DISCLAIMER :: Don't Read with EGO there is NO EDITING!!! Straight thoughts from before/during/after trip
Day 1 – Sedona
The day is schedule to start at 10:30am and end at 1:30pm. Akal my local tour guide picks me up from Sedona Rouge hotel only a few minutes after 10:30am. The three following hours consist of a guided tour of the local vortex sights. Akal is a seasoned guide and quite eccentric in his Sedona flare; cowboy hat, dirty jeans and overstuffed backpack. He shows up curb side in an old green truck ready to go exploring with a new Sedona tourist.
Akal has done spiritual vortex tours for longer than I have had a driver’s license. He knows his way through all of the round abuts scattered across the 89 and 179 while still holding an impressive conversation. Akal starts our day off at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. After a quick hike up an impressive ramp built into and out of the weaving red rock stones of Sedona we reach the narrow plateau where the church sits atop a grand viewing point. Pausing outside of the entrance of the building Akal explains some of the different spiritual masters who helped to create different systems of understanding the energy surrounding Sedona. Standing at the entryway to the church, Akal points towards the left of the church. This is Courthouse Rock (next to bell rock) he explains one of the overlay lay line theories that connects some of the major vortex sights. Courthouse is the masculine it symbolizes the root charka. Now pointing off towards the right he shows me Twin Buttes which symbolizes the sacral chakra. Akal continues on with his lesson and explains more of the vortex sights and their meanings. I conintue to ask him to show me again where the root chakra is and the sacral along with the other. Akal tries to remind me that this is just one version of the energy grid here in Sedona, yet I won’t listen. My entire spiritual life has been cultivated around the teachings of the chakras I try to explain which means this is how I am going to be able to digest this energetic place. Half way through day one Akal begins to understand.
Day one continued with a trip to Bell Rock where we were closer than before to Courthouse which held a wonderfully strong energy for me. After the track up Bellrock where I didn’t feel much energy, but strongly connected to its neighbor Courthouse, Akal began to understand where my heart was anchored. He shifted plans our remaining plans and drove onto Rachael’s Knoll. This represents the third eye chakra on this energetic line and it was here where my first experience happened.
Bringing too many expectations along with me on this journey it didn’t take me long to realize my hoped for experience was not going to happen. Being a clairvoyant, intuitive, astral traveler and more, I expected sitting in a vortex would shift my visual world with eyes open. As a clairvoyant I typically close my eyes to see symbolic imagery that connects me into understanding I wish to know. Coming to Arizona, I had high expectations that sitting in this powerful energy woud dissolve the remaining vail over my eyes an allow me to see into the fifth dimensional astral world surrounding us, so when my experience on Bellrock turned up less than ordinary I was supprised and a bit let down. On our drive I recognized that a guided brief tour was not going to be enough time to truly sit in the energy so I let my expectations go and began to enjoy the companionship of Akal and his stories and decided that deep unearthing meditative journeys could come after the guided tour on my own private adventures.
Sitting shot gun in the green truck we pulled up to a ritzy golf resort. This is the enterence for Rachales Knoll. Akal, handed over the customary three dollars and we were granted access to ride the singular road up the side of winding well manicured path towards the viewing point above. After a few minutes into the gate I stop Akal from talking and point towards his window. Looking at me he turns his head to see what I am pointing at. Three fully grown deer stood just outside the care on the greens. Akal stops everything and says, “Three Deer! What a sign.” Pulling out his Animal Speak book from between the center council and his seat he flips open to page 262 where he reads out loud the entire passage about deer.
