There are different theories about what it means if you see an orb. I’ve never experienced one myself, but I’d heard the word flying around (no pun intended) and read about them in Wayne Dyer’s book, Wishes Fulfilled, where he shows a series of photos of his family with clear, white circles of light captured next to them. Depending on who you’re talking to about this, you’ll hear different things – so the most important thing is to discern what it means for you. Does it feel like a sign? An optical illusion from the photography process? Or a visit from the spirit of a passed loved one? The context can also give you the answer you’re looking for. For example, the colour of the orb, whether it was seen in real life or in a photo, and the situation it was seen in. Take your own meaning from this information, and see which answer feels best for you. An orb is a round sphere of light captured in a photo or seen hovering with the naked eye. They’re usually white but can come in different colours which I’ll talk more about below… It’s this part that is up for debate. The majority of the time when they’re seen in photos, it’s some dust in the air which has been illuminated by a flash. However, this is when it’s important to start assessing the situation and surroundings of the photo. If there was no flash and no focused stream of light to show particles in the air like that, it starts to become more mysterious.

Often when people believe that a photo of an orb is the spirit of a passed loved one (like in Wayne Dyer’s example), it’s because they appear in photos of important occasions, like a wedding, graduation, Christmas or family party. At these high energy events with all of the family there, you’d assume these would be the moments for spirits to visit and manifest as an orb. In these instances, people may take it as a sign that a much loved family member was there in spirit. When seen in real life, there are also stories of pets being drawn to them. Dogs will bark and cats will chase them. There are countless tales of – particularly dogs – reacting to metaphysical phenomena like this. Their ability to pick up frequencies is far greater than the human body’s ability, so if you think of orbs as high frequency energy, it would make sense that animals can sense them more than we can. If you think you’ve seen an orb, ask yourself these questions:
  • Was it in a photo or seen with the naked eye? If you’ve seen a floating ball of light with your naked eye, it’s much more likely to be a spiritual phenomenon.
  • What event was this orb seen at? Happy events with family members are more likely to have a visitation from a loved one.
  • How did you feel about it? Is there something in your mind telling you that it’s just dust in the photo? Or did it give you goosebumps and the feeling it’s something supernatural?
In summary, it really depends on the specific situation the orb has been seen in and your own interpretation of the cause. If you think you’ve encountered an orb that’s high frequency energy (and not an optical illusion), the colour of the energy might tell you the purpose of its visit. The most commonly seen are white and clear orbs. The energy of these is light, positive, and usually thought to indicate the spirit of a loved one. Conversely, a dark orb (such as a black orb) can be interpreted as a sign of danger or to say that there’s something to be cautious about. It could also mean there’s a low vibration spirit living in the place where it was seen. Blue is the colour of our Spirit Guides (as it says in the book Journey of Souls) so if you see a blue orb, it could be interpreted as a visitation from one of yours. Similarly, purple orbs are considered to be a spiritual message reminding you of your soul origin and asking you to follow a spiritual calling. Green is always related to the colour of healing in spirituality, so you could see a green orb as a message that healing energy is being delivered to you. The colours of the orbs have also been linked to the colours of different Archangels. As well as spirits, orbs are viewed by some people as a visitation from an Archangel. There are many different opinions about the colour that each Archangel will show up as, so I’ll leave it to you and your mind’s eye – but from my own experience, I’ve found AA Raphael to be seen unanimously as green and AA Michael to be somewhere on the spectrum between light blue and silver.

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Whether you see an orb as a positive omen or a spooky optical illusion, it’s definitely an interesting phenomenon when they appear. If you think they symbolise a visitation, then it’s wonderful to have photographic proof of that. If you don’t think a spirit would show up in that way, then that’s fine too. When you’re trying to understand what it means when you see an orb, the most important thing is how you feel based on your interpretation of the circumstances.