CHAPTER 11

THE MYSTERIOUS AURA: FROM RELIGIOUS TO PRACTICAL

I saw another mighty angel coming down out of heaven. He was wrapped in a cloud and had rainbow round his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire. —JOHN, REVELATION 10:1

Various religions share common references to inexplicable auras around holy people (fig. 11.1). Many modern people, including me, having been educated in modern science and rationalism, find the concept of auras difficult to accept. My original opinion concerning the aura was that it was a beautiful fabricated addition to the depiction of those believed to be sacred and had nothing to do with reality. That was until I happened upon some experimental evidence that I could not disregard.

As mentioned earlier, in the 1980s, China saw the development of a considerably large Qigong movement. Like many, I was a little shocked at the scale of the movement, but I did not take it seriously. I viewed it as a religious movement brought about by large numbers of Chinese people suffering from disillusionment or a belief crisis following the death of Mao Ze-dong. People had worshipped the “great helmsman” Mao, the modern version of an emperor, almost as a living god. In my opinion their bereavement led them to turn to the many Qigong masters who could fill the role of lesser leaders and minor living gods. They served as a focal point for the worship of religiously hungry Chinese people. In honesty, after observing some of their work, I had a negative view of these Qigong masters and felt that they were liars and swindlers.

Figure 11.1. The holy aura around Jesus (left) and the Buddha (right).

By chance, a biologist named Lu worked at an institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine adjacent to my university. In his illness-plagued youth, he had learned Qigong in order to regain his health, and at the time had initiated a very popular Qigong course at his institute. He would visit my lab from time to time and was amiable, friendly, and polite. Out of curiosity, I asked about Qigong and asked some technical questions. Later, he asked whether I could perform some scientific research into Qigong. Given my overall feeling about Qigong at the time, I immediately refused, but his amiability and sincerity led me to decline his request in a polite and subtle way. My response was something like, “Qigong might be a subject for science to consider in the future, but not at present. It is difficult to understand in terms of modern science.” Of course, my real meaning was much less equivocal.

The subtlety of my rejection led Lu to misinterpret my intention. He returned the following day with a group of his friends and said, “You are a scientist and a university professor, and are open to the unknown phenomena of Qigong—this is great. If you think Qigong is a subject for future scientific consideration, why not come today and observe our course?” The situation left me unable to reject their invitation, and I accompanied him to the garden of his institute.

I have to admit that I found the experience of watching these people practice Qigong unnerving. The class began with silent meditation, then gradually proceeded into deeper and deeper states of meditation. At this point, I observed some of the participants begin to move spontaneously. Their movements became progressively more pronounced, and some of the students started to dance, sing, shout, and even roll around on the dirt in the garden. I have to concede that I found the scene repulsive.

After the course, the participants passionately discussed the experience. They felt happy and relaxed, and I began to reconsider my feeling about the class—maybe it wasn’t so bad. However, they began to talk about seeing an aura around a participant’s head and about a fire among them that they had all seen. Their discussion led me to believe that they were attempting to work together to deceive me, which left me unhappy and even angry. I had been standing in the same garden and had not seen anything remotely resembling the supernatural phenomena they were describing. I did my best to suppress my anger and politely said good-bye. My personal visit so encouraged Lu that he returned to my lab and again tried to persuade me to devise a scientific experiment that would provide evidence for the existence of external Qi—life force or life energy—that they believed they were able to emit from the palms of their hands to help their patients.

My lab had just received a new double-beam spectrophotometer, which was able to simultaneously scan two test tubes to get independent absorption spectra from two specimens to discern tiny differences between them.1 It was advanced for that time and even boasted computer processing. After some consideration, I designed an experiment to discern whether or not the Qigong practitioners were cheating. I deposited some solution of RNA—large biological molecules that are essential for all known forms of life—in two culture dishes. One acted as the control, which I placed far from us, and I put the other on my experiment table. I asked Lu to hold his right hand four inches above the dish for five minutes and to try to emit some invisible Qi into it. I then placed the RNA solution that had supposedly been treated by his external Qi into one comparison tube of the double-beam spectrophotometer, and the control solution into the instrument’s other tube. I then used the spectrophotometer to scan the tubes over the whole range of visible and ultraviolet light.

