Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, Arizona
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord Who bought them – bring swift destruction on themselves. ~ II Peter 2:1
Since we did precious little today, and have no pictures, I’ve decided to hopefully make you smile – or better yet, laugh out loud, and then teach you something unusual about Sedona, Arizona. Well, it won’t actually be me teaching, but an article I found on the web while researching.
Bob Dyer from the Akron Beacon Journal shared some more humorous comments people have posted on Facebook relating to our current pandemic. Enjoy!
“Eighth day of self-isolation and it’s like Vegas in my house. We’re losing money by the minute, cocktails are acceptable at any hour and nobody knows what time it is.”
“Day 6 of quarantine: Preparing to take out the garbage. So excited. Can’t decide what to wear.”
“Remember laughing at Michael Jackson wearing a mask and glove? Now y’all are out here looking like you wanna be starting something.”
“Remember when we were little and we had underwear with the days of the week on them? Yah, those would be helpful right now.”
“My house got TP’d last night. It’s now appraised at $875,000.”
With a photo of germophobe Howie Mandel: “Who’s crazy now?”
“If your mother is over 60 years old and wants to go out, forbid her. If she complains about everybody else going out, say, ‘You’re not everybody else.’ Payback time.”
“I hope you firefighters are ready. Some of these people haven’t cooked a day in their lives.”
“I feel like I’m 16 again. Gas is cheap and I’m grounded.”
And finally …
“Monday: No gatherings of more than 500 people
“Tuesday: No gatherings of more than 50 people
“Wednesday: No gatherings of more than 10 people
“Thursday: Stay 6 feet away from people
“Friday: Stay home
“Tomorrow: OK, the floor is lava.”
Now that you’ve had your laugh, it’s time to learn. When we first visited Sedona 12 years ago, we
were coming off Cathedral Rock (I think) and someone just entering said to us, “Did
you feel the vortex?” They were very
excited, but we had no idea what they were talking about and just said, “No.”
After that experience, we learned that apparently people believe that certain places in Sedona have some kind of spiritual (as in New Age, not Holy Spirit) aura that is supposed to make you feel transcendental and peaceful, etc. There are shops all over the place (currently closed, of course) that tout things like readings and crystals, and other mystical stuff.
Please, please, PLEASE note . . . . the following is simply for information purposes only. We certainly do NOT advocate practicing or believing this New Age mumbo jumbo! We firmly believe in the power of the Holy Spirit obtained through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Period.
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. ~ Leviticus 19:31. When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ~ Isaiah 8:19.
Some may believe that I shouldn’t even put it in our post, but first of all, we believe that we should be aware of what others believe so we can speak intelligently with them about the Truth, should the opportunity arise. And second, it’s part of the culture here, so we consider it educational.
So with that in mind, the following is the article I found at Sedonaredrocknews.com.
What is a Sedona vortex?
Anyone who has been in Sedona for more than a few days has likely asked or been asked that question. Some claim aliens installed a giant crystal under Bell Rock. Others say Bell Rock itself is an alien spaceship or transdimensional portal, hence the reason humans feel an “energy” when visiting.
Pete A. Sanders Jr., a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in biomedical chemistry, brain science and physiological psychology who lives in Sedona, says the word “vortex” is misleading.
“Vortex is just the word that stuck,” Sanders said. “They are meditative sites.”
Author of the 1981 book and 2014 DVD “Scientific Vortex Information,” Sanders said the word was coined in 1979 to describe meditative sites people have visited for decades.
Sedona’s spiritual heritage may actually go back thousands of years. Some archeologists believe that the Sinagua, the native people that built cliff dwellings beginning in A.D. 600 like Honanki and Palatki northwest of Sedona and Montezuma Castel near modern-day Camp Verde and then vanished around A.D. 1400 may have held the Sedona area as sacred ground. Because their habitation ruins ring Sedona, those archeologists feel the Sinagua lived on the outskirts and traveled to the red rock area for sacred ceremony.
In the 1960s word started to spread in the United States among spiritual seekers to visit Sedona’s “high energy meditation sites.” In 1979, Page Bryant identified the four most popular and accessible sites: the Bell Rock vortex, between Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek on the east side of State Route 179; the Cathedral Rock vortex across the road on the west side; the Airport vortex, on a knoll between Cooks Hill and Airport Mesa; and the Boynton vortex, in Boynton Canyon just north of Enchantment Resort. Sanders said that there are hundreds of other such sites around Sedona.
Color plays an important part in the meditative process, Sanders said. The red and burnt orange of Sedona’s rock formations put visitors into a contemplative mood while the green vegetation signals growth, rebirth and renewal.
While Bryant described the vortex locations as electric, magnetic or electromagnetic, and others call them “male or female” “yin and yang” or “positive or negative,” Sanders said the terms are misleading as there are no measurable electric nor magnetic fields located at the sites. Instead, he uses the terms “inflow” and “outflow.”
Outflow, electric or masculine meditation sites are mountains and mesa tops, like Bell Rock and Airport Mesa which enhance meditation and prayer. They give visitors a view of the surrounding area that psychologically gives people perspective, makes personal problems seem smaller and feel more manageable.
“Going to a higher perspective is the key element,” Sanders said.
Inflow sites are associated with valleys, canyons and caves and help with introspection, such as Red Rock Crossing at Crescent Moon Ranch Recreation Area, creekside near Sedona’s resorts, or the narrow canyons off of Dry Creek Road. These areas remove distractions of the outer world, limit one’s focus on the immediate surroundings and boost the significance of individual self in respect to the larger world.
These locations help visitors go inward and enhance meditation, introspection and contemplation, he said. Inflow sites help people heal hurts from their past and gain insight into their life and purpose.
Sanders said that people don’t need to have spiritual guides or gurus to experience meditative powers around Sedona. Hiking guides can help people reach the Sedona vortex locations but the benefits of a meditative experience is up to the individual to discover themselves.
Believers feel that Sedona’s meditation sites make it easier to pray, contemplate, reduce stress and heal the mind and body. If you chose to visit them, observe the same respectful practices you would in a church, mosque, synagogue, temple or other sacred site:
~~Maintain natural quiet as much as possible.
~~Stay on designated trails and in designated areas.
~~Do not leave or take anything from the sites. ~ Sedonaredrocknews.com
The Bible tells us, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus, is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. ~ I John 4:1-3