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| pretty arroyo |
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| red rocks, white flowers |
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| Tiny biker! He had just turned four years old. |
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| cool tree roots |
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| Bell Rock |
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| Courthouse Butte |
Monday, April 2, 2012
Red Rock Views
These are various photos from around Sedona.
Hiking Oak Creek
North of Sedona is Oak Creek Canyon. We went up the canyon to the west fork of the creek to go hiking. This is Susan's favorite place to hike. We were never lonf without meeting other hikers.
At the beginning of the hike is an apple orchard and the ruins of a homestead house. I am still not sure who the home belonged to; one family or various families.
Then we hiked the creek canyon.
At the beginning of the hike is an apple orchard and the ruins of a homestead house. I am still not sure who the home belonged to; one family or various families.
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| Apple Orchard |
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| chicken coop |
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| This tree had toppled over from its place high on th cliff rocks. I liked how the tree fell and the roots were at the top. |
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| This couple would stop every so often and play native flutes. The man was part Cherokee. The music went up the canyon and made for a nice hike. |
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| I love this bark. It looks melted. |
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| awesome tree roots We hiked for about three hours. It was a wonderful day! |
Red Rocks and Pink Jeeps
Susan booked a tour with the Pink Jeep Tour Company. Lucky us, we had our guide all to ourselves. His name is Gary, and we had a great time with him. Enjoy the pictures - only a fraction of what I took. I have videos, but will have to add them later.
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| Chicken Point - a round section of rock that people used to drive their jeeps around. One false move and the jeep would plummet of th rocks and down a few hundred feet! |
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| This juniper tree is 700 years old! This particular variety of tree is known as Shaggy Bark or Utah Juniper. |
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| Susan was cold, and the wind was nippy. |
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| Twisted Cyprus. Some believe the trees twist because they are near vortexes. They would grow this way wherever they were planted. |
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| Sedona from a high point. |
Vortex of Energy and New Age
Sedona is a town of around 11,000 people, yet the town receives nearly four million visitors a year. Some come because Sedona is not far from the Grand Canyon. Others come for New Age experiences. A New York Times article described Sedona as a "spiritual hot tub without the water."
New Age
Beliefs in New Age differ from place to place. In Sedona, the New Age movement has a mix of Celtic Goddess worship, Native American ceremonies, crystal healings, mysticism, and Eastern philosophies.
Vortex
We have all seen physical vortexes. A tornado is a vortex of wind. Flushing the toilet sets off a vortex of water. In Sedona, it is believed that there are vortexes of energy at certain spots around the town, where prayers ascend more quickly, and energy can be felt.
Some History
The Native Americans have long held the area around Sedona to be sacred ground, and with the beauty of the area, this is not a far-fetched belief system. Long before men worshipped gods in the heavens, they worshipped deities in nature, and in many cultures this still occurs.
The New Age movement of Sedona started in full when Mary Lou Keller, a real estate agent, moved with her husband to Sedona. Mrs. Keller was quite taken with metaphysical mysticism, and started the Sedona Church of Light, to explore her beliefs. She would often have large groups of people in her home to listen to visiting guests who claimed to "channel" spirits, or to listen to tapes by well-known clairvoyants. After 22 years of marriage, Mr and Mrs Keller divorced over her beliefs in the metaphysical. Around town, Mary Lou was often referred to as "the crazy real estate lady" for her beliefs.
Another New Age pioneer in Sedona was Paige Bryant, who discovered the ley lines and vortexes in the area. Ley lines, in mysticism, are lines of power, and when they intersect, an energy vortex will manifest itself. Ley lines are not a New Age belief, but come from very old pagan beliefs. In this sense, Sedona is similar to Glastonbury, England, another center for metaphysical believers - and has been for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. For the ancient Druids, Glastonbury was the home to many ley lines and vortexes. As a person with Welsh heritage, I wouldn't be surprised to find that my ancestors a few thousand years ago would find their way to Glastonbury as it was home to both Druid and Christian mysticism.
The New Age movement reached its peak in Sedona in 1987, when thousands of people came to the town for the Harmonic Convergence. This was a time when all the planets in our solar system were in line with each other. Jose Arguelles, a professor of art history, organized the Harmonic Convergence in Sedona, which was basically the first globally synchronized meditation movement. Similar gatherings happened all over the world.
