Sedona Story

By Ann-Marie Ahye

Our arrival was heralded by an apparent opening of the skies. Having left the main highway north of Phoenix, we drew closer to our destination. Yet, there was still not glimpse of the ‘hidden city’ which was shrouded by plateau sculpted mountains. Now, upon ourimminent approach, we were greeted by celestial rays that pierced the rain-filled clouds. The darkness was shattered by flashes of lightnign and a mysticla rainbow crested above the entrance to our Sedona abode. A distinct and rarified quality could be sensed in the air of this sacred portal, that we had newly entered.

Early next morning as my bare feet caressed the soft red earth with mtual adoration, Jo’s belly was resting down intoa sunken hollow where new life was being breathed. The energy of Bell Rock resonated through us and we werew in a divine flow. we had come to Sedona to be with the land and to connect as pilgrims. We bathed, in the beauty of the vistas and were drunk with a holy pleasure that saturated our being. With open hearts we circled the Tibetan Stupa and placed our prayer requests at the foot of the Buddha. At the Chapel of the Holy Cross we lowered our heads in prayerful gratitude.

While some visitors milled around in a tourist-like haze, it was clear, that beyond the stunning visual effects that Sedona aoffers, there is something much more sublime that it shares with those who really show up. You are inspired to be still, to listen and to feel deeply as the spirit of Sedona whispers to you. Its majesty beckons you to remember your true, natural an dessential self. As you take in the vast and wondrous earth-scape you are drawn to meet the very same, in the fabric of your own being. The physical and etheric qualities of Sedona spiral within and awaken primardial spirit.

Daily, the red earth tones of both land and sky caressed us, as a mother’s womb nurtures her own. Sedona is not only a spectacular land but, it is generously replete with opportunities for accessing clarity and healing. As you treat lightly and with reverence your path will be illuminated.

On our final morning, along the Little Horse Trail, we spotted a dry creek that would offer a prime backdrop for a Yoga photo op. As I perched myself on a ledge, Jo began to pause with incredulous enquiry. “What’s that light?” she kept asking? Appearing in the shots was a beam of loight that we could not discern with our naked eye. Yet it was there as the photos testify.

This light effect is symbolic of the mystery that Sedona seeks to reconnect us with. Just as the sacred city isn’t visible from the main thoroughfare, yet it is right there, shrouded by the mountains, so too, spirit appears hidden, yet it is right here. Just beyond what the eye can see, there is a radiance that blesses, guides and supports us. It streams around and through us, reminding us to come ‘home’ to the truth of who we are.

The call of Sedona simply must be heeded. Give yourself fully to its sonic flare.

By Frank Hughes

I had the pleasure of spending the day with a rambunctious 13-year old yesterday, a daughter of friends visiting from Germany. After touring Flagstaff, she wanted to see a movie, so we watched Miyazaki’s wonderful Spirited Away.

The movie is about a young girl who has gotten lost and the many spirits that she meets throughout her journey. It’s one of a few animated movies that really make you think afterwards. It got me thinking about Sedona with all its spiritual qualities and how we, as just human beings, fit into this spirituality.

It reminded me about an event and short lecture that I attended just last week. A new book about Sedona was recently released, The Call of Sedona, Journey of the Heart. It’s about one man’s journey from a far off land to Sedona, and the calling he felt when he got here. This event was the official book-signing. Many hundreds of people attended, many were residents, but also many came from neighboring states and even two that I met were visiting from Europe.

There was a nice variety of entertainment from an enthusiastic drumming group to soul-filling music, to wonderful dancing by two very magical women. Wow, what a nice start.

Then there were a variety of speakers, including Bob Coates, a very well-known local photographer (among many other talents), Rev. Janet Kingsley, and Dean Patterson of the Yavapai Big Brothers and Sisters Organization, which Mr. Lee highly supports.

It’s funny how sometimes you just feel content with the world, kind of like “one with everything around you.” This is how I felt at this moment… After an introduction by his son who is in charge of a local consulting company that is working on projects for bettering Sedona and bringing spiritually-oriented visitors to our city, the author, Ilchi Lee, took the stage.