“When deer show up in your life it is time to be gentle with yourself and others. A new innocence and freshness is about to be awakened or born. There is going to be a gentle, enticing lure of new adventure. Ask yourself important questions. Are you trying to force things? Are others? Are you being too critical and uncaring of yourself? When deer show up there is an opportunity to express gentle love that will open new doors to adventure for you.” – Animal Speak, Ted Andrews
I hear the words Akal is speaking and realize the obvious meaning as it applies to my current journey. Deciding to let go and let in what I need for this adventure I acknowledge the wisdom of the deer and allow the journey to continue. As we progress up the side of the hill Akal tells me that we just saw one of three indigenous animals to Sedona, the deer, the coyote and the javelin (boar). Arriving at the top of Rachale’s Knoll we sit atop the large red rock hill and Akal does a ceremonial smudging of my body before we make our way down a footpath towards two cliff like overhangs. Showing me to the first of the two spots, Akal suggests that I sit for just a few moments until I feel energetically full then once that is complete to sit on the other spot where there is a direct view of the crown chakra and suggests that this is where many who don’t see get downloaded with purpose and imagery regarding their spiritual journey.
Being someone who can connect quickly all I must do is close my eyes and I can be taken on an out of body adventure. First I charged my body up and then I set on the spot to receive my guidance. I had my usual encounters, my body when through a series of energetic clicks, my spin shifted and aligned and I felt a great energy within me perform a type of suturing up of my energetic field. My experience was done only when I heard the loud barking call of a Raven overhead. Opening my eyes I saw the magnificiant bird flying freely overhead swirving and diving playfully dancing on the air. Confirm that this was a Raven, Akal shook his head in agreement and said, the animals sure are coming out to comuniate with you today.
We concluded our adventure with a drop off at my hotel and a corgil, until tomorrow. Wanting to explore a bit on my own, I jumped right into my rental car and drove back to the Chapel of the Holly Cross. Akal had told me about a foot path that was about 40-minutes in and 40-minutes out that got you as close to Courthouse as one could go. Having the strongest connection with Courthouse thus far and it also symbolically representing the root chakra I decided this was the place I should go for me first solo journey. It was around two pm when I arrived and the signs all indicated that the parkinglot would close at five. Setting my phone timer I didn’t want to get swept up in the adventure and forget to trun back. I had all baslines checked off and was ready to explore the landscape for myself.
With a new found sense of expectation I had already forgotten the messages of the deer and sought out a friendly spot along the hike that had high energetic potential to see with my eyes open all of the divine energy surrounding me and this place. Akal had taught me to look for spiraling Juniper trees which would indicate the vortex energy, so I walked the trampled path up and down sitting in different spots along the way. My journey took me through terrain that was not clearly marked as a path. Mostly a narrowly imprinted path sometimes turning onto a long flat rock, sometimes ascending or descending a series of chipped rocks that formed a type of stairway, there always seemed to be multipul ways to go. I kept walking until I reached the second of two large ceremony like spaces. This second spot I found has one large flat rock that you had to clim up to lay upon. Feeling like it was time to get down on my back and stare into the sky I did just that. Allowing my mind to wonder, I feel into a deep trance like sleep where time itself seemed to freeze. Staring at the loomin rock face above I allowed the designes buried within to present themselves in unusual ways. Getting almost too deep into a relaxed meditative state I decided it was probably best if I start the journey back. Having no grand “vortex” experience just my normal meditative involvement I jumped down off the rock and started the journey back.
Each step taken in the direction of my car and the church seemed to be in juxtaposition to where I had been, where I was going, where I needed to be, and where I thought I was. Every step I took after I climbed off the rock seem to be both a second and millennia long. The path I took to get in to this place seemed to go from light salmon colored sand closest to the car and turned into a deep red colored clay which is where I finally eneded up at the final rock. Now walking back the dirt under my feet goes from dark red to white, to salmon to burnt siena. The hues are messing with my mind and my understanding of where i am. At one point I looked up and saw the church in front of me and the next I was back at the flat rock, it was as if I was jumping forward and backward through time by using my mind. When I would think about the flat rock and how far away it was from the church I would go back when I thought about my car and the light sand I would move forward. Every thought brought me closer or further away from my destination. Once I realized I was stuck in this time loop I lost my way. I took a path that was an extnetion of the path I was on. Watching the color variances in the path beneath my feet I noticed an interesting track that I had not seen before. It looked like a deer hoove but smaller. I follow this track as it seemed to be accompanied by a tennishoe mark to its side. Following the tracks deeper and deeper into the rock filled landscape I completely loose trace of the church, my head lifts up and I see a barbed wire fence with a big X and a sign that says no trespassing. My heart begins to beat out of my chest as I realize I am lost. Looking around I cant see where I am within the landscape and realize I have no cellular service to see where the church is. Looking down I realize my only chance at finding my way out is to follow the tracks that brought me here in the first palce.
