Love Sedona

Our Favorite Stores: Crystal Magic

 
 

Sedona loves crystals so much that we have people named for them. And stores.

One of our favorite places is Crystal Magic. You’ll find its purple awning on the north side of West Highway 89A. After many years in business, it’s time to praise a store that has become a local landmark.

First, the staff is friendly and helpful. Always changing, just like everywhere in this transient town, but nonetheless, always friendly. Second, they stay open into the evening. That’s saying something for a town where most retail is closed by 5pm, no matter the day or season. (And for goodness sake, when the suns up, we’re on the trails!)

Third, the selection is broad and up-to-date. The crystals are varied, well-displayed and well-explained, and a corner room shows off the biggest beauties of the bunch. Add to this an extensive collection of books, clothes and goodies, from incense sticks to Birkenstocks to candles to Feng Shui décor, and you’ve got a store that’s chock full. Someone’s on their toes here, because the latest Michael Beckwith book appeared before we knew it existed.

It’s one nice thing about the aging of the New Age: the far-out places are becoming institutions! Crystal Magic has become a store we can count on.

 

  

The End of the World in Sedona…Again

 Excited about the end of the world? If so, the new John Cusack flick, “2012” may be right up your alley. Or, for a more auspicious deliverance, consult the new book by Bill Gladstone, “The Twelve.” In the meantime, it’s worth remembering that the world has already ended in Sedona at least once.

 The new millennium got lots of attention in Sedona, and New Year’s Eve 1999 featured at least one major spiritual gathering, in anticipation of possible end-times.  Thirteen years earlier, however, was the event that really put New Age Sedona on the map: The Harmonic Convergence. Predictions based on the Mayan calendar (most prominently by Jose Arguelles) suggested that a new era would begin in August, 1987. To mark the event, ceremonies were held at sacred places around the world included the pyramids of Egypt, Machu Picchu and Stonehenge, among others.

 Nobody had a bigger show than Sedona, where nearly 2,000 people made their way to Bell Rock. Some said that a spaceship would land at Bell Rock. Others said that Bell Rock itself would be the spaceship, and levitate away.

 It’s easier to be cynical today, especially since Bell Rock hasn’t moved an inch. But it’s worth remembering both the enthusiasm and controversy that Sedona’s New Age community garnered back then. There were visits by Shirley MacLaine, a story on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” and warnings from the pulpits of traditional churches to watch out for Satanists.

 It’s unclear what Sedonans will do to commemorate 2012, but you can be sure, we’ll do something.

After all, if the world were going to end – or a new one were about to begin – I can’t think of a nicer place to see it happen.

 

The Gift in Shift

A great way to begin 2010 is to do it here in Sedona, Arizona at the fourth annual Gift in Shift Conference. The event features a variety of speakers in the field of personal growth, including author Gregg Braden. His work has led to such pioneering books as The God Code, The Divine Matrix, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief and his newest, Fractal Time.

The closing keynote speaker is Dr. Joe Dispenza, author of How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One. In between are a variety of interesting speakers who cover a broad range of spiritual and metaphysical topics. You’ll also find exhibitors ranging from energy work to organic chocolate and some great musicians. The opening speaker is yours truly.

Sedona is a beautiful and inspiring place to accelerate your growth work. This is an event that always sells out, and is being held this year at The Sedona Creative Life Center.  Find out more at http://www.StellarProductionsLive.com

Celebrate Your Life

The annual “Celebrate Your Life” event will be held this weekend at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix. If you’re interested in personal growth, it’s a rare chance to meet a large group of author/speakers, and a surefire way to get inspired.

Noteworthy speakers this year include Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, Bruce Lipton, Neale Donald Walsch, Cheryl Richardson, relationship experts Gay & Kathleen Hendricks, Omega Institute’s Elisabeth Lesser, John Holland and Phoenix’s Sunny Dawn Johnston, to name only a few.

Such a broad array of speakers means that there are lots of avenues for you to pursue, from the highly practical to the highly esoteric. From toe readings to financial issues, this is the kind of event where the only problem is not having enough time to hear all the speakers.

