Discoveries Under Arizona Skies

The morning view I had in Phoenix on day one. It was tranquil and the sun woke me up more than the coffee.

Every time I hear about or see a picture of Arizona, there is a part of me that connects the idea of healing and peace to the state. When my family decided last year there I was ecstatic. It would be my first time to Arizona as well as the western part of the country for me. Packing items into only a large backpack was my goal. It was filled with a small number of clothes, a journal and an Eckhart Tolle book. I knew that I was going to be there for experiences and could care less what I wore. Coming from a terrain of woods and rivers I was thrilled to see the desert as I stepped out of the Phoenix airport. It did not seem real, was I in a dream? Multiple times I had to pinch myself to be reminded where I was when visiting Apache Junction and Superstition Mountain. As I went to sleep that night, I had a sense that this week there was going to be a change of direction for me. I could feel it in my bones.

My body woke up to the eastern standard time zone which meant it was around 5 in the morning in Phoenix. Yet through the black out hotel curtains I could see the sun rays coming in. After making coffee, I walked to the door leading to my personal patio and sat down in the lounge chair. There was a calm silence to the air and the sunrise warmed my body up. Sitting there by myself, I meditated and listened to my inner voice. Which was a first for me since I felt myself going a million miles an hour around that time. Just before the trip I quit my job and was dealing with so many things. You could say I was close to being in a time of burn out from stress and over extending myself. I instilled to not expect something to happen over the trip. Do not force a life epiphany or some knowledge to arise. If an experience was to appear then it would naturally. Concluding my hour long talk with myself, I went inside to get ready for the trek to Tombstone.

On the drive south I was able to see the beauty of the desert and rock forms. For the first time I saw mountain sheep butting heads and coyotes running out on to the road. Ravens were flying overhead and surrounding the car. They are my favorite bird so I took it as a good omen. This old western town has always been a point of interest for me. Getting out of the car I checked my phone to see the no or limited service icon. In my brain that meant it was time for the adventure to begin. To be honest it is very much a ghost town. The typical tourist sightseeing of Boothill Graveyard, Bird Cage Saloon, and O.K Coral made the list of places to see. The amount of history preserved in the buildings took an hour or more to visit each. I do want to disclaim I am very empathic and sensitive to energy, so for me was a buzz in the air. I felt drawn to certain areas down the 4 streets of the town to stopping inside buildings. As if there was someone trying to show me a part of their story. I came across friendly people who wanted to talk about anything and everything! Whether they be another tourist or local, each person made you feel at home. The hotel we stayed at was on the outskirts of the town over looking the vast desert and mountains in the distance. At night there was a bonfire you could turn on which attracted groups of people. It was nice to sit and hear their stories about where they are from and differences between where we all live. I can remember about 10 at night when all of the sudden coyotes started howling. There was a small group about 200 feet away communicating with one lone coyote farther in the distance. Luckily the pack was moving farther away than coming towards the hotel! The whole experience of Tombstone I believe brought me to a level of disconnect and to be present again in life.

Leaving Tombstone the next morning, we began heading to the Grand Canyon. I was thrilled to finally see this wonder! The only way I could process the view was believing I was on another planet. Everyone at some point should see it in person. Photos and words do not give it justice. For once I felt to be the size of an ant compared to the extreme canyon. It did not seem possible that it was placed on the planet and over the years naturally came to be this way. Then again how could man carve out all the cracks and depths of the rock. Seeing all the sediment layers melted together was picturesque.Not one inch looked the same from one end of the canyon to the other side. Being the first week of June I should have guessed that it would be filled with tourists from around the world. That led me to find quiet spots to sit and look into the formation that was in front of me. Even though we drove through only half of the national park, I have enough photos and memories to last.

The last town we stayed in was Sedona. Which did not disappoint with being a New Age and hiking town. There is a plethora of shops full of crystals and minerals that caught my eye for hours. My mother and I distinctively came to see the numerous amounts of vortexes. Spending our day we hiked into each seeing all the the reds blending into each mountain and butte. Sedona is considered over all an energetic vortex but there are 4 points with in. They are said to be very healing I could feel a slight pulsing energy sitting on top of the boulders in the Airport Mesa Vortex. I yet again tried to find pieces of myself and put them together. Still feeling lost later that night I walked through the hotel’s meditation garden. Getting to one point I sat down on the ground and looked out into the many red butte’s near me. The wind was slight giving a blanket of comfort. It was awhile later when a voice inside me spoke “It’s time”. Knowing that I was the only one in the garden I suspected that was part of my answer. But it still left me riddled about what it could mean so I decided to head to bed and dream on it.

The next morning we headed back to Phoenix. There was one final place I picked to see, Montezuma Castle and Well. I remember during many history and archaeology classes learning about a large site built into the side of a mountain. Knowing that it was on the way to Phoenix made my little historian heart beam with happiness. Once past the welcome center doors a wave of pure energy hit me. The feeling went through each nerve of my body and filled it with a pulsing warmth. I felt so connected to being there I forgot about who I was. As if I needed to soak in the sight before me. For some reason I believe I was meant to visit this place built close to 900 years ago by the Sinagua. Finding a bench close enough to the dwelling, I sat in total wonderment for a few minutes. Looking up I saw an archaeological site that was one home to Indigenous people hundreds of years ago. Who left a beautiful mysterious story here on earth that historians and archaeologists are still uncovering. They are only one stories of life existence collected along with hundreds of others through out time. That is when the answers I have been searching for hit me. In that moment I wanted mine to be apart of the long chain of stories. It is time to share my story and create many forms of art to be left on earth. To stop stalling my dreams of writing, performing and giving love to everyone. That is the direction I needed to be going in. The hours spend at the there learning of the people who lived in the Montezuma Castle will forever be ingrained in my soul.

The flight home was difficult on many aspects. I recalled the joyful moments and teary emotional ones. Reminisced on the wonderful food and the fact I consumed too many fish tacos. For the first time in a while, I went off by myself to find hidden places and felt safe to do it. I enjoyed traveling around seeing so much but felt as if there was more to explore. I know that I want to return and cover more Arizona ground. Yet deep down I knew where I wanted to head next in life. I may have gotten a Theater degree but I wanted to write and adventure the world. To inspire and be inspired in many forms of creating. It was also where I decided to start putting together my blog. Close to a year later I have released it into the world. I encourage you to see the state of Arizona if you are able during your life. If you have any questions about places I went or comments feel free to contact me!