Blog Archives
Dancing on the Edge of Divine Madness
I think that anyone who decides they are going to forge their own way, live in their own reality, channel the energy that moves through them at any given moment, and create the world they choose to experience, dances on the edge of madness.
They walk a fine line between silly chaos and uncanny order where the method of their madness is divinely inspired and in harmony despite how it seems.
I walk the edge of that madness, which does make life quite interesting and along with that comes the willingness to walk into the darker challenges as well as the lighter flows.
While my journey on this adventure we’re taking (or my life in general) may seem easy, the only easy part truly is in knowing this is my nature to follow what is in my heart and soul to do.
We are exploring a lot of beautiful, magickal, and amazing things every day, which is fun and freeing, yes, but there are many energies one must be willing to face and embrace when you are walking the path of deeper embodiment and conscious, ancient explorations of Earth and beyond.
To experience the freedom and empowerment, there are a lot of dark, womb, inner Earth and ancient mysteries within the deep chasms of her body and within your own that you welcome in with this intention, or perhaps run from.
A little of that came through in the sound channeling, Releasing the Crimson Dragon, as you may remember.
Every day is a new experience where I don’t know what will be met next….constant retrievals of my parts and the cycles of collective parts reawakening.
This is where you’ll find me channeling sound or inspirational messages.
Another example was in Channeling the Ancient & Womb Earth Energies.
Needing to move the energy through creatively, or sometimes it’s deep emotions to release, giggles, or profound silence needed to be with it all and remove myself from thinking about it in any way except to allow it space to move through.
So while I am having the time of my life, which comes with all both sides of the coin and beyond, and you see me playing in my videos and photos, I do want to make mention that there is a lot one decides to embrace when they wander into the beyond intentfully.
Our Earth Mother holds the mysteries we search for within ourselves. And through the journey of getting to know her more intimately, you will undoubtedly come to know yourself in an incredibly intimate way.
The photos in this post are from yesterday’s adventure on the three and a half mile Chimney Rock Loop we hiked.
A hail cloud was looming just as we began the journey and just as we ascended, it was upon us, later turning to snow flurries, back to hail, snow, brief rain, and snow again.
Everything changes at the drop of a dime and one must be prepared to embrace that flow of energy whenever it shows up, just as we have energies, emotions, and experiences as a reflection of them that continuously move through us to embrace, deny, repress, or run away from.
We embraced the experience and it was such a magickal one because of this.
No one around.
Just us and the land and fresh crystallizations of the elements around us sharing their own feelings, cycles, and creative expressions.
We were bundled up and just trekked along, immersing in the winds, flurries, and mystic clouds that engulfed us in a void of beingness…lifting us off into another dimension and reality.
And along the way we came upon a surprising gift we had no idea would be there….a small sacred area of rainbow petrified wood!
So incredible to discover them, again with the wetness the colors stood out, but being that this isn’t a petrified forest area, it was quite a treasure to find in the middle of nowhere where no other pieces are.
A gift from our embrace of the journey?
Or simply our presence that made all things clear and revealed with awareness, whereas would otherwise have been overlooked?
I took a couple of short, fun videos as we reached near the top and the summit of our hike to let you experience a piece of the fun we had in this sudden change of weather yesterday…an otherwise perhaps disappointing experience for others, we were grateful and kept trekking on with embrace.
And of course we ended the day picking up two more fresh peach and cherry pies, because we can. 🙂
Playing With the Ancient Energies of Grand Wash
The wind and wash whispered of times long ago.
At times softly.
At times dramatically.
On our hike through the dry, deep streambed of the Grand Wash at the rocky sculpted heart of Capitol Reef yesterday, we were surrounded by ancient spirits and guardians watching us.
The deep canyon and narrows kept close eye as we explored.
Footsteps echoed between sandstone cliffs looming hundreds of feet above.
Blossoms and lizards greeted us along the way.
Naturally sculpted rock gardens invited us onto their sacred grounds.
Creatures etched in the stone walls came alive.
The Fremont River chimed in with the wind’s flow at the end of the wash.
And although we could not see the Bighorn sheep that are said to grace the high sandstone terraces of the canyon, we could sense them near and “seeing” us.