The event takes place Friday, November 13 through Monday, November 16th. The website is www.mishkaproductions.com

Sedona Psychic Predictions, Or Finding the Right Reader

This week a wonderful returning client shared with me that her daughter is now 10 years old. I sighed with relief because four years earlier a Sedona psychic predicted that her daughter would soon be dead.

The problem wasn’t that the reading was wacky. The problem was that some of it was right on the money. This points to an important question when it comes to Sedona psychics, intuitives and others in the field of offering unexpected insight: How can you find a good one?

In truth, there’s never a better place to start than looking in the mirror. There are a few things to ask yourself that will certainly improve any reading. First, are you prepared to have one? The best readings come when people are very clear on their intention. If it is a short reading (15 minutes or less), then a single question makes the most sense. This is especially true if you’re looking for some depth, beyond a simple yes or no answer. Likewise, check inside that you’re ready to listen closely to what is said. If you can’t be open to the possibility of an unexpected answer, than a psychic reading is truly a waste of your money and their time. Also consider how you’d like to hear the information, whether it be direct and blunt or nuanced with compassion.

Now for checking on psychics themselves. There are 3 areas that help determine the perfect fit: Credentials and experience, area of specialty, personality, approach and rapport. For the first, it is entirely appropriate to ask how long the intuitive has been in the business. While no one gets a Ph.D. in this stuff, professionals should be able to explain how they’ve honed their talent, and worked their craft. Next, check what they feel is their personal specialty, whether it be a category (such as relationships or career) or a realm of connection (mediumship, medical intuition, etc.). A self-aware pro should have no problem sharing a bit of her personality and style of approach, so you can know if the two of you will click. If these areas don’t fit, you can feel comfortable to ask for another recommendation, and a confident professional will direct you elsewhere if she doesn’t feel the vibe.

Having said all this, you can see why we recommend a number of people who have handled clients successfully, again and again. These include Zeffi Kefala (back in Sedona on November 24^th after an extended trip to her home country of Greece), Kristel Keirnan, Jamie Jones and Deb Lovejoy.  (Their contact info is available at http://www.sedonaprivateguides.com/psychics.htm)

Let us know who in the Sedona area has served you well.

 

Resolved: Sedona is America’s Sacred Site

The time has come to recognize that Sedona is “America’s Sacred Site.”

Here’s my argument. Each year, tens of thousands of people experience a physical or emotional reaction to being here. Those reactions were once the stuff of denial, later of conjecture, but now it is becoming clear that people are responding to the subtle energy of the land. Not unlike what people experience at other sites of stunning natural beauty or spiritual presence. Sedona is a place many are drawn to, and a place many feel in their heart as much as they experience it with any other sense.

Not all are moved by such feelings in Sedona, not even most. Yet neither is there universal opinion or feeling about any other holy place on the planet.

There are skeptics. Some say that people’s experiences here are just made up, self-fulfilling prophecies and the like. Others acknowledge Sedona’s uniqueness, but hesitate at the exclusivity of the phrase. After all, couldn’t there be other sacred sites in the nation?

I acknowledge the arguments, but stick with my claim. It’s not only that at least once a week the team at Sedona Private Guides has to break out the tissues for a client suddenly and unexpectedly gripped with emotion. It’s that it happens just as often for those who’ve never heard of Sedona’s mystical energy, dispelling the self-fulfilling prophecy idea.

Yes, there are many other such wondrous places around the nation that qualify as holy sites. Mount  Shasta, for example, is just one of many places of natural beauty or ancient tradition in this land. Still, Sedona stands out. Where else do we find as many potent reactions from unsuspecting visitors? Even the Grand Canyon, which I myself guide to, cannot compare. And just as the Dallas Cowboys are sometimes called “America’s Team,” the slogan doesn’t mean there’s only one sacred site.

Since we’re talking about America’s sacred site – rather than Peru’s, England’s or Bulgaria’s – it should be accessible to all. Sedona is, if you’ve got enough time and four wheels. It is democratic, available to those who prefer their pilgrimages to be rugged, or those who need something gentle. It is egalitarian, making no distinctions as to class, scholarship or wealth. Finally, the place is welcoming, offering pleasant weather and pleasant people who fell in love with it for the same reasons you may.

Stand up Sedona, and prepare to be crowned.