The best books on chakras and the human aura
The chakras are the energy centres of the subtle body in Indian and Theosophical teaching, and the aura is the field said to surround the living body. This list starts with the researchers who tried to measure them, then goes to the traditional and clairvoyant accounts they were testing.
Most books on the subject are teaching or personal report. Where a book adds instruments, imaging or clinical comparison, the notes say so. Every title is non-fiction and is cited in Brendan D. Murphy’s work.
- 1
Theories of the Chakras
Hiroshi Motoyama, 1995
A Japanese researcher and priest takes the chakras into the laboratory with instruments built to measure them. The best place to see the traditional account put to a test.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Telepathy; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 2
Infinite Mind
Valerie Hunt, 1996
Valerie Hunt reports her laboratory measurements of the human biofield and how they matched what sensitive observers described.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Human Aura; Clairvoyance)
- 3
The Chakras and the Human Energy Fields
Shafica Karagulla and Dora Van Gelder Kunz, 1998
A neurologist and a clairvoyant healer compare what the sensitive saw with what the physician diagnosed in the same patients.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Selected Bibliography)
- 4
Hands of Light
Barbara Ann Brennan, 1988
A former NASA physicist describes the human energy field as she perceives it, and how it relates to health. The most widely read modern account.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Telepathy)
- 5
The Chakras
C.W. Leadbeater, 1927
The Theosophical account that much modern chakra teaching draws on, in Leadbeater’s own descriptions.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occult Aether; The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Thought-Forms)
- 6
Man Visible and Invisible
C.W. Leadbeater, 1902
Leadbeater’s illustrated study of the aura and the bodies of a human being, with colour plates.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Thought-Forms)
- 7
How to See and Read the Human Aura
Judith Collins, 2003
A practical guide to perceiving and interpreting the aura, for readers who want to try it for themselves.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; Clairvoyance)
- 8
Harry Oldfield’s Invisible Universe
Jane Solomon and Grant Solomon, 1998
Oldfield’s imaging work on the biofield and the technology he built to display it.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Human Aura; Thought-Forms)
- 9
Our Invisible Bodies
Jay Alfred, 2005
A case for subtle bodies that draws together biofield, plasma and clairvoyant research.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Quantum Weirdness And Cosmic Oneness; The Occult Aether; The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura)
The Grand Illusion treats the chakras and the aura as claims to be tested against the instrument research, not taken on trust. That chapter and the one on the seven planes are where the subtle body enters Brendan’s argument.
Brendan cites every book here. That does not mean he agrees with all of it.
All 15 books
Take one down to see why it is here and where to find it.
What are chakras?
The energy centres of the subtle body in Indian yogic and Theosophical teaching. Seven main centres are usually described, running from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, each linked to a part of the body and a quality of experience.
What is the human aura?
A field of light or energy said to surround the living body and to change with health and emotion. Clairvoyants report seeing it, and some researchers have tried to detect it with instruments.
Is there scientific evidence for chakras and auras?
Some researchers, including Hiroshi Motoyama and Valerie Hunt, report instrument measurements that match the traditional descriptions. Mainstream science has not accepted the findings, so read these books with that in mind.
What is the best book on chakras for a beginner?
Barbara Brennan’s Hands of Light is the most widely read modern account. For the traditional source it draws on, read Leadbeater’s The Chakras.
Where does Brendan place the aura?
The Grand Illusion devotes a chapter to the human aura and treats it as a measurable biofield, drawing on the researchers on this list.
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