Robert Bruce describes his experiences observing the auras of people with terminal illness.

When persons are nearing death, their auras change dramatically. As a mystic and healer with many years experience, I have probably had more opportunities than most to observe the auras of people with terminal illnesses, in the weeks, days, hours and minutes prior to their death.

The first auric symptoms of approaching death through illness are difficult to diagnose for what they actually are. The etheric aura just starts fading away, very gradually, as the dying person grows weaker, until it is almost undetectable. This also happens, though, during the natural course of many non-fatal illnesses. Please keep this in mind before you start telling people they are about to die.

For what its worth, with these poor tools I have of words, I will try and share what I have seen with some terminally ill people during the time leading up to their deaths. This provides a good general example as the timing of the end result, death, is usually fairly predictable.

The colours of the main aura begin to fade and change slowly during the few months prior to death. This continues until there is only a faint tint of colour left in it; giving it a washed-out look. The etheric aura (the thin band of pale-blue or creamy aura next to the skin) also fades rapidly during this time. It shrinks a little more each day and pales until it is almost undetectable. The natural bioenergetic recharging process slows as the energy body prepares itself for its approaching demise, and the transition of its essential animating spirit into another dimension of existence.

A couple of days before death, depending on the nature of the disease of course, the etheric aura undergoes a dramatic change and begins expanding. The primary and secondary and tertiary energy centers, of the energy body, seem to open wide at this point and start pumping vast amounts of refined spiritual energy into the energy body; flooding the aura.

This causes the aura to have a peculiar bright ethereal glow, but unfortunately one that can usually only be seen with clairvoyance (mind's eye vision ability, i.e., the ability to see visions) and not with normal auric sight alone. This change can also be felt by a sensitive if they have experienced it before and know what to sense for.

The energies accompanying this ethereal glow usually have the effect of temporarily uplifting dying persons. It can also cause clairvoyance in varying degrees. While this variability seems affected by innate ability, they will often begin seeing into the next world, to see and hear spirits. This can be very confusing for them. Often they will hide the fact they can see and hear people they know are long dead; not wanting to appear crazy and upset their loved ones.

This ethereal expansion continues until it surpasses the original size of the main aura. The colour is a beautiful, very, very pale sky-blue, shot through with millions of white and silver sparks. It also develops a peculiar cool-tingly, fizzy feeling to it. A lot of energy can be sensed in this; but not the normal vitality type of energy.

Note: This does NOT mean that any person seen with a pale-blue aura, with or without sparks, is about to die; even if you happen to see this in your own aura during self-observation. There are several circumstances that can cause similar-looking temporary changes. For example, the human aura tends to expand and turn pale-blue in full sunlight; or be changed by the blue-sky above and behind the subject being observed. And keep in mind that background colours can also change auric colours. Spiritual upliftment, including mystical experience, can also have a similar temporarily effect. The colour of the aura during the death process is quite different from any normal pale-blue aura. It is also quite difficult to see this type of aura with a normal level of auric sight alone.

The surrounding atmosphere generated by the expanding ethereal aura often makes people feel uncomfortable. I think this may be because it can be difficult to relate on a personal level to what is happening, i.e., the death process; especially on a spiritual energy level. The heaviness in the atmosphere around a dying person can also cause some perplexing emotions to manifest within those exposed to it. People can become emotionally drained if exposed to this for even a short length of time.

In situations like this, understandably, there is also often a lot of fear and sadness permeating the atmosphere. But sensed at a higher level of perception there is also a profound emanation of love coming through dying persons; even though they may not feel this themselves. This atmosphere intensifies as the moment of death nears.

As a mystic, being in the presence of a dying person is truly humbling. The source power can be incredibly strong at times. You are, basically, standing in the shadow of a greater light being cast through a briefly opened doorway, flowing from a higher level of reality; from one of the spirit worlds or heavens. Unfortunately, for all intents and purposes this is an unseen light to mortal eyes.

A sensitive can feel the presence of the source in this light. It is a tangible, almost touchable energy that permeates the mystical heart center. This can make it swell and thrum with a gentle and powerful rhythm unlike any other; with a kind of spiritual energy resonance.

During the few moments before death, the ethereal-cum-mystical aura surges dramatically, flooding the room for a moment with a profound cool stillness. At this moment, it can feel like time itself has stopped. This is when the unseen light is at its strongest and the doorway into the spirit world is at its widest. Phenomena will sometimes be seen at this time, often visible to the naked eye. I have my suspicions that a dying person's Kundalini raises to its highest level at this time.

The time distortion comes from the rooms exposure to an abstract spiritual reality of a higher dimensional existence than the normal physical dimension we live in. The higher the dimensional level, the less the passing of time is apparent. On the highest level, time ceases and there is only The Eternal Now. Time stands utterly still.

At the moment of death the released spirit of the deceased person will fly swiftly out of his or her body, sometimes helped by loved ones that are waiting. The spirit's old physical body is now biologically deceased. The unseen ethereal aura then contracts rapidly, imploding and fading away to nothing in a matter of a few seconds.

This whole process is like an etheric-cum-auric bioenergetic explosion, followed by an implosion that sucks all the available energy in the room away with it; often including heat energy.

At the moment of death, as a doorway cracks open into a higher reality and the spirit is drawn through it, all free energy can be drawn into it, including the emotional energy being vented by mourners. This can create an unnaturally cold feeling around any newly deceased person.

After death, the atmosphere in the room carries a shocked kind of feeling -- that's the only way to really describe it. This is caused by the terrific forces that were work during the death process. You can feel this hanging in the atmosphere wherever there has been a recent death; especially if you are a sensitive. Depending on the nature of the death in question, this atmosphere generally fades away over a few days. But in an area where there has been a violent or massive loss of life, this shocked feeling can persist for months or even years.

The discarded physical body is now left with only a very weak ethereal glow around it; swiftly fading to nothing. This is barely detectable even with the strongest level of auric sight. This is residual etheric matter and not living aura. This fades away very quickly and nothing more will be seen of the living aura around the corpse. You will see only a pale outline, such as you can see around any inanimate object.

The living aura dies with the departure of its essential animating spirit. I have seen a lot of strange and wonderful things around people when they have died, but never have I seen a living aura around a human corpse.

The human aura is not to be mistaken as just a mere reflection of what goes on within the living body. It is an integral part of the bioenergetic system binding the essential animating spirit in physical matter, i.e., in its physical body. It is not insubstantial like a rainbow or a projected image. It is only ever present in a living being. It has depth and texture, it has warm and cool areas, and parts of it tingle and pulse -- to the hands of a sensitive that is. There is a unique look and feel to any human aura. It is a living thing that can be keenly felt by the hands of sensitives and healers, as well as seen and sensed in other ways.

The human energy system and its aura, and all the wonderfully complex life processes going on within and around it, enable the essential animating spirit to manifest through it into the physical dimension. The spirit animates the physical body through this wonderful bioenergetic process. When it is a spirits time to leave its physical body, this all closes down. It is no longer needed when the spirit goes home again, back to its natural timeless state.

The living aura is still very mysterious, for all the little we know about it. And its existence cannot simply be explained away. It may not fit in with our present level of scientific understanding, but that does not mean it does not exist or is any less real. Aura is strictly a living thing.