faint to produce any sensation in ordinary men and women, or else the quality of their sight is different, and permits them to perceive phenomena usually invisible. Personally, we think the latter view is correct as we consider the forces emanating from magnets, crystals, etc., produce vibrations which do nearly but not quite correspond to the undulations of light, both in number and wave length, and in short lie just outside the Solar Spectrum, as usually seen. Perhaps - but this is only supposititious at present - they may be situated within the range of the Lavender Grey. The same may be said of the human Aura. One reason for this is, that if these vibrations are identical with those of any part of the visible spectrum, there are large numbers of people whose sight greatly exceeds the average, and surely some of them would have observed an unusual phenomenon around a magnet, etc., especially as these people are naturally observant on account of the probability that sight is their most developed sense.

This argument would be further strengthened, if it could be shown that clairvoyants are not above the average in keenness of vision for ordinary perceptions. We asked a clairvoyant whether the sight of clairvoyants was, for ordinary purposes, only natural, or whether it was more keen? He kindly informed us that the gifted sight was in no way connected with the ordinary; and, in fact, some clairvoyants have inferior eyesight. Under these circumstances we may safely conclude that individuals who can perceive the human Aura and the haze around magnets, etc., receive their power not from keenness of sight, but from a faculty to see rays that are not included in the ordinarily visible Spectrum.

If this be not so, in what then does this power consist? All our experiments point to the fact that it is necessary to have only a dim light in which to see the Aura. This may be due partially to the delicacy of the Aura, whose presence is extinguished by a bright light; but the all-important factor is the eye itself. For this reason it will be obligatory to consider the dark adaptation alone. All perceptions of light are due to sensations received through the medium of the rods and cones of the retina; and, for reasons unnecessary to give here, it is usually considered that the most effective action of the cones takes place in a bright light, while they are almost dormant in a dim one. On the other hand, the rods are more sensitive during feeble illumination. Without going into the particulars of their very complicated structure, it will only be necessary to say that this attribute is due probably to the Rhodopsin, or visual purple, which they alone contain. This substance is derived in some incomprehensible manner from the melanin of the pigmented cells of the retina, and is so unstable that light is continually altering its chromatic qualities, different parts of the Spectrum affecting it unequally.

It has been found that the yellowish green rays are the most active, and the red the least so. Under a green light the Rhodopsin becomes purple, violet, and then colourless. As soon as the retina has become accustomed to the dim light, he red end is less apparent, while the maximum intensity is removed to the green, and the blue end becomes brighter. This correspondents to the change seen in the visual purple. When the colour stimulus is slight in the dark adapted state, the object has a grey appearance, which gradually becomes coloured. In our opinion it is the alteration of the visual purple either in quantity or quality that enables people to see the Aura, etc.

If the Aura be observed through a light spectauranine screen without any previous preparation of the eyes, a number of people will be incapable of seeing anything, while a second group will perceive the Aura more or less distinctly. If all these people peer first at the light through a dark spectrauranine screen for a short time, and then at the Aura, all will be able to see it - some immediately and the rest within a minute. Of those observers who constitute the second group, a few will be found able, after peering through a dark screen at the light, to distinguish the Aura without the intervention of any screen. These may be classed as a third group. The power thus gained by persons in the third group is only transitory, as it is a very common occurrence for these observers after a minute or two to exclaim "we cannot see anything"; but, as soon as they look at the light through a dark screen for a few seconds, the power returns.

Any one using these screens constantly finds that the effect becomes cumulative, and will be able to perceive the Aura at any time without intervention of any screen, provided the external surroundings are favorable. Nevertheless, he will always find it advantageous, before commencing any serious observations, to look at the light for a few seconds through a dark screen, as he will then discern the Aura more easily and distinctly. This power is gained without any depreciation of the sight; and, so to speak, the eyes have contracted a habit which, by the way, is no explanation of the phenomena. Strange to say, the writer has noticed that when he has not used the screens for a week or two - having been away for a holiday - he cannot perceive the Aura so plainly as before going; but the power returns again in a very short time. This points to the fact that the cumulative action is not quite permanent.

The above experiments show that spectauranine has some marked influence upon the eyes. The only part that conceivably is likely to be affected is the visual purple, and if this be the case, it must be either increased in quantity, or altered in quality. Unfortunately the Spectrum, as seen by means of a pocket spectroscope, of the spectauranine does not assist us in any way, except that it shows the yellowish-green to the brightest part, while the orange is entirely and the yellow is to a great extent obliterated. The red is unaltered, and the blue and violet slightly diminished.

The following remarks are completely hypothetical and without proof, but we offer them in default of any other explanation, and ask our readers' kind forbearance if they disagree with them. We do not think an increase in the visual purple alone would be sufficient of itself to account for the perception of the Aura, although it is quite possible that there may be some augmentation in the visual purple. It is more probable that there is some change in its constitution which, after a time by the continuous use of the spectauranine screen, becomes fairly permanent, and that this alteration enables a person to apprehend rays a short distance beyond the ordinarily visible spectrum. It will be conceded that this is not impossible when it is recollected that the lavender grey is capable of being perceived by some people under favorable circumstances.

 

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