Barbara Ann Brennan Pictures From Hands Of Light

So, you’re telling me you’ve never seen a picture of someone’s aura? Not just a blurry photo of a lightbulb, but a full-blown, technicolor energy field radiating from their fingertips? Buckle up, because we’re diving headfirst into Barbara Ann Brennan’s “Hands of Light”—a book that is basically the IKEA manual for your soul.

Barbara wasn’t your average New Age guru. Before she started painting invisible rainbows, she was a NASA physicist. That’s right—this woman calculated rocket trajectories for a living, then decided, “You know what? I’m going to draw a person’s emotional baggage as a purple cloud.” Talk about a career pivot that would make your HR manager’s head spin.

Her book, Hands of Light, came out in 1987 and instantly became the bible for anyone who’s ever looked at a stranger and thought, “Wow, that guy’s aura is mustard yellow and pissed.” But the real showstopper? The pictures. We’re not talking Instagram filters, folks.

The Anatomy of a Weird Drawing

So, what do these “Pictures From Hands of Light” actually look like? Imagine a biology textbook designed by a psychedelic unicorn after three cups of coffee. You’ve got human silhouettes, usually with their arms up like they’re being robbed by a ghost, and then layers upon layers of swirling, colored shapes.

Barbara claimed she could see these layers, which she called the “Human Energy Field” (or HEF, because scientists love acronyms). Red blobs near the feet? That’s your survival instinct, apparently. A jagged blue line around your head? You’re probably overthinking your grocery list. She drew all of this by hand, like a psychic courtroom sketch artist.

One of the most famous illustrations shows a man with a giant, spiky green blob growing out of his left shoulder. The caption cheerfully explains this is “unexpressed anger from a childhood pet hamster.” I laughed at first, but then I thought about that time my hamster, Mr. Nibbles, ignored me. Deep trauma unlocked.

What the Heck is a Chakra?

You’ve heard the word “chakra” thrown around at yoga class. Brennan didn’t just name them; she drew them like glowing traffic lights inside your spine. According to her “Pictures From Hands of Light,” your seven main chakras look like spinning, colorful vortexes—like Jupiter’s storm, but in your belly button.

Hands of Light Audiobook by Barbara Ann Brennan

Your heart chakra? It’s emerald green and supposed to look like a blooming flower. In Brennan’s drawings, though, it sometimes looks like a cabbage that got hit by a laser beam. It’s not pretty, but it’s honest. And if your throat chakra is dull grey? You’re probably lying about liking your aunt’s meatloaf.

The funniest part is the detail. She drew not just the aura, but the strings connecting your aura to the “universal grid.” Think of it as the Wi-Fi router for your soul. And when that connection breaks? You get a drawing that looks like a bad dream about spaghetti.

Why You Should Actually Care

Here’s the surprising fact: Barbara Brennan’s artwork is seriously influential. Medical intuitive practitioners still use these diagrams to “diagnose” emotional blockages. I’ve seen a chiropractor pull out a copy to explain why my back hurts—turns out it’s not my herniated disc, but “unprocessed grief from 2003.”

The illustrations are also weirdly calming. Staring at a bright pink aura wrapped around a stick figure is like a visual Xanax. It reminds you that you’re not just a bag of bones; you’re a bag of bones surrounded by a swirling, magical mess. Which is beautiful, even if it looks like a tie-dye accident.

Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field by

Plus, let’s be honest: the 1980s aesthetic is chef’s kiss. The colors, the neon, the questionable fashion choices of the people in the drawings (one guy is wearing a fez and a cape). It’s like a time capsule of when everyone thought the year 2000 would look like Blade Runner.

The Verdict: To Buy or Not to Buy?

If you enjoy feeling like you’re reading an instruction manual for a spiritual spaceship, then yes, get the book. The “Pictures From Hands of Light” section is worth the price of admission alone. You’ll flip pages and yell, “Oh my god, that’s my boss!” or “That’s my cat’s aura, for sure!”

But here’s the catch: Brennan was deadly serious about all this. She founded the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, where students pay thousands of dollars to learn how to “see” these colors. I’m not mocking it; I’m just saying that if you show up to a job interview and tell them their aura is “leaking through the left nostril,” you might not get the gig.

In the end, Hands of Light is the ultimate coffee table book for weirdos. It’s funny, it’s beautiful, and it might make you take a second look at that weird feeling you get in a crowded room. And if you ever feel like you’re glowing purple, just tell people you’re channeling Barbara Ann Brennan. They’ll be too confused to argue.

So go ahead, find a copy. Stare at a picture of a man with blue tentacles coming out of his chest. It’s art, it’s science, and it’s a reminder that the most entertaining things in life are usually just a little bit unhinged. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think my chakras need a snack.