There was an air of majesty and mystical eeriness, especially when the wind suddenly spoke with a wild howl and burst through the canyon upon us with great force, only to disappear again from the nothingness it came from.
The flow shifted back and forth from tailwind to headwind constantly, as if the wind was playing with us, blowing my hair wildly around me and knocking off Dave’s hat.
It seemed excited for us to be there and tickled our souls with its ancient voice.
Once again we were taken to times long forgotten, but now once again remembered.
Soul Nourishment On My Own Strange & Wonderful Path
Everyday of our new life’s journey brings so many experiences, encounters, and gifts of Nature we would never otherwise have shared.
Part of the reason I wanted this way of life at this time was to have the opportunity to explore and experience the vast beauty and variety of what our Earth Mother has to offer because as a pilgrim of the Cosmos, I am constantly stimulated and inspired by creative energy, which fortifies the more I feed it the soul nourishment it needs.
Life had become complacent and much had concluded, so a big, literal movement of energy and deep enrichment was needed to renew and recharge. Not to mention, it was time to move on in a bigger way.
There was a lot of soul retrieval to be done and a lot of Earth collective healing to support through the personal embodiment that would and will take place through the energy exchanges facilitated.
So, once again I am following my own strange and wonderful path, despite what the rest of the world around me is doing, how it looks to others, and even when nothing makes sense because to my soul it all makes perfect sense – the only thing that matters.
And once again, yesterday brought us more of that soul nourishment and unexpected gifts with a variety of new experiences and encounters along our five mile Rim Overlook hike.
Ancient petroglyphs, wild turkeys, lizards, vibrant desert blossoms, rolling river, 133 foot natural bridge – Hickman Bridge, expansive vistas, and wild winds of change at our rim overlook destination atop the dramatic cliff were some of the beautiful gifts and nourishment of the day’s journey.
Every day is filled with wonder, new discoveries, and inner reflections of these treasures experienced.
I love following our hearts, as they take us into our natural element and closer to ourselves.
Sweet Magick & Majesty ~ Choosing Our Experience of Life
Each day and moment offers us an opportunity to choose how we want to create our experience. We can ask ourselves what energy we are needing more or less of in our lives and we can listen to what calls to us or what is yearning for us to let go of.
Yesterday I was feeling a need to balance some of the more rugged, raw, and deep energies we had been experiencing with sweetness, flow, and grace.
I do this tuning in each time we decide on what we want to explore each day in our new environments, not to mention when I want to find out what is most important for me to invest my energy in throughout my day.
And so I chose our hikes yesterday that reflected this energy desired, after I worked on my inspired painting project I’ve been called to work on recently.
That led us to explore Goosenecks, Sunset Point, and Fremont River. An easy 4 miles of enchantment.
The Goosenecks Overlook is like a mini Grand Canyon with 800 foot high viewpoints above serpentine Sulphur Creek, which continues to shape the dramatic canyon. This canyon has formed tight curves, known as the Goosenecks, over millions of years of downward erosion.
Goosenecks is adjacent to Sunset Point, so you can quickly hop across and take that short mile round trip hike to panoramic views.
We’ve had rain in the distance, which has been creating beautiful skyscapes and lighting that makes these vistas incredibly majestic and mystical.
This trail has a couple of benches at ideal spots to just take it all in, which we did, enjoying our solitude with the grandeur around us and soaking in the sweetness of nature, life, and love.
Most of the time it’s like we’re in our own world and in a space and time that is its own reality we have been invited in on to experience like welcomed guests.
After our time at these grand vista points we went further in to find our next trail along Fremont River.
The river is right by the Gifford House, which we had wanted to stop by anyway, as we’d seen the signs for fresh pies, hoping they were vegan. 😉
So, we stopped in there and explored the small museum and shop and then I asked about the pies. Luckily they had a list of the ingredients and to our delight the pies without crumble tops were in fact vegan so we picked up two – a peach and cherry pie.
These are locally baked pies you can get while in Capitol Reef National Park at the Gifford House, which is surrounded by beautiful orchards.
You get to meander along both the river and the orchards on the trail, which was just lovely and blossoming right now.
