Nomads of the Painted Desert

Few western wonders are more inspiring than the stunning panoramas of Arizona’s majestic landscapes, which form an enchanting and awe-inspiring picture; as though you were catching a glimpse of some forgotten, alien world, so different from any other place on earth.

We were so impressed with Arizona, that we visited the state twice in one year: in May on the way back from Desert Hearts Festival with our caravan of goddesses, Pupe, Shuang, Myscha, and Jasmine; and once again in August after Burning Man. Even so, we only caught a glimpse of all the natural wonders to be seen. To express the color, mood and beauty of this vast enchanted land, is impossible in words. Below is a glimpse of our travels through rocky gorges, windswept fields of cacti, and painted deserts.

Our first stop was the breathtaking city of Sedona. We originally intended to visit the Grand Canyon, but the day of our trip, we woke up to hail and snow which was totally unexpected in May. Our sojourn to Sedona ended up being one of the highlights of our trip- a sign that everything happens for a reason.

Nestled among crimson sandstone formations in Oak Creek Canyon, what used to be a small agricultural community has evolved into a quaint city of close to 12,000 people. The earthy red buildings in Sedona had a unique, southwestern style that blended in with the red rocks surrounding the town. Even the McDonald’s and Starbucks had toned down their appearance and X. As we drove through the main street, we saw lots of businesses geared towards healthy lifestyles: vegetarian restaurants, yoga and meditation centers, crystal shops, and massage therapists.

You could spend a whole year exploring the hundreds of miles of hiking trails in and around Sedona, each one boasting jaw dropping views of the million year old rocky formations. Since we were short on time, we chose to hike Devil’s Bridge and Cathedral Rock. Both trails are of moderate difficulty and didn’t require too much time.

Devil’s Bridge is the most popular tourist spot in Sedona. When we visited in September, Gilles and I were lucky that we only saw 1 other person who was meditating on the bridge. We realized why when we started to hike the 3 miles back to the parking lot. While hiking as the sun sets is a beautiful experience, it quickly becomes scary when the sun dips below the horizon. We had to climb down several steep inclines using only our phones for light. We made a noob mistake but when hiking at sunset, it’s always recommended to carry a headlamp or flashlight to find your way back.

Sedona’s canyon walls show nine layers of stone from different geological periods spanning hundreds of millions of years. The unique red colors of some of the sandstone layers are the result of iron oxide staining the rocks over years and years.

Native American tribes have long regarded the area around Sedona as sacred, to be used only for special ceremonies. Around 1980, New Agers began finding vortexes – specially charged areas of energy – giving rise to a new and thriving spiritual industry in the area.In Sedona, vortexes are created, not by wind or water, but from spiraling spiritual energy.

The vortexes of Sedona are believed to be spiritual locations where the energy is right to facilitate prayer, meditation, and healing.  Vortex sites are believed to be locations where energy flow exists on multiple dimensions. Individual reactions to vortexes vary, but visitors to Sedona often remark that they experience more vivid dreams. Enter these areas in the spirit of respect for the land, for the history of any artifacts, and for the significance of these areas. The vortex sites are popular places to meditate so loud music and chatter is not recommended.

Cathedral Rock is considered to be one of the strongest energy vortex locations in Sedona. Rising majestically toward the sky from a red sandstone base, the spires of Cathedral Rock inspire wonder and awe . The magnificent spires only become apparent after a short hike to the base of Cathedral Rock. There are three saddle points where you can rest at the base of each of the spires, and admire panoramic views of the valley beyond.

We visited this stunning site during both of our trips to Arizona, but at different times of the day. Both times the hike was quite difficult. While the round trip hike is only 1.5 miles, the incline up Cathedral Rock is very steep. In some places there are only small  footholds where you can place your foot before scrambling to the next one. Without these steps which were carved by hikers over time, I can’t imagine how we would have climbed the rock without mountain climbing equipment. We didn’t get to explore all of Cathedral during our first trip, because it started to rain which made returning downhill with bags of sequin costumes very treacherous.

For our second visit in August, we woke up before sunrise to catch the morning’s first light from a top the summit. This time the hike seemed even more challenging- perhaps because our legs were dead after a week at Burning Man and not ready for a 6am hike. Apparently half the people who try to make it to the top of Cathedral Rock don’t succeed.

Sunrise in Arizona is when you truly witness our planet’s glory. The best photos are always taken at sunrise so during our Arizona travels, we set a rigorous schedule of waking up before morning and driving to a shoot location. Each time the alarm went off at 4am, it was a struggle to get out of bed and drag ourselves into the cold of the early morning.

