Not all internet trends are created equal, but something tells us this one might tickle your fancy. In years past we’ve watched our loved ones swallow spoonfuls of cinnamon and dump buckets of ice water over their heads in the name of charity. Rather than subjecting ourselves to that trauma, creatives are now getting candid with each other about the energy they’re putting out in the world. One of the latest ideas to take over TikTok in this realm is aura points, and we’re going to show you how to use the Black-created system to raise your vibration and take your power back.
What Is Aura?
For starters, it’s important to understand what an aura actually is. Merriam-Webster describes it as “a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source,” or “an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being,” not unlike the light surrounding the Buddha statue pictured above. Some psychics and Reiki masters claim to be able to see auras around humans, and special cameras exist to capture the colorful energetic field surrounding your being at all times.
The word itself has been around for ages, but in 2020 the soccer community helped bring it back thanks to a New York Times article written about Virgil van Dijk. It was called “Solutions Are Expensive. An Aura Is Priceless,” suggesting that the Dutch player’s vivacious personality and recognizable energy were enough to keep him going on the field, despite his setbacks. “Van Dijk’s mistakes can be dismissed because, basically, he has an aura,” the outlet wrote, causing the word to appear in several soccer memes.
So, How Does One Start Collecting Aura Points?
On April 16th, 2024 @jonybrony went viral thanks to his video channeling a “dude obsessed with having aura.” From there, other creatives have taken the idea further, such as Black content creator @securethabag.mel, whose concept of collecting “aura points” has brought in over 14 million views since May 17th. The phrase has been all over our TikTok For You Page and comment section as a result, but still, not everyone understands how the unique points system actually works.
For the most part, teenagers partaking in the trend seem to be giving away aura points to others who look cool – sporting a fresh outfit, making their crush laugh or winning a game. As far as losing points, virtually anything deemed as embarrassing by the general public will cost you – but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Instead, you can make the aura points system work for you, rewarding yourself when taking action that’s aligned with your highest self and holding yourself accountable by deducting from your score in those moments when you feel your vibration slipping. Caught yourself doom-scrolling again? Take off 500 points! Judging yourself or someone else? Aura points down by 1,000. Skipping the gym when you know it’ll make you feel better? Minus 250! Will you be trying out this fun TikTok trend? Let us know in the comments.