Backtracking as fast as I can I am startled to hear shuffeling in the bushes surrounding me to the left and right of my path. Stopping abruptly I see a Javelina run across my path. Now terrified, I take a step ahead and hear squellles erupt from either side of the path. The Javelina claw at the dirt shuffeling around in what I can only assume to be some predator escape plan. As they create distractions on either side of the path I run quickly down the gully where they were and up the side of the hill opposite where I was. Twisting my ankle I get caught by a rock as one more Javelina runs across the path at my back. Heart racing I come up to the ceremony sigh where I realize I might have taken a wrong route. Moving quickly now I rush up a path I pray will get me back to the parking lot in front of the church.
Finally creasting a ridge that gave visual confirmation of the church I sit in a moment of relief that my adventure was over. What happened after I had lied down on that rock? All sense of time and space had left me. I felt as if I could move forward and back on my timeline placing myself I experiences I had previously been and not yet achieved. When time and space became to playful I lost my way and meet the Javelina who disturbed my route enough to force me onto a path that connected to my present.
Now sitting in my car outside the gated entrance of the path, I feel my heart pounding against my chest and wonder what the meaning of this encounter could be. I question reality and feel as if I have been removed from the part of the world that is quantifiable. With no clear answer I begin driving white knuckled back to my hotel. I see and hear things that lead me to question if I have done this all before, if I have been here before, if I have experienced this before. My reality has been shaken quite dramatically and I am left with only questions which back at the hotel only became more muddled. Lying in bed tying to relax and find some meaning in the experience I click on the TV trying to drone out the onslaught of questions probing my mind. Commercials begin to play and seem to last for hours, or repeat over and over front to back and back to front. I seem to know all of the local personalities advertising law offices, insurance and news stories yet I have never been here before or tuned into the TV... Layering hour on top of hour there is never a show only the local commercials repeating and stretching making my mind nearly go insane. What is happening and PLEASE let sleep find me.
Day 2.
Akal picks me up from my hotel and asks how my night went. In short I explain my encounter with the Javolina and Akal is amazed. How rare he says. Althoguht there is excitement in starting our day my foundation is still a bit rocked as I am not sure what exactly I am here to do or achieve. I started this journey to finish writing a book about out of body experiences. The book is done and just needs minor edits yet after a day of being here I cant seem to do one edit or read for more than five minutes its words without being turned away. This on top of my expectations over the vortexes and my world shattering Javolina experience I am at a place where the reality I held is no longer supporting me.
Akal take us to Airport mesa where we harmonize the solar plexus chakra and then proceeds onto the Stupa. The stupa is where we are going to do a medicine wheel ceremony before our day is complete. Arriving at the Tibetian stupa I am greeted with a wall of energy surrounding the two story stupa. There is intense amounts of energy scattered along this landscape and this exictes me for what is to come. Walking past the stupa we arrive at a stone lied medicin wheel. Akal does a smudging for me hands over blue cornmeal and beats a drum while I walk the circle imbuing prayer, intention or clearning. As akal says theres no wrong way to do this, whatever you feel coming up.
Walking in through the East I am immediately greeted by an image of the Javolina. Having some shamanic knowledge I acknowledge that the animal is coming into the wheel to lend its energy to my experience. Smiling I walk towards the south node and see a vision of the three deer who greeted me the day prior at Rachales knoll. Following the circle my eyes open and take in the maginficint view of chiminey rock directly overhead. Moving towards the north I see Raven fly down with my minds eye and he takes the book I came here to work on out of my mental center and flys it into the universe telling me, we will take care of this. Asking what Raven means by this, I see golden cords connect to the book and I know that Raven is showing me there is nothing to worry about that the universe will handle the details I came to Sedona worrying about. I allow this thought to leave my mental center and contimue to walk the circle a few times prior to finalizing the ceremony with Akal.
