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“This
rock’s vibrating with playfulness,” laughs Bob. “My stone,” Julia
bubbles, “is transmitting living with ease.” Trish shares that her river
rock is conveying freedom. Becky senses a connection to all beings from
her stone.
As each person correctly
identifies the qualities their partner had transmitted into the rock,
I’m astounded. The experiment is working! At the same time, my doubting
mind chimes in, “This can’t be happening. It’s impossible that every
person is naming the exact vibrational quality their partner put into
the rock.”
So much
for the accuracy of my mind!
Adventuring
in Nature
Three
days earlier, 16 of us took a short backpack trip into a pristine canyon
outside of the mystical town of Sedona, Arizona. Another guide and I
were leading the group on a specialized adventure called a vision quest.
Traditionally, indigenous people embark on a vision quest to reconnect
to their spirit and intuition. Aborigines in Australia go on a vision
quest-like “walkabout” that can last a day, a week or years.
Many
modern folks use the vision quest to receive clarity about their life
purpose. Others open to guidance concerning the next step on their life
path. Still others seek to break free of old habits and patterns that
aren’t bringing them true health and happiness. Like the native peoples,
our courageous group is tapping into the raw vitality of Nature for
counsel about moving through life’s challenges.
Beyond Chocolate Mousse
Some of the backpackers were
on our Day Hikes Nature Adventure the previous year. On that adventure
we only stayed in the canyons during the day. At night the gang enjoyed
the culinary delights of gourmet restaurants and slept in cushy motels.
Not to be undone by three nights of “roughing it,” this time the group
carried into the canyon all the camping comforts and food delicacies,
including inflatable seats and dehydrated chocolate mousse!
Our congenial explorers came
prepared for almost any eventuality. But they didn’t anticipate the
knock-your-socks-off power of the “Talking Rocks.” Neither did I.
Science Breaks New Ground
In
startling research, scientists report that they can put information into
rocks and later retrieve that same exact information from those rocks.
The scientists’ findings are easily conceivable. Many rocks consist of
compressed sand that contains silicon. And silicon is the basic material
used in computer chips. Since we use computer chips to store and
transmit information that is downloaded into them, why not rocks?
I was
game to try my own experiment. Could one of the adventurers “download”
information into a rock and another retrieve that same information?
Opening to the Unexpected
For
three days this gregarious group had been having fun with a variety of
shamanic exercises. The purpose of each exploration is to give people a
direct personal experience of the magic they’ve been reading about much
of their lives: Nature’s power to enlighten. Recharging directly from
the earth’s energy. Connecting with True Essence. Guidance from the sun,
wind and water. Messages from plants and animals. Miraculous healings.
Timelessness. Intuition. Oneness.
Rock Your World!
The moment is ripe! These
frisky folks are open to frolicking outside the box of their limiting
beliefs.
The experiment begins in the
middle of a dry creek bed. Each person selects a rock they feel an
attraction to. Then people pair up. Secretly, one partner decides on an
energetic quality such as humor, honesty, kindness, compassion,
innocence, integrity or flexibility. Then they vibrationally transmit
that energy to the stone by deeply feeling the attribute within
themselves while they are holding the stone. After the transmission, the
person hands the “vibrationally charged” rock to their partner. The
partner shares what they sense from the rock. Then the partners reverse
roles.
To my delight and surprise,
each person describes the exact quality their partner “downloaded” into
the stone—often in precisely the same words their partner used! A total
of sixteen people randomly chose sixteen different qualities. Sixteen
accurate descriptions!
Gateways to
Self Discovery
On
other Nature Adventures, people have discovered that rocks aren’t
Nature’s only gateway for revealing hidden abilities and new
possibilities for living richer lives. There are many portals that lead
to a more exciting human playground here on Planet Earth.
Spin a Different Web
Often the actions of insects
or animals demonstrate how people can make helpful changes in their
lives. While observing a spider constructing its web, 50-year-old Mike
realizes that it isn’t too late to spin a new web for his life. Mike
sees that just as the spider re-weaves its web in order to catch new
nourishment for survival, Mike can adjust—re-weave—the way he makes a
living in order to catch new spiritual nourishment, and thus, enjoy his
work more.
Shift Limiting Patterns
Objects found in the forest
can be gateways to peace and freedom. Sally shifts a life-long
unconscious pattern of spending money on “things” she feels will make
her happy. She’s engaged in a vision quest exercise of gathering items
to create an artistic design. The exercise directs people to return
feathers, stones, leaves and twigs to the place they found them.
Sally describes the
encounter leading to her breakthrough: “I stumble upon a
fascinating-looking piece of wood. In fact, the natural sculpture is so
breathtakingly beautiful that I begin imagining where the wood art will
look best in my home. I crave that piece of wood. My emotions have taken
me over.
“To heck with the exercise!
I find myself plotting how I’m going to justify to the group that I’m
keeping this extraordinary wood sculpture rather than return the object
to the forest. After a half-hour of self-induced anguish, I clearly see
how my emotional pattern has formed an addiction. Throughout my life I
find art, clothes, furniture, knickknacks—any item that I just ‘have to
have.’ After acquiring the object, the thrill eventually fades, leaving
me to crave another ‘fix.’
“Sitting quietly in the
woods, a question bubbles up from my inner guidance, ‘Will this
enchanting piece of wood give me true happiness?’ I’m flooded with
memories of my insatiable hunger for ‘things’ to fill up my life and
make me happy.
“And then I have a
revelation. These objects will never make me happy! What I really crave
is the experience of happiness itself—not the objects that I think bring
me the happiness!
“Realizing where my
happiness truly comes from, I hit upon a new strategy: I can connect
directly with the ‘happy’ feeling I get when I acquire something new and
allow the feeling itself to shift my mood. I don’t need objects to feel
good. Anytime I want to feel better, I can draw directly upon the
uplifting peak experiences of my life—my storehouse of good feelings.
With this new approach to happiness, I’m finally free from the drive,
the push and the relentless compulsion to buy ‘things’ to make me feel
better.
“When I leave my one-of-a-kind art treasure sitting in the forest, I
also leave behind my addiction to seeking happiness through collecting
‘stuff.’ I discover a source of peace and joy inside myself that has
previously alluded me in my life.”
What’s Your Vision?
Throughout the history of humankind, Nature has inspired people to
unearth fresh options for living more prosperous lives. Canyons reveal
insights that guide folks to more satisfying careers. Forests stimulate
realizations that lead people to more joy. And Mother Nature provides
other assistance—like talking rocks—that reminds us of unlimited
possibilities!
What
gateways in Nature can you use to find the fulfillment you want in life?
***
Sulana Stone and Keith Varnum lead empowering
Sedona
Nature Adventures
in the wild Red Rock
Canyonlands of Sedona, Arizona. See
SedonaVisionQuest.com
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