Can aura photography cast light on our souls?

Kevin Vickers, Contributor, Jakarta

Amid the swarm of T-shirt and DVD vendors in Mangga Dua Mall, a few meters from a noodle restaurant and up a short flight of stairs, "Dewi" found what she was looking for.

Trembling slightly with nerves of anticipation, she sat down in a small chair, placed her hands on the metal plates in front of her and stared into a camera lens.

The whirr of a printer signaled the end of her search.

After starting a job in a field in which she admittedly felt "like a fish out of water", her aura profile provided a renewed sense of validation about her direction in life.

"I needed to do this for myself to end the doubts that were affecting me," said the event organizer. "Most importantly, I found out that I am someone who is suited to being out front in a work role, doing the negotiations, for instance.

"Deep down, I knew that already but my self-confidence was shaken."

A steady stream of Dewis -- young and old, from students to government officials, those with debilitating illnesses or in the bloom of good health, buoyed by a mission of self-discovery or curious walk-ins -- make their own pilgrimage to the upstairs studio.

At the heart of their search is the belief that the camera can capture what escapes the naked eye.

By placing their hands on special sensor boxes, which are designed to correspond with acupuncture points, bioenergy from the seven chakras (main energy and nerve points) is released. Energy waves radiating from the body are transmitted to a small computer within a special camera, with the waves converted to a corresponding color and superimposed onto film.

Then, in an electromagnetic nutshell, the aura is supposedly revealed.

The colors -- comprising the rainbow spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and also including white -- are believed to symbolize different qualities and properties of the physical, emotional, and spiritual potential of the holder.

Auras that show signs of imbalance -- where the main color is diluted with other color tones -- are corrected with crystal therapy.

It may sound a tad too neat and pat for comfort in a world in which the camera can and does lie, and where grasping New Agers are all too eager to plunk down a few hundred thousand rupiah to gain soulful sustenance from the strangest of places.

For King Gunawan, who holds the license for the aura camera from a U.S. company, the results speak for themselves. "I've rarely heard anyone who came here say this was fixed because, for one, this is technology that I cannot interfere with when the person is already here, and because the results tell what the people really know about themselves," said King, who became interested in aura identification after studying the Chinese discipline of chi kung.

Most of his clients share a feeling of uncertainty about their place in the world.

"From my own experience, most of the people I meet are unstable, given to wavering and unable to make a rapid decision. They have three questions: who am I, why do I do what I do, and what must I do to be better?" he said.

"From a psychological point of view, aura photography is telling people what is wrong with them and what they need to correct."

While even the most modern of Indonesians may resort to advice from the local dukun (shaman) to treat what ails them, King said aura photography and use of crystal therapy should be considered a scientifically explainable means to put mind and spirit in balance.

Colors of the auras are divided into two categories: red, orange, yellow and green are considered the masculine yang, more worldly and dynamic than the spiritual, creative yin of blue, violet, indigo, and white.

King, who is careful to emphasize the positive when counseling clients, also avoids categorizing any aura as superior to another.

"If we understand our aura, then we'll also know not to deplete our energy because imbalance will lead to a mixed aura and problems. The best aura is a dense aura, not a thin one... the unsure are people with auras like yellow with greenish tints, or green with yellow," he said, pointing to a photo of a woman with an aquamarine aura diluted with white tones who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The advantage of aura photography, he argued, was that empirical analysis can be made of the results of the crystal therapy by comparing photos over three-month intervals.

"At the age of six, when a child already has his own way of thinking and desires, the aura can already be measured. If it's yellow when he is six, then it will still be yellow when he's 20, 40, or 60, but there may be mixing with other colors due to the circumstances of his life."

Crystals, with names such as Star of David, Green Phantom and Clear Crystal Pyramid, are ideally worn on a necklace to fall around the center of the body, the seat of love and understanding for the chakra.

Even though the therapy does not come cheap, with the photo costing Rp 120,000 and optional crystals ranging in price from Rp 500,000 to upwards of Rp 1 million, King said recognition of the benefit of aura profiles was growing, including among companies.

"I've already had some companies send their employees here to be photographed. We found they were in the wrong place, like they were being pushed out front but ideally should be working behind the scenes."

Auras are also being measured in matters of the heart, with clients seeking advice on determining their true soulmates. "It's hard if you get two yins together," King said, using a soccer analogy to explain that both partners would be indecisive in their relationship, "and wait for the ball to drop in front of them before doing anything."

"By the same token, two people with red auras could be explosive together. I counsel people to find the balance in their relationship, and to be on the lookout for problem areas."

Ultimately, King said, it's all about taking care of number one.

"You have to get your personality in order before the rest can follow," he said. "Balance is everything. Don't be overwhelmed by your environment.

"If you have a good aura, but you're working too hard, too late at night, then you're going to get sick anyway."