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At the end of October this year, I had the
opportunity to travel to Sedona on one of our Sacred Journeys. Having a
direct flight available from Vancouver to Phoenix on America West Airlines was a
blessing, as I do not relish hanging around U.S. airports waiting for connecting
flights! Our driver, Howie, met us at the baggage terminal and we were ushered
to our private 11 passenger van for the drive to Sedona. Howie is a geologist
and provided all kinds of interesting information about the area and it’s
geological significance.
We arrived at our hotel about 2 ½ hours later and were
warmly welcomed by Mark Amaru Pinkham and Andrea Mikana Pinkham,
our tour hosts for the next five days. Mark is an interesting person and noted
author of three books, The Return of the Serpents of Wisdom,
Conversations with the Goddess, and The Truth Behind the Christ Myth.
He is currently writing a fourth book, Guardians of the Holy Grail: The
Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life. His wife Andrea is
the National Director of Body Mind Spirit Journeys & an Andean Shamanic
Practitioner. Mark & Andrea have been traveling and leading tours to sacred
places since 1993, and we are very pleased to be representing them in Canada.
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The view from our hotel room |
Our hotel, The Orchards Inn, was perched upon a hillside overlooking the
majestic beauty of Sedona’s famed Red Rocks. I was pleasantly surprised
to learn that every room had a balcony with unmatched views overlooking the
majestic beauty of Sedona's famed Red Rocks. The views also encompassed the
wooded charm of Oak Creek Canyon below. I liked the fact that it was
centrally located in the heart of uptown Sedona, near all the shops and restaurants, yet the rooms
were set back and overlooked the view rather than the street.
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Our Yoga Place |
Each morning, Mark led us in Yoga and Meditation in a beautiful garden
area of the hotel, overlooking the majestic Red Rocks. What a way to start the
day!
Our first outing was to Bell Rock, the great sentinel and beacon of
Sedona’s principal vortexes. Here Mark explained esoteric teachings about the
four directions and the Gods and deities associated with them. We learned that
the East is associated with Spring, Creation, Dawn, the Sananda/Christ
and the animal spirit of the Condor or Eagle. Spiritual Wisdom and Justice are
qualities that can be obtained from invoking the Gods of the East. The West
is associated with Autumn, Preservation, Dusk, the God Sanat Kumara and the
animal spirit of the Puma or Jaguar. The West represents Materialism,
Authority/Ego, and Balance. The season of the North is Winter and it
represents Darkness, Death, & Destruction. In this direction we invoke The
Father Spirit and Lord Shiva and call on the animal spirits of the serpent and
snake. Here we can work on Inner Reflection and Healing. Finally, we learned
that the South, representing Summer, is associated with Light, Life and
Abundance. We call on the Mother Goddess, Dragoness, and Shakti, as well as all
3 animals and powers of the East, West and North.
In the afternoon a few of us women hit the Spa for a little R & R. My hot
stone massage was amazing and I was sorry when the hour was up! Shopping in
Sedona is a real treat, especially if you like crystals or traditional Native
American carvings, crafts and jewelry. I bought a few beautiful photographs of
Sedona for my home and office, and a lovely water fountain made of Wind Rock
from the Lake Powell area.
One of the highlights of the trip was our open-air jeep ride where we
climbed high above Sedona on a one hundred-year-old wagon road. Our guide
imparted fascinating history as we climbed to the Mogollon Rim for
expansive views.
Our next adventure would be to Cathedral Rock, the “Castle Vortex” of
Sedona. Cathedral Rock has a feminine negative polarity that is soothing,
balancing and harmonizing.
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Medicine Wheel Ceremony |
On the last day of the tour we visited Boynton Canyon, one of Sedona’s
most beautiful energy spots, abounding in soothing and nurturing energies, for a
Medicine Wheel Closing Ceremony facilitated by Mark and Andrea.
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Making our Ceremony Wheel |
We made our own Medicine Wheels at each vortex we visited. We invoked the
Gods and Goddesses of the four directions and stood in the direction of the
energy we needed most at that moment. It was a wonderful experience for
everyone.
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Our wonderful group |
Our Farewell Dinner at Oaxaca, a local Mexican Restaurant, was a nice ending
to a five day tour filled with mystery, awesome beauty and profoundly powerful
energy!
Click
here to see our scheduled Sacred Journeys to Sedona
I hope you will join us on one of these very special Journeys!
Abundant Blessings,
Helen Tomei
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