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“Did you feel anything in the vortex?” a woman shouted to me from a neighboring car.
“A little sweat,” I answered, wiping my brow.
“Yeah, that’s why we didn’t go down,” she replied.
Sedona, Arizona, is known for having many a vortex – a spot from which energy emanates or enters back into the earth. The town surrounded by breathtaking red rocks is one big and powerful vortex that can heal, especially spiritually. At least that's the claim.
The supposed power of the vortices has transformed Sedona into a tourist hotspot where many come to be healed, have their aura examined or palms read, shop for crystals and Native American-themed gifts, or hike the dozens of trails in the area.
We had just returned from Airport Mesa, a popular vortex. The loop trail from the parking lot at the tiny airport provides stunning views of the town.
My father says while he feels a strong energy coming from Sedona, the sheer beauty of the area might be the sole reason why.
I would add that the endorphin rush from the sometimes strenuous hikes in the thin air probably contributes as well, as do, perhaps, the removal from the bustle of daily life, the desire for introspection and the positive energy flowing from fellow visitors.
As we approached the gate to the parking lot a man and two women, one of them walking very slowly with a cane, approached us.
The man asked in a thick accent if we’d been to the vortex, how far it was and then “if it was…”
He stopped, searching for the word. He put his hands together and then pulled them apart, which I took to mean something like explosive, or amazing.
I replied that it was beautiful.
My father, looking at the woman with the cane, said there was a bench approximately 100 yards from where we stood, but the trail itself, while not too long, was rough and descended quite a bit. He pointed out that there was a parking lot at the other end, near the vortex, but it was full when we arrived.
He, like I, must have been wondering if the woman with the cane would make it to the end, and was trying to suggest they should perhaps drop her at the parking lot and then drive back to the airport and hike down to meet her.
The man thanked us and said they would all hike down together, then he would hike back up and drive down to pick them up. I hope for their sake they made it or turned around before they got too far.
Or perhaps the vaunted healing powers of the vortex cured her ills on the way down or when they got there.
I’m not convinced the vortices heal, if they even exist. But I’m not convinced they don’t.
I’ve never been one for blind faith.
But insisting that only what science can explain is true is tricky too, since time and again scientists have proven their predecessors wrong.