Finding peace over some of this journey I return to my hotel and decide if I wake up early enough I would like to go to the stupa once again to mediate more deeply connecting with Raven once again.
Day 3.
Walking up at 6am I find my body is relaxed enough to prolong my bed stay until 7am. Not able to lie in bed one more minute I get up and decide to head to the stupa for a good morning meditation. Arriving around 7:15am there is only one other car at the gate. I grab my journal and head inside. Walking past the large stupa structure I make my way up the path to the medicin wheel circle. Sitting adjacent to the circle is a pile or large red rocks, tucked at its base is a wooden stool which looks perfect for a morning meditation. Sitting down I realize this stool has been placed perfectly enough so that the occupant can see the wheel and Chimney Rock in one line. Smiling internally I perform a series of steps to quiet my mind and call in Raven.
Raven takes me on a glorious journey answering all of my burning questions. After thirty minutes or so of flying with Raven I feel feather and wind move around my head and back body. The sensation felt just like Akla’s smudging, but this journey Akla was not with me. Hearing the beats of wings all around I decided to open my eyes and leave the meditation. Once open I saw a few of the small culprets zoom past my head and into a bush sitting directly in front of me. Enjoying the tiny birds playfulness I catch glimps of movement off to the left. From a bush sitting behind the south node of the medicin wheel comes prancing a coyote. Sitting far enough away I watch him and yet he never sees me. He hops the small stone wall and prances right through the East node of the wheel. Surprised in the moment by subconsciously not surprised at all I laugh to myself at the sheer luck of my journey. Mostly I was excited to tell Akal who had been an active part of this entire adventure, but mostly I was beginning to see how the energetic landscape of Sedona was coming through for me.
Leaving the stupa, I had my last visit with Akal at his home where he was performing a sound healing for me. Akal is a master musician and had some of the most rare and unique gongs, symbols, drums and other instruments one could hope to have used during a sound healing session. Walking to the back of his house we move inside his teepee where the insturments are set up. I am instructed to lie down upon a layered assortment of mats and blankets. Akal grounds me and the session and then begins. Vision after vision takes place and I see how each of the animals and their energy has come forth to guide my energetic experience in Sedona. I am renewed by the understanding that expectation of our spiritual process with be the first thing to block our experience. We must remain open to energy in all forms not just how we expect it to show up. The animals paint a picture for me of their vortexes and educated me to leave crystals in each of the spots where they were each seen. They assure me through this sound journey that this will create a cord of resonance and connection for not only me but others to this amazing energy. They show me how this is but one experience I will have and document to show how the world energy is connection to each of us. The connect lines of energy from my home in Ohio to that of Sedona, Mount. Shasta, Alaska, and Arkansas. I am not sure what the rest of this journey will bring, but know that I am being called to each of these spots as energy centes to discover deeper parts of the tapestry I am weaving.
The sound healing completed and Akal and I gave a fond farwell. This signaled the guided part of my tour but for full completion I knew each of the vortex sights that held animal energy called once again for my attention. Stopping at my hotel room I grabbed a bag of special crystals I brought to Arizona. Taking a look there was, amythist, tibetian tiktake, copper, azumar, and violet flame opal. Each connected immediately to an animal and a vortex spot. Grabbing out my phone I google mapped each location previously visited where each animal came through. Hurrying around town up and down the 87 and 179 I found my way to each, finding spots to imbed each crystal creating an energetic link to the animal, the vortex, the energy, Sedona and me. Not fully understanding the full breath of this experiment I hear the animals call and obliged.
Cathedrial of the Holly Cross – Javolina – Violet Flame Opal
Rachales Knoll – Deer – Copper
Rachales Knoll – Raven – Amythist
Stupa, Medicin Wheel – Coyote – Azumar
The one not spoken outloud is the Tibetian Tiktake which I was told connected to beings from Orians Belt. I saw an image of Airport Mesa attached to this stone and also went to that spot to bury this stone within a curving juniper tree. Each stone is secured, connected to a vortex sight and an animal spirit energy.
