Raven's Introduction to Sedona (Arizona I)
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Sunrise in Sedona, AZ (c) 2014 by Me! |
"CROAK. CROAK. CRO-AACK."
I thought the air conditioning was trying to turn on, so I turned off the unit.
"CROAK. CROAK. CRO-AACK."
I rolled over.
"CROAK. CROAK. CRO-AACK!"
I had no idea what was making that sound, and got up and explored the bungalow. I looked outside:
Raven in a Juniper Tree |
Squeeee! |
During my trip, Raven greeted me every single day, and often joined me on my long (4-5 hour!) hikes. He was super-playful, very Tricksy, and rather adept at manifesting Himself physically anytime I was struggling with a particularly difficult Journey or "Aha!" moment.
But what about Coyote? Where was He?
Sadly, I never saw a physical coyote while in the desert (not this time, at least). However, Coyote was present at each Journey, and gave me wonderful insight into the Desert, the Land, and His People. He was able to welcome me my first night, during my tour of the Night Sky. As our group sat on the freezing soccer field (open space needed for the telescope), I heard a giggle, then a yip, then a short bark. My ears immediately perked up, and I had a giant grin on my face. The tour guide said, "Well folks, we seem to have a pack of coyotes near us. Just stay with the group." I laughed, and then the coyote voices exploded: at least 7 or 8 howled, barked, yipped, laughed, and sang.
Of course, I couldn't focus on anything else, and tears of joy froze halfway down my cheeks.
Stay tuned for the next blog entry, where Coyote tells me the Secrets of the Vortexes!
*Note: My offerings were given just off of the paths of parking lots (most of the time), to preserve to sacredness and beauty of the spaces. Additionally, I was a Guest with these Spirits, and was warned by many Natives to NOT leave offerings at the actual places (it is considered extremely rude and disrespectful by those who are of the Culture, and who work with the Spirits of Place directly).
I've never seen the physical manifestation of my totem (tiger) outside of a zoo. Even then, it's pretty powerful to be in their presence, but the energy is rather subdued because of the setting.
ReplyDeletePart of me would LOVE to see a tiger in the wild, but the rational biologist side of me thinks that would probably be a Very Bad Idea.