Mary Behre breaks down our auras for us
Mary Behre, author of the new novella Harmonized, shares the color wheel she uses to determine a character's aura while writing her paranormal suspense Tidewater series.
Mary: In my latest trip to Tidewater, Va., my heroine, Karma, is a psychic who reads auras. She sees them around every living person. She can perceive them around reporters in news broadcasts on television, spot them in old black-and-white movies and even see them in photographs.
But what is an aura? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, an aura is "a subtle sensory stimulus; a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source; a luminous radiation; a subjective sensation…; an energy field…"
Aura colors are said to define a person's character or mood. While their general aura color might be orange, in a heightened state of emotion such as anger, passion or fear, the color can change temporarily. In Harmonized, Karma sees these colors and uses her unusual ability to help search for a missing infant.
Aura reading is an actual paranormal ability. Research is available for people who want to study it. I spent months learning about it before I started writing the Tidewater series. I continue to study it and tweak my color wheel even today.
The color wheel that describes auras is based on research from multiple sources. Since no one source combined both the positive and the negative aspects, I created my own color wheel. Here's a quick rundown of what colors mean according to the experts I've met with and studied over the years.
Red is the color of passion. In its purest form, it's true love. In its darkest, it's hate and rage. This makes sense when you think about it. We describe love as passion and often associate it with the color red. On the other hand, how many times have we read that someone saw red when confronted with a betrayal?
Orange is the color of energy. It is where creativity exists. The closer the color slides to red, the more creative, confident and ambitious one becomes. Too close to red, and the color becomes toxic. Sliding toward yellow, the creativity turns scientific and detail-oriented. Too close to yellow and the individual becomes doubtful and overly analytical.
Yellow is the color of hope. As it slides toward orange, it becomes fearful, doubtful. As it inches toward green, it can symbolize inspiration, awakening and intelligence. (A sunny disposition is often used to describe a happy, hopeful person.)
Green is best when it's at its brightest. This is the color of healing and growth. It comes from a person's center. As it darkens, it turns sickly. An individual can feel victimized and jealous. It, in a sense, stunts growth and healing and becomes its polar opposite. (Green-eyed monster is often used to signify jealousy.)
Blue is the color of balance. At its heart is clarity. To one side is sensitivity and emotional healing, but the other leads to depression and despair. Too much spent on one side or the other can be emotionally draining.
Purple is the color of enlightenment. This is often the color that describes visionaries, daydreamers, artists and idealists when they're in their prime. But too much enlightenment (information that pushes the color closer to dark blue) and there can be an overload, leading to grief and sadness. Too far in the lighter direction pushing toward pink and it can lead to dishonesty.
Pink can symbolize sensitivity. At its brightest, it is pure, compassion and love. At its darkest (edging in either direction), it can lead to dishonesty and immaturity.
For more information about auras, check out Aura by Edgar Cayce. In the meantime, enjoy the latest trip to Tidewater with Karma and Zig. Happy reading!
About Harmonized (courtesy of InterMix):
After nearly dying on assignment, Tidewater police officer Zig Harmon has been awarded the Silver Star and desk duty. But handling every case that walks through the door while his entire department is out hunting a serial killer is nothing compared to dealing with his former flame, Karma De La Cruz.
As much as she hates it, Karma knows that her best chance of finding the kidnapped baby haunting her visions is the man she once left behind. Forced to work together, Karma and Zig start to realize that they may have let go of something incredible. But now, time is running out, both for the missing infant and for their chance to start again...
Includes an exclusive preview of the latest Tidewater novel, Energized.
Find out more about Mary and her books at marybehre.com.