Revision
Your Destiny in Primordial Nature
Present
now is a rising tide of new energy,
a positive surge there for us at this time in the evolution of
humans on earth.
Full of potentiality we can vision into a new reality.
Something
inside is longing to see the bigger picture of who you
are. Maybe eagle has been coming in your dreams, calling
you out to the silence of the desert. You know you are
not expressing your fire, there is a longing that is
calling you to be more than you know you are.
photo by Shannon Silver, 2007
We
resist, yet are irretrievably drawn. At some point we feel
limited or get tired of repeating old patterns and we give
in to the call of our soul. The first step is to create a
powerful intention for change and step out of your busy life
away from familiar surroundings. You step over the edge of
your known boundaries into the creative terrain of the unknown.
"The greatest friend of the soul is the
unknown. Yet we are afraid of the unknown because it lies outside
our vision and our control. We avoid it or quell it by filtering
it through our protective barriers of domestication and control.
The normal way never leads home." (John
O'Donohue)
When
your heart issues that call to pilgrimage and you answer
and go to a place with great natural energy and power,
you receive cellular level stimulation, awakening. Entering
with a child-like sense of awe, heart wide open, in reverence
and prayer opens the door. This is really a pilgrimage
to your own heart-- an act of great love and courage
to just be with you.
You
don't necessarily get a technicolor movie spelling out your
big vision, but you become more tuned in, more receptive
in your day to day basis life.You listen more to your heart's
yearning and each new bold step out opens more doors of creative
experession taking you places you never would have imagined.
You gain confidence and a new fire that people will see in
the new depths of your eyes.
Going
into wild nature is an ancient way of connecting with your
own soul. Simply being alive and fully present in the moment
opens a direct connection to all of Creation which shamans
call a state of ecstatic union. If you can feel this even
for a moment, it will change your life forever. In the seeming
simplest ways is hidden profound wisdom. The gateway is within.
The
challenge for people living in modern cultures today is to
clear the mind, let the static go, to move into a heart-centered
place of deep connectedness to Source. Many older tribal
forms of seeking vision involved physical suffering such
as days of fasting to free the supplicant to connect to spirit.
But in today's world most of us already are adept at leaving
our body, living mostly in our heads. So a lot of our work
is helping you identify and release energies/patterns that
no longer serve, reclaiming parts of your soul's energies,
developing deep observing skills in the physical and dream
time worlds. Worldwide now, mysticism, with nature as a doorway
is calling people home of self .
We
become for this time a tribe and remember that sense of community
and connectedness, which for millennia was core to tribal
ceremony and healing.
Dare
to be with you--see who you really are. Canyon
de Chelly's powerful presence overhead opens your heart,
energizes you and reflects light back to you. Our
Native guides will give us a role model of praying with your
whole heart, having faith you are heard and working with
the power of gratitude. But
your own intention and willingness to be in loving communion
with all that you are without judgment gives wings to your
journey. A
Hopi elder once said, to be wise, first you must ask. then
pay attention, and then it is up to you.
I love D. H. Lawrence's
eloquent, gutsy thoughts on the value of surrendering
to wild places:
When we get out of the glass
bottles of our ego,
And when we escape like squirrels
turning in the cages
Of our personality
And get into the forests again;
We shall shiver with cold and
fright
But things will happen to us
So that we do not know ourselves.
Cool, unlying life will rush
in,
Passion will make our bodies
taut with power,
We shall stamp our feet with
new power
And old things will fall down,
We shall laugh, and institutions
will curl up like burnt paper.
photo by Shannon Silver, 2007
"The greatest
friend of the soul is the unknown. Yet we are afraid
of the unknown because it lies outside our vision
and our control. We avoid it or quell it by filtering
it through our protective barriers of domestication
and control.
The normal way never leads home."
John O'Donohue
I
have created an integrated program that helps you
open the pathways to your own soul's knowing based
out of years of learning shamanism directly from
wild nature, my dreams, my guides, Native peoples
and many other wisdom keepers. I have also developed
a reportoire of supportive skills that help us shift
out of our busy mind-centered technological daily
reality and help us to focus, observe and be centered
in clear, calm high use of mind.
