Storytime-Life Lessons from an Arizona Vortex

Powerful energy centres called Vortexes are located in the desert of Arizona, which are intersections of naturally occurring electromagnetic Earth energy called ley lines.  The transformative healing of the Vortexes must be experienced to be believed...

2019 is going to be a momentous year for me.  That is not only what the astrologer that I follow said, but because I know once you hit bottom; the only direction is up.  You see, this past New Years' I not only found myself separated from my husband of nearly twenty years but also the sole caregiver to my teenage son.  I rang in 2019 in a state of emotional and spiritual distress, trying to figure out how I was going to try to put my life back together again.  

Luckily I had a work trip to Scottsdale, Arizona booked for a belly dance retreat.  It was a three day intensive with six hours a day of instruction, lunch hour lectures and evening performances.  I honestly didn't know if I had it in me to keep up to the rigorous pace of such a physically demanding schedule, but I really needed a mental break from my life and a way to feed my soul.  Besides, the trip was all paid for already and non-refundable!


I was travelling with members of my dance troupe from Ontario, and we decided to arrive in Scottsdale a day early and rent a van to visit Sedona for some exploring.  Upon researching hikes around Sedona, I discovered that there are said to be "Vortices" or centres of energy that are conducive to healing.  This turned out to be in perfect alignment with what I needed.  So what's the deal with Vortexes?

Start of the Trail To Cathedral Rock

The 22-mile radius around Sedona is said to be a great big Vortex, and approaching the town you could feel a shift of emotions in your body. Was it excitement, anticipation....anxiety?   For those who have experienced Vortex phenomena, they explained it to me like this:  Vortices amplify your emotions and energy.  If you are feeling happy, your Spiritual experience will be blissful and positive, and if you are depressed or agitated, you could have a negative experience.  It is believed that each Vortex point has either Inflow energy (Yin energy that is feminine) or Upflow energy (Yang energy that is masculine).  It is essential therefore to treat your hike to a Vortex like a pilgrimage and prepare yourself emotionally. 

First Plateau Below Cathedral Rock

Cathedral Rock is an iconic symbol of Sedona and one of the more popular places to hike to experience an Inflow Vortex, and Bell Rock is the most trekked of the Upflow Vortexes.  Both of these trails are listed as "easy" hikes, but that is a bit misleading because although short; the trails are vertically challenging.  To reach the trailhead for Cathedral Rock take the turnoff to Back O' Beyond Road at the roundabout on Highway 179 (Red Rocks Scenic Byway.)  You will come across a parking lot and an overflow parking area, both on the left side of the road.  There is a meter at the trailhead where you need to purchase a $5.00 "pay-and-display" ticket for all day parking.  Cash and credit cards were both accepted in the machine.  

Approaching The Saddle Of Cathedral Rock

The Cathedral Rock trail is a series of mesa or plateaus connected by steep verticle inclines.  The first part of the trail is easy, and you can walk through the red earth in a pair of Birkenstocks like one of my fellow dance partners did.  Quite quickly you arrive at the first plateau with a fantastic view of Cathedral Rock above you and the Red Rock formations of the Sedona Valley surrounding you. This windy tabletop is considered to be an Upflow Vortex point, and I noticed something strange began to happen.  First, the trail leading on from here started to climb significantly, and one of our hiking companions had begun to get a cramp in her foot, so she decided to turn around and meet us back at the trailhead.  Soon the trail inclined again requiring hikers to use their hands to climb the rocks that became like a ladder.   Another one of my companions slipped and hit her hand so hard that she almost sprained her thumb; she was out for the hike.  My next friend, who was wearing a gorgeous pair of blue suede loafers reluctantly stayed behind the group, slowly making his way to the next mesa because his shoes did not offer enough traction on the dusty boulders.  PROPER HIKING SHOES IS A MUST  TO REACH THE SUMMIT OF THIS TRAIL!

Beautiful Red 

We were down to half of our original group now, and the path inclined again becoming almost verticle.  Watching people using rock scrambling techniques to continue upwards terrified one of my companions who was worried about trying to get back down the steep incline, and she decided it was best for her to stop at that point.  It was only my one last friend and now, I huffing and puffing up the dusty red trail trying to find the next rock-cairn trail marker when all of a sudden, my friend's breathing became laboured.   She was having difficulty with asthma-like symptoms and told me she would have to stay behind.  My dear friend looked up at me solemnly and said: "Monika I think you are meant to make the rest of this journey on your own."   I nearly burst into tears.  My first thought (and every other thought after that) was I CAN'T DO IT ALONE!  But some strange force deep within me propelled me forward, and I nodded and continued upwards. I had come so far already, I couldn't give up at this time.  All my self-doubts rose to the surface, and the journey to the top of Cathedral Rock became a giant metaphor in my mind for rebuilding my life.

With each footstep, my husbands' voice started echoing inside my head, telling me that I was not strong enough to make it to the top alone.  What if I got lost and nobody could find me?  What if I hurt myself and there was no one to help me back down?  What if my friends down below though I was too slow and left me to go into town (oh right, I had the car keys in my backpack-whoops!)  Why weren't there more people climbing up the path, so I easily could follow along behind them?  
Every now and again a few elated hikers came down the steep path and offered me encouragements as they passed:  "You are almost there; keep going!"  and "It's worth the climb, it's spectacular up there!"  Honestly, if it were not for those reassuring words from these strangers I would have turned around and fled to the safety of my friends below.  But I had made it this far already to turn back now seemed like a waste.  So I gathered up my strength,  and told myself that I was doing great and that I can do this difficult and challenging thing BY MYSELF at my own pace, just by putting one foot in front of the other; eventually, I would get to the top.  Kind of like life, right?
And I did.

Womb With A View

I saw the end of trail sign, and I could not believe my accomplishment!  My body was tingling with energy, and my eyes inhaled the most incredible vista of the Sedona canyonlands below me.    I found myself on the edge of a cliff in a natural amphitheatre of red rocks that felt like being in the Earth's womb; in fact, I have heard the summit of Cathedral Rock referred to as "a womb with a view."  I wish I had had someone with me to witness the moment, but at the same time,  the solo trek made my experience a Spiritual initiation for me.  Sitting on a rock near the ledge, I briefly closed my teary eyes and listened to the wind.  I wanted to burn the moment in my memory for future use when I began to doubt myself again.  


Just as I was hoisting my daypack back on to return down the trail, two women from Hawaii arrived breathlessly at the summit.  They offered to do a photo exchange with me since I was alone on the trail.  I am so happy they arrived when they did because now I have a touchstone to remember the incredible Vortex experience of Cathedral Rock where I learned I am never really alone.  Mother Earth has always had my back.   After the challenging slide back down the rocks, my dear friends were waiting for me at the bottom. They had not abandoned me, which just reinforced the knowledge that I was supported on my journey even though I had to walk the steps by my self.  I look forward to blogging SOLO adventures in 2019 and in the future, overcoming my travel anxieties, doubts and fears of a woman travelling alone for the first time in 20 years!  

I DID IT!!!!

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