14

c h aP t e r 20

S

adly, my experience with the commune in Sedona turned
out to be yet another painful lesson, in a summer of many
lessons. I’d hoped that Aquarian Concepts might be a place
where I could finally settle down, commit to something substantial,
and focus on inner healing after so much wandering these past few
years. They had sounded friendly and thoughtful over the phone,
and seemed to have similar ideals and beliefs to my own. In addi-
tion, it was an area I’d been curious to check out for a while, having
heard about the supposed “energy vortexes” in the nearby canyons,
of the beautiful surroundings, and the unique metaphysical vibe of
the town.
I gave the community a call the next day. Natty and Apollo needed
to deal with refueling the van, so we agreed to meet up a little later to
find somewhere to camp. They planned to stay in Sedona for a little
while, hoping to still find some clients for their healing work at the
local bookstores or other spiritual events.
Though we had only known each other a few days, we felt a mu-
tual brotherhood, a desire to stick together as long as we were on
the same path. None of us knew quite where we were going with
our lives, and I appreciated their presence, not knowing how things
would turn out with the community.
The people at Aquarian Concepts were glad to hear from me. They
said they could arrange to see me the next morning. I would meet
with a few select members of the community, who would “evaluate”
me in some regard, and decide if they wanted to admit me to their
Sunday service a few days later. If I passed that test, then I would
be allowed to view the grounds of their community. It all sounded