Summer
Solstice is a very auspicious time to connect with
your Light. This is your time of divine communion
with your own soul supported by powerful east-west
practices of self-awareness, shamanic healing and
soul retrieval. If this feels right, if
you feel ready, I am here for you. Creator gifted
me with the ability to hold space for people, to
reflect back their soul's gifts in an honoring
way, to assist you in creating movement in your
life. We have wonderful Hopi and Navajo people
who will help us open our hearts, pray from our
heart and energize our ceremonies.
Likely
you will make new friends with the other participants
who, like you, have a courage and openness to see
and be more of who they are. We are doing solo work
from a supportive base of human community as we cook
and eat together outdoors, move through our fears,
share our joy, share campfire circles and songs.
This sense of connectedness within and without is
a powerful experience that you will carry with you
all your life.
Sandra Cosentino
The Program
preliminary outline of program
Day 1: Sedona
~~Foundational skills development
and soul work~~
6 - 10 am:
mystical nature shamanic journey seminar out on the
land.
10 am - 11 am
Introduction to vision quest
lunch break and time to go out and practice soul in
nature skills on own and to integrate the morning's
work
4 - 7 pm:
Soul Retrieval/Extraction experiential seminar, part
1, and Sound Healing session with Himalayan metals
and other evocative instruments |
|
Day
2:
Sedona
7:30
- 9:30 am
Soul Retrieval Seminar, Part 2
9:30
- 11am
load gear, pick
up lunch
11 - 1:30 pm
Journey to
the Hopi Indian Reservation
~~Ancient prayer vibrations,
blessings and ceremony~~
1:30
- 9 pm
Experience
the most traditional
culture in North
America. Their ancestors
are the ones who
built the cliff dwellings
in Canyon de Chelly.
This
a landscape pregnant with more than a millennia
of prayer energy; it is this vibration that we
invite you to connect with. You will experience
visits to villages, a special blessing circle with
warm-hearted Hopi wise people who will help prepare
you for the journey to their ancestral homeland. We
hope to see a ceremonial dance before leaving the
Hopi Mesas (if one is occuring). (drawing
to right by Lewis Kagenveama)
Ancient Cultures of the Southwest and natural history
teachings with reference booklet.
Special
Native American purifcation lodge option. Enjoy
a traditional food dinner in a Hopi home. Overnight
in good quality motel on either Hopi or Navajo
lands. Dinner and hotel included. |
|
Day 3-8:
~~Nature, Soul and Vision Quest~~
Canyon de Chelly on Navajo lands
breakfast
inlcuded at hotel
8:00 am:
Drive to Chinle and enter Canyon de Chelly
We
enter sheer red cliffs of sandstone by on foot
with our Navajo guide on a 2- 3 mile Navajo trail
of moderate difficulty. We take our time using
this as a time of coming into relationship with
the spirit of the canyon. We will leave on an 1
1/4 mile trail (600 feet gradual elevation gain)
passing by cliff dwellings almost a millennia old,
seeing rock art, Navajo hogans, evidence of long
centuries of human habitation in this sacred land. Those
who want more hiking time, can also walk the 3+
miles to the base of the trail from our camp.
In
this mysterious womb-like canyon of stunning natural
beauty and power we spend 5 days camped on private
Navajo land. Navajo
legend tells how this ancient sacred place nurtures
and feeds you. We
honor the ancient spiritual presence of the Puebloan
ancestors of the today's Hopi people who lived
here beginning at least 2,000 years ago and built
the spectacular cliff dwellings that were abandoned
by 1300 A.D. and the Navajo Holy Ones and Navajo
people of today who are present here too.All
the gear will be trucked in and out of the canyon.
If
anyone wants to participate that cannot do the hikes
in or out, please let us know and you can ride in
and out with the gear vehicles. We will pace
the walk so you can rest as needed. It is such a
powerful way to enter the canyon being on foot in
direct connection.
|
|
Experiences while in canyon:
Deepening shamanic journey skills development for
being your own seer, cognitive dreaming, nature observation-communion
skills, intuitive insights, development of being
here now skills. Working with prayer and intention,
paying attention to signs.
Ceremonies: Cross-cultural drum healing Ceremony,
Re-Dreaming Ceremony, Navajo Fire Blessing, Native
purification ceremony.
Solo overnight for one day and night
Re-creating your vision of you as a positive, expanding
force of evolution
Campfire circles with song, dance, stories and sense
of community
Creating your own power shield as a medicine piece
to take home with you
Special cultural experiences: sandpainting and weaving
presentations, Navajo cook out, Hopi traditional food
meal in a home
Camping and living safely in the outdoors instruction,
wholesome meals with vegan options.