Mr. Lee talked about how he was drawn to Sedona some years ago because of the spirituality he felt here. He went into debt to open a meditation center here to help grow the spirituality that surrounds all of us. That is the Sedona Mago Retreat that he then turned into a free-standing, non-profit organization with many spiritual growth programs. Mr. Lee reiterated during his talk that everything you need to grow spiritually, you already have inside yourself. It’s already there and you only need to realize it. What he said that he wants is to help in any way he can as a “guide” to help everyone to see their true selves. He enthusiastically added that the Sedona Mago Healing Center will turn into a non-profit Sedona Meditation Center. You could feel the caring in the room.

Mr. Lee introduced a woman who, through the spirituality of herself and others supporting her by sending healing energy to her (what Ilchi Lee calls “LifeParticles”), was able to reduce the size of an inoperable cancerous cyst deep down in her brain to the point where her doctor said she was cured of her condition. No matter what religion we may be, we all know about the healing powers that we ourselves have, especially when helped by a group of people dedicated to assist. The story she told sent wonderful shivers down my spine. Wow, how can I help others like that…

In concluding his talk, Mr. Lee was asked to play his flute for us, which we all enjoyed. Then he invited us all up onto the stage to have our books signed by him. Then we got to see a group photograph of many of the local people that help support his vision and the many programs and companies in Sedona that support our community. So much energy given just to help others…

By Jo Yoshimura

In June of 2007, I attended Dahn Healer School in Sedona, Arizona.

My husband Sam who was my true soul mate for 49 years had passed away several months earlier and needless to say, I was having difficult times coping. I wanted to learn and experience healing others but mostly, I wanted to heal myself. As sad as it was, I knew that death was a natural part of our lives and I also knew that it would take time to accept and let him rest in peace.

At the Healing School, Sam’s presence was felt all the time and I was having a conversation with him constantly….”Wow, look at this Mago Garden, isn’t it gorgeous?”; “Oh, look! Little bunny is hopping around!” During the partner healing session, my mind would be talking to Sam saying, “I wish I could be doing this for you … just what you need.”

On the 4th day, something woke me early in the morning while it was very dark outside. I tippy toed outside and sat on a rock and gazed at the sky full of bright twinkling stars. I could not believe how peaceful it was surrounded by such beauty!! All of a sudden, without any thought-process, a poem came through my mouth … had someone being there, surely it would have been heard.
I know this Poem poured out of my heart and not my brain. How could I even think up this poem and recite it without a pause?!!!

I had smile on my face as it came out:
“YOU, who so loved the earth – trees and flowers
Marveled at the wings on the birds to enable them to fly
I release you now into this Mago Garden
Do fly through the sky and be among the brightest of stars,
In the morning come down with the dew,
Noon time, be with the Sun and shine on me and watch over me.”

I closed my eyes and said a prayer of peace for him and me. I felt such peace and joy … felt totally free! He can now rest in peace!

In the morning, when we had sharing time, I wanted so much to share this experience but somehow I could not because it was, to me, so private, so sacred and also so unbelievable.

A couple of years later, a few of us Dahn Healer School Graduates were asked to share our experiences with those who expressed interest in attending Healer School in the future. When my turn came to express my thoughts, I spoke of the incredible healing I experienced in Sedona. That Poem came back to me without skipping a beat…. As unbelievable as it may be, it did not come out of my “thought / brain,” how could I have memorized it??!! When I finished, some ladies wept with me.
What a freeing tear that was!!

So…..SEDONA, thank you!! Thank you, Mago Garden, its majestic beauty touched me so to free Sam and give me such peace and joy!

By Michela Mangiaracina

Murmurings of excitement filled the air as I eagerly dashed through the crowd in the lobby of the Sedona Creative Life Center, past the main performance space, and into the small backstage, where I quickly changed into the traditional Korean drumming outfit that was to be my costume. The latest event the drumming group I belong to, Sedona’s Rhythm, played at was the book signing and launch of Ilchi Lee’s latest book, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart, which took place on Saturday, August 20, 2011.

As an editor at the publishing company that produced the book and hosted the event, I was thrilled to be helping at the first public appearance Ilchi Lee has given in the United States in over a year. Many Sedona residents and fans of Ilchi Lee from Phoenix and nearby states such as Nevada, New Mexico, and California were in attendance, necessitating extra seats to be placed along the walls and out into the lobby. Over 240 people in all watched not only Sedona’s Rhythm’s act but a dance performance by Hansori Keliikuli and Yolessa K. Lawrinnce and a singing performance by Jeanie Carroll, who sang “The Power of the Dream.” Shondra Jepperson of the popular Sedona entertainment duo Tom & Shondra emceed the event. Many in the audience had their first taste of The Call of Sedona when local photographer and voice talent Bob Coates read the book’s introduction and Rev. Janet Kingsley of the Center for Positive Living Sedona recited a poem from it.