I believed nothing was actually happening when they were emitting invisible Qi into the solution, and I was certain that the spectra of the two dishes would be exactly the same. This would be indicated by a horizontal straight line on the spectrophotometer’s screen indicating no differences between the spectra. If, contrary to my expectations, the invisible Qi did have some effect on the structure of RNA molecules, a shift from horizontal would be easily observable in the line.

To my surprise, a sharp peak occurred in the spectrophotometer’s line at a wavelength of 219 nanometers. As the design of the experiment was already quite strict, I asked Lu to invite five of his Qigong friends to repeat the experiment in order to satisfy the requirement of reproducibility. These six people would act as the treatment group. I also invited five of my colleagues at the university who had no knowledge of Qi, along with me, to form a six-person control group. The control group was asked to hold their right hands four inches above the dishes for five minutes and do nothing else.

Everyone in the treatment group managed to produce the peak at the same 219-nanometer wavelength with excellent reproducibility. Interestingly, those in the control group also produced peaks at the same wavelength. However, the average height of the treatment group’s peaks was three times that of the control group. The Qigong practitioners were very happy with the results. According to their explanation, people without Qigong training, like those in our control group, also have external Qi, but it is not as strong as among those with Qigong training.

Once the results had been analyzed, the difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant. In other words, we had performed a very elegant and reliable experiment. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I did not dare to publish the results. I was concerned that the nature of this experiment would greatly offend the old professor who was my boss at that time. Nevertheless, Lu and his Qigong colleagues were so pleased that, in addition to showing the results to their friends at every opportunity, they offered me a complimentary advanced Qigong course. I accepted their offer, partially because it was being held during summer vacation in a Buddhist temple surrounded by beautiful tranquil mountains.

While I found the course to be quite odd, I did my best to be, or at least to appear to be, a good traditional Confucian Chinese student by obeying any instruction the teacher gave without asking why. On the first day, my teacher asked me to sit and maintain a posture like holding a ball with two hands, one above another, palm to palm, for two hours. The ball was invisible and untouchable, at least to me. The teacher proudly said it was a Qi ball. I harbored the uncomfortable feeling that the situation was akin to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” This feeling arose repeatedly during the Qigong course, but I was not brave enough to voice it.

The Qigong course was an advanced one; except for me, all of the participants were Qigong masters. They listened to the lecture with great interest and diligently took notes. I was most unimpressed because the theory being espoused was completely at odds with the scientific theories I had been educated in since childhood. I could not imagine what kind of notes one might take from such crazy nonsensical discourse, and was curious to find out.

After class one day, when the other students had left, I noticed that someone had forgotten their notebook. I furtively took the opportunity to see what was inside. In addition to some notes on one of the crazy theories, the student had also written some of his personal observations. He had seen a bright golden aura around the teacher giving lectures. I had been in the same classroom, watching the same teacher, and had seen nothing like this, but I was mindful that this was recorded in a personal notebook, not for propaganda or deception. From that point, the question of auras persisted in my mind for ten years, until I had traveled to Europe, learned some related material, and observed other evidence.

The first place I encountered experimental evidence concerning auras was in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in 1991. The city was home to an international institute of biophysics, where people measured the extremely weak luminescence emitted by living systems, such as insects and small plants, in completely dark chambers (fig. 11.2). Their instruments detected emissions in the range of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The spontaneous luminescence of living systems is very weak, in the range of 320 to 650 photons per second per square inch, a little above the quantum background noise, which is around 130 photons per second per square inch. When electromagnetic waves are measured as particles, they are called photons. The variation in photons produced by quantum effects is always present. The rate of 320 to 650 photons represents very weak light, comparable to that received from a candle ten miles away. It lies beneath the visible threshold of even our dark-adjusted eyes.

