My friend Peggy Brown asked for a stimulating discussion on
  chakras. I try to oblige with some stuff from Barbara Brennans
  book "Hands of Light" that I have lying around.

  " Chapter 4 (con.)

  2. Why is the view of the world as a fixed physical world
  impractical to us now?

  Because it's not the way things are. Reality is an interconnected
  web of stuff, a system of systems, with the observer an integral
  part of the system observed. Reality is really multidimensional,
  beyond the normally accepted 3 dimensions, plus space-time. Using
  the old Newtonian model, we tend to neglect the importance of
  emotions, feelings and the essentialness of our
  interconnectedness....as well as the fact that as energy beings we
  may change our frequency and exist or become aware of our
  existence on other levels of existence.....or in other parallel
  existences.

  Chapter 6:

  1. What is an aura?

  An aura is a particular manifestation of the UEF, as related to
  the particular "thing" manifesting and the complexity of the aura
  is directly related to the organization and consciousness of the
  "thing" manifesting.

 2. Does a penny have an aura?

 Yes, every "thing" has an aura.

 Chapter 7:

  7. Describe the seven lowest layers of the auric field and their
  functions.

  a. The Etheric Body (First Layer): The etheric body is composed of
  tiny energy lines "like a sparkling web of light beams," similar
  to the lines on a television screen. It has the same structure as
  the physical body including all the anatomical parts and all the
  organs. The function of this body is that it serves as a matrix
  for growing the physical form in. The etheric body consists of a
  definite structure of lines of force, or energy matrix, upon which
  the physical matter of the body tissues is shaped and anchored.
  The physical tissues exist as such only because of the vital field
  behind them; that is, the field is prior to, not a result of, the
  physical body. The web-like structure of the etheric body is in
  constant motion. To clair- voyant vision, sparks of bluish-white
  light move along its energy lines throughout the entire dense
  physical body. The etheric body extends from one quarter to two
  inches beyond the physical body and pulsates about 15/20 cycles
  per minute. The color of the etheric body varies from light blue
  to gray. The light blue color has been connect to a finer form
  than the gray. That is, a more sensitiv person with a sensitive
  body will tend to have a bluish first layer, whereas a more
  athletic, robust type of person will tend to have a more grayish
  etheric body. All the chakras of this layer are the same color as
  the etheric body. The chakras look like vortices made of a net of
  light, just like the rest of the etheric body. One can perceive
  all the organs of the physical, but they are formed of this
  scintillating bluish light.

  b. The Emotional Body (Second Layer): The function of this body is
  emotion related, it controls/expresses how we feel. The emotional
  body roughly follows the outline of the physical body. It's
  structure is much more fluid than the physical body. Rather, it
  appears to be colored clouds of fine substance in continual fluid
  motion. It extends one to three inches from the body. It's colors
  vary from brilliant clear hues to dark muddy ones, depending on
  the clarity or confusion of the energy creating them Clear and
  highly energized feelings such as love, excitement, joy or anger
  are bright and clear; those feelings that are confused are dark
  nad muddy. As these feelings become energized through personal
  interaction, body psychotherapy, etc., the colors separate out
  into their primary hue and brighten. This body contains all the
  colors of the rainbow. Each chakra looks like a vortex of a
  different color and follows the colors of the rainbow, starting
  with red at the root chakra and ending with white at the crown
  chakra.

  c. The Mental Body (Third Layer): The third auric body the mental
  body, it extends beyond the emotional body and consists of still
  finer substances, all of which are associated with thoughts and
  mental processes. This body usually appears as a bright yellow
  light radiating about the head and shoulders and extending around
  the whole body. It extends some three to eight inches from the
  body. The mental body is a structured body, it contains the
  structure of our ideas. This body is mostly yellow. Within this
  field can be seen thought forms. They appear to be blobs of
  varying brightness and form. These thoughts have additional colors
  superimposed on them, actually emanating from the emotional level.
  The color represents the persons emotions related to that thought
  form. The clearer and more well formed the idea, the clearer and
  more well formed is the thought form associated with that idea.

  d. The Astral Level (Fourth Layer): The astral body is amorphous
  and is composed of clouds of color more than those of the
  emotional body. The astral body extends to have the same set of
  colors, but they are usually infused with the rose light of love.
  It extends out about one half to one foot from the body. The
  chakras are the same octave of colors as the rainbow of the
  emotional body, but each is infused with the rose light of love.
  The heart chakras of a loving person is full of rose light on the
  astral level. When people form relationships with each other, they
  grow cords out of the charas that connect them. The cords exist on
  many levels of the auric field in addition to the astral. The
  longer nad deeper the relationship, the more cords and the
  stronger they are. When relationships end, those cords are torn,
  sometimes causing a great deal of pain. The period of getting over
  a relationship is usual a period of disconnecting those cords on
  the lower levels of the field and rerooting them within the self.
  A great deal of interaction takes place between individu- als on
  the astral level.

