Sedona Story

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!!

Open links in a new tab on your browser so you can listen and read the latest articles.

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

ROSE MOON

Hello my dear friends,

This is a two part interview with an amazing artist and dear friend Rose Moon.

Her website is:  http://www.rosemoon.net/

The photos here are only a taste of the voluminous amount of work that this woman has done over the years.

Rose is a wonderful person and I am so happy that I can count her as one of my friends.

I hope you enjoy hearing what Rose has to say, as much as I.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Rose Moon Part One

Rose Moon Part Two

By Frank Hughes

In ancient China and Korea, Taoist scholars studied the basic fundamentals of nature. They understood that everything comes from the “unnamable,” the principles of Tao that show themselves in the principles of Yin and Yang (e.g. day and night, heaven and earth, etc.).

They observed this pattern in nature and named it the Five Elements or Five Energies. They are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water (the Air element is only found in western paradigms). They believed these 5 energies to be the energetic building blocks from which all things are made. Everything is made up of some combination of these elements whether it be plants, music, people, art and so on.

I thought that I’d look at these 5 Elements as they pertain to the nature of the Sedona area and to people around the world.

WOOD

Sedona has some of the most beautiful wood in the world. Some say the vortex energies add to this classic, twisty, beauty. These photos were taken along Broken Arrow Trail. For a person, wood is good when you want to add the energy of growth and vitality to your life. Wood heralds the beginning of life, the buds in springtime, sensuality, and fecundity.

In Oriental medicine, wood is represented by anger and its corresponding organs are the liver and gallbladder. Wood-type people are normally outgoing and socially conscious.

FIRE

Ah, fire can be a tricky one around the Sedona area. It can be as beautiful as the sun we see here in an evening sunset or destructive as a forest fire. Luckily our photo here of fire is from an outdoor Tao ceremony at Sedona Mago Retreat; it’s a spiritually healing fire.

Fire is associated with the qualities of dynamism, strength, and persistence. The fire element or energy provides warmth, enthusiasm, and creativity. Fire is responsible for that passionate resonance when you follow your life’s calling.

EARTH

Hmmmmm, earth is quite obvious in Sedona; we see its bared beauty every day. I wanted to show “earth” in a more simple way than the majestic red rocks here, so I chose a stone Buddha head that came from the Tibetan area. The second photo is of one of many carefully built stone columns that you find at Cathedral Rock, down by the stream.

Earth energy is grounding, stabilizing, and balancing. Of course the earth energy here in Sedona has a lot of metal in it also, the iron oxide that has turned the rocks that beautiful rusty red. Earth is associated with the qualities of patience, thoughtfulness, practicality, and stability. “Earth” people are normally warm, kind, and supportive.

METAL

Aside from the iron in our rocks, Sedona doesn’t have too much metal around. One nice example is the beautiful sculpture-castings that adorn the city (my favorite is the man and little child by the crosswalk). What I chose to show is the classic art-deco style tractor found in the old packing shed near the apple orchard at Slide Rock (I love the energy of that old tractor).

Metal is actually yin or feminine energy and its motion is inward (each energy has a yin or yang side to its energy, although I haven’t discussed them all here). The metal energy is the breath of life (one can see why it’s feminine). The qualities associated with it are persistence, strength, and determination. Metal people are self-reliant, and prefer to handle their problems alone.

WATER

One of the things that make Sedona so wonderful is the availability of water. We can see it in the picture here of Oak Creek, that stimulating flowing of life-giving water through the canyon and valley. But then we also can see it in the beautiful snowfalls that we receive in the winter. This image is what I can see from my kitchen window on a snowy morning.

Water energy is downward and its motion is stillness and conserving. Taoist thought says water is representative of intelligence, wisdom, stillness, and flexibility. In some ways water can be fluid and weak, but it can also wield a great power when it floods and overwhelms us. Water-type people can be a bit reserved, yet are often very creative. They can appear cool, yet have the capacity to deeply reflect. Water is also feminine in character.


I had the pleasure of finding out more about the Five Energies (Elements) in a seminar that was given a while ago here in Sedona. If you want to know more about the organs associated with each element, whether they are Yin or Yang, and what element you are, you can contact the person that taught me so much, Banya Lim, who is an acupuncturist and energy healer at the Sedona Mago Healing Center on Jordan Rd.

By Lynn Moon

On May 23, my friend and I drove up to the top of a hill in southeast Sedona. From there I could look down at Bell Rock, known to be the most powerful vortex in Sedona. I also found an interesting plant called a “century plant.” It has thick, strong spike, like bamboo or a giant asparagus, and it had grown about 8 feet high. It was much taller than me.

Although the century plant’s name implies that it lives for 100 years, its lifespan is actually 10 to 30 years. But it is an extraordinary experience to see the century plant because it blooms only once at the end of its life and dies after flowering.

About a month later, on June 25, I got a text message from my friend who used to check the progress of the blooming. “It bloomed. Take a picture!”

I re-visited the spot and was amazed the moment I saw the century plant in full bloom. It must have gone through a long wait of several decades to accumulate and pour enough energy into blooming the golden flowers.

At the height of capturing the wonder of nature, I saw a flying creature through the camera lens. It looked like a small bird or big insect. (You can see the small dot on the left side of the century plant in the picture above.) Through its unique flying pattern (Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, even upside down), I noticed, “It’s a hummingbird!” The tiny hummingbird came to drink nectar from the century plant flower.

It is said that in many traditional cultures of the western world the hummingbird has powerful spiritual significance. In the high Andes of South America, for example, the hummingbird is taken to be a symbol of resurrection. This is because each “hummer” becomes lifeless and seems to die on cold nights, but it comes back to life again when the miraculous sunrise brings warmth.

I found these beautiful words about hummingbirds.

“Hummingbirds teach us fierce independence. They teach us to fight in a way where no one really gets hurt. They teach us simple courage. The twittering, vibrating sounds of the hummingbirds bring us an internal message that restores health and balance.

Hummingbirds also inspire us to protect the environment and to preserve old traditions that are in danger of being lost. There is something in our souls that wants to hover at beautiful moments in our lives, making them freeze in time. There is something in us that wants to fly backwards and savor once more the beautiful past. Some of us are just hummingbird people.”

By Lynn Moon

These are sunset pictures taken in the summer of 2004 from the Airport Mesa vortex, over towards Mingus Mountain and Cottonwood. I packed my camera and drove up to Airport Mesa as soon as I saw the colorful sunbeams outside. It was more spectacular than I had imagined. I clicked the shutter-release for over an hour. Truly exhilarating. I especially liked the silhouette of Cockscomb Rock, the comb-shaped ridge. I will upload more pictures in the near future.