My Dear Daughter,

It’s been a pleasure to share my life with you. Today, I want to share with you my experiences on the recent trip that I took to Sedona, Arizona. This trip has been transpiring and  life changing for me. The visit was only for two and a half days. But those two days were very self actualizing and blessings for me. It has given a new perspective to life. You have heard people talk about shifts in life, right? That’s how I feel about it. Since I came back from the trip, everything looks new and fresh to me. 

It is September 17th, 3:30 PM, and I am on a flight to Arizona. I have been sleeping most of the time. I wonder why I am so tired or if it is just the air that is making me sleepy? It was kind of a rush to catch the flight from Charlotte. I had to run literally. I wanted to get a coffee but I could not even make it. Gladly, I had packed a peanut butter sandwich before I left home this early morning. Otherwise I would have to starve myself. I had planned to get a caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso from Starbucks, but that will have to wait. Maybe on my way back? I will have an hour in Charlotte. But it will be too late in the evening to have a coffee! Not a big deal either way. 

I am headed for a spiritual fun trip with my sister in law. We all call her Bunu Didi. I admire her. We have been to several places together. Since her 50th birthday is approaching, she wanted to take a girls trip to Sedona, Arizona and I agreed to it. I love travelling and it is fun to travel with her. She is a spiritual, kind hearted, loving person. She is an extreme seeker with extensive knowledge, especially in the spiritual realm. She loves to share her knowledge about everything. I love listening to her, so we pair up pretty well. 

Since I have gotten on the airplane, I have been on self evaluation mode. I have been self searching and preparing myself for Sedona. I am quiet in nature and a person with a positive attitude. I love meditation. I take a middle approach to life events and consider myself as having a more balanced approach to everything. I have no questions and no complaints. I love observing others and am kind in nature. I love my life and love what I do. I think I have the best life. So, I believe I can call myself a content person. 

All during the six hours flight, besides sleeping, I have been trying to reflect on my life. I am happy with my life. Then why am I taking this spiritual trip? What do I want from this trip? It’s the question that I’m trying to answer to myself. It is fun to get out and hang out with Bunu Didi. But I had no idea this fun hangout would bring such a shift in my life. We all watched the YouTube video about Sedona that your father put on television the other day. It talked about energy vortexes in Sedona and the popularity of it. I had no curiosity about them. I knew we would be visiting those vortexes, since they are on the top of the list for Bunu Didi. I had no desire to do any further research about them. She knows about them and I will be hearing all about them from her.  

I had no clue why she had picked Sedona? I didn’t know what to expect from the trip either. I didn’t care, I liked traveling, so I decided to keep the promise and join her in her adventure. I was looking forward to it, like I had all the other trips we had taken in the past. I had no idea that I was called to Sedona. At one point in our planning for the trip, we had dropped the plan and was going to go to Colorado. But for some unknown reason, I decided to stick with the original idea and we are headed that way today. I was a few hours away from the destination. And I know, she will be waiting at the airport to pick me up as planned. Then we will head to our cottage that we had rented for the weekend. 

The day before the trip, Bunu Didi had sent me a YouTube video that she wanted me to watch. I watched it during my lunch hour. The video was very interesting. In the video, the young girl seeking metaphysical experiences goes to the energy vortex. She came back with extraordinary experience. Do I even believe in energy vortexes? I am skeptical. I had no answer. All I knew was that there is a reason for me to be on this flight in the midst of the COVID pandemic. 

After watching that video, an inner desire to experience the external power had come to my mind. I wanted to feel the energy that people are talking about. Vortex, by the definition of the dictionary, is like a whirl of wind or some kind of swirling force. In the context of Sedona, those places were considered highly energized centers where the presence of the supreme power could be felt. I wanted to experience that. As the flight was getting closer to Phoenix, my desire to feel the presence of the universe — in any form had gotten stronger.

I am a regular meditator. In my prayers and meditation, gratefulness and share of love are the two words that come to my mind all the time. In Sedona, in those energy vortexes I wanted to feel those words. I wanted those words to be engraved in the core of me. I had no clue how anybody could feel those words inside? In my mind, if I can feel the divine presence, those magical words would sink deep deep inside me. I wanted those words to be a part of my living breathing cells. And that is what I asked the universe during this flight.

I was fascinated by the experience of the young girl in that YouTube video. She goes to a state of total relaxation with the help of a healer with his chanting and the rhythm of his drum. Then she goes into total trance and out of body and out of mind experience. It was kind of unnerving to watch it, but it looked cool. I wanted to feel that. I had a desire for something miraculous. I wanted an experience that I haven’t experienced yet. I don’t know what I was asking for? What could be it? But the desire for the presence of the universe stuck in the core of my heart. The desire to experience the power of energy vortex has grown stronger in me. I wanted to return back to my life as a new person. Besides self empowerment, I want to be able to share the experiences of the energy vortexes to the rest of the world. 

