Seeing Colours During Reiki Sessions
❔Member Question: Sometimes when I place my hands on someone, I begin to see auras or colours: most often shades of green and yellow. I’m not very familiar with interpreting these sensations yet, so I’d be grateful for any insights?
🙏It’s always such a joy to hear when practitioners begin noticing new layers of sensitivity opening up in their Reiki practice. The experiences you’ve described above are actually quite common as your energetic awareness deepens, and it sounds like your intuitive perception is naturally expanding in a beautiful way.
When you begin to see colours or auras during Reiki, it’s often a reflection of your inner senses awakening, what we sometimes call “clairvoyant” or intuitive vision. Reiki naturally heightens our ability to perceive subtle energy, and colours can appear as a way for your higher awareness to communicate information about the energetic state of the person you’re working with.
The shades you’re seeing (green and yellow) are both lovely and significant. While everyone’s intuitive language is unique, traditionally:
💚 Green is connected to the Heart Chakra (Anahata) and represents healing, love, compassion, balance, and renewal. When green appears, it often indicates that deep emotional or physical healing is taking place, or that heart-centered energy is being activated or restored.
💛 Yellow corresponds with the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) and relates to personal power, confidence, clarity, and vitality. Seeing yellow can suggest that energy is moving through issues of self-worth, empowerment, or personal direction.
However, it’s important to remember that these colours are not rigid “diagnostics.” Rather than trying to analyse what each colour means, simply notice them with curiosity and compassion. You might think of them as energetic impressions; gentle cues from Reiki, helping you sense what’s happening beneath the surface. Over time, you’ll begin to develop your own intuitive understanding of what each colour or feeling represents for you personally.
If you’d like to nurture this gift further, here are a few gentle suggestions:
- Journal after sessions about what you noticed; the colours, sensations, and emotions that came up. Patterns may begin to emerge that help you interpret more intuitively in the future.
- Trust your first impressions. The first colour or image that appears is usually the most accurate reflection of the energy you’re perceiving.
- Stay centered in the role of Reiki channel. Reiki energy has its own intelligence; so you don’t need to interpret or fix; just allow the Reiki energy to flow where it’s needed.
- Ground yourself before and after sessions. As your sensitivity grows, grounding becomes even more essential for your own balance and well-being.
🌍 The Map Is Not the Territory: Understanding Perception in your Reiki Practice
In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), the phrase “the map is not the territory” reminds us that our perception of reality is not reality itself, it’s our personal representation of it. Each of us experiences the world through our own unique filters: our beliefs, memories, emotions, and sensory perceptions. These filters shape how we interpret what we see, feel, and understand, creating our “map” of the world.
The territory is the actual event or experience; the raw energy, truth, or reality of what’s happening. The map is our internal interpretation of that reality: how we perceive it, make sense of it, and respond to it.
🌀 How This Relates to Reiki and Seeing Colours
When a Reiki practitioner begins to see colours, lights, or auras during sessions (as described above) it’s important to remember that those colours are their personal perception of energy, not necessarily an objective truth about the client’s energy field.
The colours, sensations, or images we perceive during Reiki are symbolic representations that help us make sense of subtle energetic information. They’re part of our map; how our intuition and subconscious translate energetic frequencies into visuals or sensations we can understand.
For example:
- You might see green when heart healing is taking place because, in your intuitive language, green symbolizes growth and balance.
- Another practitioner might sense warmth or expansion in the same area rather than seeing green at all; different maps, same territory (the energy field).
💫 Why This Understanding Matters
When Reiki practitioners remember that the map is not the territory, it helps them:
- Stay humble and open. Instead of assuming their interpretation of energy is the only truth, they stay curious and compassionate.
- Avoid projection. They recognize that what they perceive is filtered through their own intuition and inner symbolism, not an absolute diagnosis.
- Trust the intelligence of Reiki. By letting go of the need to label or analyse every sensation, they allow Reiki to flow freely where it’s needed.
- Develop intuition safely. Understanding that colours and visions are representations rather than facts keeps the experience grounded and balanced.
💚 In Simple Terms:
Seeing colours during Reiki isn’t about decoding a universal message; it’s about learning to understand your own intuitive map of energy. Reiki shows us that perception is personal; and by staying open, curious, and unattached to meaning, we align more closely with Reiki’s purest intention: to heal and harmonize without judgment.
Remember what you’re experiencing is a natural part of deepening your relationship with Reiki. Stay curious, stay grounded, and trust that Reiki will continue to guide your awareness at the perfect pace for your growth.
With light and gratitude,
Garry Malone
Reiki Healing Association 💚
