Picture: morning near Sedona
Nature is God’s Cathedral. Looking out upon His vistas I sense the vast expansive Spirit that resides behind everything that is. Painting with light God dabbles reds here, greens over there, orange and many hues of earth tones resound from every corner of this Sedona area.
It is not just the visuals of the topography, but the feeling of the purity of Nature as well. Sedona takes top honors for visually stunning views of red rock formations. Kartchner Caverns area is our favorite spot for the feeling of peace; it is where we had Sunday Service Meditation with Rick and Judy.
We drove up a switchback highway out of a canyon from Sedona and at the top was a view point that was sponsored by the state of Arizona and the first Nations peoples. Many of the items for sale by the native people looked like it could have been imported from Japan. However there was one table with a wonderful woman standing behind it who quietly said, “good morning.” Carla and I walked to the vista point and returned. I told Carla I wanted to show her some clay pots I thought looked particularly nice. It just so happened it was at the table of the sweet soul, named Elsa, who had said good morning. So, inspired by Ram, I bought a lovely clay pot with an eagle engraved upon it.
In Navajo tradition the eagle is the messenger between the spirit world and this earthly one and represents strength and freedom.The piece of turquoise is good luck. The white clay of the pot comes from Elsa’s Navajo home on the border of Utah and Arizona; the pot was made by her mother’s youngest brother. It will serve as a lovely remembrance of this time in northern Arizona and of Elsa.
An Observation: as a guest in someplace new, in particular one of nature’s cathedrals, there is a depth of experience that can be had to the sensitive soul. To get this depth you must have a certain attunement to the subtle world that resides just behind this gross material one.
I have observed that the majority of people who tour a new place are engaged in conversation with others about times and places other than where they are at. Such a preoccupation excludes the more subtle plane of inner experience. To feel the soul of a place, or the lack of it, to be aware of the spirit that may be present one must be focused in the present and open to this inner awareness.
Today we walked the trails of Walnut Canyon, near Flagstaff, and it was just such a place where there was much more than what met the eye. The attraction of the canyon is the cave-like structures that were used for a generation or two by the native Hopi Nation. However the place is ripe with spiritual meaning for the local tribes as they have used this area as a site for sacred ceremonies stretching back into time untold.
Climbing down the paths of the steep sided canyon the rustic dwellings spoke of a time of great need. A volcanic eruption (in what was later to become Flagstaff Arizona) sent the local inhabitants off to alternative locations for homes, fields for growing food and areas to hunt game. Thus the sacred site was used for this purpose, however over time it proved unsuitable to sustain the livelihood of the tribal members; they moved on. However, the hundreds and hundreds of years for using this site for sacred ceremonies and finding healing herbs makes for a tremendous radiation of peaceful vibration that is distinct and palpable.
At 6,000 feet above sea level Walnut Canyon sits at a similar altitude to Babaji’s Cave, and with pine trees, cactus, and a variety of healing herbs it has a familiar feel to it from our pilgrimages to Dronagiri. For Carla and I, the area spoke of a natural and human created place of peace.
It is a lesson for all in our journeys in life; for God is all and all in all. To become too commonplace in our thoughts is to miss the deeper meaning of our journey; an opportunity never to be captured again.