Sedona, Arizona has long been thought to be the center of the spiritual/wellness universe. When we lived in Phoenix, we often heard about going to Sedona for the “crystals” or that it sat on a “vortex,” but the times we visited, it didn’t seem too different from any other tourist mountain town. In fact, the atmosphere reminds me a lot of Estes Park, Colorado, but with giant red rocks as a background instead of the Rocky Mountains.
Turns out, in all the times I have been to Sedona {maybe five}, I’ve been doing it wrong. Let’s start with the vortex. Apparently, there are several of them in and around the red rocks of Sedona. The vortexes are thought to be “swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration,” according to the Visit Sedona website. Sedona is supposed to be a giant vortex, but there are four specific areas where the energy circles are intense {Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Boynton Canyon.}
When I started writing about reiki, my good friend and former neighbor, Brittany, sent me a text and asked if I would be interested in visiting Sedona and embarking on a crystal journey the next time I was in Arizona. Ummm, yes. When we were finally able to make it happen, we only had 24 hours, so we packed in as much as we could.
Where we Stayed
Since I didn’t know much about the vortexes, I let Brittany lead the way on what we should do and I followed along. We booked our hotel last minute, so there weren’t a lot of choices as it was a holiday weekend. We ended up staying at the Holiday Inn Express Oak Creek which is near Bell and Cathedral Rocks. It had recently been remodeled, and they had free breakfast. The only downfall was it was further away from the center of town, but the views were stunning and it’s Sedona, how far can anything really be?
What We Did
Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park– Brittany had her aura read a few years ago, and the woman told her to go visit this stupa before she left town. I didn’t even know it existed and what’s a stupa? A stupa is a Buddhist mound-like structure used as a place of meditation.
These were the guidelines laid out at the stupa, which we followed:
Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock– We woke up the next morning and took a quick jaunt around the base of the rocks. We were on a time crunch, so we didn’t do an extensive hike, but we walked around a bit and I’m not lying when I tell you, you can definitely feel a shift in energy here.
Chapel of the Holy Cross– I had been here several times, but Brittany hadn’t. I was so happy to show her something she had never done in Sedona! You have to get there early as parking is limited and it’s a real hike if you have to park at the bottom.
It was so beautiful the morning we went. It was snowing, but sunny, and it created this surreal atmosphere. It was very special.
Mystical Bazaar– After visiting the stupa, we went to Mystical Bazaar to buy some crystals and I had my aura read. More on that later. I didn’t really know much about shopping for crystals, so I picked ones I liked or ones that had healing properties for things that ail me {anxiety, confidence, need for inner peace…} The crystals I chose were:
- Carnelian {Stone of Vitality} – When I had my aura read, she told me to choose some darker stones, so I chose this rust colored one because it restores confidence, passion, courage and motivation. It also promotes positive life choices and to trust your perceptions, it’s a powerful protector against envy, rage, and resentment. And as an added bonus it helps the female reproductive organs and hormones. Since I’m old, I’m not sure what help this stone can give me here…
- Lithium Quartz {Stone of Inner Peace} – Reduces panic attacks and anxiety, alleviates stress, used as a natural anti-depressant, helps to surrender and let go of control, harmonizes relationships. I chose this for all of the above.
- Rose Quartz {Stone of Gentle Love} – Gently soothes the heart, opens for love, peace and tranquility, invites gentle self-love, essential for healers by easing pain, tension, cut, bruises and emotional wounds. Provides a restful and peaceful atmosphere. I chose this one for obvious reasons.
What do you do with crystals? Well, you can do lots of things. You can hold them when you need healing in one of the areas they heal, you can hold them and meditate on them when seeking answers to questions they might provide, or you can look at them because they are pretty and bring you joy. I have decided they are the adult equivalent of a security blanket. And I honestly believe they work, most likely in the same way a security blanket works, but still…
Where We Ate
Creekside Coffee – We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel in the morning before heading to Bell Rock, but we wanted real coffee, not hotel coffee, so we stopped here. We drank coffee while we looked at the creek and listened to the live guitar music.
Elote Café – It’s a super popular Mexican restaurant that doesn’t take reservations. They open at 5 p.m. and people start lining up outside well before that. We rolled in around 6:45 p.m. and put our name on the list, which was a 2 ½ hour wait. The bar area is small and there’s not a lot of room to wait, so we went for drinks and appetizers somewhere else. We came back at 8:45 p.m. and they sat us at the bar where we weren’t that hungry anymore, but I had delicious White Truffle Corn Soup and a Blueberry Margarita.
SaltRock Kitchen– This restaurant is at the Auberge Hotel. I actually stayed here a long time ago on one of my first Sedona trips. It has since been remodeled Joanna Gaines-style and was a pretty hip place to be. We drank margaritas, and ate chips and salsa and Fundido and Diver Scallops.
I loved my 24 hours in Sedona with one of my favorite people! Thank you Brittany for drinking, praying, and spreading the love with me!
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