Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-10380701-20131018004029/@comment-10390252-20131018112909

My guess is that:

Aura is a common talent for all humans (at least potentially). This energy, likely a kind of bio-etheric energy created by living cells, can act like a shield, boost the senses and possibly help accelerate healing. However, most people probably never really touch their aura or even know about it as anything other than a 'sixth sense' or 'luck.'

The junior academies, like Signal and Sanctum, train their students to find their Aura's particular area of strength, known as a Semblance. This can be called a 'super-power' but it is very limited and single-aspect, for example Ruby's speed and Weiss's force/energy discs.

Far more flexible and wide-ranging effects can be achieved by channelling aura through Dust-impregnated or -powered items such as armour and weapons. This enables the person to create effects outside the normal scope of their Semblance and at a considerable distance from themselves. Special training, similar to that used to isolate and utilise one's Semblance, is needed to channel aura through equipment properly. However, once this still is acquired, it enables enormously variable effects, as Weiss demonstraetd in the White Trailer.

Dust is also a common propellent and energy generation material in its own right and can also be activated by concussions, heat and electric charges. In this cruder form, it can be used by anyone, even those who are unaware of their Auras.

From the surprise Jaune had at hearing about his Aura, I suspect that it is something of a Sacred Mystery, whose details and use are restricted to the Hunters/Huntresses and those who train them. I don't think it is necessarily Taboo to discuss it with outsiders but it isn't really common knowledge outside the Hunter schools any more than the finer points of military drill are really only known by those who are in the military and affectionadoes of the life.