Here are some excerpts from what I’ll call the Aura Debates, all spawned by my family’s aura pictures (scroll down if you missed ’em).

From an electrical engineer named Brian: “…aura just means an energy field, specifically around biological organisms. It’s similar to running a current through a wire; it produces an EM field. Everything your body does starts with chemical reacts and electric synapses. The idea of this field being a reflection of our souls is bogus.”

From an electrical engineer named Shiro: “I think that if auras do exist they probably won’t be a form of electromagnetic field. Maybe they manifest or create one, but in essence they are not. Why? Electromagnetic fields are artificial and can be created by lifeless devices. Auras being a mere electromagnetic field would suggest that a device with arbitrary aura can be created. This can’t be correct. Can it?”

From psychotherapist, author, and former electrical engineer Jerry Hirschfield: “Yes, of course, auras are real! I’m surprised to see so many readers of your blog on the fence about them! There is no longer any doubt that we are made of energy–in fact, the energy of Pure Love! That energy (plus the energy of our egos)is what the aura cameras pick up. Contrary to Shiro (the electrical engineer, above) the energy is electromagnetic. It is simply in a frequency range too high for our current instruments to measure (but the Kirlian camera is able to transduce the frequencies down to the color/light range)…I believe what the physicists are now confirming, once again–that there is no such thing as physical matter! All is energy–the entire physical realm is our ego’s illusion created by us, spiritual beings with egos, to explore and further the gift of individuality bestowed upon each of us at creation.”

From Brian (to Shiro): “An electromagnetic field is the most common ‘aura.’ This field is produced by all matter, including dirt, air, space, and all living things. As a quick (more tangible) proof, if something has heat, which everything does, then it has an aura. Heat is just one tiny type of EM radiation, however. Matter radiates all wavelengths, visible light included, etc., yet the levels are far too low to be detected in the presence of stronger fields, for example visible light from the sun. Don’t expect a rock to shine in a dark room, just rest assured that it is radiating EM. The radiation of all matter stems from the fact that all matter is made of tiny particles which vibrate.”

From Brian (to Jerry): “You are mixing metaphysical theories with physics. Love is not an energy, it is a feeling and an emotion. Ego is just as intangible as love, it cannot be physically felt, nor does it produce anything. I would never compare something as complex as love, or ones ego to something as simple and concrete as an energy field. You said that physicists are now confirming (once again) that everything is energy. What are the names of physicists, and where do they research? I would like to see some case studies supporting what you claim. Right off the bat, an aura surrounds a physical object. If everything is energy, then what is the energy surrounding? More energy?”

Thanks to everybody. Keep posting.