The institute’s studies found that at the moment of death, spontaneous luminescence would increase several thousand times. Consequently, the spontaneous luminescence would be as strong as the light of several thousand candles ten miles away. While this is still weak, it would be visible with the naked eye in a dark place. Given the feasibility of viewing this luminescence, it is not too difficult to envision how people in ancient times perceived the aura with their eyes. For example, someone keeping vigil at the deathbed of a person in a dark cave would be able to discern an aura at the moment of death.

This phenomenon might not be limited to dying people. For individuals in relatively unique physiological states, such as a very high fever, or unique mental states, the spontaneous luminescence could also greatly increase. These individuals might also have heightened visual sensitivity.

While spontaneous luminescence from living systems is extremely faint, the photographic evidence from the experiment, shown in plate 14 in the color plate section, among many others, provides serious, scientific, and powerful evidence of the objective existence of a kind of aura.

The second place I witnessed scientific evidence of auras was at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow in 1993, two years after the Soviet Union broke apart. I visited the lab of Eduard Godik, who was an authority on remote monitoring by spy satellites, an important military technology that had been awash in government research grants. His lab was so lavishly equipped—sensitive photographic equipment, the best infrared camera, and the best microwave detection system—that I must admit I was envious. The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union saw the lab completely lose its financing and led Godik to seek support from other sources. Samsung, the giant Korean electronics company, suggested using the facilities for medical research, and provided some funding.

Imagine the level of detail that can be achieved when using remote-sensing equipment designed for observing people at close proximity from hundreds of miles away. Godik’s group immediately saw patterns of light around human bodies (plate 4 in the color plate section) that matched the descriptions of religious figures thousands of years ago.

Biologists have known for years that snakes can discern a mouse in a completely dark room by means of an infrared sense organ near the nose. Biologists also know that bees are able to sense ultraviolet light from the sun, allowing them to see the sun even when thick clouds obscure it. In this way, snakes and bees are much more powerful than humans. In the terminology of physics, they can perceive a much wider range of electromagnetic frequencies than we can.

Conversely, some people exhibit color blindness. This can range from those who are unable to distinguish between red and green, called anomalopia, to those who see no color at all, called achromatopsia. People with achromatopsia perceive the world much like we see a black-and-white movie. Patients suffering from some forms of color blindness do not see some hues at all and perceive them as black. These patients have reduced visual ability in a range of frequencies. In other words, they perceive a smaller range of frequencies than most people.

Conditions where people have reduced visual ability compared to us are easily understood, but cases where people possess stronger visual ability, who can perceive a greater range of frequencies than normal, would be misunderstood. Someone claiming to see things that we do not would be assessed as suffering from visual hallucinations. Even worse, as with my experience in the first Qigong course, we might conclude that they are lying, trying to scam us, or even suffering from a serious mental disorder.

Fortunately, people today have more tolerance. Some psychiatrists, including Andrew Powell, chair of the Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, have already found that some diagnosed psychotics are not really suffering from mental disorders but are instead in a unique physiological state. Powell even suggests that such a state might be caused by receiving information from “another world.”2

From the viewpoint of physics, it might be unnecessary to introduce the notion of another world, as it can be explained by information being transmitted in the form of invisible electromagnetic waves. Extraordinary physiological states could potentially heighten an individual’s sensitivity, enabling them to see beyond the normal visible-light range of electromagnetic waves. In this scenario, the argument can be made that while they are suffering from a physical disorder induced by some invisible physical factor, they have no psychological ailment. Of course, this is only a hypothesis that needs more experimental proof.

The phenomenon of water dowsing might serve as an example to illustrate more clearly the situation of heightened sensitivity in humans. Dowsing is an ancient technique employed in Europe to search for underground water or metals by using a Y-shaped stick or rod. Some modern scientists postulate that the working principle of dowsing is to detect a sharp change in the earth’s magnetic field where there is underground water or metal. However, ordinary people do not have the ability to detect such weak variations in magnetic fields.

