Man Visible and Invisible

About this book

A human being is surrounded by coloured shapes that supposedly reveal emotion, temperament and spiritual development. In Charles W. Leadbeater's scheme, anger, affection and aspiration leave visible traces in a subtle body.

The volume is remembered for its striking colour plates, which present the aura as an almost anatomical subject. The plates illustrate Leadbeater's claimed clairvoyant perceptions, which have no established scientific basis. Examined as historical imagery, the illustrations show how an invisible spiritual hierarchy was translated into colour, outline and the language of observation.