Options in camp for Hopi body work, Navajo guided
canyon walks.
This is a full 8 day intensive program. You will
gain many new insights and be processing the clearing
of old patterns and strengthening your movement into
the future. We highly recommend you take a couple
of days afterward for personal integration before
re-entering your busy home world.
You will have a chance to buy Hopi and Navajo arts
and crafts direct from artists and at a museum quality
giftshop on our last day.
 Campfire
circle -- spirit moving, 2006
See more
photos here |
"What is it exactly that
called me here? Mystery is what called me here--the
answers to questions I hadn't known yet to ask,
hadn't lived yet. Something Wise knew I was getting
ready to ask those questions--and to hear the
answers, and it called me in so that we could
talk."
Shay Panther
photo by Jackie Burroughs, 5/05
 This
circle of life is a symbol of our soul's journey
home to our place of center.
photo by Sandy Seeber, 10/05
Making Hopi flatbread, 2006
|
photo by Shannon Silver, 2007
Vision
Quest Speaks to our Soul's Longing...
Coyote presence is
a frequent part of the canyon overnight experience:
"Then the first long quavering coyote howl rises,
peaks, and slides like a diver into the inky depths
of the ocean, pulling light with it. I tingle all over.
Adrenaline reaches out to my scalp, back, and fingers,
and I am more awake than I have been for months. A
second call from another cliff carves out eerie funnels
of sound. These are rich, complex tones filled with
minor notes and harmonics...they communicate joy. Canine
boom boxes..the coyote howls guide me into the Night
People's realm."
Susan Zwinger,
Plateau Journal, summer, 1998,
a publication of the Museum of
Northern Arizona |
 |
Walls
Become Webs of Life...
"Being in Canyon de Chelly
is like being in the womb of Mother
Earth and yet in a starport--a
place divinely designed for soul
communion. She takes you into her
arms. My heart soars when I wake
at night there and see the moon
-shadowed forms of her curving
body, so exquisitely beautiful,
rising powerfully above me silhouetted
against the star-studded night
sky. Earth and sky seem to merge.
I am drawn into an intimacy and
a vastness, a merging with the
Great Mystery. These moments are
soul imprints that I will carry
always."
Sandra Cosentino"The
vision quest is a spiritual journey
to wisdom that has been practiced by
people for as long as history can remember.
The resulting visions are recorded
in cave drawings and described in the
oral traditions of cultures throughout
the world. Native North Americans believed
that animals took vision quests when
they hibernated during the long winter
months. Christ's forty days in the
wilderness was a vision quest. Many
of the prayers, meditations, and rituals
used by the world's religions originally
were developed as vehicles for the
vision quest. .. We and the other "moderns" on
this planet are perhaps the first people
in history not to practice some form
of the vision quest as a regular part
of our education process."
(John Perkins from The
World is as You Dream It, Shamanic
Teachings from the Amazon and Andes)
Facilitators
The
retreat leaders have a calling as universal bridge people
bringing together people of many cultures, ways and locations
to make a deeper connection to their own soul in the
profound presence of vibrant nature. They
encourage you to see, feel and express your soul's longing
in a way where you feel honored for the wisdom you carry
as well. In fact, together, we create a circle
of wisdom, and help each other to remember.
 photo
of Sandra Cosentino and Daniel Staley taken by Laura G.,
May, 2001,
near Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly (the rocks are actually
a lot redder than this)
As
participants in Navajo and Hopi traditional culture,
they help us connect with the Holy Ones who are fully
realized spiritual beings that used to walk on this earth
plane. Daniel says, "they want us to remember that
they live here too." Our
Native American guides carry a powerful authenticity
from a lifetime of living these ancient ways of earth-spirit
connection.
Winnie C. Henry will be our Navajo guide in the
canyon. Literally
born in Canyon de Chelly, Winnie is a wise, culturally
knowledgeable and deep person. She is also a talented
weaver. (See article about
her). She will share a special traditional blessing
with us and speak of the art of weaving and living
in the wilds of Navajo lands as she takes us on a
canyon walk to her hogan.
Winnie
says with firm conviction, "I can pray anywhere.
