“You’re a teacher, a guider. You transmit energy. You also have a deep connection to the spirit world, to spirits,” says spiritual adviser Leon Pelletier, as he analyzes a Polaroid of my aura. That’s right, a Polaroid of my aura. I had just undergone an otherworldly photo shoot. I’d stepped right up to a deep purple chair, placed my palms on an outline of hands and poof, moments later, there was a blurry vision of my face enveloped by hues of blue and white with a dollop of light pink.
Now, I’m no New Age devotee — heck, I barely downward dog. But I am curious about spiritual pursuits. So on a trip to Arizona, I decided to stop in Sedona to have my “aura” photographed before hiking the area’s famed “energy vortexes.” A post-hike photo would determine if my soul had been reconfigured. If I didn’t come out healed, revitalized and with a pink-hued aura — considered the color of unconditional love and harmony in spiritual circles — at least I’d have seen some stunning scenery.
I’m slightly perplexed by Pelletier’s analysis of my connection to the spirit world since the only spirits I seem to know well are gin and vodka. But as I sit in his dimly lit office, adorned with butterfly cutouts, transcendental music providing a solemn soundtrack to his assessment and sandalwood incense wafting through the air, I’m pretty sure he’s not talking cocktails.
I can’t exactly suspend my suspension of disbelief now though, so I head off with Pelletier to hike Cathedral Rock. A landmark of Sedona’s skyline and one of the most photographed sights in Arizona, Cathedral Rock is located in the Coconino National Forest, just over a two-hour drive from Phoenix. Cathedral is considered one of the four main energy vortexes in Sedona. (Note to the grammar police: They are referred to as vortexes, not vortices.) A vortex, according to believers, is an area of invisible, swirling energy emanating from the earth that produces an uplifting, healing, rejuvenating sensation. The source is unknown and not scientifically proven, but that hasn’t stopped Sedona from building a culture and tourism industry around it.
And whether you believe in auras or not, Cathedral Rock stuns the senses. A gleaming sun beams over mustard-red buttes, spires and mesas that surround the city like the ruins of fortress walls. The air is warm but crisp. As I posed for my post-hike aura picture in Pelletier’s office, my muscles ached, my skin glistened with sweat and my voice was hoarse from dehydration. But my photo emanated magenta with streaks of orangey-pink. Apparently, I had done it.
“You now have the energy of unconditional love. You’ve built a deeper connection to spirituality. Orange is the energy of creation. You’ve wiped the slate clean and come out a new person,” said Pelletier.
I can’t say I felt like an entirely new being, but I definitely felt a renewed appreciation for Mother Earth in all her glory, and amid my fatigue from the hike, I also felt renewed and content. I’m not holding out hope for Ryan Gosling to “manifest” in my life. But I do have some pretty spectacular photos to make him jealous if we ever do meet.
