Our True Colours

Some say that all life forms have an aura, or energy field, surrounding them. This is what gives a living thing its vitality. A little-known fact is that this was once the subject of a rigorous scientific study.

A Russian husband and wife team named Kirlian in the 1950s photographed a strange luminescence radiating from living things, invisible to the naked eye. They photographed plant leaves and visualised bright energy flares radiating from healthy plants, but dramatically diminished in a diseased plant. Importantly, both plants appeared outwardly normal at the time of the photographs.

When the process was developed further, different colours were recorded, as were smaller flares emanating from specific areas of the leaves. These were distorted if the leaf was damaged and gradually diminished if allowed to die. This natural electrical charge was named 'bioplasma.'

Bioplasma was also pictured in the human body, concentrated at several focal points. These points, it was noted, matched Chinese acupuncture points. Bioplasma was also very sensitive to magnetic fields. Intriguingly,  magnets  have become very popular in recent years with those following traditional healing programmes. They supposedly address diverse health issues.

Bioplasma is not contained within the body: it erupts into and interacts with the surrounding environment. It is interesting to note that people who are more psychically sensitive – able to perceive human emotions and spiritual and supernatural states – are often very prone to electric shocks, when touching car doors for example. Perhaps their energy field is naturally heightened, or the barrier between them and the rest of world is reduced, so they readily attract auric bioplasma and static electricity.

Although not visible to the naked eye, it is apparent that a lot of people do have an awareness of the aura's presence. We often have a gut feeling that something is wrong with someone we know well.The  discovery of the different colours in bioplasma seems particularly important regarding this point. Consider the words we use to describe general well-being: bright, dull and off-colour. A strange selection, until you recall that the Kirlians proved that the aura is the main gauge of health.

Many visionaries, to whom auras are clearly visible, claim that everyone's aura has different colours. When we know someone well, 'we see their true colours.'

Despite strong scientific evidence for the existence of bioplasma, the Kirlians' work went no further. A few fringe scientists tried to continue their research, but it was rapidly dismissed as 'quack' science and its supporters ridiculed. It is just left to a few psychics to understand what our life-force is truly about.

The Mourning Moon

As well as being a 'super moon', the full moon of November is often called the Snow Moon or the Mourning Moon. November is when winter truly starts. On higher ground, the first snows will appear on the hills.

 In the Celtic calendar the month begins with the festival of Samhain, midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Samhain mourns the end of summer and the start of the winter trials which many, human and beast, would not survive. It was a time to think about the ever-turning wheel of time, of the passing seasons and the passing of life into death. Many cultures still use this date to commemorate the dead.

 When the mourning is over, it is time to think about survival.

The Owl

The owl is the bird of the night, never seen but seeing all, the guardian of secrets. It is no surprise then that the owl has become a symbol of cryptic wisdom and has led to the saying 'as wise as an owl'.

The owl was the totem of the Greek Goddess Athena, patron ofAthens. As such the owl was considered sacred by the Athenians, and when it was seen they believed that the Goddess was nearby.

The owl is one the traditional witches' familiars, as all Harry Potter fans will know. The owl has very highly developed night vision, and this may explain its 'seeing' other worlds, explaining its connection with both Gods and wisdom, and also its darker side.

The owl as always had an association with death and all things uncanny, in both ancient cultures and more recent superstition.

The witches of Shakespeare's Macbeth used among other nefarious ingredients 'an owlet's wing' in their cauldron-stirring scene. In Britain it was said that if an owl alights on the roof of a house a death is sure to follow. Similarly in Sicily a tradition says that the horned owl sings next to a sick man's house, three days before his death.
A barn owl especially was feared as a terrible portent in Britain. It was incredibly unlucky to see it gliding silently past on ghostly white wings. How very different to today, when to see a barn owl is one of our most special sights. A particularly elusive and rare bird, it certainly seems to mean something when one passes by at night. And now the nights are drawing in, it is definitely something to look out for.

The Hedley Kow

The Hedley Kow is one of the strangest creatures of folklore.

 Hedley on the Hill is a small village in Northumberland, a few miles south of Newcastle. The Kow was well known in the area and written accounts of its tricks date back 300 years.
It favoured schoolboy pranks on unwitting victims, usually adopting a different guise each time then revealing itself by its strange braying laughter.

          The wild landscape of Northumberland was once the home of many strange creatures.


 An old woman in the 19th century found a bundle of straw in the road and picked it up to take home. It got heavier and heavier as she went until she was forced to put it down. She set off again, but the same thing happened. Then the bundle jumped up and danced a jig in the road, laughing its braying laugh. It then flew off never to be seen again.

 A farmer around the same time harnessed his mare to go to market, but the horse kept shying along the lane then refused to go any further. The farmer suspected the Kow and went a different route, but the same thing happened again. He tried to calm the horse to no avail and she smashed from the cart and took off. Then he heard the laughter coming from mare itself. It was the Kow in disguise. He walked home and found the mare in the stables where she had been all along.

 These are just two of many equally bizarre stories about this creature, which thankfully seems to appear no more.