The New Age movement in Sedona is a complex one with many players, which I won't go into here. This is a blog and not a dissertation. However, the University of Northern Arizona in nearby Flagstaff had done at least two studies on the tourists/visitors coming to Sedona, and I bet there have been a few dissertations written on Sedona's New Age populace.
Sedona Today
One can find any number of New Age practitioners in town. The following photos are from one New Age store - which from a gemology view had some great crystal specimens!
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| My niece, Katie, told me about this place. |
New Age
Beliefs in New Age differ from place to place. In Sedona, the New Age movement has a mix of Celtic Goddess worship, Native American ceremonies, crystal healings, mysticism, and Eastern philosophies.
Vortex
We have all seen physical vortexes. A tornado is a vortex of wind. Flushing the toilet sets off a vortex of water. In Sedona, it is believed that there are vortexes of energy at certain spots around the town, where prayers ascend more quickly, and energy can be felt.
 |
| I tried to feel energy at the various vortex sites, but I didn't feel anything. |
Some History
The Native Americans have long held the area around Sedona to be sacred ground, and with the beauty of the area, this is not a far-fetched belief system. Long before men worshipped gods in the heavens, they worshipped deities in nature, and in many cultures this still occurs.
The New Age movement of Sedona started in full when Mary Lou Keller, a real estate agent, moved with her husband to Sedona. Mrs. Keller was quite taken with metaphysical mysticism, and started the Sedona Church of Light, to explore her beliefs. She would often have large groups of people in her home to listen to visiting guests who claimed to "channel" spirits, or to listen to tapes by well-known clairvoyants. After 22 years of marriage, Mr and Mrs Keller divorced over her beliefs in the metaphysical. Around town, Mary Lou was often referred to as "the crazy real estate lady" for her beliefs.
Another New Age pioneer in Sedona was Paige Bryant, who discovered the ley lines and vortexes in the area. Ley lines, in mysticism, are lines of power, and when they intersect, an energy vortex will manifest itself. Ley lines are not a New Age belief, but come from very old pagan beliefs. In this sense, Sedona is similar to Glastonbury, England, another center for metaphysical believers - and has been for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. For the ancient Druids, Glastonbury was the home to many ley lines and vortexes. As a person with Welsh heritage, I wouldn't be surprised to find that my ancestors a few thousand years ago would find their way to Glastonbury as it was home to both Druid and Christian mysticism.
The New Age movement reached its peak in Sedona in 1987, when thousands of people came to the town for the Harmonic Convergence. This was a time when all the planets in our solar system were in line with each other. Jose Arguelles, a professor of art history, organized the Harmonic Convergence in Sedona, which was basically the first globally synchronized meditation movement. Similar gatherings happened all over the world.
The New Age movement in Sedona is a complex one with many players, which I won't go into here. This is a blog and not a dissertation. However, the University of Northern Arizona in nearby Flagstaff had done at least two studies on the tourists/visitors coming to Sedona, and I bet there have been a few dissertations written on Sedona's New Age populace.
Sedona Today
One can find any number of New Age practitioners in town. The following photos are from one New Age store - which from a gemology view had some great crystal specimens!
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| There are people in Sedona who believe in aliens and alien abduction. |
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| Some crystals can conduct electricity (tourmaline), others have magnetic properties (hematite). However no scientific research has proven that crystals have healing powers. |
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| New Age practicioners often borrow concepts from Buddhism and Hinduism. |
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| Two sides of Sedona - Buddha and a cowboy Many Christians Sedona is home to many Christians, of various denominations. For some Chritianity is just as mystical as New Age and therefore not valid. Everyone deserves to believe what they wish without being picked at by others. My favorite church is The Chapel of the Holy Cross, conceived and funded by Margurite Brunswig Staude. This is a prayer chapel only, no congregation meets here.  |
Sedona Arizona
Sedona Arizona - the name means so many things to different types of people. Let's explore these people and the town they call home.
The Native Americans
The area in and around Sedona has long been inhabited by Native Americans as they considered the area sacred ground. Ancient peoples such as the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Sinaqua have left ruins.
Contemporary tribes include the Dine (the People - White folks call them Navajo), Hopi ( People of Peace), Haalapai ( People of Tall Pines), Havasupai ( People of the blue-green water), Yavapai, and Apache. The Yavapai and Apache have several subgroups within their respective nations. The Yavapai-Wipukepa (People from the Foot of the Red Rock) were and are the Native people of the Yavapai Nation originally living in the area.