The Gifford House used to be the heart of the small Mormon pioneer village of Fruita settled in 1880 and these historic orchards are the largest in the National Park system.
Anyway, it’s a lovely central area and we explored the amazing trees on the beautiful grounds here, saw our Marmot friends again – I believe they are a couple that live here and scout their tunnel entrances – and enjoyed the rolling river that is lined with more lovely trees next to the orchards.
The blossoms were so fragrant and the trees so magickal….I loved this stroll along the river, listening to the water flow, feeling the breeze blow, and discovering little wonders along the way including this little Faery door.
There are two giant Fremont Cottonwood trees called “Silent Sentinels” that are incredibly amazing.
As saplings they witnessed the arrival of Mormon pioneers in the 1880’s. In 1918, the largest tree by the road became known as the “Mail Tree” where mail was transferred from a carrier in Torrey to another carrier downstream. Later mailboxes were attached to the tree to give settlers a convenient location to maintain communication with the outside world.
I love these trees!
Anyway, after our pie collecting, stroll with our tree, animal, and Faery friends, and journey up the river, we then took the more strenuous, short uphill Spur Trail to some more vistas above the river overlooking another canyon to end our day.
There was a huge dark pending rain cloud ahead, which I used Reiki to direct it to go around rather than upon us for this hike, as the steep climb and edges of the cliff would not have been fun with a downpour of rain. Happy to report that worked. 🙂
Our day was just the right blend of energies and experiences we were both needing.
And upon returning home to our beautiful pastures we look out upon from where we can watch the cattle and horses grazing and the horses rolling and laying in the grass, we were reminded of the simple life we’ve chosen where time doesn’t exist except the moments we embrace.
I love the quiet of our lives, the abundance of nature time, and limited connection other than with the natural world, the few exchanges with other nature enthusiasts along the way, and touch-ins with loved ones.
Days like this are the sweet nectar of life that reiterate why we’ve chosen this path at this time to move the energy in our lives and to deepen our connection with what truly matters and is of most value to us.
Our experiences in nature mirror everything we need to know about life and reflect to us the lessons that presence and stillness open us up to.
There are days of both bitter and sweet…but like nature, we can be assured it is all just a natural cycle inviting us to flow in dance with rather than try to own each moment with some sense of needless and wasteful attachment.
On Safari in Zebra Slot Canyon
Yesterday we set out on the Hole In The Rock bumpy, gravel, dirt, and hole filled road for 8 miles to our next adventurous destination – Zebra Slot.
It is about an hour hike each way to and from the slot canyon…about an extra 20-30 minutes extra, each way, if you decide to venture off to Tunnel Slot also, although Zebra is the most popular due to its unique pink stripe features.
It’s quite a beautiful hike in, journeying the high desert, through canyons and across washes.
Definitely makes you feel like you’re on an expedition, and the way I felt inspired to dress, along with our destination of “Zebra” Slot, made me feel like we were on safari. 😉
(Side note: I’ve found that hiking in dresses is my favorite and freeing thing to do, so I have a couple of favorite ones for the occasion. I also love my hiking sandals, which I try to wear as much as possible unless the weather demands otherwise, as I just can’t stand wearing closed shoes and my sandals not only keep my bare feet touching the dirt, mud, sand, and water, but let my feet breathe and never get blisters. I know I’m quite a spectacle to some hikers we cross along the paths at times, but it doesn’t phase me.)
Although the trails are well marked, when you get to Harris Wash the trails veer off in different directions so it could get a bit confusing. Luckily I had retrieved some descriptions on what to look out for and along with our intuition it all helped veer us direct, although it wasn’t until the crow appeared, cawing and and turning into the direction of the entrance that we knew we must be there.
We also found bones right after the crow led us to the opening that seemed to be creating an arrow pointing into the canyon. Another sign.
And to confirm it all, we then came upon a young guy sitting in the sand with his camera around the bend who said in fact we were pointed the right way.
It was all a bit ominous as we continued finding bones at the entrance of the canyon, the crows kept cawing and we could see and hear them flying above the slot – their wings casting shadows.
They were chattering about something continuously.
We couldn’t make out if perhaps they had a nest up above and there may be babies with them, as I found a pile of twigs that could have been nesting material, inside a corner of the slot.
