It was a very chilly day, with the wind blowing strong and constant. I put my sneakers on for the hike I was about to take. This was no ordinary hike. I arrived to the trail of the gorgeous Sedona, Arizona Red Rock mountain. There is something about the color of the clay rocks that brings an instant calm over me. I am not an athlete so I looked at the steep incline and at first was nervous and hesitated. The elevation is about 5,000 feet above sea level which makes it harder to breath when you climb. I didn’t let this stop me from accomplishing my goal. The goal of climbing this beautiful trail, with sounds of birds and the wind blowing across my ears. The trail began with an incline up the hard Red Rocks. It was almost as if nature created stepping stones to climb, one by one up the steep hill. I took my time and made sure that I completely inhaled deeply and was mindful of the beauty that surrounded me. Climbing was almost like solving a puzzle by deciding what my next step would be and how to navigate my steps up the incline. When I got to the top, I stood for a moment to catch my breath. It was hard because I wanted to dive right into the moment. You see there was a goal that I was trying to meet by climbing this Red Rock. I was hiking towards a Vortex in the Arizona sky. A Vortex according to visitsedona,com “A vortex is believed to be a special spot on the earth where energy is either entering into the earth or projecting out to the earth’s plane. Vortexes are found at sacred sites throughout the world-the Great Pyramid in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, Bali, Stonehenge,Ayers Rock in Austrailia etc. It is believed that the Vortex Energy moves in a spiral, moving up or down.”
Native Americans live by the idea of a Vortices. They believe that the Vortex have healing powers. I visited Stonehenge is England this past summer when I was on vacation. At that time I was’t aware that it was a Vortex. However, looking back I remember noting to myself that I felt different there. Lighter, calmer and even though I had a cold I began to breath better and my mood was lifted. This trip to Sedona was not my first time experiencing a Vortex there. Years earlier I was on a Pink Jeep trip where they took us to various Vortex spots. This motivated me to want to hike this trip to another Vortex spot. As Miley Cyrus sings in the song The Climb,
“There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes you’re gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb”
I actually had this song in my head as I was climbing, not knowing what I would feel on the other side. It was worth the climb and all that I expected. The energy and the aura of peace that came over me was incredible. l felt as if I had been rejuvenated and that I was given the gift of power, energy and compassion from this Vortex. Right now some of you may not be buying what I am selling about Vortices, that is ok. There are many places in your world and life that you can go to where you will find energy, power, calm and peace emotionally and physically. Think about where you can find your own personal Vortex in your world.
What prompted me to climb the Vortex on this particular day? I had a massage called “Footsteps in the Canyon” the prior day at the Wilde Spa and Resort in Sedona, Arizona. I will be honest I have had many massages but this one was so different. Lisa was my therapists name and she was truly unique. I literally could feel her giving of herself as she provided reflexology on my feet. The magical moment was when we were talking about the reason she became a massage therapist and I a therapist. In a profound moment LIsa said, “You can’t touch others if you don’t allow yourself to be touched.” I felt like my mind was exploding with all sorts of thoughts and I realized this was the exact reason why I chose Sedona for my trip this year. To be able to write my blog and to produce my podcast weekly, I needed to be touched by energy and rejuvenation. I realized that to be an effective therapist, speaker, writer and motivator, I needed to be touched. I would say this was my message to myself to practice what I preach.
So now that I am back my question to you is ,”You can’t touch others if you don’t allow yourself to be touched”, so how are you going to nurture yourself? We are currently in the midst of the Holiday Season where it is all about giving. If you don’t allow yourself to receive then how can you give of yourself? I pose these questions to you as a way to get you thinking about your own self-care and identifying your own needs. Humans are not perfect and we are constantly challenged in life.This makes it all the more reason to find ways to nurture ourselves. The result will help us to have healthy relationships in our lives.
I know that you probably have a list of gifts you need to buy, parties to plan or attend, decorating your home or workspace and holiday cards to send. Before you begin to tackle any of these tasks, I want you to identify how you are going to find your own personal Vortex in your life and where you live. Give it a name or just call it “Your Energy Vortex.” Instill in yourself The Mindset that you can’t give unless you give to yourself first. The energy does not exist without receiving energy.
If you are questioning my thought process and the connection to Vortices then I want you to read my words again. I became enlightened through my experiences in Sedona. I give of myself all the time to an audience of readers and listeners that I have never met. I ask them to entrust in me and to utilize my knowledge in their own journeys of self-help. If I don’t allow myself to be touched then how can I touch my audience. I realized that this is the same concept I want my audience to instill in their lives. Basically practicing what I preach. In the midst of the Holiday Season I realize how much we lose of ourselves. We lose the true meaning of gift giving. It’s not about what you bought them but the energy that is behind the idea of giving a gift. You ultimately are giving of yourself to others.
I am challenging you this season to give to yourself before you give to others. Instill in your mindset that the energy of giving a gift will not mean all that it can be if your own personal nurturing energy is not given with it. Absorb the notion that if you don’t take care of you as an individual then your gift to others will not be received as you would like it to be. I realize that you all can’t run off to Sedona or Stonehenge to receive the energy of a Vortex to be touched but you can identify areas in Your World that can provide you with the energy to be touched.
My tag line for my Podcast is “Go out and Explore all of the Wide Open Spaces in Your World”. My moments in Sedona, I realized that I was practicing what I instill in my listeners. This was such a rewarding feeling and I wanted to pass my epiphany on to you so that you can give and receive in the most beneficial ways possible. In this process you will feel yourself Evolving and Changing into a healthier and better you. Taking charge of the ins and outs of your daily life and not letting the chaos of the world bring you down. Putting your needs ahead of others knowing that this will make you a better giver, listener, caretaker, significant other. parent, child, sibling, friend, professional and just a better person all around.
If you are having a difficult time finding your own Personal Vortex that is ok. I feel this process may be trial and error in your attempts. The perfect Vortex spot is about energy, peace and a clear mind. In your journey of trying out various spots you will be able to know the exact moment that you find your special energy place. Keep this place as a private spot for you. Go here when you may feel weak, defeated, tired, frustrated, angry, hurt or just depleted in life. The Personal Vortex will be the place where you allow yourself to be touched, so that you can touch others. There is a true sense of beauty in this and a spiritual coping mechanism to add to your world.
If it is becoming a challenge in allowing yourself to become touched then maybe just go get a nice reflexology massage, sit under a tree, lay on a hammock or put a candle on in your home, turn off your phone and put some tranquil music on. Create an environment that will touch and energize you. This may become your own Personal Vortex spot. You must put the energy into yourself to give to others. Remember, you are number one in your life, you can’t give to others if you don’t give to yourself first.
Google Vortex spots or maybe read a book on Vortices and how you can gain insight into where you can find this energy. Go to my Instagram account or Facebook account where I will be sharing pictures of the Vortex and areas that I personally identified in my travels and my own Personal Vortex spots. They are presented in a form of a short meditation video. I hope that you enjoy them and that they will help you to spark ideas of a special energy spot for you.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS ALWAYS CREATE POSITIVE ENRERGY
GO OUT AND EXPLORE ALL OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES IN YOUR WORLD
CIAO
ILISE
