The best place to first look for a glimpse of the aura is on the hand around the fingers. Look closely at the area just above the flesh. A very small layer, perhaps only millimeters thick, should be perceptible. It will differ in texture and quality from the air around it, and after a time, colors may suggest themselves to you. At all times you should trust your instincts and impressions and allow them to guide you to your conclusions. Do not doubt your perceptions until after you have explored them fully. Once you are finished, you can step back and analyze your experience all you wish.
After you have focused on the first layer, another layer, like a misty ring above the first, may become perceptible. This is the outer shell of the aura. It varies in thickness from person to person. The layer of the aura can actually vary from day to day or hour to hour on any given person according to mood, energy level, and so forth. In general, this layer is colorless but may appear lighter or darker in varying shades of grey. When particularly thick and opaque, this usually suggests shields.
The inner layer of the aura can vary in brightness and color according to health, emotional state, and energy level. There is no standard interpretation chart for any of these qualities, as perception is strongly influenced by the subjective expectations of the individual.
We filter all of our perceptions, to one degree or another, through our individual symbol system. Thus, intuition has proven to be the only set rule for aura interpretation. What are your emotional reactions and instinctual responses to a particular color or quality in the aura? If you see a particular color, analyze what that color means to you. The aura, like so many other psychic impressions, speaks to you in the language of symbol. As your symbol system is uniquely your own, you must come to understand the meaning of your individual symbols if you are to accurately interpret your perceptions of the aura.