As you can read about in my article on Travel and Escape, Sedona is best known for its beautiful red-rock landscape and its reputation as a place of concentrated energy. It is a hot bed for psychics and new-age thinkers, as well as tourists looking to find (or lose) themselves in one of the area’s four energy vortexes.

When I told one of my friends and fellow travel writers that I was going to Sedona, he insisted that I get a reading done. He was admittedly “into” that scene, believing in the advice of horoscopes, signs, and astrology, but he raved about a specific psychic who had given him a reading last time he was in Sedona: Claudia Granger (formerly Coronado).

I had never had a psychic reading before, but that had little to do with a lack of curiosity. I had always wondered what the experience would be like, but I suppose I just rationalized the interest right out of my head. So I’m going to pay for someone to tell me my life’s good? Or, better yet, that it’s good but it’s going to take a turn for the worse? Yikes — no thanks.

But, as with many things in life, time changes the way you see things. I wanted to try it, if only for the story. I figured the “future prediction” I would receive could only impact and influence me as much as I let it. And with so many stories out there of psychics digging deep into the soul of their subjects, and with Sedona being the psychic capital of the United States, I decided I might actually learn something about myself. As with so many great travel stories, this one began with a gigantic “what the hell?”

Now, I obviously can’t dish on every detail Claudia told me about myself and my future, but I can tell you some of the general things that made an impact on me. She did a half-hour reading and asked for my birthday (with year) before we started (she also knew I was a travel writer). During the reading, she asked if I was currently in a relationship and if my mother was still alive.

Claudia identified “power” and “authenticity” as the two strongest points of my personality. She said how I deal with this power over the next few years will determine much of my fate and success. She said my level of devotion to the truth and to being myself would play a large part in how others perceive the power that I wield. I found this insight to be interesting and accurate considering my path as a writer.

A lot of the discussion that followed was much more specific. Claudia gave me an overview of the next two years into 2015, giving me a timeline of sorts, “sneak peeks” into the type of work I would do, how I would feel emotionally at different times, who I would date, and what outside factors would have influence on my life and decisions.

I think one of the biggest mistakes I had about getting a reading was expecting to be “floored.” You always hear people talk about how they had a “crazy” reading and how it all “came true,” so I went into my experience hoping to lay ears to a top secret piece of information. What I realized is that while much of the insight is indeed amazingly perceptive, the reading is not centered around delivering the secret keys to your life – it’s about providing you a new perspective on the person you are, the influence you can have, and the unique path you must take to achieve your goals.

For me, the reading was just as grounding as it was cosmic, and that’s something that I enjoyed about Claudia — I could actually use, process, and think about her insights. She also made a recording of the session and e-mailed it to me afterwards. You bet I’ll listen to it next year and see how I’m doing, see if she was in fact correct in her predictions. If she’s right, I’ll be one hell of a happy camper come 2015!

Claudia Granger (former Coronado) and the School of Wholeness Navigation gives readings on-site by appointment only and over the phone 9am-4pm mountain time, Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday and after hours only on special request. Sessions in Japanese upon request. Don’t be afraid of a phone reading (which is what I did) as 90% of Claudia’s business is done in this fashion.