Spiritual Sites

We all need a place to play and pray, don’t we?

Can it just be in the same place sometimes?

I sit here, on a Sunday wondering if I should head to church for some extra inspiration. I set it aside. I would like to think I learned more about spirituality in our years as modern nomads than I ever learned in a pew. In all honestly, it is a balance. But for today, I have decided to take you from where Arizona borders Utah, to my home in Phoenix. This time, to Spiritual Sites that have left lasting impressions on me.

Valley of the Gods: Located just north of the border in Utah, we meander through wind-blown rocks in the high desert. The road to get there is awe-inspiring, and the view ahead was the promise of something greater. To the Navajo, it is sacred land and a place where large spires represent spirits of their fallen warriors, and the clouds are their ancestors overhead.

Monument Valley: A stones throw into AZ, and we enter the Navajo Tribal Park.

And I wonder…how do I talk about an unexplained connection to nature and spirituality? How do we understand a place considered the heart of the earth by its people? Maybe we don’t. Maybe we let the canyon walls and spires speak for themselves. Below the Three Sisters watch over this sacred place. But honestly, when I leave I want to say I have an understanding of how generations lived before us.

Instead, I have a greater understanding of why its people stay.

Grand Canyon: I truly believe everyone needs to see the Grand Canyon at least once, and I am forever grateful that God seems to have nominated me for this privilege. First impressions of this natural wonder, are never the same. Some are met with quiet reverence, others wow, and some even cry. What I realize is the Grand Canyon is not something you see at all.

The Grand Canyon is something you feel.

Sedona: This is the place that grabs your soul even if you don’t want it too. I could write chapters on our experiences in Sedona as it is a respite, a place we return to over and over again. And whether you believe in the vortexes or consider them hodge podge, you will find something magical here. There are outdoor activities, and a secret wilderness, in addition to its beautiful scenery. Scenery you can climb into, like Cathedral Rock or the Seven Sacred Pools.