Or, if they were trying to give us a message.
I then came upon a moth on the rock and right after the moth, a beetle.
A lot of symbolism in this slot and we also found it a bit more challenging than Spooky Slot, although not dark like it. The tight squeezes had drops below them in areas where branches had been laid to help you across.
I had wanted to video our journey in or out of Zebra, but because I needed both hands to assist me through the tight and challenged areas, was unable to.
Luckily, Dave caught some photos of me getting through some parts of the slot, unbeknownst to me, but they give you a little idea of the maneuvering needed.
There were much harder areas than the ones he captured, but you can see that I hadn’t any hands for holding a camera to video.
At the mouth we came upon two women who said they didn’t go back that far – only until the first branch and turned around.
That’s too bad, we thought, as it wasn’t until after you crossed the branch and ventured into the more challenging and tighter parts that you got to see the real beauty of Zebra and why it got its name…the gorgeous striping begins deeper in and apparently you can go back quite far.
You can see the transition in the photos to where the stripes really start popping in beautiful colors.
We came to the pools of water they mentioned in the guide information I found, which apparently can be ankle to hip deep and you can cross into even more Zebra beauty, but we felt that arriving at the pools was as far as we needed to go, as it just increasingly got much, much harder and we were already incredibly awe struck with how stunning what we had seen was, plus we needed to get back at a certain time for a conference call Dave had scheduled.
After all, our days are balanced with work and play.
At the pools the slots opened to the skies more.
Once again, we had the slot to ourselves, as the women left immediately after we conversed briefly with them, and we got to explore on our own.
It is such a unique and hidden gem out in the middle of nowhere. Much like most things here in Escalante are….it is pure wild territory.
I hope you enjoy the images, as we once again journeyed into the ancient womb energy of Mother Earth.
There is so much unique, raw beauty to discover and we are continually awed at the vast and rich creativity that this planet has birthed from.
A Walk Along the River
Yesterday we enjoyed a late evening hike, getting out at 5:30 pm to explore the river a bit on a trail to Escalante Natural Bridge. Since it stays light until nearly 8 pm, we have all day to adventure about when feeling called.
Our timing was met by complete solitude on this four mile round trip hike that was simply beautiful and serene, taking us across the river to our destination of the stunning and natural carving of Mother Earth.
On this hike you get to cross Escalante River four times, which made it not only fun, but cleansing and invigorating.
Here’s another fun, short video of the river experience.
The river is home to otters and although we didn’t see any, the running water created a beautiful flow to the energy we experienced here.
The timing of day also created a mystical feel with the sun behind some clouds, peaking through only when we arrived at the bridge in welcome and when we left the bridge in farewell.
A lovely hike worth doing if you’re in the area and quite moderate, only challenged by hiking in deep sand. There are walking sticks left at the banks to help you in crossing too.
We are discovering more and more how remote and more untouched Escalante is, creating a feel of rugged wilderness that is deeply healing.
A Walk In Fairyland
Yesterday was our last full day here in beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park, as we head out to Escalante in a few hours. I had chosen to save one particular hike to celebrate closure to our time in Bryce and it proved to be the perfect send off.
The hike was called the Fairyland Loop, which combines Fairyland Canyon with Tower Bridge and Rim Trails, creating one giant eight mile loop. It was by far our favorite trail in the park here, definitely living up to the phrase “saving the best for last” indeed.
On this hike you can see the Tower Bridge, China Wall, Sinking Ship, and yes, Fairyland!
So many spectacular views, as you hike amidst the hoodoos up close and see incredible vistas from afar as well. 
I love this fun one below…there is a small opening in this large formation to the left center where Dave stuck his head through. And following is a close up of it. See if you can find him.
There were so many amazing formations with faces, creatures, and beings naturally carved, not to mention everything took on a life essence of its own creating forms such as melting candles, torches, castles, cathedrals, altars, portals, bridges, you name it.
It’s truly not a trail to miss, but we were so surprised that literally no one was on the trail except a few people at the beginning and end, which are trails connecting to the loop (so these people only were doing the short ends of the trail (Tower Bridge or Rim Trail), but not venturing into Fairyland where the true magick begins.
