Some believe that Sedona, Arizona, is like the Pyramids -- or is it Atlantis,? -- where celestial forces converge, or where ley lines become singularities -- whatever that means -- or maybe it has to do with the warp of time and space. Hard to say exactly. Very nonlinear.
Some say that extraterrestrials visit Sedona to breed with us. It's said to be very special, lasting hours. There are books about it, self-published, usually. Sometimes, though, the visitors from outer space -- or maybe some other point in time -- simply want to document how we perform our mating.
Kooky, but Sedona's a fun place, touristy, to be sure, but really pretty.
Aunt Bev couldn't have afforded Sedona property if she'd not sold her VW to protest petroleum dependency -- she's since rethought that one, as in Sedona, you need a 4-wheeler -- and bought fledgling Microsoft stock because she believed in small and soft things. IBM would be big and hard. In any case, she ended up not having to do her beadwork, though she still strings up chunks of sandstone, "Authentic Sedona," to counter the toxins tourists must deal with when they return home.
I'd chosen NAU -- that's Northern Arizona University, up in Flagstaff -- because it's nicer there than Tempe or Tucson, and wherever you study it, computer science is about keeping up with developments, not where you learn it. Holograms, the next big thing.
Aunt Bea's invitation for fall break provided an escape from dorm-life, a chance to catch up on family doings. Of all my aunts, she'd be the one who keeps up with everything.
I greeted her with a kiss to the cheek -- what aunts are known to expect -- but she'd have nothing so northern Europium. "A real one."
I hoped she didn't think I was rubbing with her hooks, but that's where my hand was. They say they're easy to undo if you squeeze the right way, but it's not the sort of thing you'd try on your aunt.
Her top was Indonesian, she said, from World Womencraft where they sell things from co-ops. Why she told me, I wasn't sure.
Once she'd updated me regarding her upcoming half-marathon -- it's about juices, she explained. She'd make me one, maybe kumquat -- we made a plan.
"Astrid's dying to meet you."
"Who'?"
"From Sister Circle. We have potlucks and everything. She's the one who picked the date."
"What date?"
"When to invite you. She's into celestial pairings."
I may have looked confused.
"You know, when your signs say to get together.".
As maybe I wasn't going to figure this one out, I didn't pursue it. With Aunt Bev, you don't always know what's happening.
***
Heading out to her gas-buzzer, Aunt Bev took my elbow, her breast against my arm difficult to ignore because of its size, especially after you've been checking her bra strap. It's even more difficult to ignore when it's not just your arm, but back and forth over it with each step.
Astrid's place was adorned with horseshoes and hubcaps. "The horseshoes are for magnetic energy," I'd been tipped off. "The hubcaps are for solar,"
"Ah, the Aries nephew," Astrid welcomed me, her embrace no less than I'd received from my aunt. "Virgo and Aries, the sublime harmonic."
I thought best not to have her explain.
"You two sit side by side," once we got inside. "No, closer. Hold hands, maybe. Great resonance," dangling before us what looked to be a geode in a string. "Trust your conjunctive emotions.".
I wasn't sure what that meant, but I guessed it was positive.
"That pot, there, Acoma," Astrid indicating a vase. "The design's like a barcode and only the old ones know how to read it. The kiva's all set," she went on, more to my aunt than to me. "The rug's been blessed and Cheyanne made us a Pachamama amulet for under it. I got some wheat sheaves. Organic. LeeAnne will fan sage. Sheryl's going to play flute."
Afterwards, Aunt Bev told me that Astrid used to be Irish, but that was before she discovered her Egyptian foremothers.
***
On the way home, we stopped at another of the Sister Circle, Colette, who likewise greeted me like a long-lost soulmate. Or maybe mate.
"How about some Ashwagandha?" which turned out to be tea, the box showing a pair of Hindu gods, arms around each other. They looked to be doing more than just hugging, actually
If I wanted some honey, she had some full of organic pollen.
I said thanks.
"Plus you two might want some ylang ylang."
"You bet,," agreed my aunt, explaining to me, "An essential oil," at which Colette produced a flask and dabbed the back of our necks.
"Can't wait for the ceremony to get to know him better," Colette told my aunt.
Bach in the car, Aunt Bev assured me that Colette, even with her metabolic imbalance, could still do yoga.
***
"Come on out," my aunt called from the porch after the sun went down. "Full moon."
The stars were diamonds, another reason that tourists like Sedona.
