BY: MARJORIE HOPE ROTHSTEIN

Living in LA is sometimes a privilege, yet other times it feels like a curse. We have so much light, year round from the sun, the ocean and the ‘stars'. Yet sometimes the town feels like a disaster zone. When earthquakes, floods, fires, gridlock repeat and our faves get into trouble with drugs and the law we sometimes wonder, what's the deal?

You've probably heard all about the latest teachings like: The Secret, the Abraham-Hicks, the NLP (neurolinguistic programming), The Power of Now and how your thoughts contribute to your reality and how collective thought manifest the collective reality. Well, who better to contemplate the powers that be and how our thoughts create our personal reality than Cynthia Sue Larson, the founder of realityshifters.com? A gifted visionary with a great attitude, her motto is: "How much better can it get?"

Cynthia received a B.A. degree in physics from U.C. Berkeley and an M.B.A. degree from San Francisco State University. Her theories are based on scholarly studies in quantum physics. Cynthia has always been a student of the perception of reality. She's seen people, cars, a statue appear, disappear, transport and transform. Check out her personal experiences via changes to objects in the physical world. www.reallityshifters.com.

We sat down with Cynthia to take a more light hearted look at the implications of Angelino energy and the brightest LA auras. Our question: Who has been most radiant this past year? Who has brightened the collective energy with their own unique spirit?

"Looking back at this past year to select the brightest stars," says author and life coach Cynthia Larson, "2008 presented the world with some very illuminated celebrities, whose inner light, or aura, truly stands out." So who are these luminous stars? Once you consider how their inner light really can shine from the inside out, you may never see your favorite celebrities the same way!

Hollywood's brightest lights:

Ellen DeGeneres - Her infectious smile and friendly humor lifts everyone's spirits.

Brad Pitt - Shows how much he cares by setting an example for compassionate humanitarianism

George Clooney - His playfulness, thoughtfulness, and irony inspires us to take a closer look.

Kate Hudson - Combines a passionate sensitivity with a free spirit in a most beguiling way.

Robert Downey Jr. - Gives us hope that we can overcome our biggest internal challenges by facing and overcoming his own.

Will Smith - Encourages taking things more lightly without losing the essential core of what matters most.

Based on an "inner auric glow," that Larson says everyone can feel and most of us can learn to see, these radiant people provide brilliant inspiration and guidance to everyone around them. Begun in 2002 by Cynthia Sue Larson as a way to introduce auras to the world, the list of Brightest Celebrities helps people learn how their energy body affects the quality of their life.

Larson explains, "People with the brightest auras often have the brightest futures. We intuitively know that when we feel low-energy, we tend to be more accident-prone than when our energy is high. When we feel high-energy, our luck and health are better, and we can overcome even the toughest challenges."

Larson is author of the critically acclaimed book, AURA ADVANTAGE: How the Colors in Your Aura Can Help You Attain What You Desire and Attract Success (Lightworker Publishing, 2006).