As part of the festivities, Dean Patterson, a spokesperson from Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters gave his own congratulatory message to Ilchi Lee. Like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mr. Lee said he wanted to give something back to Sedona, which is a special place that has inspired his philosophy and work. Shondra announced that he would give 30% of the proceeds from his book sales to three Sedona nonprofit organizations.

The part of the event I anticipated the most was Ilchi Lee’s talk. There were several touching moments, starting with Ilchi Lee’s introduction by his son, Jeonghan Lee. Another was the telling of Bette Castoria’s story through an engaging video. Bette, a Body + Brain franchise owner in Nob Hill, New Mexico has been practicing the LifeParticles Meditation described in The Call of Sedona for over six months. She attributes the disappearance of an inoperable brain tumor to the practice and to the innumerable LifeParticles sent to her from well-wishers around the country.

The part of the talk that touched me the most, however, was when Ilchi Lee said that although everyone would agree that Sedona was beautiful, what he found even more beautiful was each person’s soul. He hoped that through meditation, such as the guided meditations in The Call of the Sedona, everyone can experience that inner beauty for themselves. To help them, the current Sedona Mago Healing Center on Jordan Road in Uptown Sedona has decided to become the nonprofit Sedona Meditation Center.

After his talk and a question and answer session with Shondra that ended with Ilchi Lee playing a flute built into his walking staff, everyone lined up for the book signing. Ilchi Lee sat on the stage and the line went all the way out the door.
Before and after the main part of the program, people milled around the lobby and outside, enjoying Ilchi Lee’s displayed calligraphy, sandwiches and fruit from the Marketplace Café, and the lilting sounds of the duo Meadowlark.

After the crowd dwindled, we began a swift cleanup aided by a few generous guests. I was satisfied that everyone had seemed happy. We were all able to experience that Sedona spirit Ilchi Lee wrote of in The Call of Sedona.

By Pryscilla S. N. Carvalho

Little by little, this woman started to lose control of reality. She couldn’t eat or sleep anymore, her mind was full of thoughts and running so fast. She started to listen to “voices” inside her mind; she was able to see things that weren’t there, things with different tastes and smells. Her reality became dark, cold, empty, confused, scary, anxious, depressive, crazy, mad, lonely, hopeless, and helpless. All of those were too much for her, she almost gave up. But, as Life gave them an angel to take care of, she kept herself alive.

Long years, trying to survive and be good enough to keep doing what Life asked her to do. More moving on her way, more different climates, people, languages, she never gave up; this time they were in Illinois.
One day, her husband decided to do what she told him to do, one more moving, but this time, let’s go by car. She didn’t know about Sedona, she was busy doing the packing and moving. It was a long way to go, seven days on the road, both of them, daughter, and a puppy.

This woman had tried all kind of treatments before (medicines, doctors, psychics, astrology, psychotherapy, yoga, relaxation, meditation, acupuncture, diet, physical exercise, life coaching, everything that was possible to do). But, she was still afraid, not feeling like herself yet.

During their trip, on the road, she started to face her fears and do things, like driving on a highway for many hours in different places and roads, she was almost feeling good; she did not need so many medicines anymore, no psychotherapy anymore. But still, there was something “wrong.”

One day, at Sedona already, after driving in a very beautiful, but a little bit curvy road, which caused her to feel nauseous, they arrived at the Hotel. The view was just amazing. She started to do Yoga with a Yoga teacher, who used to live in Los Angeles before, and he said to her: “Do you want to do Yoga outside?” She was still scared and she looked to the window of this studio and she felt, yes, why not. First time she was able to do Yoga outside, also with many people around. She was feeling good, not completely good, but she said to herself, who cares, what matters is to feel good, and this makes me feel good, so what? Later, she invited her family to have a breakfast on the streets of Sedona. The view was again so terrific, it was very hot. She never used to be walking in a strange city by herself, she was afraid of getting lost somehow. But this morning, she said to her husband: “I would like to go inside of that store.” He answered: “I don’t want to go, it is hot, and I have to work.” She said: “Okay, I’ll go by myself, could you take care of our daughter and doggy?” He said: “Yes,” but he got sad.