Our first morning visiting the Grand Canyon, everyone was half asleep until we stumbled out of the van, and gazed at the mindblowing panorama before us. The red and golden rays of the sun’s first light swept down over the formidable canyons, spreading light over the horizon as far as the eye could see.

Our troupe of goddesses were grateful for the opportunity to witness this spectacular scenic beauty together. We all came from different backgrounds and countries, but had come together to create magic on this road trip after attending Desert Hearts Festival. The entire trip was an example of how when you’re on the right path in life, synchronicity manifests, and wonderful things happen.

I had met Swan (@swanvrart) on a reggae art car bus the first night I arrived at my first Burning Man in 2013, and knew Myscha from the Burner party scene in NYC. We had met Pupe (@stellarbalcony), a colorful fashion blogger at Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand back in 2017. She traveled all the way from Bangkok for Desert Hearts Festival in Cali and brought her friend Jazz who she had met at Jai Thep festival in Chiang Mai (@vagabondjazz). Originally from California, Jazz is a nomadic entrepreneur who teaches Thai university students and has a clothing line Mali Pah that she runs when she’s not traveling the world.

Everyone was down to contribute to YoshiZen’s artistic project “Make Your Life An Art Piece,” – a photography series featuring Gilles’ photographs that mixed dreamlike travel photography with fashion. The main goal of this venture was to make art on the go as we chased epic landscapes around the world , inspiring people to be wearable art and discover Mother Earth.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the tall canyon walls came alive, revealing ancient rocks shaped by years of erosion. The canyons are deep, ancient openings in the Earth that look as if they formed as the earth split apart. In reality, they were made by erosion from the Colorado River after the plateau was lifted up by seismic activity, revealing layers of pink, red, and yellow rocks over a billion years old.

The entire Canyon is around 277 miles long and one mile deep. We just visited the upper part of the South Rim on our trip, but it’s also possible to hike down to the canyon floor with a guide.  If considered a city, the Grand Canyon would be the fourth largest city in the United States by size, and bigger than Paris, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The canyon is so vast and so deep, that the vista stretches so far across your line of vision that distance becomes meaningless, depth blurs, and your sense of time and space withers away.

After our incredible experience at the Grand Canyon, we drove along Highway 89, stopping to take photos where ever we saw interesting scenery. It was a sunny day, and through the windows of our Dodge Caravan, we glimpsed pastel colored cliffs under sapphire skies, clusters of colorful cacti, and alien like tall sandstone formations.

We had intended to drive to Lake Powell for sunset, but were redirected by a local when we stopped to ask for directions. The place we were advised to visit didn’t even have a name on Google Maps. This obscure site ended up being my favorite spot of our entire Arizona trip. Alien rocks protruded from the Earth, creating a landscape that looked like it belonged more on Mars. Everything from the sand to the tall rock formations were a deep sienna red. We excitedly scrambled up the rocks explore and take some photos of this strange yet beautiful setting.

We danced on top of the crimson rocks in tribute to Gaia as the soft light of the setting sun illuminated the clouds and wild red rocks around us. The entire experience was indescribable in words. It was a fitting end to our last day in Arizona and we were grateful for the opportunity to view the sunset from such an epic vantage point.

Arizona is a must see in the United States- it’s impossible to leave without a deeper sense of respect and appreciation for the land. Inspired by the kaleidoscopic beauty that we witnessed Jazz wrote a poem expressing the deep respect and oneness with the Earth that we felt:

Mother Earth’s Message 

Have you heard?

Come closer.

Settle in your spirit so you can fully understand 

Mama Earth has a little secret. 

And it’s your turn to know…

The riddle to your arrival is so simple…

Those traces you’ve found along you’re journey were not by chance. 

The winds pushed you in this exact direction

But did you really feel it?

Follow the scents of your ancestors 

Let them be your guide

Close your ears… hear your hearts pulsing lullaby

Are you truly listening? 

Take your hands…touch her

Plug into her roots…feel her soft frequency.

Have you looked up?

She even left you answers in the sky….

Hypnotizing images that reflect her dreams….

Taste her to fully unravel her mystery

Swallow, she will softly rock your spirit into another dimension 

Your 5 senses helped you arrive

now its time to channel your 6th…

Intuition.

Sitting in her red womb ripped open and swept away by the rivers of Time. 

She screams out PEACE from the Canyons core

Quaking the Sedona vortex 

Her message?

The canyon you dance above carries forgotten streams

that lead to the rivers,

That kiss your lips in the morning…. 

That you water your plants with…

Soon you too must return to Pacha Mama when our energy is needed. 

REMEMBER, 

We are all one…