MYSTICAL MAGICAL SEDONA … a place of stirring beauty …

Visiting Sedona, AZ and its red rock canyon country is to fall under a powerfully moving and stirringly beautiful spell … one woven in the artistry of Mother Nature’s brightest hues.

MYSTICAL MAGICAL SEDONA … continuing on …

Although both affirmed skeptics … on our winter visit to Sedona, AZ, my childhood friend and I decided to “take a leap of faith” and sign up for a Vortex (self discovery) Tour.

Before embarking, the information we obtained about these tours touted … “In Sedona energy vortexes are created by the quartz crystal formations within the rocks, and some of the energies are known to be magnetic, electro-magnetic in nature, which can affect one’s internal energy field in different ways. Many people feel this energy on some level within themselves, whether it is simply on a physical level of increased aliveness and mental clarity, or a deeper more comprehensive level of understanding of things  they have not understood before … ie: solutions to problems, new life/work/creative direction, etc. They have also found that these energies can affect one on an emotional or spiritual level creating feelings of the presence of God/Source, and with this feeling of connection with something greater than themselves they often experience the release of old emotions and sufferings that have been carried for a long time, replacing them with a new awareness and understanding  that allows them to begin anew. And people experiencing these tours have reported seeing spiritual energies of light, orbs, and/or figures, which often show up in photographs taken by participants.”

Setting doubts aside we signed up for a one day Vortex Jeep Tour, limited to two participants. And with hearts and minds open we were on our way.  First stop Airport Mesa Vortex

On our ride to the Airport Mesa Vortex our guide explained that the energy at this site strengthens the masculine side, giving self-confidence and enabling one to take charge of their lives. Having a strong masculine side enables people to figure out how to get out of life what is desired, how to operate responsibly and reason without distorting reality.

Arriving at the site, we were instructed to walk up the trail to  the saddle between the hills where the Juniper trees are very twisted. (The stronger the energy at the site, the more of an axial twist the Juniper trees will have in their branches) Standing on a flat mesa, we were told to face the town taking slow, very deep breaths.

A little “out there” for my taste, the only energy I experienced came from the breeze swirling around us, but when I looked over at my friend there were tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t explain why she was teary, saying that a feeling of sadness just overcame her.

Our guide explained that each person on these tours has different reactions … some experience nothing, others feel deep, meaningful responses.

Not wishing to talk about feelings that were apparently very personal, my friend encouraged us to move on to the next site.

BELL ROCK VORTEX

As we approached the Bell Rock Vortex our guide assured us that we would notice the energy as soon as we got out of the car. “You don’t have to do anything to feel the energy here,” she said. She advised us to notice the twisted Juniper trees all over the rock and explained that the powerful energy at this site strengthens the masculine and feminine, creating balance within the body. (The feminine side being infused with kindness, compassion, and patience, strengthening the ability to anticipate the impact of your actions before you act.) For us, nothing significant happened at this site, other than experiencing the serene and beautiful scenery.

Last stop … INDIAN GARDENS OAK CREEK VORTEX

Toward the end of our Vortex tour, the Sedona winter weather caught up with us and as the rain pelted our vehicle we were asked to don rain slicks so we wouldn’t miss out on the final experience of our tour.

At this Vortex our guide assured us that this was one of Sedona’s most relaxing female vortexes, calming, relaxing and nurturing. Standing beside the healing waters of Oak Creek, we were instructed to do a Healing Meditation, one where we participate in a releasing ceremony and meditation. In this ceremony we stand facing downstream, casting all of our burdens and worries into the water, watching them float downward. Then we turn and look upstream to receive and fill ourselves with love, light and abundance.

I am not sure if we were just cold, tired and more vulnerable by this time, but both of us felt some kind of energy at this site. Not sure what it was, but just an unexplainable, tingling feeling within our bodies.

As a writer/editor I enjoy experiencing other cultures, their customs and rituals. Having been originally occupied by the Indians, the culture in Sedona is filled with the spiritual and mystical, and I do believe there are lots of things about this earth and our lives upon it that are unexplainable and perhaps even unknowable.

Sedona, AZ is a place filled with a breathtaking natural beauty and cultural history that lend themselves to much speculation. And whether you come away believing all that is said about the happenings there, it is certainly worth a visit to spend some time away from the city becoming one with the great outdoors.

I have been there in both summer and winter and have found it a magical land where cobalt blue skies embrace uniquely shaped buttes, layered colorfully in the warm earth tones of crimson, beige, rust, scarlet and amber. A place where rich emerald-green pines and sturdy oak forests flourish,  and a sunlit, twinkling  creek tumbles down through the town and onto the floor of the desert to the south. Constantly flowing to provide moisture for year ’round greenery and springtime’s brilliant carpet of virginal white and sun-yellowed wildflowers.

Geologists speak of oceans flowing through Sedona seven some odd times in the past millions of years. They tell tales of a great inland sea where land masses were home to huge prehistoric birds and animals, and waters were filled with little-known aquatic life. And they verify these claims with discoveries of seashells and fossilized shark’s teeth imbedded in the rocks high above the valley floor.

Eroded pinnacles, crested buttes and unusual rock formations (crafted over the centuries by nature there) often resemble items familiar to man, and have been given identifiable names by the town’s inhabitants, Cathedral Rock, the Nuns, Coffeepot Rock, Merry-go-round, the Lovers, Kachina Woman and Kachina Man … to name a few.

History reveals that before the white man came to this place Hohokam, Anasazi, Sinagua, Hopi and Navajo Indians built sheltered communities in natural caves and crevasses within the sheltering red rock canyon walls of Long Canyon, Boynton Canyon Tootsigoot, Montezuma’s Well and Montezuma’s Castle. Considering the valley floor sacred and spiritual these Native American tribes used what is now the town proper as a place of ceremony, ritual, worship and healing. The Hopi still come to Sedona to bless the land, to pray and show their love for Mother Earth.

Like the Native American tribes who inhabited this land before them, New Agers who have come to dwell in Sedona believe in the forces of nature and the energy they say emanates from the earth there. They claim there are five important vortex sites located in the area. (Vortex sites being areas of magnetic energy that are natural to the earth. Sites with an electric charge that is either positive or negative, masculine or feminine, yin or yang, or a combination of both.) These sites include: Bell Rock – a masculine vortex where one goes for empowerment for their goals and intentions. Cathedral Rock – a feminine vortex with a very nurturing and intuitive energy. Airport Mesa – a masculine/feminine vortex considered the hub of all sites where one can draw energy from all the other vortexes. Boynton Canyon – another masculine/feminine vortex where one receives balanced energy. Indian Gardens – a site where the seven to nine springs bubbling up there have been compared to the healing waters of Lourdes, France. These springs are said to bring longevity to the body and nurturing to the soul. A Native American ritual practiced there is to stand facing downstream and let the waters take away all old energy, then, when empty, to face upstream and allow the waters’ flow to bring rejuvenation and healing. filling up the empty places inside.

I have always been a skeptic about things unseen and intangible, but on our winter visit to Sedona, my longtime friend and I decided to take a “leap of faith” and sign up for a Vortex (self discovery) Tour. Stay tuned you might find our experience interesting ….