Sedona Story

By Barbarita de Jesus Tomaszewska

The mystical beauty of Sedona is a luminous place to be for any celebration. There I feel a harmony and spiritual connection with God and with nature. I always enjoy going to Sedona, a place I visit often throughout the year. There are four beautiful seasons experienced in Sedona; each highlighted by the radiating appearance of its own beauty. Summertime brings sunshine that illuminates the deep blue sky. In the winter I saw Sedona with the exquisite snow on the red rocks, draping the trees like a wedding dress worn by a new bride. Spring blooms from winter, blanketing the fields with wildflowers. In the fall the leaves change to orange and yellow, the color of gold. During the rainy monsoon season I witnessed vibrant rainbows arching across the beautiful skies of Sedona.

Sedona’s main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks, for which she is famous. The formations of colorful layers of rocks appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. The famous rocks: Bell Rock, Thunder Mountain, Coffee Pot, Sugar Loaf Hill and Cathedral Rock are transcendental. Through the year, people from around the world come to celebrate their honeymoons and much more. This is evident by just walking through the streets of Sedona. One can hear a variety of languages#mdash;too many to count. Sedona is also a haven for artists and art lovers. All the colors of Sedona inspire the art that fills the walls of the many local galleries. Everybody seems happy and glowing because of the majestic beauty of Sedona. Likewise, Sedona is a wonderful place for growing a spiritual and personal relationship with God. His presence is felt wherever you go. As someone said: “God created the Grand Canyon, but He lives in Sedona.” For these reasons, I would like to live there too. The bright side is that I’m living nearby, so I am able to enjoy the beauty of Sedona more often.

One year, just after Christmas I spent three days at my friend’s cabin in Sedona. The place was quite solitary, deserted with a variety of beautiful cacti. From the cabin I saw Cathedral Rock, and further down was Oak Creek flowing with crystalline water. There was no cellphone signal, no radio, no TV, no connection with the outside world. It was amazing. Just God and me … and the javelinas. In the mornings I was able to see delightful sunrises. Each morning, birds rose with the sun singing marvelous melodies glorifying the Creator. I enjoyed the divine music. In the evenings I was delighted with the sunsets. One afternoon, I cherished the full moon rising behind the red rocks and meditated on the beauty of God. It was breathtaking. I do not need any words to praise God when watching His Creation for I believe His Creation speaks for itself. I treasure that time in my friend’s cabin and every time I have spent in Sedona since.

On September 14, 2011, I was celebrating my 33rd anniversary of my Consecration. After the morning Thanksgiving Mass, I went to Sedona to continue the celebration. When I arrived there, I parked my car, and went for a walk on Main Street. I visited galleries, shops, and especially jewelry stores. After a while it started to rain, and I went to a tavern for a glass of local, delicious beer. Later, I drove up to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. I stayed in the chapel for a while, prayed, and I was delighted in the beauty of God looking around the chapel through the windows. Outside it was raining cats and dogs, and there were puddles in the road. I decided to head back to Flagstaff. While I was driving north on highway 89A, colorful rainbows came up one after another. The colors were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. There were two rainbows at the same time. I’ve always seen a rainbow in the sky, far away from me, but this time I was inside of the rainbow. While I was driving home, a rainbow was up from one side of the road to the other side, and I was inside of the arc, like in a colorful glowing tunnel. Sometimes I was in one rainbow, other times I was inside of two beautiful rainbows. That was amazing. Seems like time stopped, and I was in another dimension. It was like from the Bible: the alliance between God and me. It was the sign of the covenant that God makes between Himself and me forever from the day of my Baptism when I was 6 days old. Even this day I was sad and crying, missing my family, as all of them are in Heaven. Somehow, through the rainbow I was connected with God and with them. It was a divine connection. What a glorious day! Without rain there are no rainbows. Every time, when I am driving to Sedona on 89A, with joy, I remember the two rainbows that I saw on September 14, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

I invite you to visit the mystical beauty of Sedona. There you will experience the many seasons of Red Rock Country and connect with God.