Perhaps the length and multiple elevation changes of 1700+ elevation are a put off to most people, or maybe the Faeries keep a discerning watch on who they allow into their realm. 😉
All I can say is if you do explore Bryce Canyon, you would be missing out if you don’t explore the full Fairyland Loop, as Fairyland Canyon is truly stunning – plus think of all the magick! After all, it’s Fairyland!
Our day kicked off with a small group of Mule Deer greeting us before we turned into the road to the trailhead, and on the hike we saw a lot of birds including Hawks, Wood Peckers, Steller’s Jay, and even a Peregrine Falcon!
And when we left the trailhead to drive back home to the RV, two little Prairie Dogs were playing in the field, chirping away as they were foraging for food. So cute!
And although we took the trail very leisurely, having all day to explore, we still completed it in 4 hours and even though they say it is a strenuous hike, we didn’t find it to be so compared to others we have done. It felt to meander along and between the sights and the flow, time moved quickly.
Before the hike I’d been very worried about Joy because I found her in the morning with her blind eye closed and it appeared as if the lens that had detached was moving around. Her eye was red and she wouldn’t open it unless I opened it to check it out.
So this had mom stressed. I put in a call to her eye doctor to leave them a message, that way on Monday I can order more eye drop medication to be sent out to me. And I looked up a vet near where we’ll be in Escalante, just in case.
I gave her lots of Reiki, along with a couple friends who joined, and the whole time I was on the hike I was sending her Reiki, along with Nestor, Cosmo, and Gaia, inviting the Faeries to help too, since I was in Fairyland.
I’m happy to report that when we got home, her eye was open and looked much better and has continued to be open. I am hoping we nipped what ever was happening with all the energy, and that with the meds coming we will avoid any complications, as the doctor has told me that if there is an infection they would have to remove the lens and that’s not a good thing to put a rabbit under for surgery if you can avoid it, which is why he didn’t do it in the first place since her eye was healthy despite being blind, which was due to age.
Anyway, I’m so grateful to everyone and especially the Faeries, as I couldn’t have been in a better place to ask for assistance. I, of course, promised to give them things in return, honoring their help and time.
And they were so generous, gifting me things along the hike.
I found a heart rock, a larger stone that is part of a project, and two smaller rocks encrusted with small chips of crystals layered on one side!
That I even saw them was meant to be, as they were the only ones like it and I just happened to catch their glistening sparkle to the side. Perhaps it was my Faery eyes that were attuned to seeing it, but I feel it was a gift they wanted me to have and when I got home I immediately brought them to Joy.
She was really loving them and licked and nudged them when I placed them by her.
A little Faery magick for my Faery bunny.
We even saw this amazing Faery castle formation surrounded by a citadel of magickal towers that was breathtaking and literally my favorite formation of all.
The day was perfect and although it started off full of stress and worry about my little one, it was being supported and nurtured throughout, so little by little I was feeling rebalanced and grounded back into my flow.
The experience helped in transforming my heart back to peace and recentering me back into embodying harmony.
It all reminded me that no matter what is going on it is best to surrender and remember who we are….this will bring us back to the love and magick that is our nature and then all things are possible from this place of centeredness.
Thank you Faeries!
I hope you enjoy the enchanting photos from our day and that they help transport you into the nature of you and all that is possible when you remember who you are.
Diverse Nature Encounters ~ Listening to the Messages of Pronghorn & Steller’s Jay
The wildlife encounters, connecting, and sightings continue…wow we are feeling so blessed!
One of the things we cherish about our lifestyle right now, living in an RV and enjoying the simple life, is our access to all of Nature where ever we go and the opportunities to see and experience incredible and diverse natural surroundings and animals we would never otherwise have.
The trees, rocks, waters, mountains, all creatures great and small whisper a message to us.
Timely alignment has been on our side for so many amazing encounters.
Yesterday we decided on a relaxed day, mostly at home and stepping out for some grocery shopping and picking up a space heater.
This proved to be the perfect thing, as that brought us our encounter with the Pronghorn since they enjoy foraging in the open fields between us and the General Store. Although this was the first day we saw them there and right close to the road…all because we decided on a different day than our usual.