The turbulence on the flight bought me back to present. I’m still on seat number 18B in the American Airlines flight. Still going through my inner self and attempting to define and give meaning to my trip to Sedona. Beside the desires for the unknown, I have responsibilities to fulfill. I have promised to do the music video shooting for Bunu Didi’s songs. I will make a video of the trip and her 50th birthday celebration. Then eventually, I will write about it. I presented these goals internally to the universe. At this point, I wanted to personalize the universe and call the presence “you.” I thought it would be easier to talk to the universe like another person. I concluded internally, in addition to those goals, you are in my list to feel your presence in Sedona. I know you are omnipresent. There have been several occasions in my life that I have felt your presence. But, Sedona is going to be different. I want to return home as a changed person. I want a shift to happen to me. The captain announced that the flight will be descending soon. I am excited. 

We had made no plans for our days in Sedona. Since it’s her birthday, I was going to let Bunu Didi lead the way. I assumed her intentions will be to visit those four vortexes and spend as much time in those places. When she picked me up from the airport, after the pleasantries, the first question she asked was what do you expect from the trip? Well, I told her the only wish of mine is to feel the universe, like the way the girl in the video felt. I wanted something physical to happen to me, so I will be able to engrave that memory in my consciousness forever. At this point, I knew I would be granted that experience but did not know how or when. I said to myself, if my desires manifest, I plan to come to Sedona every year. This can be the destination for a girls trip for every year. It is our intention to enjoy life to its fullest and take trips together as much as possible.

We got to Sedona late in the evening. Before entering the town, we pulled into a huge empty parking lot, to a Thai restaurant for dinner. As it turned out, we closed our loop of Sedona trips at the same place and in the same way. Somehow, we ended up in the same parking lot without knowing, to buy crystals and got hungry while shopping and ended up eating again at the same place. Now, on recollection, it gives me goosebumps at just the thought of it. 

We had rented a place in the Sedona Sacred Rocks. It was advertised as a metaphysical B&B. They had horses, meditation, ceremony, pranic healing. These words attracted me because I knew my sister in law would love those features. As we approached the place it was very late, very dark out in the middle of the redwood forest. We got lost and got back on track again. As we approached the bend of the road, I could see a softly lighted place. Eventually, we stopped in front of a house with no movement at all. The environment was in standstill too. We were in this total quiet, very dark place under the brightly lighted sky full of stars. As we approached the front door, I could hear the sound of a huge waterfall. We were not sure if we were in the right place — because I kept looking for “Hogan’s house” it turned out that was the name of our little cottage. We tiptoed towards the house. Because we didn’t want to be knocking on the wrong door in the middle of the night. 

As we got closer to the house, I could see the swing in the front porch lighted like a little angelic flight. It was decorated with soft lights. The humongous waterfall with the prettiest sound of water. Crystal and ferries all over the place. As we were making sure that we were in the right place before knocking on a door, a lady approached us from behind. She guided us to our little cottage across the lawn. A perfect little house for the weekend. We entered through an unlocked doorway to a soft-lit, open room and out through the back door to the lawn, to our room. I wanted to make sure the location of the bathroom, because we would be sharing bathrooms in the main lodge with other residents. Next day we found out that the doors to the house remain open all the time. We were very tired and ready for bed. 

We had decided to visit the energy vortexes the next day. We had no plan to hire a guide or healer. We were going to explore on our own and take time as we need to. So, early in the morning, I googled the popular vortexes and we picked one and started our vortex hunt. The first one on the list was the Airport Mesa Vortex. The drive to airport mesa vortex was beautiful.  We had to go through Sedona city. The red rock mountains in the front line – it looked like a cute little town just like in the movie Cars. The business looked like a movie set with perfect lining and matching colors. Everything felt new in there. If we had not gotten lost, it was less than a fifteen minute drive from our place of residence.

Airport Mesa Vortex is considered one of the major energy vortexes in Sedona. It’s very close to the airport, hence named after it. We parked our car and started hiking to get to the top of the red rock. As we started to climb the rock mountain, Bunu Didi started to feel a tingling sensation on her hands and feet. She was walking with her palms spread and wide open. So, she could feel more of it. I wasn’t feeling any of that. The sun was blindingly bright. It is so bright that I could not see the screen of my phone. Later on, I realized that I had taken half screen videos of Bunu Didi. 

It was very hot but the breeze was cool. A perfect combination. We were on the very top of the mountain. I could see the humongous red rock in a dance, enclaving Sedona city. The epic view of the red rock mountains with the backdrop of the city made it extra beautiful. I could see the cars passing by on the streets and they weren’t causing any noise pollution. I loved the quietness and the pleasantness of the place with the beautiful view. We sat, we enjoyed the view, and we meditated. 