These miraculous things could only happen here, in this spiritual place because God lives in Sedona.

By Mike Casto

Alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation or combination.

In 2004, I thought I had been to Sedona. My wife and I had passed through on our way to the Grand Canyon a few years before. Honestly, the only thing I remember is Uptown and I specifically remember thinking, “It’s a tourist trap. What’s all the hype about?” I was soon to discover, though, that there’s a huge difference between “driving through” and “being in” Sedona; between seeing it pass by on the other side of a window and walking in its energy, experiencing it firsthand and intimately.

Every year, in September, there’s an event held in Sedona called Tai Chi Alchemy. You’d think that it’s a Tai Chi event and, in fact, some Tai Chi does happen there every year. The event, though, isn’t really about Tai Chi. It’s really about the Alchemy and, for me, that meant so much more than Tai Chi or even the amazing community of practitioners who attend the event each year.

In December, 2004, I met a man named Stephen Watson, “Stephe” for short. We met at a martial arts event in Miami, Florida. Stephe and I hit it off immediately. He’s a Tai Chi instructor and also teaches other martial arts. I have been training in martial arts pretty much all my life but had always considered Tai Chi to be “boring” and, at best, something I’d get around to when I was “old.” Almost from the moment I met Stephe, though, he started sharing Tai Chi with me and he started talking about this event in Sedona. He rarely even mentioned the name of the event. He just said, “You’ve got to go to Sedona.”

I said, “Why would I want to do that? I don’t train in Tai Chi. The event is several hundred dollars, plus travel and lodging. Why would I want to spend that kind of time and money for something I’m not directly involved with?”

He said, “You’ve gotta go. It’ll change your life.” Incredibly prophetic.

Over the next 6 months we talked regularly via phone or e-mail but we also saw each other in person about once a month. Several times it was by accident. We would just happen to be in the same area at the same time and we’d hook up. We randomly encountered each other in San Francisco, New York and Colorado. We also visited each other; he lived in Connecticut and I lived in Kentucky. Every time we talked, whether in person or on the phone or via e-mail, he’d bring up Sedona.

Finally, after all Stephe’s cajoling, I ponied up the money for the travel, lodging and event. First, the event was amazing. It was so much more than I could ever have expected. It’s indescribable and I would highly recommend the event to anyone. Google it; it’s easy enough to find information. It’s organized each year by an incredible man named Rick Barrett and his family.

So in 2005 I spent a long weekend in Sedona, basically attending Tai Chi Alchemy (TCA). At one point, though, the group went out to Bell Rock and we all went our separate ways to do a hike. While on that hike, I thought, “So this is what people mean when they say ‘home.’” Prior to that moment I had never associated the concept of “home” with a geographical location.

In 2006, I spent a week in Sedona. I thought I was just doing it so I could hang out with some of the TCA folk who stayed after. I had an incredible experience at Bell Rock, though, and I e-mailed my wife about it. When she read the e-mail she was in a business meeting. She said she read the words but literally couldn’t wrap her head around what they meant because she was in such a different space.

In 2007, my wife, Margaret, came out to Sedona with me. She figured she’d at least be in the same geographical region and might be able to actually share some of the experience with me. We rented a house for two weeks. Our second day here, Margaret said, “So, when are we moving here?”

In 2008, we rented a house near Chapel of the Holy Cross for a month. We were hooked. We weren’t sure how we would manage it but we knew, without a doubt, that we were ready to live in Sedona. It called to both of our souls like nowhere else we’d ever been and we’re both very well traveled.

In the spring of 2009 we moved here. We lived in Rimrock for about four months, then in Oak Creek Canyon. After returning from some extended traveling we rented a house in Village of Oak Creek. Through our windows we can see Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte.

People ask me if I ever take the amazing scenery for granted. I say, “No. Every day I go outside and I have at least one moment when I just stop and say, ‘Wow!’”

