[Gogglist_pub] my aura instructions version 1.4

[Mark Thorson]

HOW TO USE AURA GOGGLES

Copyright 2010 Mark Thorson

Aura goggles are any of various products that
can train people with ordinary vision to see
auras.  These goggles are very optically dense,
passing only a little light at the extremes
of the red and blue bands of the visual
spectrum.  They have a deep violet color.

Some antique aura goggles (such as Harry
Boddington's Kilnascrene) pass an excessive
amount of dangerous ultraviolet light.
The inventor of this technology, Walter
Kilner, and some subsequent workers in the
field believed that aura goggles work by
training the eyes to see ultraviolet light
at wavelengths just beyond the normal range
of human vision.

This is not true.  Aura goggles work through
an unknown mechanism which is stimulated by
visible red and blue light.  Ultraviolet light
is not necessary and indeed harmful for aura
training.  The aura training performance of
goggles like Kilnascrene is not impaired by
adding filters which block ultraviolet light.

In recent years, there have been marketed
products claiming to be useful for aura
training, but lacking key features to be
effective.  Very important is cutting off
all light that does not pass through the
filters.  Even a small amount of leakage
that bypasses the filters will ruin aura
training effectiveness.

This set of instructions has four parts:

1.  Safety Rules For Using Aura Goggles

2.  Setting For Aura Training

3.  Procedure For Aura Training

4.  Things You Can Expect To See

PART 1:  Safety Rules For Using Aura Goggles

If you have any disease of the retina or a family
history of such a disease, including but not
limited to glaucoma, macular degeneration, and
retinitis pigmentosa, do not use aura goggles.

Color blindness is not a safety issue for using
aura goggles, but they may not be effective if
you have it.

To avoid eyestrain, you must follow these rules:

*  Exposures must be limited to 30-45 seconds each.
    Longer exposures are not more effective than
    these short exposures.

*  Only one exposure per day.  Most people do not
    see auras until after their third exposure.
    Three exposures on the same day might be safe,
    but this cannot be claimed as true at this time.
    If multiple exposures on the same day are used,
    they must be separated by at least 1 1/2 hours,
    otherwise they will not be any more effective
    than a single exposure.

*  Do not look at bright sources of light, such as
    the reflection of the disc of the Sun.

PART 2:  Setting For Aura Training

Before getting started, students must be instructed
to turn off their cellphones.  It is important
that once training begins it is not interrupted.
Cellphone displays usually emit light which
ruins the aura training effect, so even looking
at a cellphone to turn it off may render an aura
training session worthless.

The best setting for an exposure is an open window
overlooking a sunny varigated scene with lots of
foliage.  When viewed through the aura goggles,
the scene should be rich in both red and blue
surfaces and textures.

After the training exposure with the goggles, it
must be possible to retire to a dimly lit room
for the actual aura viewing or to cover the
window to substantially reduce the amount of
light in the room.  Auras cannot be seen in
total darkness or very dim conditions.  The
lighting in the aura viewing area should be
subdued, like in a movie theater before the
curtains are opened.

The goggles must not be removed until entering
the aura viewing area, because even the smallest
crack of unfiltered light could ruin the effect.
Because of the darkness of the goggles, this
presents a risk of stumbling on something while
proceeding from the exposure area to the aura
viewing area.  Trip hazards, valuable objects,
and beloved pets should be kept out of this path.
When training several people at a time, guides
should be available to lead the students while
they wear the goggles.

PART 3:  Procedure For Aura Training

1.  Put on the goggles and immediately go to the
     exposure area.  There must be no leaks of
     unfiltered light while wearing the goggles.
     A modest amount of dark adaptation is helpful.

2.  Count off 30-45 seconds while scanning the scene
     horizontally back-and-forth.  Keep your eyes moving.

3.  Proceed toward the aura viewing area or cover the
     window, without removing the goggles.  Be careful
     not to stumble.

4.  When you arrive at the aura viewing area, remove
     the goggles and look at the back of your hands
     with the fingers pointed at each other and spread.
     This must be done against a black or very dark
     background.  The subdued light should illuminate
     the fingers.  (The procedure will be somewhat
     different for someone with a very dark skin color.)

     <insert figure showing juxtaposition of fingers>

PART 4:  Things You Can Expect To See

There are certain phenomena that everybody sees, and
there are other phenomena which are only seen at high
levels of aura training ability.  It is a subject of
dispute whether or not these higher level phenomena
are dictated by expectations.

When you first see auras, they will look like a
white mist surrounding your fingers, especially
at the fingertips.  There will be a void space
between your fingers and the inner edge of the aura.
The aura will be densest near the fingers, becoming
less dense with increasing distance.  With more
training, the visible aura will become larger and
it will have an increasingly complex structure.

<insert figure of low-level aura phenomena>