We spent the first part of the day doing more spring cleaning alongside our work and later in the late afternoon enjoyed some quiet time with vegan peppermint hot chocolate – Dave reading and me a fun painting project.
Since we’re in the forest, Nature is still abound, but it felt like a perfect time to cleanse and refresh more.
Even our pipes that had frozen are thawed out and we figured out how to keep them so, so we don’t have to leave early like the other RVers that were all making a beeline out of the park yesterday because of the snow.
So some cleaning of the inside of the RV, cleaning out more clothes, and tending to my plants filled my morning, which made things feel more refreshed and open for creating.
If you haven’t already, some Spring cleaning of your literal and energetic life might be just the thing to refresh and recharge.
Where in your life can you release things, people, and situations?
What is no longer serving you in small and large ways?
Is your space clean and organized? Clutter won’t assist you in feeling focused and having clarity for your intentions, dreams, and things you are trying to create.
Even if it’s as simple as making a commitment to spend less time worrying and thinking and more time relaxing and feeling…that’s renewing too and will attract new experiences in your life that mirror the change.
Taking stock of what is helping or hindering you is key…there IS more time and energy available to you than you think there is for all that you desire to create.
And one of the things we wanted to create was opportunity to experience and see the magnificent and regal-looking Pronghorn, which came to be.
We saw a few large herds (you can see more in the distance in the photo below) foraging in the open fields and I marveled at how beautifully unique these creatures are!
This is a great link to information on the Pronghorn – North America’s fastest land animal:
Nature Blows My Mind! North America’s Fastest Land Animal Can Outrun A Cheetah
Pronghorns were reintroduced into the area after almost completely being eliminated in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Pronghorn are action oriented (this year is all about major action for me in layers of ways), masters of delicate maneuvers, are very nimble and rely solely on pure instinct that’s driven by ancient wisdom within their DNA.
They are like sentinels, always on guard, and have complete trust in their tribe, indicating a need to have like-minded souls is important.
They have adapted and evolved for survival, becoming faster than the predators that have hunted them more than 10,000 years ago.
Their symbolism is rich with psychic energy, as their horns do not shed and these horns symbolize an antennae attuned to psychic energies at the crown for receiving sacred wisdom and guidance. Their horns emanate powerful vibrations through the crown to activate Kundalini.
Pronghorn are actually a rare sighting, very elusive and quite skittish. I didn’t know that about them, but it made my encounter much more precious, as we stopped the car when we saw them and I slowly approached the fence to get closer to them and they did not run off.
In fact, a couple of them came toward me.
They were curious and listened to me, stopped with perked head and ears, but were not threatened in any way.
Their white bellies symbolize truth at the core of their – your – being. Pronghorn are true to self and others, as their lives depend on it and this pure truthfulness amplifies and strengthens psychic abilities.
I was reading up on their symbolism and loved the image of envisioning this that I found of how you can use a visualization to help activate your psychic gifts and receive the initiation that Pronghorn brings to your life upon their appearance – whether in dreams, in life, or as your Spirit Animal Totem.
Imagine strong spiraling horns that emerge from your crown chakra while you feel cosmic energies flowing and spiraling and welcome Pronghorn’s initiation into the psychic realm.
And yesterday, I also had a visit from Steller’s Jay.
Yes, even though we did not go hiking and deeper into the terrain around us, the animals came to us!
This beautiful little Steller’s Jay visited me in the tree right just outside my desk window…playing, singing, full of life out in the cold and snow…a beautiful reflection of how to approach our days with lightness of heart no matter the circumstances.
They symbolize bold, fearless energy, and the power of presence and how to use personal power effectively.
The crest on their heads connect them to the sky and above, drawing energy and wisdom through the crown and reminding us that our true power needs to be applied in a balanced way that integrates both spirit and body, mind and heart.
Since they are very resourceful, they too symbolize adaptability and how to do so more efficiently.
They also symbolize a great amount of talent, but a talent that needs to be developed and used wisely. In this way they mirror to us, if one has also appeared for you, that this is a time in your life where you can begin to support the inherent wisdom within you to mature and come forth in a bigger way.