God doesn't tell us to practice this way and that
way. I don't think there should be a routine. There
are signs I see and notice when I pray. Examples
make me believe--people living their belief. My culture
and my religion live within me and won't come out.
Trees, water, every living thing has male and female.
The heat, the air, is for a reason. All are team
work."
|
Roanna
Kagenveama,
talented Hopi artist and teacher, will be there for
you with prayers, nurturance and wisdom.
photo by
Jackie Burroughs 5/05
Roanna
holds a powerful spiritual presence and will assist
you in holding space for your prayers and communion
with your spirit. She will be offering a deep stress
release massage (by donation), share songs and
very grounded wisdom, and nurture us with her great
cooking and joyful presence. Her ancestors are
the ones who lived in Canyon de Chelly for almost
2,000 years.
"The
prayer that is walking with Creation is within
us as walk the land heart to heart and hand
to hand. Even though we think we are alone,
the Creator is there to take care of it for
you and give you what you need. You do your
prayer, it is all inside you what you want
to bring out. You don't know what you are
speaking within you, but it is coming out.
This is having faith in the creational path.
Trust and it will be there for you all the
time." Roanna
|
Daniel
Staley, a warmhearted
Dine (Navajo) spiritual leader and guide from
Canyon de Chelly with a group at his homeland
in the canyon.
 photo
by Lisa Stone 5/03
Daniel will
lead a sand painting experience, and a gentle,
reverent sweat lodge ceremony (optional and by
donation). He sings medicine songs in a soft, natural
way that carries you into another time.
"Daniel
enjoys sharing with visitors. You can feel the
presence of the Holy Ones sitting at the fire
with him. You also feel well cared for being
on his land and may chuckle at his ever-present
sense of humor."
Sandra
Cosentino
|
Sandra
Cosentino,
an earth-spirited facilitator-teacher native
to Arizona and founder of Crossing Worlds will
lead this retreat. Her informed passion, mystical
understandings, intuition, work with spirit
helpers and shamanic healing, and honoring
of the wisdom-spirit that dwells in each of
us, create a bridge for you to enter this world. Sandra
has a powerful ability to hold the space for
each to make connections they need and she
has life long experiential knowledge of the
healing powers of wild nature.
"Sandra
comes in a good way to the Canyon--she listens
to the wind, the air, the water to be real
close to Mother Earth. She likes it, wants
to be with it and is a healer to other people. "
Daniel
Staley
Sandra
will give you experiences in being your own shaman-healer
as you work with shamanic journey, soul retrieval,
lucid dream skills, redreaming, releasing old contracts,
and nature awareness to gain insights, guidance and
connect with spirit helpers. We will use these skills
and intuitive insights to deepen knowledge that comes
us from dreams, signs, symbols and the constant flow
of energies around and within us.
Sandra
will teach intertribal ways of working with ceremony,
intention and aligning with the universal energies
of Creation. In the drum healing ceremony, you
may choose to be wrapped like a papoose in a
blanket to receive drum, earth and human vibrations
and shamanic healing work for your renewed balance.
"In
the purity of connection to wild nature, we
have direct access to all of Creation. Domestication
diminishes our direct knowing--as a wise Peruvian
shaman told me years ago: "think of the difference
between an eagle and a chicken."
|
Soul Images Painted on Personal Medicine
Shields You
will make a power shield of native willow you gather and
shape as a frame for leather on which
you will paint your insights and visions to take home with
you as a tangible reminder of your personal medicine.
Let your voice be the voice of the trees, of the rocks of
your own soul's song.
Photo
by L.G.(her shield is the bottom one, her words
are below), May, 2001 |
 |
Photo
by Lisa Stone, May 2003 |
"I
followed my heart and stood on the rim of Canyon De Chelly,
feeling a deep pull in my soul. The Canyon welcomed me
and I knew I had come to the right place at the right time,
as though returning to a place that knew me.. Sandra validated
and valued that experience for me, supporting me and holding
the space while I explored the mystery and magic of the
journey back to myself. She helped me tap into a "knowing" within
myself that continues to unfold in very unique ways. Sandra's
deep connection to and understanding of wild nature made
her the perfect guide and companion for this amazing journey.
I experienced something while exploring my soul's calling
that has forever changed my connection to nature and myself.
Thank you Sandra, for providing an opportunity to remember."