Bunu Didi was very reluctant to leave the place and visit the next vortex. The next vortex, just a few miles down the road, was the Bell Rock Vortex. The red rock was in a bell shape, hence earning the name of Bell Rock. It’s a moderately more difficult hike than the Airport Mesa vortex. We started climbing. There were an amazingly large number of young people climbing to the top. That presentation really amazed me. The young people were meditating and recharging their crystals all over the place. The motivation of young people really energized me. Once we got to a good spot, I sat down to meditate. 

I am familiar with meditation, but have no knowledge about crystals and charging them. Bunu didi was trying to explain about them to me. I was listening to her and remember telling myself that I need to be more open to everything. She was really excited and was feeling the energy and vivacity of the surrounding. Only, feeling I could express was the feeling of gratitude. I was very aware of the quietness and stillness of the place. We were in the middle of the desert on a sunny day. It was hot but it was not scorching hot. It was pleasant. Once I got under a shaded rock, I sat down. My plan was to enjoy and sit quietly, listening to everything. Suddenly, the feeling of gratitude took over me. I started to thank the universe for everything for such a wonderful trip. I thought about my family and all the goodness in my life and all I could do was thank the universe for it. Nothing was tingling for me. Nor was I having any of the experiences that I had asked for. But I was feeling very peaceful, quiet and grateful. This feeling persisted throughout my stay in that place. It felt so good and made me feel lighter.

Our next stop was Chapel of the Holy Cross built in 1956 is an amazing piece of art. It is built on red rocks, with an amazing view of Sedona and surrounding red rock mountain. The chapel was so peaceful and very highly energized. It felt like it was pulling me towards it. The layout was open and visitors were constantly going in and out. Even with all that commotion there was peace and quietness present. I was busy taking a video of Bunu Didi, because she had specifically asked me to do it. It felt just as good to sit inside and as it did outside. Outside, the sun, the breeze and the view were priceless. It felt so peaceful. I just wanted to spend the rest of the day there. But we had planned to visit one more Vortex on that day. 

Cathedral Rock Vortex was the last one on the list for that day for us. It was very difficult rock climbing. We wanted to get to the top. As we approached the area, Bunu Didi energy sensors started going haywire. She kept asking me, did I feel anything? I had no answer for her, other than it felt very good. I am a novice at feeling external stimuli in the way she was describing. I could only answer that it felt good. I was feeling peaceful and contemplating my life as we were climbing that uphill on that steep red rock mountain using all fours. I was happy with that. The thought about feeling the universe kept popping but I was not going to take just feeling good for that answer. I was still waiting. We still had two more days to maneuver and try to experience the universe. Sometimes, the feeling of why I am questioning the universe would pop in my mind. Because, being a meditator, I knew the answer. I knew there was a higher power. It has been proven to me in so many instances in my life. But the desire to feel the presence still persisted in me.  

After lots of struggle and help from our fellow climbers, we got to the top of the mountain. I was drenched in sweat and breathless. As I got to the top, the panting suddenly stopped, I guess I must have held my breath. The view was astonishing and chilling. The sun was about to set for the night. The golden ball had rays radiating in just the perfect hue of pink and orange. I could feel the warmth and the air felt cold. It gave me chills. Maybe the sweat from climbing was drying out, sending chills down my body. It was indescribable beauty. The hue of setting sun, the warm radiating rays, felt like they were healing me. I closed my eyes and let the rays penetrate deep inside me. Only thought that kept popping in my mind at that time was “Heal me.” I could feel the warmth of the sun rays hitting my body and going deep inside me.  It felt very good. I felt like I was being healed. 

The two pillars of red rock mountain created a perfect frame for a picture. There were lots of people trying to capture the perfect pose on the end of the cliffs. Everybody had their own styles — some wanted to be captured on camera as jumping off the Cliff and some wanted to be nestled with their beloved. They were patiently waiting in line for the opportunity. We took our turns and took more than needed amounts of pictures and videos. It was so beautiful. I just wanted the moment to hold there. In the blink of an eye, the sun was gone and the darkness started to set in. The stillness of the surrounding could be felt. The crickets and night bugs started to sing, reminding the humans to go back to their nests. We started to descend. I could feel the stillness at the bottom of the mountain. Neither of us wanted to leave. Time felt still. It felt like I was on a hold right there and then. It was too precious and amazing. The night started to engulf us and we went back to “the Hogan,” our cottage for the night. 

Once we got to the lodge, we had no words. We were just amazed with the day. We were tired both physically and emotionally. The day had been full of reflections and contemplation. All day I had been filled with stillness, gratitude, and healing. We hiked in the desert heat and made it back without dehydration. The air, the quietness of the red rock mountain kept calling back and desire to hold the hour came in my mind several times in those vortexes. The perfectly lined red rock mountain with red dirt roads had its own beauty. We were ready for bed. After going across the lawn to the main house to brush my teeth, I hit the sack. I was exhausted. I went to bed with my routine thank you universe prayer and looking forward to tomorrow. It has to be the next day for me to have that experience. We had planned to go to the Airport Mesa vortex to watch the sunrise in the morning.

With Love

Yours, Mom