Beyond the Vortex

Greater Sedona Places of Power

The Twin Hero of the South pole, Palonghoya, went into deep meditation and searched with his mind throughout the universe for the heart beat of the Great Spirit.

And when he found it, he began to beat his drum, drawing that which gives movement to all things to the heart of the earth where it began to beat. And that heartbeat then pulsed out to the surface of the earth giving birth to life. And those places on the surface of the earth where the drum beat is the strongest, power spot, sacred place,

These places of Power the Hopi call the “spots on the back of the fawn”, and are truly doorways into a world that is resonant with the answer to the question “Who am I”. An answer that is full of the beauty and mystery that is gifted to us by this prayerful land. The Navajos would say that different Holy Beings inhabit or infuse these lands. And so each location is a presence that sings a silent song, echoing from the home of all creation. These buttes, mesas, canyons and mountains invite us to open our hearts and hear the song that returns us to our true home. Chant the word home and you sing the ancient sound that takes you home.

One of my songs Arizona, Arizona expresses how I feel in this line: “Its a religion without a name” You can listen to the full song here.
I myself live at the base of Mingus Mountain across the valley from Sedona. When you look up at Mingus it is as if she is bowing her head and spreading her arms, blessing you. There is a peacefulness and tranquility gifted to you as you rest on her shoulders and breathe the sky. A wash runs down to my house, channeling the sacred protective energy

Mingus Mountain

Mingus Mounting is Central Arizona’s tallest Sacred Mountain, Duhl Ess Di Iss Kan, and is truly a stepping stone to heaven. It is the highest vista in the whole Verde Valley, a sacred place to the Yavapai and Tonto Apache.
The Salish Indians of the Northwest have a word for a place like this: Skalalitud, “A Place Where Beauty and Magic are Seen Everywhere.” From here you can see the red rock cliffs of Sedona radiant with sunlight, Sycamore Canyon and the San Francisco Peaks, “light always glitters on top”, sacred to the Hopis and Navajos. From here you can touch the sky. This is one of the grandest views in the world that many visitors to Sedona miss.

Mingus is the spiritual center of this valley. Go anywhere in the world and the tallest mountain or even hill that is visible will have great spiritual significance and will often be the center. This escapes you when you look at it from below. But when you journey to the top your whole being knows the truth. It is a female mountain full of great peace. It is a stepping stone to heaven. Few people in the valley are aware of this. But it is true. It is also the Southwest border for Hopi Indian ancient Sacred land. For the Yavapai Apache, it is the place where the first woman gave birth to her daughter. More than nine springs flow from her.

View from Mingus toward Sedona

Above is a view from Mingus mountain looking out toward Sedona and with cottonwood, my home, at the base of the mountain in the foreground. It sits on the Southwest end of the Verde Valley. The red rock cliffs sit on the Northwest side. But the mountain range (the Black Hills), of which Mingus the tall sentinel of, is embraced by valleys on either side. So Mingus is actually the center of a great circle. It is also the tallest mountain in Central Arizona. From it, you can see the most sacred mountains of Arizona the San Francisco Peaks, home of the kachina spirits, sacred mountains of the West, known by the Navajos as light always glitters on top. These are the Tallest mountains in Arizona at 13,000 feet.

San Francisco peaks “light always glitters on top. Home of the Kachina spirits

Many of my sacred places are hidden away from the majority of travelers. You have to seek them to find them Below is a video of one of my special places that is bone white rock. These are places that few people know about but are my sacred places that I often take people to. If you have journey to this page I wish you well and many blessings if you are planning a trip to Sedona or are currently visiting.

Skeleton Bone Canyon

By The river in Canyon of The Holy Beings

By Paul Tohlakai, Sacred Mountains Foundation

“If it is to be said that the Native Americans are spiritual, then their spirituality can only be described as their relationship to the natural world. This relationship begins with oneself, to others, the environment, and one’s view of the world and universe. This created a belief system through interpretations of Creation. Indigenous culture, or mother earth worship, thus evolved. Traditions or a Way of Life began.

Native people in North America sought an ideal state of being based on the quality of interaction with the natural world. This harmony and balance inspired a spiritual consciousness for each act in life. They were one and the same. All manifestations of life, our environment resulting from the union of Father Sky and Mother Earth, were deemed sacred and fragile.

For local tribes of the Pueblo, Apache, Navajo (Dineh), Ute, and others, it was a paradise for gathering food and medicinal plants, hunting, ceremonies, and other gatherings. It was a place to waken the creative mind, body, and spirit. Until they were dispossessed, the Native people maintained the area here as a place for peaceful contemplation and resolutions.

The mountains in particular were viewed with awe and mystery. The Mountains are sacred to indigenous people. Pilgrimages are still made to the Sacred Mountains for medicine bundle renewal, rain, medicinal herbs, and ceremonies by various tribes.

Nearby Mount Blanca is one such mountain. To the Dineh, it is called Sisnajinii, meaning “black sash trailing down”. The sash is the range extending from Blanca northward to include the Crestone community. It is the revered eastern mountain of the Dineh cosmos. Blanca and three other cardinal direction mountains are mentioned as the pillars holding up the sky-universe in the Navajo spiritual geography. Together they form the boundary for the Southwest Medicine Wheel.

The Dineh cosmology is further represented in the building of traditional hogan. The creation of Father Sky and Mother Earth is represented in the Hogan. Sisnajinii represents the mind-opening door of the Hogan, where offerings for renewal and growth are made each new day at dawn. In this sacred manner, we greet each new day and all our relations. This cycle of life has no beginning and no end. ”

The Hopi Believe the Clouds are their Ancestors.
When they bury there dead they bury them with a cloud mask on the face, to make the body light so that it may rise up and join the cloud People.