Picture: Our current “backyard.”
The desert has been the haunt of God-seeking souls since earliest recorded history. Certainly there is room for seclusion in the desert, few others wish the extremes that it brings; from hot to cold, from a distance it is seemingly lifeless and barren, but when close-up it displays an amazing amount and variety of life-forms. Truly, the desert is a place of extremes.
However, extremes and even lonely existence does not completely explain why aspirants have sought out desert’s refuge. The reason is clear enough when you are in its midst; the desert has purity. Even though it has dust on the ground, the air is pure, the vibration is clean, and there is room to think and to be. While such purity is not unique to the desert, still it has it in abundance.
We are currently boondocking on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land near Wickenburg AZ; that means we have traveled on rustic roads to slightly prepared camp spots that are oftentimes spread out so that we can see our neighbors in a distance or not at all; all for no cost. We have to be self-contained, that is have our own water, bathroom, holding tanks etc. Generally there is no one around to regulate things; we are expected to be on good behavior and treat the land well.
Participating in these lonely retreats is a large part of what I anticipated when starting this pilgrimage: this feeling of purity, the air, the expanded space, the quiet vibration, and even the desert’s beauty. I grew up in the desert, but it was not particularly beautiful. Here the rock formations and the surprising variety of cactus makes the landscape interestingly beautiful.
The birds calling with complex songs, five cows passing by (making Carla think of India), little rabbits scampering, and soaring hawks above all make up our neighbors. But most of all, it is the expansiveness and purity of Mother Nature that makes my soul merge with Spirit in a timeless and effortless fashion.
Saint Anthony lived his adult years as a monk and recluse in the desert of Egypt; living to be 105. He came to peace with himself after encountering the demons he found lurking in the darkness of ancient burial caves. Anthony had been born to wealth (in the 3rd century A.D.), but one day he heard the Christ’s teachings to sell all you have and give it to the poor; he took the words literally and did just that, after providing for his sister since their parents had both died. When, as an old man, he walked out of the desert and onto the bustling streets of Alexandria he may as well be Jesus come again for all the stir he made. Anthony, in his simpleness and reclusiveness was a major influence upon early Christianity.
While we have the luxury of a modern RV, unthought of by brave Anthony, we too are able to enjoy this desert retreat. The stars emblazon the nightly sky, Orions Belt and the Big Dipper adorn their respective quadrants, and the resouding Om–Amen attunes the mind to infinite Spirit. A vibrational quiet insulates the receptive soul from the constant restlessness of modern life.
One of those opposites of desert: it is in silent reclusiveness that my consciousness effortlessly merges into all-consciousness, and through that to you. For, in touching the fabric of God, one must be connected to all that God is, including His creation.
Ram’s Fun: going for a hike we walked by Mark’s RV, a beautifully painted pickup and compact horse trailer; the trailer has been converted by this cabinet maker into a home for he and his two dogs. One of several signs tastefully painted on his trailer said yeti. Since we are in a Bigfoot RV, I ask him if he has seen any yetis today (yeti being the Big Foot of the Himilayas)? He said not today, but he went on to explain yeti coolers are a sponsor for his trip; the coolers he tells us sell from four hundred to three thousand dollars! He assures us that on two occassions the coolers have saved his life during his travels. Once when the temperatures soared to 140 degrees and the cooler kept ice cold for a week, and once when the temperatures dropped to nine degrees and it kept his food from freezing.
He said that he was writing a book about the horse’s influence on the West. He had planned to write the book in four years while he travelled exclusively in his horse trailer, but since that time was now up he realized that he needed two more years to complete it. Mark contracts for cabinet work along the way to pay his expenses; “I earn my way!” He had been recently photographing wild mustangs and a wild burro. For the finale of his book and his six years of travel he plans on living for a year with a horse, and his two dogs, in his trailer; in fact he has the horse already lined up for the privilege! Ram has no end of fun entertaining us with His “special edition” manifestations.