“Anything alive has an aura,” explains Kathryn Grace, founder of Aura Shop, an aura reading shop in Santa Monica, California. The different colors of your aura are thought to provide insight into your emotional and spiritual well-being. While Grace says that it’s not always possible to see aura colors with the naked eye, we can usually feel them. Think about how certain people give off a super warm and friendly vibe (or really negative energy) even before they say a word; that’s the aura at work. (You can also take a quick aura quiz if you’re really curious about your aura color.) Knowing which colors correspond to which chakra can help you interpret what your aura is telling you. If your aura contains orange, it signals that you’re essentially the emotional equivalent of snuggling up under a weighted blanket. You’re also independent and a realist. If you don’t have an aura studio near you, apps like AURLA and Aura & Energy will give you virtual readings for free, though they might be less accurate. You can also try rubbing your hands together to create friction and then slowly and intentionally moving them apart and back together again and see if any colors start to appear as you go. Once you start getting the hang of it, you can also try to read your friend’s and family’s auras. I personally have had my aura photographed before. After sitting still for about 20 seconds, my aura was captured on a Polaroid. It was predominantly red, with a touch of pink—which my reader interpreted as self-confident, sensual, and free spirited. I had just left a long-term relationship that wasn’t good for me and had rediscovered myself—so this all seemed pretty spot on. For example, according to aura reader Rachelle Terry, since those with the purple aura tend to be highly sensitive, intuitive, and more introverted, they might want to work on establishing stronger boundaries so they don’t pick up on the negative energy of others. In doing so, they might realize that their aura becomes less dominant in the purple color over time. If you get a personalized reading, you can also ask for some strategies on how to balance, clear, and strengthen your chakras and energy afterwards for more tailored advice.