The aura photo trend: A form of spirituality the western world associates with the tin foil hat crowd—but that also drives a certain white girl crazy. I remember vividly when it first took off, in the height of my tweenage years, the burning envy I felt as I scrolled through Tumblr and Instagram on my iPod touch, entranced by the colorful images. Aura photography got me in the same way astrology did. I didn’t need to fully understand or believe in it in order for it to be a tool for self-reflection.
Someone else who feels that way is Lorde. For every album since her debut, she’s come to one spot, Magic Jewelry on New York City’s Canal Street, to have her aura photographed and read. She’s referenced it several times, from Solar Power’s “Mood Ring” to the “aura picture” referenced in Virgin track “Hammer.” So, in an effort to walk a few steps in Lorde’s shoes during her new album rollout, I wanted to head down to Magic Jewelry myself.
When I arrive, a woman named Angela warmly greets me and asks how she can help. I tell her I’m there for an aura picture and she smiles as she walks me over to the photo booth. Take some deep breaths and get comfortable, she suggests I place my hands over some metal handprints on either arm of my seat. She takes my picture.
While we wait for it to develop, she covers the image with an envelope and asks me how I’d heard about their store and aura photography. I say: Do you know who Lorde is? Angela beams. She tells me she’s heard Lorde was in New York and had visited their store before, but she hadn’t gotten the chance to meet her yet.
In a matter of minutes my image was ready to be read. When she reveals the picture, she lights up at the vibrant blues that fill the frame. Vibrant colors attract good luck, while more murky ones tend to indicate a need for some healing. I had researched the meaning of each color on my way to the store, speculating on which colors might show up. In the four or five I had considered, not once did I consider the blue or indigo that dominated my image—funny, since everything she proceeds to tell me sums me up to a T.
In her words, the blue that is dominating my aura right now indicates that I think a lot–occasionally too much–but I am genuine. She said it also appeared that I seem healthy, that I might be active, or even a vegetarian. For years I’ve been wrongly identified by strangers and friends alike as a vegetarian or vegan. All this time I thought it was the lesbianism that was leading to these assumptions, but according to Angela, it’s just my aura. I’ve made peace with it.
Having just graduated from school and moved to New York to start working at i-D (yay), the last few weeks of my life have felt a little uncertain and a lot hectic. Moving away from most of the people I’ve spent the last three years of my life with to live in a city of strangers–no matter how secure I am in myself and my independence–can still feel a bit daunting sometimes. I find it quite comforting to know that, in a matter of 20 minutes, a stranger is able to see me, and give me some food for thought in a time of personal transition. It’s nice to also hear that my aura was bigger than the camera could capture. As I wander out onto the streets, I can’t help but wonder: What would the internet boys running their mouths about auramaxxing look like through Angela’s magic lens?