In 1876, 1500 Yavapai and Apache were forcibly marched 180 southeast to the San Carlos Indian Reservation. This march took place in midwinter, and several hundred people died. The survivors were interned for 25 years. In 1900 a few of these people came back to the Sedona area.
The Settlers
It is believed that the first European to see the area around Sedona was Antonio de Espejo around 1583! Many Spaniards were looking for silver and gold in the area, which they did not find.
The first permanent settler was J.J. Thompson, who moved into the area in 1876 followed by a few more hardy settlers. They settled the Oak Creek Canyon area. Part of Thompson's homestead is now home to a Dairy Queen! We stopped there.
One of the early settlers was T.C. Schnebly and his wife, Sedona. For years, T.C. petitioned to get a post office station in the area. Original names for the postal station were Schnebly Station, Red Rock Crossing, and Oak Creek Station. However, the U.S. Government thought all of these names were too long to fit on a postal cancellation stamp. It was T.C.'s brother, Dorsey Schnebly that suggested his sister-in-law, Sedona, as a name for the postal station. In 1902, the name Sedona was granted as a station name, and a town was born.
Parts of the town of Sedona did not have electricity until the 1960s!
The Artists
Like various art colonies around the country, and simlar to Tubac in southern Arizona, artists came for the beauty of the area and stayed. In 1950, artist Max Ernst moved to Sedona. Since then, many artists have moved to the area, and the town is filled with many upscale art galleries. The artwork here is quite expensive.
The New Age Folk
Sedona is most famous for the New Age movement, which at its peak in 1987, had thousands of devotees coming to Sedona for the Harmonic Convergence, when all the planets aligned. (I actually recall this day, not because I was in Sedona, but because I was hired for a teaching job, and my sister and I spotted a jeep for sale - my brother-in-law wanted a jeep.) I will go into more detail in another post about the New Age Movement in Sedona.
The Native Americans
The area in and around Sedona has long been inhabited by Native Americans as they considered the area sacred ground. Ancient peoples such as the Anasazi, Hohokam, and Sinaqua have left ruins.
Contemporary tribes include the Dine (the People - White folks call them Navajo), Hopi ( People of Peace), Haalapai ( People of Tall Pines), Havasupai ( People of the blue-green water), Yavapai, and Apache. The Yavapai and Apache have several subgroups within their respective nations. The Yavapai-Wipukepa (People from the Foot of the Red Rock) were and are the Native people of the Yavapai Nation originally living in the area.
In 1876, 1500 Yavapai and Apache were forcibly marched 180 southeast to the San Carlos Indian Reservation. This march took place in midwinter, and several hundred people died. The survivors were interned for 25 years. In 1900 a few of these people came back to the Sedona area.
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| Montezuma's Castle - believed to be a Sinagua dwelling. |
The Settlers
It is believed that the first European to see the area around Sedona was Antonio de Espejo around 1583! Many Spaniards were looking for silver and gold in the area, which they did not find.
The first permanent settler was J.J. Thompson, who moved into the area in 1876 followed by a few more hardy settlers. They settled the Oak Creek Canyon area. Part of Thompson's homestead is now home to a Dairy Queen! We stopped there.
One of the early settlers was T.C. Schnebly and his wife, Sedona. For years, T.C. petitioned to get a post office station in the area. Original names for the postal station were Schnebly Station, Red Rock Crossing, and Oak Creek Station. However, the U.S. Government thought all of these names were too long to fit on a postal cancellation stamp. It was T.C.'s brother, Dorsey Schnebly that suggested his sister-in-law, Sedona, as a name for the postal station. In 1902, the name Sedona was granted as a station name, and a town was born.
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| Theodore and Sedona |
Parts of the town of Sedona did not have electricity until the 1960s!
The Artists
Like various art colonies around the country, and simlar to Tubac in southern Arizona, artists came for the beauty of the area and stayed. In 1950, artist Max Ernst moved to Sedona. Since then, many artists have moved to the area, and the town is filled with many upscale art galleries. The artwork here is quite expensive.
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| Max and Dorothea Ernst with his scupture "Capricorn". |
The New Age Folk
Sedona is most famous for the New Age movement, which at its peak in 1987, had thousands of devotees coming to Sedona for the Harmonic Convergence, when all the planets aligned. (I actually recall this day, not because I was in Sedona, but because I was hired for a teaching job, and my sister and I spotted a jeep for sale - my brother-in-law wanted a jeep.) I will go into more detail in another post about the New Age Movement in Sedona.
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| The sign says it all. |
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