Mapping the Soul: Aura Photography & My Journey
I had no plan. No specific destination. No perfectly mapped route. I had simply heard the advice to "follow your joy" and decided to listen while at the UFO Festival in my lil town. As I turned toward a little yurt, in the middle of a row of vendors I felt a pull, that’s it. Then I saw Sarah. I knew right then I was about to meet someone very special, and that a reflection of this time was going to land for me.
That yurt was home to an aura camera, and stepping inside I felt seen, heard, respected, and held. Have you ever wondered what your personal energy looks like? While the final photos look like pure magic, the process actually bridges human biology and ancient metaphysics.
Here is a look behind the lens at how aura photography works, and how tracking my energy over time from a profound plant medicine ceremony to a cosmic festival, showed me the true power of alignment.
Whether viewed as a tool for self-discovery or simply a fun and intriguing activity, aura photography invites participants to explore the fascinating interplay of their emotional energies and spiritual essence.
The Science (and Metaphysics) Behind the Lens
Aura cameras, like the widely used AuraCam 6000 created in the 1970s by Guy Coggins, utilize advanced biofeedback technology. The process uses science-based sensors to create a unique spiritual portrait:
The Sensors: You place your hands on two metal plates equipped with sensors that measure your skin's electrodermal activity, temperature, and electrical conductivity.
The Reading: The sensors pick up your vibrational frequencies at acupressure points that correspond to your Ayurvedic meridians.
The Photograph: During a long exposure, the camera first snaps a traditional Polaroid portrait. It then uses the data from the sensors to superimpose the color gradients representing your energy directly onto the instant film.
Decoding the Colors: A Guide
In aura readings, each color carries a specific emotional, energetic, and spiritual vibration. Because human energy is fluid and constantly shifting, aura colors can change from day to day depending on your emotional state, environment, physical well-being, and spiritual growth.
Whether viewed as a tool for self-discovery or simply an intriguing experience, aura photography offers a unique glimpse into the relationship between emotional energy, embodiment, and spiritual essence.
Red → passion, ambition, vitality, grounding, life-force energy
Orange → creativity, joy, emotional expression, sociability
Yellow → confidence, optimism, intellect, personal power
Green → healing, balance, compassion, connection to nature
Magenta → unconventionality, deep creativity, and spiritual transformation.
Blue → truth, intuition, sensitivity, communication, peace
Purple / Violet → spiritual awareness, imagination, psychic sensitivity, deep intuition
White → spiritual connection, divine protection, harmony, energetic clearing. Orbs are often interpreted as guides, angels, or unseen support
How to Prepare for Your First Aura Photography Session
If you want to get your own photo taken, keep these tips in mind for the most accurate “vibe check”:
Clear Your Energy: Take a few deep breaths and center yourself before stepping up to the camera. Aura readings can easily reflect the energy you’re carrying in the moment.
Dress Intentionally: Wear comfortable clothing that feels authentic to you. Avoid bulky accessories or heavy jewelry that may interfere with the biofeedback plates.
Stay Open-Minded: Aura photography is highly personal and subjective. Approach it as a reflective and creative tool for self-awareness rather than something rigid or diagnostic.
Stepping into that little yurt didn’t feel accidental. It felt like confirmation that I was exactly where I needed to be. Whether you’re seeking spiritual insight or simply a unique moment of self-discovery, aura photography can become a fascinating mirror for the soul.
The Evolution of Energy: Comparing My Photos Over Time
The most mind-blowing aspect of aura photography is watching your inner growth manifest visually. Tracking my photos over the last few years has provided an incredible timeline of my healing journey, moving from pressure to liberation, and finally to pure integration.
1 & 2. @igniteyouraura Denver, CO 3. @mystic_aura_photography McMinnville, OR
2021: Plant Medicine & Aura Photography
My relationship with aura photography began in 2021 when I had photos taken immediately before and after a sacred plant medicine ceremony.
The “before” image felt almost alive and big. Deep reds and intense warmth flooded the frame, reflecting massive life-force energy, creativity, pressure, and emotional intensity building inside my system. It felt like my soul was expanding faster than my body and voice could keep up with.
Then came the “after” image, and the energetic shift was undeniable.
The heavy compression in the field softened. Yellow and gold expanded through the upper half of the aura, reflecting confidence, openness, creative liberation, and a deeper sense of embodiment. During the ceremony, I experienced a powerful voice activation and found myself singing throughout the journey. Looking back, it makes sense that the aura itself appeared more resonant afterward, almost as if the vibration had reorganized my nervous system in real time.
What changed most wasn’t my fire, it was the way it moved through me. The intensity became grounded. The field felt softer, more open, and deeply present. Less force. More embodiment.
May 2026: The Integration
Fast forward to May 2026 during the Taurus New Moon and the annual UFO Festival in my new town of McMinnville, Oregon.
Following my joy led me into a tiny aura photography yurt where I unexpectedly received another reading, this time from Sarah, a Reiki practitioner filling in for Mystic Aura Photography during a break. It felt strangely fated.
This newest image reflected a completely different phase of my life.
A strong red field anchored the lower half of my body, while green rested around my heart center and soft yellow hovered near my solar plexus, reflecting creativity, healing, confidence, and grounded personal power.
Above my head, magenta and pink tones formed an arch associated with spiritual transformation and unconventional ways of seeing the world. Faint white orbs appeared between the upper bands, subtle yet unmistakable.
What stood out most was the balance in the field. The upper half carried deep indigo and violet tones connected to intuition, expanded perception, and spiritual connection, while the lower half remained grounded in embodiment and life-force energy.
Looking at the image, it felt less like a portrait and more like a reflection of the season I’m currently living through: balancing spiritual expansion with building a life that feels aligned with it. Oregon. Creativity. The oracle decks taking form. Retreats emerging. Community. Purpose.
There was a steadiness in the field that felt different from before. Less intensity. More openness. More trust in where life is leading me.
Work with Me
If you feel called to explore your own elemental blueprint, spiritual awakening journey, or ways to bring more presence, beauty, and intention into your life, you can book a reading or an immersion.
Soul Maps & Live Integration
I offer recorded readings alongside a comprehensive chart summary I call a Soul Map. To help integrate the experience more deeply, each reading is followed by a live session where we explore what surfaced, work with your charts, and begin grounding the information into everyday life before any in-person experiences.
In-Person Retreats & Costa Rica Immersion
If this kind of remembering speaks to something inside you, I also host private in-person immersions and retreats rooted in nature, beauty, presence, and authentic connection. These experiences are designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and hear your own inner voice more clearly again.
This November, I’ll also be hosting a group immersion in Costa Rica. Jungle, ocean, movement, beauty, deep conversations, nourishing food, nervous system exhale, and space to simply be human again.
You can choose one, both, or neither. Your body already knows what is calling you deeper.
I look forward to connecting.
XO Amy