Interesting that my little Steller’s Jay friend was looking at me through the window, perhaps also playing with his reflection while we peered at one another and he reflected his message through the looking glass to me.
Steller’s Jay also alerts us that anything of value, spiritual growth, and relationships takes work and they show us how to activate our internal resources to do this. Communication abilities are strong, access to memories and assimilation of them come to awareness, risk taking, seizing opportunities, discovering new things to explore, balancing intelligence with silence and patience to align with divine timing all come through Steller’s Jay in message.
Their crest that reaches up also places attention at the energy centers of the head/crown, indicating an increase in new spiritual knowledge and wisdom that may become activated.
Very interesting that both the Pronghorn and Steller’s Jay are indicating a psychic channeling of information from the crown, as I was given messages that even showed up in the reading that I had in Sedona, twice (once this year and last year), that energy would no longer being moving up the spine like Kundalini usually does for most, but that I’d be channeling through my crown now in this next part of my life.
Nature has me soaring…yet in a grounded way that feels more like embodied spirit that is down to Earth.
Snowy Enchantment at Bryce Canyon National Park
We arrived at Bryce Canyon National Park on Easter Sunday and with a week ahead of us here we are able to leisurely take in all that it has to offer.
It’s such an incredible park…so different from Zion, but equally grand in their own ways.
Even just upon entering the Dixie National Forest at Red Canyon we were getting a glimpse of the beauty that awaited us.
We spent the first two days getting acquainted with Bryce and doing some mild explorations…the first day doing several miles of the Rim Trail and stopping for some warm drinks at the lodge.
On the way back to our home on wheels we saw a small herd of Mule Deer again that were right at the road’s edge. Such a sweet welcome.
And yesterday, after enjoying our first sunrise, we drove all the way to the end of the park, which takes you up to 9115 elevation while you journey through the forest on the way there.
At the end point we did the short Bristlecone Loop Trail and then stopped at every vista point on the way back to take in the views.
On Bristlecone Loop Trail you wander through Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir and White Fir, go through the Dark Forest, as well as pass up to 1800 year old Bristlecone Pines while experiencing vistas reaching into the Four Corners area. This Bristlecone Pine is more than 1600 years old.
It was a fun little hike where we came upon a Clark’s Nutcracker, who seemed not at all bothered by us while he went about his business and even came closer when I started talking to him.
And at one of the first vista points Raven medicine was strong. This one beautiful Raven flew down and wanted to just hang out with me. I’ve never been that close with one.
I kept talking to him and he would cock his head and listen and come within several feet of me just connecting. If I moved away, he came closer. If I edged closer he found his comfort zone…but then edged closer.
I was there with him for about 10 minutes and if not for us leaving he would have remained and I felt that at some point likely would have been right next to me or even come upon me.
He was not just a Raven I felt. And he had a message, as he would not leave me.
He was so lovely with his purple, blue, and green sheen feathers and beautiful face.
I was sad to leave him, as I got in the car and he came closer, not flying off until we had driven off ourselves.
When I got in the car, the song playing was called “Moving On.”
It reminds me of this post “A Message from the Raven” and also how Ravens are harbingers of messages from the Cosmos, are bearers of magick, bring clarity to the hidden, and are shapeshifters symbolizing transformation and change.
The weather is chillier here since we are at higher elevation than Zion so it was in the mid 50’s in the day and then 30’s at night our first day here.
When we arrived there was still patches of snow scattered on the multi-colored hoodoos, or spire-shaped rock formations, which is just incredibly beautiful.
It’s truly spectacular and the colors are always changing…crimson, orange, red, white, pink, and even some gray-greens. It’s all so fantastic, it’s almost overwhelming.
The temperatures dropped quickly on our second day and we found ourselves bundled up in our winter gear (looking like E.T. meets Sleestak of The Land of the Lost – omg we laughed so hard), experiencing snow flurries at the higher elevations, and then last night we had a snow storm blow through, which was fun to hear and magickal to wake up to with about 5 inches of fresh snow and is still gently falling.
Good thing we have everything we need aboard the Magick Bus come rain, shine, snow, heat, water and outdoor activity bound and all!
