Your aura, or energy field, enlightenment (Manja Tunasukm Edu says) reflects your state of consciousness from moment to moment, since it is dynamically shifting in wonderfully subtle ways. Your aura is additionally an expression of all your experiences throughout your lifetimes. The qualities of your aura are formed from these countless experiences, and these patterns give your energy its distinctive character. But how can you find your own spiritual aura amidst the innumerable layers which have accumulated within your own energy field?

You might be concerned that the past-life experiences, many of them being rather less than positive, could obscure your spiritual nature. Fortunately, your deepest spiritual essence remains undamaged throughout all of your experiences. The truth is, you are learning from your experiences, and so your continual process of spiritual learning through your lifetimes actually builds new radiance into your aura.

It's a good thing that your particular aura is changing in each moment, which can give you hope, because your aura isn't frozen. Your dynamic living aura can change -- it can heal and brighten, to reveal its true radiant light. And because your aura is reflecting your state of consciousness in each moment, that implies that each moment is an opportunity that you can utilize your consciousness in more effective ways. You may even claim that you are learning the way to be conscious about your consciousness.

Where is your spiritual essence located? Is it hidden underneath another experiences? In a way, it's hiding in plain sight. The stresses and challenges are layers of surface experiences, and they draw your attention initially, to ensure that it appears that the spiritual aura is obscured.

However, your thoughts, emotions, and experiences are not your essence. However, your thoughts and emotions do form layers in your aura, and they can affect your awareness, just as sunglasses affect the amount light you may see. How can you transcend these limitations to discover your spiritual essence?

You've got the power of consciousness -- you can choose the place you place your attention. Simple however which will sound, it reveals why you have the power to sense underneath the surface patterns, in order that you can find the deeper spiritual essence within.

Here is just a little awareness experience that will get you started in making the distinction between surface characteristics, and deeper essence.

Before we go any further with this discovery, realize that you'll find some individuals who shall warn you that to compare yourself with the universe isn't appropriately humble, or is somehow un-spiritual. They make these statements given that they have not yet recognized their very own essential spiritual nature. They call themselves spiritual, however they actually define themselves as primarily material -- and limited.

Recognize that your deeper spiritual experiences don't increase your ego -- it really is a humble recognition to understand that you've got the same spiritual spark within you as that of a tree or a rock. Simply, your soul is significantly more advanced in certain ways than a tree, but that's simply because your soul has evolved in its individual consciousness over many lifetimes. In contrast, the basic spiritual essence between you and the tree is the same essence.

You can be reassured that knowing your essential spiritual nature doesn't elevate you above everybody else, nor does it diminish anyone. To recognize that you are made of divine substance is to also know that everybody else is made of that same divine substance. This brings up another issue that many people will warn you about.