11 Aura Colors & What They Say About You

Auras are thought of as the unseen field of energy surrounding a person's physical body. They're affected by our mood and emotional state (and sometimes the states of others), and different colors are associated with different qualities and emotions.

Someone's aura is usually a combination of colors, with one being more dominant than the others. And while your aura can constantly shift and change, many people will have one color that consistently shows up.

Here's a breakdown of each aura color and what they mean, plus how to figure out yours—and other people's.

Unless you happen to be someone who sees auras visually, you're probably wondering how you can actually figure out what color your aura is. There are places you can get your aura photographed during an aura reading, and you can also take our quick aura quiz to get a sense of your soul shade.

To test your visual abilities, you can try to spot it yourself by gazing softly at somewhere on your body, or rubbing your hands together, slowly pulling them apart, and seeing if colors appear. The more you practice this, the better you will become at seeing the energetic field around your body.

The same principles here apply as above: if you want to see someone else's aura, first, know you'll have to stare at them a bit. Hold your gaze on them steadily until you start to see the glow around their body, and whether it's a certain color. It's really that simple, though not everyone may be able to see auras as clearly.

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If you have red in your aura, you are likely an energetic and fiery person, according to aura reader Rachelle Terry. Red auras indicate someone who is "quick at putting thoughts into actions" and "doesn't read instruction manuals."

Each of the seven chakras is also associated with a color, so understanding the chakra colors helps when deciphering auras. For example, red relates to the root chakra, and if you're seeing a decent amount of red, it means your root chakra is stable and unblocked.

An orange aura is related to the sacral chakra, which deals with creativity and sexual energy. Orange in the aura may then indicate flowing creative energy.

Additionally, Terry notes that if orange shows up in your aura, it might mean you "tend to learn lessons from experience rather than theory" and "often have to learn things the hard way."

As you might have guessed with this cheery color, yellow auras signify someone who is sunny and charismatic, Terry says. They may also have a magnetic personality that attracts lots of different people.

Yellow is the color of the solar plexus chakra, which deals with your identity and confidence. Yellow in your aura, then, is a good sign that you're feeling confident and empowered.

Green is one color associated with the heart chakra, so it relates to matters of the heart: love for yourself and others, compassion, and forgiveness.

If you have green in your aura, Terry notes you probably love "music, nature, and not being tied down." Because a green aura indicates a particularly open heart, Terry adds there may be a tendency to be easily influenced by one's environment or other people, making boundaries important for this aura color.

If there's pink in your aura (the other color, along with green, associated with the heart chakra), Terry says you likely live from the heart. You're "kind, caring, and loving."

Similar to green, seeing pink is a sign that your heart chakra is open and receptive. Celebrate your kind and compassionate nature, but remember the need for boundaries.

Blue in someone's aura is a sign of a powerful mind—but one that might be a bit in the clouds. Those with lots of blue in their aura "operate more in the mental realms" and need to remember to ground themselves, Terry says. But they can also be very insightful.

Blue is the color of the throat chakra, governing expression and truth. If your throat chakra is clear and flowing, the blue in your aura would signify outward expression of the insights you hold inside.

Purple auras get a lot of attention because this is the color associated with strong intuition and sensitivity, and great mental depths, according to Terry.

Purple is the color of the third-eye chakra, which deals with intuition. If you have purple in your aura, you may have some psychic, empathic, or intuitive abilities.

According to aura reader and medium Megan Michaela Firester (aka Mystic Michaela), an indigo aura often indicates a highly sensitive and empathic person. "When I see an indigo aura on a person," Michaela tells mbg, "immediately I know they are someone who absorbs thoughts, feelings, emotions, and traumas of others."

And the darker the indigo aura, the more sensitive the person, she adds, noting "Darker shades of indigo indicate a saturation of this ability and an overwhelm of others' energies within themselves."

It's a bit more rare to see concentrations of white in one's aura. But if you do, Terry notes that a white aura is the sign of a very quick mind—and a tendency for perfectionism and nervous energy.

White is linked to the crown chakra, which connects us to universal energy and oneness. To see it in your aura would mean you have a strong sense of connection to something larger than yourself.

If there is black or particularly dark areas of your aura, Terry notes this isn't actually the "color" of your aura, per se, but rather a sign that part of you is exhausted or fatigued.

In this case, take some time to ground, heal, and balance your energy levels to brighten up that aura a bit, and bring your energetic field (and chakras) back into balance.

On the slight chance that you have a rainbow aura that displays more than two colors, it's a sign that you're going through a super busy period or are in the midst of a change.

You might feel extra energized and confident when your aura is giving off rainbow vibes, so take advantage of it by getting out and meeting new people and doing new things. On the other side of the coin, this busy energy can lead to burnout and overwhelm, so be sure to make time for relaxation too.

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Our aura is constantly changing—but for many people, one or two colors will consistently show up. Whether one day you're blue, yellow, or red, understanding the energy of your aura at any given point can help you approach the day with more ease.