Kellyn Boileau, May, 2003
(her shield is the one with angel with
uplifted arms)
DETAILS:
We will enjoy wholesome meals cooked outdoors in camp.
Facilities are basic: solar shower, outhouses,
shade shelter, tents. But the sense of community
and the power and beauty of living in the canyon
are exquisite.
Caution: Outdoor
living may not be for everyone. You must be in reasonably
good health. We will be in a remote canyon reached
only by foot travel or 4-wheel drive. You have the
option to hike in and out or to ride in a 4WD vehicle.
If you have medical challenges that might require
urgent attention, know that cell phones do not work
in the canyon and we could be 2 or 3 hours away from
getting out of the canyon to the hospitial facility
in Chinle. There is always an element of risk associated
with outdoor activities. We emphasize safety but
ultimately each person must take responsibility for
themself. No minors may participate without the presence
of their parent or legal guardian. We reserve the
right to refuse participation of anyone we feel poses
a safety hazard to themselves or others.
Retreat
begins Day 1 at 6 am in Sedona where we begin our
foundational skills practices: mystical nature shamanic
journey, soul retrieval work and creating our circle
of power and support. Our Hopi spiritual woman will
be with us in Sedona as well.
Lodging and meals in
Sedona not included
(option to come the day
before and do the Sedona
Explorer Journey,
2 1/2 hours)
Day 2 - We leave for Hopi
and Navajo lands at 11
am from Sedona after a
morning session completing
our soul retrieval work
plus loading our gear.
We spend the day meeting
with warm-hearted peoples
and connecting with the
ancient prayerful energy
of these remote sacred
lands. Hopi purification
option.
Dinner in a Hopi home and
overnight at motel on Navajo
land with a nice plush bed
for you after your purification
lodge included.
Day
3 - We enter the canyon in morning and set up our
camp in the Canyon where we will spend 5 nights--one
of which is a solo overnight.
Breakfast at hotel, picnic
lunch enroute and dinner in
camp included on Day
3;
all in-camp meals provided
through lunch on Day 8.
Day
8 - We return to Sedona by 7 - 8 pm
(dinner and lodging in
Sedona not included)
Each
person brings bedroll, pad, tent, flashlight, water
bottle, journal, 2-3 towels, moist towelettes (we
have extra tents, sleeping bags and pads if you cannot
bring one).
Cost
for 8 day program described above:
$2,350* each with 8 - 10 people (discounted
to $2,200*
each with 11-13 people
*plus
reciprocity for sweat lodge
(ask for details).
For
guests who have already done a vision quest or soul
journey retreat with Crossing Worlds, you can elect
to elect to omit the Mystical Nature Journey, Soul
Retrieval and vision quest preparation sessions for
a $250 discount and will begin retreat on Day 2 at
10:30 am. I recommend that even if you have done
these, you might find a deepening occurring as you
do the experiences again. You take in the experiences
at a deeper level.
In
the event, there are less than 8 people registered
for the retreat you can elect one of these options
(or you can cancel with refund less a $50 office fee
which is transferable to another program):
Option
1: $2,800* each with 6 - 7 people, we can still do
the full retreat described above; however, you will
have a lot more personal attention with daily staff
of 4 in camp
Option 2: $1,800 each with
4-5 people, program will
be modified to 2 day Hopi
and Navajo journey following
a 5 day Sedona Vision Quest program similar
to one described on link
plus Hopi spiritual woman
being with us in Sedona for
part of the 5 days supporting
you in ceremony and overnight
and soul retrieval along
with Sandra. Sedona lodging
and meals on own and not
included. 1 night lodging
at Navajo included, Hopi
blue corn pancake breakfast,
Hopi dinner, guides,
transportation for retreat
activities, shield materials,
and reference packet included,
purification lodge by donation.
Included:
transportation to and from Hopi and Can. de Chelly,
one night lodging on Day 2 at Navajo (double occupancy,
single room add $55), breakfast on Day 3 at motel,
in depth program/skills development for deepening
self awareness with the personal attention of 3
to 4 facilitators and lots of feedback, outfitting
gear, food and water into in the Canyon, guides-facilitators,
meals in camp and Hopi dinner (does not include
Sedona meals or meals in Chinle), shield materials,
reference booklet. Does not include Sedona lodging.
I will send you a list of nearby places to stay. The
organizing, logistics and staffing required to
do this small group retreat are enormous.
