by Alison Effting Dip.Bio.Med(D) T.ASIACT(UK) Dip.Diag.Rad(SA)
Published in the South African Journal of Natural Medicine: Issue 12, 2003
Aura-Soma® is about colour and light – a complete system of colour that works on our emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing, helping to bring us closer to the understanding of who we are. We are hue-man beings, and at very many different levels, we respond to the resonance of colour. We experience moments of feeling blue, seeing red, shrinking like a violet, running away like a yellow-bellied coward, yearning for the grass that seems greener on the other side, or simply being in the pink.
“Aura” means light, and “Soma” means body, and in ancient Sanskrit ‘soma’ describes the sacred sap of the tree of life. In Aura-Soma we have a rainbow bridge that allows the light to connect to the body, to allow our life-force energy to flow. We are alive because a life force flows through us. This life force is regulated by subtle energy centres that resonate to a particular wavelength of colour. When we feel "off colour", one or more of these centres are out of balance. You restore balance and a healthy resonance when you apply the colour, plant and crystal vibrations of the appropriate Aura-Soma Equilibrium oil to the body in the area of the energy centre.
Colour is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, a very tiny portion in relation to the range of frequencies in the entire spectrum. Colour is thus related to sound waves, microwaves, ultrasound waves, x-rays and cosmic rays, colour being the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to humans and within which we are very safe when we are exposed to it. We hue-man beings were designed to exist within the colour portion of the spectrum. Prolonged exposure to any of the other frequencies - for example microwaves, x-rays or ultrasound waves, or even the ones on the boundaries of the colour frequencies such as infrared and ultraviolet - leads to damage of our tissues.
All of these different types of electromagnetic radiation possess energy that is related to the speed of light. Many of them are utilized in the medical field, for example ultrasound, x-rays and in more recent years the visible spectrum in laser surgery. Many more are utilized in our 21st century technologies, some in the home such as microwave ovens and cellular telephones. The electromagnetic energy of an x-ray can be used to pass through the body to target an area of cancerous tissue and destroy it. Ultrasound can be used to break down stones in the kidney or gallbladder. Similarly, the electromagnetic energy of colour can be used to clear the stress-induced energetic congestion in the energy fields and energy centres of the body.
The visible spectrum of light, or colour, provides the life-force for the growth of plant life and animal life on the planet. When we eat our plant foods, the energy that is released is from the light stored within them by photosynthesis. Put a plant in a darkened area without light, and it will die even if it is fed the appropriate nutrients and given water. Similarly, our hormonal responses are connected to the quality and amount of light received through the eyes. As few as 20 years ago the pineal gland was considered to be an obsolete body, it is now known to be absolutely vital in producing hormones controlling the circadian rhythms of the body through its ability to respond to levels of light. Nowadays in the northern hemisphere winters that are long and dark, light therapy is being used to treat SAD – the seasonal depression and interference with hormonal balances that occurs due to lack of light.
Colour therapy is nothing new - it has been practised in various forms through the ages. There are stories of colour temples in ancient Egypt, where the sunlight was filtered to create rooms that were of a certain colour, and the sick patients lay in them and received colour radiation treatments, different colours for different conditions. In many other cultures and traditions, colour has been used to help people regain balance through colour visualization and breathing, charging drinking water with colour and so on. In India, certain crystals were crushed very finely and put into solution as part of Ayurvedic treatments, providing both colour and crystal mineral therapy. The tradition of aromatherapeutic oils, which have been used extensively through the ages, is also very deep and rich. Aura-Soma brings these wonderful ancient traditions together, using the visual and non-visual energies of colour, the energies of herbs from essential oils and herbal extracts, also the energies of crystals and gems. Through the sympathetic resonance of these energies with those of the energy centres and meridians of the body, the colour related products of Aura-Soma help to bring our being into a state of equilibrium, bringing ease to the body, mind and spirit.
Aura-Soma is a non-intrusive, self-selective colour system. It was received in inspired meditation by its founder, Vicky Wall, in England in 1983, when she was already in her sixties. Vicky called it “old wine in new bottles”. As a young child, Vicky’s father had shared his knowledge with her about the herbs and flowers, how to use their essential oils and herbal extracts for healthy wellbeing. When Vicky left home as a young woman during the Second World War, she found a job in an apothecary, and was trained to mix lotions and potions using the natural ingredients that were available at the time. Later in her life, she qualified and practiced as a surgical chiropodist. She continued to make creams and lotions for her clients’ feet and skin during all the years, and maintained a little ‘laboratory’ in her home.
At the time that Vicky received the inspiration that resulted in the birth of Aura-Soma, she had become clinically blind, suffered from a heart defect and diabetes, and had retired from her professional life. She describes herself as being very miserable, in the dark night of her soul, questioning her very existence, when in the depths of her prayer of despair, she received a vision of what she had to do to create these resonant beautiful jewel-like oils. When her companion Margaret asked her what they were for, Vicky responded that she wasn’t sure, but knowing the ingredients that had gone into them, they would be wonderful lotions to apply to the skin. As people began using them and providing feedback as to improvements in their mental and emotional wellbeing, Vicky began to realise that they were more than simply pretty body lotions.
After her death in 1991, Vicky’s chosen successor, Mike Booth, who had worked closely with her every day for seven years, continued with the development of Aura-Soma. The Aura-Soma colour system presently consists of a range of 104 dual-coloured Equilibrium oils, and supported with pomanders, quintessences and colour essences that provide protection and vibrancy for different areas of the energy field and which are recommended in accordance with your colour selection. The range continues to grow as our need for certain colour intensities and combinations develops. ASIACT, the Art and Science International Academy of Colour Technologies in the UK, oversees training throughout the world, and keeps an international register of Aura-Soma practitioners and teachers. Practitioners must be in possession of a current practising certificate to give consultations to the public.
The Aura-Soma colour system helps you to recognise yourself at the deepest level through the key of colour and to correct the stressed resonance patterns in your energy field by using one of the oils. Your choice of four dual-coloured Equilibrium oils makes this a self-selective, non-intrusive method of discovering and releasing the emotional and mental stresses underlying any imbalance. Like a magnet, you will always be drawn to the correct resonant frequency your energy field needs. The trained Aura-Soma practitioner can translate the chosen colour combinations to tell this story through colour. Exploring your colour selection together during your consultation will assist in bringing awareness of where you are ready to unlock your potential by addressing the challenges in your life, and integrating your gifts.
One of the four chosen Equilibrium oils will be recommended for use as a therapeutic body lotion with a bi-directional effect. There is absorption through the skin of the colour, essential oils, herbal and crystal energies, harmonising the energy flow physically through sympathetic resonance. Simultaneously, the electromagnetic colour frequency is released into the energy field, breaking down the congestion and normalising the frequency in order to recreate the energy flow between the physical and the subtle energy centres. A pomander, quintessence or colour essence can enhance and support the process of regaining balance, providing resonance and vitality to the aura.
For 20 years’ now people have successfully been using Aura-Soma as a tool to restore and maintain wellbeing on all levels. This colour system is now being embraced worldwide by people of all ages from many cultural, religious, philosophical and healing backgrounds. Aura-Soma is the rainbow bridge connecting body, mind and spirit.
Alison Effting is an Aura-Soma and Biochemic practitioner, and teaches locally and internationally. Initially qualifying as a radiographer she has been involved in facilitated healthcare for the past 10 years. Her passion lies in exploring the interface of matter and energy – chemical and radiant – and understanding health in terms of these subtle energies.
© Alison Effting 2003