Cyril W. Smith, a physicist and electronic engineer, has spent much of his life studying the electromagnetic aspect of human bodies. In addition to his serious scientific research on frequency reactions in the body, he also possesses the special ability of dowsing. During a private conversation, he told me that this ability actually represents an infirmity; his body is unable to compensate for sharp changes in electromagnetic fields. He also said that dowsers are more prone to heart attacks than regular people. He never refers to himself as having special abilities, instead labeling himself a “patient of oversensitivity.” Another example of oversensitivity to variations in electromagnetic fields are people who suffer from periodic headaches in accordance with the phases of the moon.

It is likely that people in deep meditative states have increased sensitivity to acoustic and electromagnetic waves. This is a possible explanation as to why people in ancient times were aware of the existence of the invisible aura. There was much less background noise and far fewer distractions than in the modern world. Traditional culture allowed for a more relaxed, less stressful, less fast-paced life, which would facilitate deeper meditation.

The aura referred to in ancient times might also include the chemical aura. We expel large numbers of molecules from our bodies. With their highly developed sense of smell, dogs can not only distinguish people from each other but even gain insight into a person’s health. Some dogs are trained to detect when their diabetic owner’s blood sugar is outside an acceptable range, and research is being done into whether dogs can be trained to detect cancer in their owners.3 This book will focus on the electromagnetic aura and its potential applications.

The Practical Application of Auras in Medicine

It can be argued that the first practical application of auras involves the technique of high-frequency, high-voltage photography. In figure 11.4, an aura that appears to frame the hand is clearly evident. If we focus in on two of the fingers, at right, we can see that the aura resembles the corona—the plasma that surrounds the visible surface of the sun.

High-frequency photography was invented in 1926 in the Soviet Union by Semyon D. and Valentina K. Kirlian, and is widely referred to as Kirlian photography. When people are charged by very high-voltage current, in excess of 3,000 volts, for a very short time, less than 10 milliseconds, they will not be hurt but instead become highly charged with electricity. When the charging current ends, a discharge process occurs, and a discharge pattern can easily be recorded by photographic plates in a dark room.

The invention of Kirlian photography inspired doctors and scientists worldwide, including Semyon Kirlian, to attempt to apply this technique to medical practice. He worked in a botanical institute and found that the shape and color of an aura is closely related to the physiological state of a plant. At the time, scientists and medical doctors expected Kirlian photography to be potentially useful in distinguishing various physiological, pathological, and even psychological states. Many others proposed that Kirlian photography might bear some relationship with the acupuncture system.

Attempts at practical medical application of Kirlian photography were not successful until the 1970s, when German medical practitioner Peter Mandel developed the method of Kirlian photography exhibited in figure 11.5. The image shows ring-like auras surrounding the tips of the fingers of the right hand. It is evident that there is a breach on the left side of the index finger. Interestingly, whenever a patient has loose bowels, there is always a gap present at this location in a Kirlian photograph. This observation is consistent with acupuncture theory, as the Large Intestine Meridian begins at this location.

Figure 11.4. Aura around a hand and two fingers, seen through Kirlian photography.

Figure 11.5. Kirlian photograph for practical diagnosis.

While it is arguable that level of precision achievable through Kirlian photography–based diagnosis does not match that of Western medicine, it does show the auras carry some information about the body. It also supports the argument that the aura is related to the acupuncture system. Further evidence was discussed in chapter 5, where a continuous high-frequency, high-voltage photograph taken in a dark room clearly shows the track of an acu-meridian (fig. 5.9).

It must be pointed out that unlike the spontaneous light emission evident in figure 11.2, or the infrared thermograph in figure 11.3, the aura in the Kirlian photography is not a real aura, but an artificial one. In terms of physics, Kirlian photography produces only a discharge pattern, but it is very closely related to the distribution of the electromagnetic fields inside the body. Because the acupuncture system is a simplified representation of the distribution of the internal dissipative structure of electromagnetic fields in the body, the two have a close relationship.

