Does The Viral #AuraChallenge Really Work? We Asked An Aura Reader

While the mirror trend might not be so off-base, it’s certainly not the only way you can explore your aura.

Lonsdale’s favorite reading method is aura photography because it offers a tangible picture to reference. The camera used to take an aura photograph is different from your phone camera, she explains, “because it uses a pair of hand sensors to read the wavelength of your energy and then matches that wavelength to a color.” That color, she adds, comes out as a second exposure on top of the photograph of you.

“So essentially, this is a really groovy interactive filter that uses real film,” Lonsdale says. “As an artist, I was particularly attracted to this process because the colors are so vivid, and I felt this was such a powerful way to conceptualize energy and identity in the current new media landscape.”

If you’re looking for an aura reading method that’s easier to try at home, Lonsdale recommends reading Barbara Brennan, Ph.D.’s book Hands of Light. Part of Brennan’s book details how to see the human energy field with your own eyes. “She’s a physicist,” Lonsdale says, “so she has a really grounded approach that isn’t too out there.”