I’m generally not a person people would describe as “woo woo” or “new age.” Most people would describe me as being very intelligent, level-headed and practical. However, in Sedona I have walked with ghosts, flowed like water down Bell Rock and seen a UFO driving down the street. I routinely give rides to strangers, something I almost never did before moving here. I have found sheer, unadulterated wonder in the flight of a raven, the running gate of javelina and the awesome power of an elk. I have watched breathless as a large mule deer buck ran across the road in front of my car and felt the reverent peacefulness of the Buddhist stupas amidst the red rocks. I’ve stood meditating on a ledge half the width of my foot and marvelled at the sound of an unseen flautist; apparently sourceless music drifting through a cave when I was sure I was alone.

“Believe as a child believes and the magic will find you.” — Theresa Langdon

I think Sedona is a huge catalyst that makes this phenomon incredibly easy to bring into being.

By Franklin Hughes

I saw this wise saying a few days ago and it made me do a lot of reflecting. And I found that putting these thoughts down in writing helps me un-jumble them, maybe somewhat like a diary.

(Dear Diary…)

In Sanskrit, the word karma literally means “action”. In Buddhism however, karma mainly refers to one’s intention or motivation while doing an action. And I’m Baptist, so where does that leave me? Well, another answer then would be: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A person reaps what he sows.” (Gal. 6:7)

However, I don’t want this to be a piece centered on karma, so I guess that I could change the title to: “How you treat me is your bag (or doings, or responsibility), how I react is mine…”

And I guess that the main thing that got me thinking is the “how I react” part. Sometimes, I take things so personally. The guy that cuts me off while I’m driving because he didn’t see me (or is one of us in the older generation that can only turn his head ten or fifteen degrees to look). The lady with the grocery cart that just stands there in the middle of the aisle (beep, beep, honk, honk). The turmoil we go through with those close to us. Boy, I got to lighten up some.

What that above saying made me realize in just a few words is that I should not worry or be bothered so much by their actions, but be more conscious about mine. They have their own “life-circumstances” that colors their intentions or motivations, that’s their present-life karma. I’m not responsible for what they do, they are. I’m responsible for how I react to it and I don’t do such a good job sometimes.

I’m (slowly) learning to be happier or accepting of myself. What’s there is there …. By accepting myself better, I won’t reflect my feeling on what others inherently make me feel when they interact.

One of the things that I’m doing is getting out more in the sunshine here in Sedona instead of being “captured” by my computer. I’m also going to the Sedona Meditation Center and enjoying the classes there that get my body moving (rocking and rolling).

One other thing that I’m learning is to concentrate more on my breathing. I went to a lecture at the library a few weeks ago, given by the author of “The Call of Sedona” where he spoke on the utter importance of breathing (aside from keeping you alive). Not just breathing, but how you breathe. This is another thing that we all could learn better, whether it be at the Meditation Center, or at any of the yoga studios in Sedona.
Want to read a few paragraphs on breathing, click here: http://www.ilchi.com/tag/abdominal-breathing/

So, I’m practicing watching my breathing, concentrating on every breath, both in and out for 30 minutes a day. I know that I breathe shallowly, someone just reminded me of it last night. So, soon I hope to start to breathe more deeply without having to think about it. Keep myself kicking-around for a few more years…
I don’t want to feel like this little manga character… Life here in Sedona is pretty sweet, I want to enjoy it more… Ready to join me?

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
(Unknown source)

Shaeri's Self-Published Book

by Dylan Reese Marshall

SHAERI RICHARDS

I first met Shaeri at a table read for the Paul Boyce mocumentary “The Sweat Lodge”…we did the movie and it was an amazing experience.

Shaeri is a woman of many talents and many skills.

She is, without a doubt, a beautiful soul.

Shaeri and her delightful dog, Muzzie

I am blessed to have a  connection with her.

It had been awhile since we had sat together and held palaver…and I am thrilled to be able to share it with you.

Enjoy this learned woman’s insight into Loving yourself…

The Unparalleled Beauty Of The Red Rocks

It’s in two parts for your listening pleasure!

Many Blessings of Light and Love to you ALL!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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Franklin Hughes has recently posted two wonderful pieces.  Check them out!

Heart of Sedona- Shaeri Richards Part One

Heart of Sedona- Shaeri Richards Part Two