Of Red Rocks and Vortexes

No, you did not read it wrong ! Don't pride yourself on catching me making a grammatical error !! I know that the usual plural form of Vortex is vortices, but not so in Sedona, AZ. You will hear people talking about spiritual 'vortexes' in Sedona and that is where I went on Saturday!

Sedona is about 2 hours from Phoenix and is known for its breathtaking sandstone formations called the Red Rocks of Sedona.These red rocks were formed due to deposits of iron oxide over layers of sandstone and limestone over millions of years, that later started rusting giving the rocks a bright red colour. We started pretty late in the morning and like all drives that initiate from Phoenix, found the landscape really dull and boring with endless rows of cacti lining both sides of the freeway. However we did not need any board announcing Sedona to us, the town announced itself. All of a sudden, we saw red rocks all over. Nature or God, depending on what you want to call the creator had literally painted the town red. Even the soil on the road had turned from a drab brown colour to bright red !!

To spirituality and metaphysics enthusiasts, Sedona has a little more to offer. Sedona supposedly houses 4 energy vortexes. These are supposedly places of high cosmic energy concentration. Spiritual energy is supposed to flow upwards from the earth much like a vortex. Many people claim to experience a heightened awareness of spirituality on visiting these vortexes (that's how they are called here, instead of vortices. All my friends and most of you who have read my posts regularly (Pride, thy name is Rathi !!), know that I am anything but subtle and sensitive! I have been initiated in Reiki, but have never felt the 'tingling sensation' that most Reiki practitioners claim to experience. Similarly, with TaiChi too, I have heard my fellow students talking about 'out-of-the-body' experience or energy flowing through them while practising TaiChi. Not so with me. I generally tend to smile stupidly (I like to think it is mysterious), when people talk about such experiences and usually leave the other person confused about what I felt (if I did feel anything at all!). So I was hoping to experience this energy that everyone was talking about and chose to visit one of the energy vortexes called The Bell Rock in Sedona.

We parked our car a little distance away from Bell Rock and took the trail that went around the rock, which is actually a misnomer, since it is more a hill than a rock ! It was quite chilly that day and I was cursing myself for having believed weather.com on the weather forecast ! While I was dressed in jeans and t-shirt and was cursing the weather, I saw many mountain bikers who wore shorts and sleeveless tees and were biking away to glory !

There are multiple beliefs about the energy vortexes. Each energy vortex is supposed to enhance a certain kind of energy within a person. One of them is believed to increase energies associated with strength (and hence called masculine energy) and power. A second one is supposed to enhance the feminine side of a person, like kindness, goodness etc (Men please note !!). The other two are supposed to increase the balance, i.e., both energies. Bell Rock is supposedly the vortex that works on improving the balance in the two types of energies. This worked for me, for I have no idea whether I am strong (I would like to think so), or good (I hope others think so !) and increasing one of them alone would have made me deficient in the other one!

I had done my homework about the place and had read that the juniper trees that grew here were twisted from the trunk, thus proving the theory of energy vortexes. My main aim during the short trek was to take pictures of at least one such tree. I managed to find not one but quite a few of them ! I would have given anything to be able to climb the cliff/hill/mountain, but had to satisfy myself by climbing over a few rocks to get a better close-up of a beautifully twisted juniper tree. Unlike trails in the Grand Canyon which are treacherous and scary, these trails were easy and safe, because they were on the base of the hill. There were people who were climbing the mountain though. I saw at least 3 people on the top of the hill - 2 seemed to be walking on the hill while the 3rd guy seemed to be actually climbing ! Since I was with my mother and there was no one else to whom I could show off my 'courage' I did not attempt or pretend to attempt the climb up the hill.

We chose a flat rock on the way to sit down and practise reiki to see if we 'felt' anything different. Unfortunately my mom is as (in)sensitive as me and the result was that we were sitting with our eyes closed palms open for a while, hoping something would happen. My palms became warm, but that could also have been because of the sun ! Meanwhile I badly wanted to open my eyes and glare at the hikers who were passing and were commenting about us (I think it was about us, because I heard them saying, 'it scares me', 'don't go near' etc. ! I remember thinking, How dare they say that !! Bloody racists !! etc), but had to control myself because I wanted my mother and those idiots to think I was deep in meditation !!

My original plan was to go to the Red Rock state park after this trek and trek there for some more time till sunset and then return after the sunset, but this trek had tired us, not because it was a tough one, but because -

• we were out of shape
• it was quite sunny
• and frankly I was quite tired of seeing red rocks everywhere !!

I realize now that I missed out the sunset which is supposed to be glorious. I plan to go again soon and catch the sunset in one of the other vortexes and see if that one has any effect on me.
Below are some pictures from the trip. I am sorry for the number of pictures of the juniper trees. I was fascinated by them and could not stop clicking away !!

1. The crop of the state

2. The lone climber - a long shot


3. The lone climber - a closer shot


4. A close-up of the bell rock - makes me think of red cheese !


5. I call these Shaivaiite mountains - note the streak of vibhuti on them !


6. One of the many twisted juniper trees

7. Another one ! - I climbed on a few rocks to click this one.


8. And Another !!


9. The trail with the play of light


10. The Bell Rock


11. Red Rocks all the way !






12. A twisted family !



13. My mother thought this rock formation was like Lord Ganesha !


14. The trail



15. Picture perfect