But how wonderful to have this little snow treat, reminding us of our beloved home in Lake Tahoe.
We woke up to a Winter wonderland, feeling quite cozy inside as we enjoy vegan lattes and feeling the excitement. It felt like Christmas this morning waking before sunrise and seeing the mystical surroundings and then watching the sun rise, opening to baby blue skies.
The RV park is nearly empty too and so it’s like having this magickal forest all to ourselves.
These are views from inside the Magick Bus from very early when things were mystical and then as the sun rose.
Perhaps some snow shoeing is in store today, or hiking one of the other trails we have our hearts set on exploring, which will take us down into the canyon and walking amidst the hoodoos on 5- 8 mile hikes….one of which is called Fairyland Loop (the longest one at 8 miles) and of course you know I was all over that one right away. We also intend to do one or two bike trails as well during our stay here.
I hope you enjoy these looks at another amazing place on Earth. Will share more as we venture into the canyon over the days to come.
A Warm Welcome To Zion
Yesterday began our Utah National Park circuit, which will continue over the next five weeks. So excited! And if the rest of the weeks exploring are anything like yesterday, it’s going to be a fantastic adventure indeed!
We will be visiting Zion until this Easter Sunday the 27th of March, then off to Bryce through April 3rd, Escalante next through April 10th, Capitol Reef following that through April 17th, and then staying in Moab the last two weeks to visit both Canyon Lands and Arches between April 17th and April 28th.
So it will be an incredible five weeks and being that we are full-time living in an RV, taking the extra time makes it more relaxed with partial work days mixed in there and being able to explore at our leisure, rather than trying to squeeze things into a day or two.
Part of Checkerboard Mesa
Of all of these National Parks the only one I’ve visited is Zion, which was almost exactly two years ago when we decided to add on a day to our return from skiing Park City so that we could do a little hiking there. We did two hikes that time, entering from a different park entrance than we are staying near this time.
So I’m looking forward to continued exploration here during Spring, as last time it was Winter – beautiful to see different seasons indeed, but challenged some hikes with ice at the time.
And what an amazing first day we had, even just for a couple of hours in Zion.
After we settled in to our quaint little park that enjoys these views (the first is the view out the right side of the RV):
had lunch, did some work, I got laundry going and transplanted some plants, we set off to Zion.
And with longer days, we’ll be able to enjoy more sunlight while exploring, which is perfect. Spring also makes for a wonderful season with blossoms, great weather for hiking, and the opportunity to see little ones amidst the wildlife, which we did!
We were so excited to be greeted by such stunning beauty and so much wildlife in our first short day. We always like to touch in with each place when first arriving, as a way to anchor in the new energy and say our hellos.
And what a warm welcome we received indeed!
We saw several herds of Mule Deer, like over a hundred, with young ones prancing along the fields at the entrance to Zion.
There was also a large herd of Bison at a ranch near the entrance, which was really cool to see these amazing creatures.
And we were super excited to see two herds of Bighorn Sheep with babies at different areas…one baby was even nursing, as they climbed steadily along the edges of the mountain.
It was our first time seeing Bighorn Sheep and we have been so hoping for a while to get the chance to experience them, so this was a big treat.
And I love the energy of mountain-climbing Sheep and Goats, as it speaks to my Capricorn Rising and North Node, reflecting so much perfect symbolism for me that I am integrating.
We then decided upon Canyon Overlook Trail as our intro hike, which was perfect and offered some stunning vistas and rocks.
And on our way out we were so blessed to see a giant Condor perched on a post (I was driving at this time, so couldn’t snap a shot, plus couldn’t stop with cars behind us). But wow! It was so huge and amazing.
I’d seen them skirting the cliffs at the Grand Canyon before, and I saw one up close and personal on Lake Titicaca in Peru back in 2008 (a rescued Condor they were helping back into the wild that had a love for our Shaman Guide), but hadn’t seen one just perched in the wild.
Since there are roughly 70 condors living wild in Arizona and Utah, where Zion rests in the middle of this realm, it was quite a gift to see this one.
We will continue our Zion explorations today and tomorrow and look forward to what other gifts will reveal themselves along with the total stunning beauty that this amazing place has to offer all around.