To
reserve your space, please send a $400 deposit made
out to Crossing Worlds to the address below (50%
refundable with notification prior to April 1, 2008;
non-refundable and non-transferable after April 1,
2008). The balance is due by May 1 (non-refundable
and non-transferable unless program is cancelled
by Crossing Worlds). If you want to prepare
for unforeseen emergency, you might want to purchase
your own trip cancellation insurance.
Please
let me know:
--what is your goal for yourself?
--are you willing to do some preparation work to make
this more meaningful for you?
--are you willing to be present with yourself?
--are you in reasonably good health to camp
out for 6 days in this remote canyon?
We
will send you more more details once you send in
your registration. We can recommend places to stay
in Sedona and transportation options from the Phoenix
airport to Sedona (you can also fly into Flagstaff).
Please let us know if you have diet restrictions--we
will have vegetarian options, and will accommodate
other needs to the extent possible.
I
recommend you spend at least a day in Sedona processing
your experience before heading back into your daily
world.
In
the words of our participants:
| "My
time in the Canyon took me apart, then put me
back together in a more resilient way.
This rearrangement brings Spirit to the forefront,
guiding me like inner starlight that never dims.
Even the rocks breathe, move, and have life; they also
carry the marks of ancestors whose presence
continues to bless us. On our "solo" night I
felt cradled by Mother Earth while gazing out
at Father Sky. Such joy, excitement, and
gratitude fill me! I feel in complete
communion with a vast, yet loving universe;
my childhood wonder is awake and alive. Who
could imagine how many worn-out skins I
would shed, in order to find this again? Thank you
from the center of my wide-open heart!" Pam
Pappas, Scottsdale,
Arizona, June, 2006 |
 |
"Thank you for such powerful
and wonderful experiences. We both feel this has been
one of the most important times of our lives...You
are a gifted teacher and seer. Thnak you for all the
personal work you have done that enables you to be
so present and connected."
Terry P., Ontario, Canada, June,
2006 see her photo page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37878042@N00/sets/72157594183003480/
More reflections from Terry May 2007: "My
experiences there were profound and I can still feel
the ancestors whisper as my mind wanders the canyon
floor." |
| "Canyon de Chelly was the
most amazing place to be during the Summer Solstice.
The energy there helped me to become centered. Through
meditation and Native American ceremony I broke through
my fear of living in a world out of balance. The canyon
truly nurtured my soul, it gave me energy when I was
weak and helped me to find balance. I realized that we
are all the same, each of us on our spiritual path, here
to help planet Earth evolve. Prayer has taken on a whole
different meaning now. I pray from my heart and my soul.
I feel the love that Spirit has for each and every one
of us. Being in the moment is essential, all that we
have is the here and NOW, no past, no future. My solo
overnight prepared me for my tough journey ahead and
I know I can do anything now." Jacob
Dunn, Los Angeles, CA, June, 2006 |
"Our time with you was
transformative & enduring."
Sandy S., N.
Carolina, Sept., 2005
"My experience in the Canyon is one I'll be
grateful for--for a lifetime."
Shannon S.,
Calgary, Canada, 2007
The retreat has sent me off on an exciting new spiritual
journey. Connecting with the universe through nature
has grounded me and set my spirit soaring at the same
time."
Sharron
Norton, Johannesburg, South
Africa
Sept., 2005 |
"Sandra,
when my soul called me to come out and do the full
retreat with you, it was such a blessing. I came full
of fear and anxiety, missing and longing for a piece
of me that had been lost. Through your guidance I pulled
out a giant cork that had been stopping up a well inside
me for many years. I found a self-acceptance and self-validation.
I know I will never be the same again. Anyone who has
felt that longing of emptiness should take the full
retreat with you. The training leading up the the vision
quest is indispensable. The vision quest itself is
like a favorite topping on a favorite dessert. This
is truly a journey of the self. I anyone is feeling
that call, they should definitely come here. Thank
you so much!"
Neal Lieberman,
Birthing Tiger,
Aug., 2004 |
"It
was truly a magical adventure. I am still processing
the experience, but I can honestly say that it has
changed me on many levels. I feel in the world, but
not of it. My awareness, not only of my environment,
but my body's energies has increased dramatically.
I actually feel energy surges. It's very strange,
but very exciting. Everyone should expose themselves
to the raw beauty of nature. It's an eye opening
and heart opening experience."
