Greetings, Luminous One!
Our Southwest trip has certainly been filled with Adventure.
Does this mean that everything has gone according to plan?
Um, no.
In fact, you could say that the real Adventure has been when things have gone "wrong" - or at least, not as expected.
For instance, we were headed on a long drive from Sedona to Santa Fe via the sacred Chaco Canyon in our 12-seater Mercedes Sprinter, aka the Black Stallion, fully loaded with all our luggage.
All went well until it started to rain, which would not have been a problem except for the fact that the final leg of the trip was on a dirt road.
After 6 hours of travel, we turned onto that road in the middle of nowhere...
...and went about a mile until we started to slip and slide uncontrollably while going down a small hill. We stopped the vehicle as it was beginning to spin us diagonally across the road.
Much to our surprise, a small car appeared coming the opposite direction, mud slinging off their tires as they struggled up the incline. As there was no way for them to get past us without some delicate steering, we got out and pushed the car up the hill, narrowly missing our stranded van on one side and a deep ditch on the other.
Once they were safely on their way, Jan took the wheel as the rest of us pushed our Black Stallion up the hill. You read that right.
Working together, 11 spirited, powerful, middle-aged gals cajoled that huge van to safety in wet clay so thick and slippery that we were almost unable to not fall face first ourselves. We triumphed!
Once we'd rescued our trusty vehicle, we had to accept the truth that we weren't going to get to Chaco that day, or any other day on this trip. Though that was a disappointment, we had learned something greater: we had been tested and risen to the challenge as a team.
The opportunity to stretch into something greater through discomfort, disappointment, and dirt could not have been possible had it not been for the so-called mishap of an impassable road.
This is when you know that it's about the journey, not necessarily about the destination.
We dowsed for a place to do a practice to connect with Chaco Canyon and ended up standing in a non-descript clearing beside the remote highway. There we Waved with the special energy of Chaco, while drawing upon the Earth's energies to support us. We finished with an Infinity Wheel practice to send Love and Compassion to where it was most needed in the world. And it was one of the most powerful practices I've ever participated in.
No, it wasn't a designated "sacred" spot, but by our pure intention and service, it felt like that random bit of land became enlivened and activated. What a great lesson in understanding that anywhere we choose to pray or practice can hold a new frequency.
We then drove another 3+ hours hardly seeing another car on our way to Santa Fe. The wide-open landscapes that unfolded before us were dramatic, beautiful, and heartening. In the distance, dark storms gathered while on the other side of the horizon, the sun revealed the gorgeous desert colors of flowering roadside plants against the backdrop of red or white canyons.
Then, we came around a bend to see the rainbow below. The picture doesn't really capture it because it was so big and close that I wasn't able to fit it in the frame. But you get the idea...
We couldn't help but feel it was a gift of gratitude for our offerings of all kinds earlier in the day. Later, Sitting Bull confirmed that it was indeed a message of grace for all of us and we were humbled by such a magnificent display.
Much love and Infinite blessings,
-Hope
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