To read the whole story, please click here …

By Meelin Kit-Wells

“There is an Elk in the backyard…” “No dear, you are in Sedona, it’s a mule deer…”
Wow, with the sun setting and the mountains changing colors with such radiance that I feel it in my soul, I sit on the back deck of my new Sedona home and admire the Mule Deer as it gallops through the backyards of Oak Creek. I have left Buffalo, NY and my busy life there for a chance at love and a refreshingly new life. Something is telling me that I’m finally home. Home is where our story begins.

I have bought my past to Sedona to make a home and live in the moment and not think about the future. I bike my worries away and hike to clear my thoughts. And as I watch the monsoon rain come in and the sun take its place right after, I know I have made the right choice. So I sit out in the back and watch Coffee Pot and the evening toad hops by on patrol, and the dry heat reminds me of the warm folks I have met today and I look to the right through the desert colored houses and edgy green shrubs and I see an elk, I think…I call John who has bought me to Sedona, “Hello my love”…he loves me…”There is an Elk in the backyard”…”No dear, you are in Sedona. It’s a mule deer, and it won’t harm you, you are in Sedona now.”

By Linda Petty

The red rocks of Sedona
Take my breath away
I hear an echo –
“Welcome Home”
the message seems to say

My spirit flies
As magic flows
Around this sacred space
I raise my head
And feel the warmth
Of sun upon my face

In quiet contemplation
Connecting with my soul
My spirit soars above the
Clouds
In this moment,
I am Whole

By Sedona Story

Rob Somma submitted these photographs to the Sedona Storyfest contest. They capture special moments he experienced while visiting Sedona.

“I’m still searching for the reason I was allowed to capture this moment in time. I was exiting Mago Garden and this Crow flew by me several times, as if to say… Trust. Take a picture… What a message…”

“I don’t know what tomorrow has ready for me. I didn’t know what the Meditation Tour to Sedona Mago Garden in February 2011 had ready for me. In some respects, I still don’t know what Sedona provided for me. I do know we were granted a unique experience.”

By Patricia Groves

Heavy, whipped cream clouds drop low on to Bell and Courthouse as I hike the ravine between.

Crisp, fresh air makes its way in to warm, moist lungs emitting puffs of floating vapor.

The desert floor, a thick base of frozen, red mud, covered in thin layers of white snow.

A slight crunch from each step of hiking boots in the early morning stillness.

So quiet, so still, so strange between the shadowy, monstrous formations.

My heart races as my mind realizes my total aloneness. A quickened pace. Wanting to stay. Wanting to go.

Sculpted stone chairs surrounding an old firepit create space for meditation.

A most welcome respite from a heavy backpack and boots ladened with mud. A nearby stick relieves the hardened burden from my feet.

Crunches of a fragrant apple, swigs of half frozen water, on my feet and walking.

The sound of my footsteps. The sound of others. I stop and listen. All is quiet.

The sound of my footsteps. The sound of others. I stop and listen. Again, all is quiet.

Large tracks, freshly sunk in to the frosty mud, loom in front of me.

A smile touches my lips as I quietly and expectantly move forward.

Ahead of me, not more than fifty feet stands an elk amid the junipers. Leather tan, muscular and handsome.

We stand still observing one another. Checking each other out. Friend or foe?

We both breathe shallow, quickened breaths. His with a soft snort. Mine with rasping excitement. Both with clouds of vapor.

An eternal moment passes between us. A knowing and understanding quickly lived.

Four running legs and a graceful leap take a seven hundred pound body over the forest boundary fence.

Amazement and awe overwhelm me.

The peace I sought evelopes me.

The magic of the moment forever with me.

By Dylan Marshal

I’m Dylan Marshall, host of The Heart of Sedona, a feature exploring “earth-centered living through self-realization.”

I was blessed and fortunate enough to get face time with Bill Cord of Direct Beauty. Bill is a delightful man with a wonderful attitude and a smile to match. He has lived in the Red Rocks for 38 years and counting, and is the youngest 76 year old man I have ever met.

This show has great atmosphere. I hope you enjoy it!

Blessings and Light to you all!