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| Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. Photo by Kristy McCaffrey |
Sedona—located a two-hour drive north of Phoenix, Arizona—is a place where spiritual and psychic energies are enhanced. While the entire town is considered to be an energy vortex, there are specific areas that people visit for maximum meditation enjoyment. The top four Sedona vortexes are located at Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon. Each spot radiates its own particular energy, some producing energy that flows upward while others have energy spiraling downward and entering the earth.
How did Sedona get so famous? Her reputation as a spiritual
center got quite a boost in 1987 when a man named José Arguelles, a New Age artist and author, stated that
a great Harmonic Convergence would take place in August, based on dates
provided in a 1971 book called Lord of
the Dawn by Tony Shearer. During this convergence, the earth would start
slipping out of its “time beam” and risk spinning off into space, and there
would be a higher incidence of déjà vu and UFO sightings. Only through the focused
psychic efforts of the human race would the earth remain in place. If enough
people gathered at sacred sites around the world then a New Age would begin,
and the earth would remain safe and enter a new era of harmony and love. Of
course, we know that our home did not spin wildly into space, perhaps because
of this widespread moment of meditation of which Sedona was a major player. :-)
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| My daughter and I at the saddle of Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona. |
But more importantly, what are these spiritual cracks in the
earth? The answer may be tied to ley lines—magnetic pathways that likely hold
the secret to bird, mammal, and even bacterial migrations. Confirmation by
modern measurements has shown these lines to flow in gentle curves along the
lay of the land. Most humans can sense a difference in a local magnetic field
of only a few gammas; energetic places like Sedona have anomalies that are far
stronger.
In my recently re-released western romance, BLUE SAGE,
Braden and Audrey find a place with magical properties, not far from Sedona.
What do you do when a
woman literally lands at your feet?
Braden Delaney has taken over the family cattle business after
the death of his father, but faced with difficult financial decisions, he
contemplates selling a portion of the massive Delaney ranch holdings known as
Whisper Rock, a place of unusual occurrences. The sudden appearance of a pretty
relic-hunter while he’s collecting his livestock, however, is about to change
his mind.
Archaeologist Audrey Driggs arrives in the remote wilderness
of Northern Arizona for clues to a life-altering experience from her childhood.
When she rolls off a mountain and lands at the feet of rugged cowboy Braden
Delaney, it’s clear she needs his knowledge of the area to complete her quest.
But if she tells him the truth, will he think she’s crazy?
Together, they’ll uncover a long-lost secret.
This long novella was previously published in the anthology
A COWBOY TO KEEP, and I’ve added minor updates to the text.
Now Available:
Print coming soon.
Excerpt
The damned calf was stuck in the brambles again.
Braden Delaney swung down from his horse, his spurs
jangling, and approached the mewling youngster. The calf thrashed in a mess of
bushes beneath a stately juniper tree with shredded, red-colored bark. It
reminded Braden of pulled-pork barbecue. It was on the menu tonight if Lewis,
wrangler and cook during roundups, had been telling the truth this morning
before the five of them had headed out.
It was late in the day and Braden’s stomach rumbled in
response.
He’d take care of this problem and then head back to base
camp—two airstream trailers and a horse trailer with a built-in bunk for
Braden.
Braden knocked the brim of his Stetson up a notch and went
to work prying the animal from the tangled jumble of branches. His gloved hands
made fast work of the situation, and before long he’d set the calf on all
fours. The animal took off at a lope, headed toward a band of larger cows, one
of whom was likely his mama.
“You’re welcome,” Braden uttered under his breath.
It was the third rescue he’d performed on the calf in the
past two days. The contrary little beast had a knack for wandering and getting
into untenable predicaments. He should just usher it to the makeshift corral a
few miles to the southeast, but Braden wasn’t quite ready to bring in this
cluster of cattle, and he didn’t want to separate the calf from its mother.
Billy Lasco, his range foreman, would be up in a few days
with two large semi-trucks to collect the cattle they’d gathered and transport
them to the Delaney Ranch fifty miles to the south. Braden would guide the
wayward calf and his mama into camp then. His current plan was to simply flush
the cows and steers hiding out in the rocky hillside into the open plain below.
As he returned to his horse, a scream and a crash spun him
around.
Had a steer just rolled down the slope? Braden circled,
searching for an injured critter.
But it was no animal.
A woman lay on her back, grimacing.
Braden moved quickly to her side. “Are you all right, miss?”
She pushed to sit, leaves and sticks in her brown hair,
askew in a haphazard ponytail. She wore trail pants, hiking boots and an ivory
t-shirt. His eyes jerked back to the shirt, not sure he’d read correctly the
word printed on it. Yep, he had. BOOBIES covered the spot where those very
things resided, round and nicely shaped. Then he saw the image above the
word—two birds with blue feet. Blue-footed boobies. Despite the dire situation,
a smile tugged at his mouth.
Copyright © 2018 K.
McCaffrey LLC
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4 comments:
ah, Kristy, does this bring back memories. Two years ago my daughter and I did a Vortex tour with meditation at various sites. I can't say I'm a huge believer. The guy who showed us round certainly was; said he had to leave the area every so often because the surges got too much for him etc. etc. Sadly now, to me anyway, Sedona has become a series of roundabouts with New Age/crystal shops along its route. I remember being there way back when it was a tiny (possibly dirt road most of it) town to which hippies made pilgrimage, and it had more of a beauty to it. But still worth at least one visit, for the red rocks if nothing else.
But your book is great! And it was a pleasure working with you on A Cowboy to Keep. Good luck with the solo pub.
Kristy, like Andrea, I wish you well with your solo outing, but I have a wee touch of sadness because A Cowboy to Keep was a winning experience. But we have the future! I too have been to Sedona and although I didn't feel the energy, I did love the natural beauty. My son is now in New Zealand and that is another place with ley lines and special energy...at least that is what my Tai Chi instructor tells us! In fact during class we face a wall size mural of Cathedral Rock and I like to lose myself in it. Great cover for Blue Sage (I've been meaning to message you about that!)
Andrea,
Yes, Sedona is very commercialized these days. Way too much traffic now. But the land is still breathtaking. And the drive through Oak Creek Canyon is one of the nicest in the state. Thanks for the well wished! Now on to the next antho.
Patti,
Thank you so much! Cathedral Rock is quite famous and pops up everywhere in pics and advertisements. I've never been to New Zealand but it's on the list. I imagine it will be like Hawaii and Ireland, both places that have an interesting vibe to them. I don't want to sound too off the charts, but magical is the only word for them. Thanks for stopping by!
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