Sedona, Arizona
Forget the vortices and leave the crystals at home - one need only to witness a sunset in the Sonoran Desert to understand what inspires such fervent devotion to the land. Hot pinks shooting across the unwavering blue sky of the daytime set against a backdrop of red rocks, layered and pockmarked from centuries of environmental changes, give the moment an air of otherworldliness-like maybe you actually did slip through a vortex and wake up on Mars. The heat itself could easily send a person into a state conducive to communing with nature. Hiking the buttes- around Bell Rock, to the top of Cathedral Rock - and looking down into the valleys, gazing upon the river and forest below; exploring Boynton Canyon and peering up through the vistas; taking a minute to breathe in the desert air and feel enveloped by the surrounding artist’s palette of pastels; meditating (literally or figuratively) on being a tiny blip in the lifetime of these formations - all bring about a clarity of mind no spirit guide can offer.
This magic follows into downtown Sedona, surrounded by the overlooking mountains. Humans have tried to tame the primal patterns and create something comfortable for the bourgeois, but nature prevails. In the springtime especially, when everything is in bloom - the slouching wisterias, seemingly exhausted from the heat, starry balloon flowers and spikey agave plants with their sunburst red and yellow buds - the flora breaks through, belying any manmade pretenses.