The Aura inside Our Bodies

The preceding discussion illustrates that the invisible dissipative structure of electromagnetic fields inside the body can also be regarded as an aura inside the body. This internal aura is always intermingled with the physical chemical body and would be easily damaged by the intrusion of a scalpel. As such, it is challenging to observe and has consequently been ignored by scientists for hundreds of years, and almost completely forgotten.

In terms of understanding this internal aura, ancient cultures were much more knowledgeable than modern people, even scientists. How people in ancient times were able to find something as elusive as the acupuncture system in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or the chakras in traditional Indian medicine, is lost. Both of these systems refer to auras inside our bodies; the acupuncture system is beneath the skin, while the chakras are along the central vertical axis of the body.

According to the theory of traditional Indian medicine, each of the seven major chakras (plate 15 in color plate section) has its own name, function, and color. It is worth noting that the word chakra means “light ring” in Sanskrit. Variations in the color, shape, and direction of spin of these light rings indicate psychological, physiological, and even pathological changes in the person. In other words, the chakra system is closely related to the mind-body system.

From the viewpoint of Western biologists and medical doctors, these seven rings have never been discovered in anatomical research, and so chakras are viewed as nothing more than appealing folklore. From the viewpoint of physics, however, there must be focus centers of waves, both acoustic and electromagnetic, along the central line of the body. This is a simple outcome of the property of reflection inherent in all waves (fig. 11.7).

In Classical Chinese Medicine there exists the puzzling Triple Burner Meridian. Other meridians, such as the Lung Meridian, Stomach Meridian, and Kidney Meridian, correspond to unambiguous solid organs in anatomy. But for a long time, there was no concept of what organs the Triple Burner Meridian corresponded to. In 2012, Yetao Gao, a medical professor in Nanjing, pointed out that the triple burner corresponds to the three hollow organs, also referred to as the three cavity organs, namely, the cranial cavity, the chest cavity, and the abdominal cavity, as shown on the right side of figure 11.7.

Interestingly, Gao made this intriguing discovery through literature research and clinical experience. He did not have a background in physics and was not aware of the relationship between cavities and the focusing of waves. When I read about his work I was amazed by the wisdom of the ancients, who not only discovered the three biggest focusing reflectors in the human body, but also chose appropriate words to describe them.

Figure 11.7. Reflectors along the central line of the body.

The property of wave reflection also dictates that there must also be many smaller focus centers caused by other curves in anatomic structures.

Detection and Data Analysis of Auras

From the viewpoint of theoretical physics, the existence of the external and internal aura is consistent with the chakras and the acupuncture system, but the practical problems of detection and data analysis remain. Technically it is not too difficult to detect the external aura; it can be detected in living systems by means of existing instruments, including sensitive infrared cameras, microwave sensors, and photomultipliers, which are extremely sensitive light-detecting vacuum tubes capable of detecting individual photons. Detecting aspects of the internal aura, such as chakras and acupuncture meridians in living systems, is more challenging, because, as discussed earlier, the aura is intermingled with the chemical body, and significant disturbance to the aura is caused by the insertion of any detector or the surgery required for insertion.

Fortunately, we can detect the heterogeneous distribution of body conductivity on the surface of the skin. This is particularly useful, because this conductivity is proportional to the distribution of the internal electromagnetic field inside the body. In other words, the heterogeneous distribution of body conductivity reflects the energy distribution inside the body, namely the internal aura. Unfortunately, body conductivity measurement, or Kirlian photography, only enables us to detect the outer surface of the internal aura. We still do not have methods to detect the chakras system, even indirectly; their practical detection remains an open problem for technology.

The biggest challenge in studying the aura is data analysis. Unlike molecules, which can be counted individually, the aura is a composite of a practically infinite number of inseparable electromagnetic waves. Therefore, analysis of even the simplest aura measurements is already far beyond the ability of the most advanced methods of calculus and other mathematics. Brilliant mathematicians have already developed new branches of mathematics that can deal with complex systems composed of infinite elements. Equipped with these methods, it is possible to start to quantitatively study the information gathered from measuring the aura. The final part of this book will introduce some practical methods for calculating the degree of coherence or harmony in aura measurements.