Laura
G., Ohio
May, 2001 |
"Upon
entering the canyon I could not believe how beautiful
it was. The sheer red cliffs seem to insulate you
from the outside world allowing you to reconnect
with nature, the elements and with your inner spirit.
I still feel there's something going on with "time" in
the canyon. Camping in the canyon felt like time
had been slowed or suspended. I
felt such a deep connection to the story Daniel told
of how for thousands of years people would travel
from long distances to experience the energies of
the canyon. It's interesting to notice how even in
these modern times folks are still feeling the pull
to visit this wonderful sacred area. I'm
so glad I had the opportunity to answer that call...Sandra,
your trip was everything I could have wanted and
more. You and Daniel did a wonderful job of showing
many new experiences and possibilities. All of the
events of that weekend, specifically the guided meditations,the
sweat lodge, the vision quest and the medicine wheel
had a deep effect on me. I came away with a deeper
sense of who I am and a renewed connection to the
earth and to the creator. Now
that I'm back in the "normal" world, I find that
reconnecting with these energies is as easy as going
into my heart. It's all there..."
Tony
C., Providence, Rhode Island
May, 2001 |
Speaking
about the Vision Quest aspect of her journey: "First
I would like to say that there was a lot of preparation
before going out into the desert. And that this was
something I was drawn to do for a long time. On my
Solo journey I could feel a deeper knowing . It is
hard to put into words, but I just knew that I was
not alone. I had nothing to fear alone in the desert
or in my life. That feeling is with me still. What
you accomplish on a Solo journey depends on your
reason for doing it. What is your intention for going
into nature alone, and how willing and open are you
to what may come to you. Most people I think use
the Solo experience to find themselves or to deepen
an already strong connection to spirit. Whatever
the reason, if it is done authentically, it will
change your life forever. A
journey alone is really the only way to connect with
yourself. You rely and trust only on your own instincts.
You pay more attention to your gut feelings. You
are not following another's advice or opinions, you
do not have the false security of others around you.
You are not trusting another to keep you safe and
out of harms way. Nothing and no one can give you
the confidence and courage to trust yourself, to
live your life fearlessly only your own connection
to spirit can do that.
I
do know that all spiritual masters spent many years
of their lives alone with nature. This should tell
you of the powerful energy of nature. The same
life energy in nature is also within us, we just
have to stop our way too busy lives long enough
to feel it. Being alone gives you a more peaceful
and aware feeling towards your own life. You begin
to see things in your life differently and you
begin to react with more understanding and Love
to the situations in your life. And I do believe
that LOVE is the most powerful energy known to
us all !!!! "
Barbara Furlotte,
Canada
Sept., 2000 |
updated
April 12, 2008
For
those who prefer staying in a motel rather than camping
(with one night out in the wilderness solo):
Sedona Vision Quest Retreat is
available year round for 1 or more people.
excerpts
from Crossing Worlds articles:
Nature,
Soul and Vision Article
"When
your heart issues that call
to pilgrimage and you answer
and go to a place with great
natural energy and power, you
receive cellular level stimulation,
awakening. Entering with a
child-like sense of awe, heart
wide open, in reverence and
prayer opens the door. This
is really a pilgrimage to your
own heart-- an act of great
love and courage to just be
with you.
article...The
Power of Sound to Heal, to Create New Life
"The
very air seems to shiver and vibrate as a multitude
of harmonic tones reaches out into an infinite universe.
The essence of your cells -- your very being -- reacts,
reorganizes, and harmonizes. " article: The
Patterns in the Stars are Patterns in Us
Here in
the Colorado Plateau country, a magical region lifted
to the sky, the stars are a constant, abiding presence.
High altitudes, transparent atmosphere, wide spaces
of crystalline rock bring the stars into our nightscape.
Comforting, reassuring, tantalizing, felt as an essential
part of our inner landscape. The patterns in
the stars are patterns in us--ancient wisdom
from this land whose meaning I have sought for years. Native
Healing Wisdom article
|
Crossing
Worlds Journeys and Retreats
P O Box 3288
Sedona, AZ 86340
1-800-350-2693
for quick info calls
Office: 928-203-0024
eMail: journeys@crossingworlds.com
see
also:
Crossing Worlds Foundation,
our 501 3(c)
cross-cultural education and Native American service
projects arm |
|
