Sedona Story

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 Ilchi Lee

I came back to Sedona at the end of a long trip with the monsoon season going strong. I look forward to the rain storms that come in the late afternoon to briefly shake the red earth that’s been heated up all day before moving on. When the rain stops, the earth looks a deeper shade of red, and the sky a more vibrant blue. On a summer day like this, after a simple dinner, I take a walk on a trail close to my house, or every so often, I go to Schnebly Hill to watch the sunset.

Schnebly Hill’s “Merry-Go-Round” is my favorite sunset spot in Sedona. Beneath my feet is a refreshing view of Bear Wallow Canyon, and an incredible sunset feast of color extends through the western sky. Whenever I go to Schnebly Hill to watch the sunset, I stand at the entrance of the trail, gather my hands in front of my chest, and pause for a moment of meditation and prayer. It’s also a kind of ritual that I perform before I enter a vortex. Sometimes, if I’m standing like that, people who are passing by glance at me in askance.

There are probably also people who think of praying in front of a rock or tree as primitive behavior or as idol worship. But because I believe that this connects us with nature in a very beautiful and special way, whenever I have the opportunity, I recommend it to others as well.

When we visit the house of a close friend, we let them know in advance. Even within the same family, you knock before you enter another person’s room. That’s the basic courtesy by which you exercise consideration for others.

Even a small mountain shelters innumerable life forms. Here on Schnebly Hill, in addition to the juniper and oak trees, there are shrubs and wildflowers whose names are largely unknown, mountain creatures, and small insects zinging about. It’s a house where an unfathomable number of lives are living together. In that sense, wouldn’t it be natural for me to ask if it would be okay to enter for a while? For example, I say, “I’d like to ask for your hospitality today and visit your house. May I have your permission?”

Sedona has well-known vortexes like Bell Rock or Cathedral Rock, but based on my experience, you could say that all of Sedona is a vortex. I’d like to suggest that before you enter the vortex that is Sedona, you try and take some time to greet the spirit of the vortex and all of the life forms that live inside of it, if only for a moment. It’s doesn’t have to be a traditional prayer or meditation. It’s enough for you to briefly stop your footsteps, or as you walk, to express in any form your gratitude toward the mountains and valleys of Sedona that embrace you without restraint. If you have respect and gratitude in your heart, Sedona’s mountains and rocks will recognize it all too well. They might even respond to your heart by shaking the branches of a juniper tree with the wind or by coating a red rock with the shadow of a cloud.

In South Korea, where I was born, there are distinct expressions for “going up a mountain” and “going into a mountain.” Going on a hike or for exercise was called “going up the mountain,” but for going to a mountain to find the answer to something, or for a spiritual quest, the expression used was “going into the mountain.” I think for the vortexes in Sedona, the expression “going into” would be an apt expression.

It’s said that the Native Americans who lived here performed a ritual purification to empty themselves of selfish desires when they entered the mountains or canyons of Sedona. Otherwise, they believed, the dark clouds in their minds and hearts would pollute the earth and sky of Sedona.

When you enter a Sedona vortex, you may want to quietly read the following words of Chief Seattle who is famous for his poignant speeches about the relationship between nature and humans, or other earth wisdom that you like:

“Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. … All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

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.