Comparing purple aura and violet aura: What's the difference?

A clairvoyant we know once described the difference like this: “Purple is a king’s robe. Violet is a thundercloud dissolving into light.” That distinction holds in every serious aura-reading tradition we have studied. The two colors are often confused, but they belong to different frequencies, different chakras, and different spiritual functions.

The difference between a purple aura and a violet aura is frequency and function. Purple (a mix of red and blue) signals worldly power, spiritual ambition, or a will that has not yet surrendered. Violet (a pure high-frequency tone) indicates transcendence, connection to the divine, and the integration of the crown chakra. One is about control. The other is about release.

The Quotable Answer

Purple is a composite color formed by blending red (action, ego) and blue (intuition, calm). It appears in auras of people who are spiritually ambitious, often leaders or healers who still grapple with pride. Violet is a spectral color, the shortest wavelength visible to the human eye. It belongs to the crown chakra and appears in auras of individuals who have moved beyond personal ambition into a state of non-dual awareness. The difference is not just symbolic. It is measurable in energy, and it affects how a person interacts with the world.

History of the Distinction: Where the Two Colors Split

The modern aura-color system owes its structure to the Theosophical Society. In 1902, Charles Webster Leadbeater published Man Visible and Invisible, a book that included painted plates of the human aura. Leadbeater assigned violet to the highest spiritual level, “the color of the divine will.” Purple he described as a lower, more material vibration, associated with “the selfish side of the spiritual life.”

Leadbeater’s student Annie Besant expanded on this in Thought-Forms (1905), co-authored with Leadbeater. She illustrated that purple thought-forms often came from feelings of devotion mixed with personal pride. Violet thought-forms, by contrast, came from pure religious aspiration.

The distinction was not original to the Theosophists. In the Upanishads, the crown chakra is described as a thousand-petaled lotus of violet light. Medieval Christian mystics like Hildegard of Bingen saw violet as a “fire of the Holy Spirit” and purple as the color of earthly kingship. The two traditions converged in the early twentieth century, giving us the vocabulary we use today.

This history matters because it explains why the two colors refuse to collapse into one. They were never meant to.

Symbolism and Meaning: What Each Color Actually Says

Purple: Power, Ambition, and the Shadow of the Crown

Purple in an aura suggests a person who has done spiritual work but has not yet dissolved the ego. They may be a teacher, a healer, or a leader. They hold authority and they know it. The red component gives them drive, charisma, and a temper. The blue component gives them psychic sensitivity and a desire to serve.

The danger is pride. Purple-dominant auras often belong to people who mistake their spiritual rank for spiritual attainment. They can be manipulative, using their sensitivity to control others. In the chakra system, purple is associated with the third eye (ajna) when it is overactive, or with the crown when it is still mixed with personal will.

Violet: Transcendence, Surrender, and the Cosmic Connection

Violet appears when the crown chakra is fully open and the individual has moved beyond the need to lead or be seen. They are not instructors. They are transmitters. The energy is cool, spacious, and impersonal. People with violet auras often seem aloof, not from coldness but from a lack of attachment to the dramas of the world.

Violet is the color of the thousand-petaled lotus. It is the color of the non-dual state described in Advaita Vedanta and in the writings of Meister Eckhart. It is also the color of the “amethyst” in the breastplate of the High Priest in Exodus, which some traditions interpret as a symbol of direct communion with God.

When you see violet in an aura, you are looking at someone who has let go. They do not need to prove anything. They are not here to collect followers. They are here to be a channel.

Practices and Traditions: How to Tell Them Apart in Real Readings

Reading the difference is a skill. We offer a simple method.

First, locate the color in the aura field. Purple tends to appear in the upper body, around the head and shoulders, but it is often dense and close to the skin. Violet appears as a halo, a soft glow that extends several inches or even feet above the crown. It is never thick. It is more like a mist.

Second, check the quality of the light. Purple has a warm undertone, like a twilight sky just after sunset. Violet has a cool undertone, like the flash of a violet flame in a laboratory. The difference is subtle but consistent.

Third, notice the person’s behavior. People with purple auras are often talkative about their spiritual experiences. They want to teach. People with violet auras rarely discuss their inner state. They answer questions briefly and redirect the conversation.

In the Theosophical tradition, Leadbeater taught that violet could be seen only by those who had developed clairvoyance beyond the third eye level. He believed that purple was visible to anyone with basic psychic training. We do not know if that is true, but it aligns with the frequency difference.

Comparisons: Indigo, Lavender, and the Other Contenders

The confusion deepens when we bring in indigo and lavender.

Indigo is a darker, denser violet. It belongs to the third eye chakra, not the crown. It indicates deep intuition, often in a person who is still working through shadow material. Indigo is the color of the wound becoming the gift. It is not as transcendent as violet.

Lavender is a lighter, pinkish tone. It appears in people who are nurturing but not yet wise. It is the color of unconditional love without the sword of discrimination. Lavender auras are common in caregivers and empaths who have not learned boundaries.

Royal blue is sometimes mistaken for purple. It is pure blue with a high frequency. It indicates sincerity, devotion, and clarity. It does not have the ambition component of purple.

The distinctions matter because a misreading can lead to a misjudgment. Calling a purple aura “violet” flatters the ego. Calling a violet aura “purple” diminishes the spiritual attainment.

Common Misconceptions About Purple and Violet Auras

“Purple is always a spiritual color.” It is not. It can indicate spiritual ambition, which is a form of ego. A person with a purple aura may be a guru or a cult leader. The color alone does not tell you.

“Violet means you are enlightened.” Not necessarily. A violet aura can appear in someone who has had a glimpse of the non-dual state but has not integrated it. It can also appear transiently during meditation or prayer. We have seen violet auras in people who later returned to a more ordinary state.

“You can change your aura color by wanting it.” Aura colors are the result of consciousness, not desire. Trying to force a violet aura is like trying to force enlightenment. It does not work. The color shifts when the inner state shifts.

“Purple and violet are the same frequency.” They are not. Violet is a spectral color with a wavelength of approximately 380–450 nanometers. Purple is a non-spectral mix of red and blue light. They are as different as a chord and a single note.

FAQ

Can you have both purple and violet in your aura? Yes. Many people have a mix of both, especially during spiritual growth. The purple appears in the lower layers of the field, the violet in the higher layers. The balance shifts over time. For more on layered auras, see our guide to reading auras.

Is a violet aura always a good sign? It is a sign of high spiritual development, but it can also indicate a person who is too detached from the material world. Some violet auras come from a desire to escape, not to transcend. Compare this with the indigo aura meaning for a fuller picture.

Which chakra is associated with each color? Purple is linked to the third eye (ajna) when it is active, or to the crown (sahasrara) when the energy is still mixed with personal will. Violet is the pure expression of the crown chakra. Learn more about the crown chakra and violet flame.

How can I develop a violet aura? You cannot develop it directly. It arises from sustained practice of non-attachment, meditation, and surrender. The work is internal. The color follows.

Closing

The difference between purple and violet is not a trivia question. It is a diagnostic tool for anyone who reads auras. Use it to check your own field, and to see others with more precision. If you want to explore the full spectrum, start with our guide to reading auras and the glossary of aura color meanings. For a deeper look at the crown chakra, see our article on violet flame and the crown chakra.