We recently had a question from someone who wanted to know more about people who say they can read/see a person’s “soul light”. What exactly is this, and is it compatible with our faith?

The only evidence I could find of this practice came from very New Age/occult-based websites whose practitioners were also into channeling and mediumship. For example, this practitioner boasts about being involved in Spiritual & Crystal Healing, Astrology, Numerology, Tarot & Kabbalah – none of which is compatible with Christianity.

“I genuinely aim to assist you on your Life’s Path, your Soul’s Journey…through compassionate, intuitive support & guidance…enabling you to find clarity, connection, balance, healing, awareness, alignment, activation, inspiration, joy & true self-empowerment,” she writes.

Another site referred to the light of the soul as being the “consciousness” of the Source of all being, who this practitioner referred to as “God, the Tao, the Absolute, whatever you like to call it”. When this consciousness flows into the world, it allegedly “comes out” in the form of individual soul types.

These types are as follows:

• Servers are naturally accommodating, caring, nurturing, hospitable, chabitable. • Artisans are naturally creative, inventive, imaginative, plawful, dexterous. • Warriors are naturally forceful, loyal, protective, determined, steadfast. • Scholars are naturally curious, studious, academic, analytical, neutral. • Sages are naturally engaging, articulate, charming, entertaining, expressive. • Priests are naturally inspirational, uplifting, motivating, energising, visionary. • Kings are naturally commanding, assured, powerful, authoritative, decisive.

These seven soul types were supposedly revealed by an entity known as Michael to a channeler named Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

I found another practitioner named Kasamba who calls herself a soul light reader. She claims to have been surrounded with the supernatural and paranormal all her life and chose to embrace it rather than run away from it.

“I use the energy and vibrations of your soul to give you an open and honest reading from my heart to yours. I can do a reading from your first name and the names of any one else involved. A persons name has many powerful vibrations that can be read. I can also use tarot cards. They are helpful guides to unlocking the mysteries of the unseen world. My readings are not meant to tell the future....I am only trying to help a person find the detours around whatever conflicts they are facing in life. Specials for free minutes!! Ask for details!!!”

Believe it or not, her site lists comments from very unsatisfied customers who didn’t think much of her services.

From what I have found, a soul’s “light” may also have something to do with a phenomenon known as auras, which New Agers believe radiate from a person and reveal all kinds of information about them. As this blog explains, clairvoyants claim to be able to read or scan auras in order to diagnose illness, effect healing, predict the future, determine a person’s temperament, etc. They either do this with their natural eyes (a feat no one has ever successfully demonstrated) or with their “inner vision” (whatever that means).

However, auras have nothing to do with the supernatural and are actually a very natural effect of black body electromagnet radiation which produces an invisible infrared light that is the result of the random movements of all the charged particles in the body that are caused by heat. The type of light emitted is all about the temperature of the body at the time and has nothing to do with a mysterious life force energy.

Having said all this, many of our saints were granted the gift of reading souls, such as St. John Vianney and St. Pio of Pietrelcino, but this had nothing to do with seeing a light. Rather, it was an infusion of knowledge about the soul given to the saint by the Holy Spirit.

The soul is regarded as so sacred by God that no one except our Creator is permitted to see inside it unless He allows it. And because the Lord has so clearly condemned clairvoyants and mediums (see Deuteronomy 18:10) it’s highly unlikely that any of the examples given above were drawing their knowledge from God.

I would avoid anything that has to do with seeing or reading a person’s soul light.

If, for some reason, a person persistently sees a light radiating from another human being, I would take this matter up with a priest who is knowledgeable in the occult (usually associated with charismatic prayer groups) for more guidance.