  e. The Etheric Template Body (Fifth Layer): The fifth layer of the
  auric body is called the etheric template body because it contains
  all the forms that exist on the physical plane in a blue-print or
  template form. That is, it looks rather like negative of a
  photograph. It is the template form for the etheric layer, which
  as was already stated is the template form for the physical body.
  The etheric layer derive it's structure from the etheric template
  layer. It is the blueprint or the pre- fect for the etheric layer
  to take. It extends about one and one half to two feet from the
  body. In disease when the etheric layer becomes dis- figured,
  etheric template work is needed to provide the support for the
  etheric layer in it's original template form. It is the level at
  which sound creates matter. It is at this level that sound is most
  effective in healing. To clairvoyant sight, these forms appear as
  clear or transparent lines on a cobalt blue background, much like
  an architects blueprint, only this blueprint exists in another
  dimension. It is as if a form is made by completelyfilling in the
  background space, and the empty space left creates the form.

  f. The Celestial Body (Sixth Layer): The sixth level is the
  emotional level of the spiritual plane, called the celestial body.
  It extends about two to two and three quarters feet from the body.
  It is the level through which we experience spiritual ecstasy. We
  can reach it through meditation and many of the other forms of
  transformation work I have mentioned in this book. When we reach
  the point of "being" where we know our connection with all the
  universe, when we see the light and love in everything that
  exists, when we are immersed in the light and feel we are of it
  and it is of us and feel that we are one with God, then we have
  raised our consciousness to the sixth level of the aura.
  Unconditional love flows when there is a connection between the
  open heart chakra and the open celestial chakra. In this
  connection, we combine the love of humanity, our basic human love
  for our fellow humans in the flesh, with the spiritual ecstasy
  found in the spiritual love that goes beyond the physical reality
  to all the realms of existence. Combining these two creates the
  experience of unconditional love.

  g. The Ketheric Template or Causal Body (Seventh Layer): The
  seventh level is the mental level of the spiritual plane called
  the ketheric template. It extends from about two and one half to
  three and one half feet from the body. When we bring our
  consciousness to the seventh level of the aura, we know that we
  are one with the Creator. The outer form is the egg shape of he
  aura body and contains all the auric bodies associated with the
  present incarnation an individual is undergoing. This body two is
  a highly structured template. It appears to be composed of tiny
  threads of gold-silver light of very strong durability that hold
  the whole form of the aura together. It contains a golden grid
  structure of the physical body and all the chakras. When tuning
  into the frequency level of the seventh layer, you may perceive
  beautiful golden shimmering light that is pulsating so fast that
  use the term "shimmering." It looks like thousands of golden
  threads. The golden egg form extends out beyond the body some
  three to three and a half feet depending on the person, with the
  smaller end of the egg beneath the feet of the person and the
  larger end about three feet above the head. It can expand even
  more, if the person is very energetic. The outer edge actually
  looks like and eggshell to me; it appears to have thickness of
  about a quarter to half inch. This outer part of the seventh layer
  is very strong and resilient, resistant to penetration and
  protects the field just as an eggshell protects the chick. All the
  chakras and body forms appear to bemade of golden light on this
  level. This is the strongest, most resilient level of the auric
  field. This layer/level could be likened to a standing lightwave
  of intricate shape and form vibrating at an extremely high rate.
  One can almost hear a sound when looking at it. I'm sure a sound
  could be heard if one meditated on such a picture. The golden
  template level also contains the main power current that runs up
  and down the spine, and is the main power current that nourishes
  the whole body. As this golden power current pulsates up and down
  the spine, it carries energies through the roots of each chakra
  and connect the energies that are taken in through each chakra.
  The main vertical power current induces other currents ar right
  angles to it to form golden streamers that extend directly outward
  from the body. These in turn induce other that circle around the
  field, so that the entire auric field and all the levels below it
  a re surrounded and held within this basket-like network. This
  network show the power of the golden light, the divine mind that
  holds the whole field together in its entirety and its integrity.
  In addition, in the ketheric template are also the past life bands
  within the eggshell. These are colored bands of light which
  completely encircle the aura and can be found anywhere on the
  eggshell surface. The band found near the head-neck area is
  usually the band containing the past-life that you are working to
  clear in your present life circumstance. The ketheric level
  contains the life plan, and is the last level directly related to
  this incarnation. Beyond this is the cosmic plane, the plane that
  cannot be experienced from the limiting viewpoint of only one
  incarnation."

  Wm T.

  "HOWDEE KIDS!"

  .standard disclaimer2