A Year In Sedona: Epilogue

                                                                          

Passage To Summerland
Watercolor on Paper by Melanie Lee

                                                   

Passage to Summerland

Our guide was a Trickster

who always smelled skanky

we held our hanky

discreet to nose

 hoping fair winds

would deliver us gladly

from  armpits gone badly.

 Asses in gear sweeties!

Trickster yelled with abandon

Sashay up that hill, 

sidle over those humps.

 I  see ya, I gotcha

    now don't be a goose 
just look out for the bumps.

                                                                           

Darkling lowlands now behind,

ascent ground on blind

through smokey webs and blackened barbed wire.

Came a lonely blue valley with dusty red fire 

hosanna, we  fell on our knees in surrender

 to a large happy lemon

                                                       oozing hope from a blender.                                                                                                                                                                                

 Noon blazed high

when the end burst in sight,

 resurrection stood by

 Trickster shone in the light.

Fresh shirt, sweet pits

 cleaned up right smart as 

 lilacs from heaven bloomed out his heart.

                                                          Let go of my hand dears

he said with a wink

 I know what you think 

but I'm merely a link.

  That yellow? That mirth?

Pay homage to Summerland,

you're now guests on earth.

.

 

Prayer For Dwellers In Possibility       

Deliver us we pray, from the company of sad and contentious spirits.  We're looking for happy souls now, yes we are. Lead us, push us, pull us to those hallowed places of mystery and beauty where we can find the things that really matter. Take us for a walk at dusk among the strong, stark and often strangely seductive native plants and birds of the high desert. Thank you for the things that we've found that have enchanted and inspired. 

Remind us that the way of calm, peace and enjoyment isn't something to hold on to only for ourselves alone. Let us practice the sharing that is the dessert of life. With family. Cats. Grocery store clerks. Drivers on the road. Fellow writers, artists, musicians and yogis all over the world. Sweet seekers and friends who've found the truth of it all. 

And at the end of the day tell us again what we need to remember: That residing in peace can be learned,  like any skill, with a little  instruction and some disciplined practice. Surrender, sit, breathing in, breathing out, breathing up, breathing down. Honoring the holy. That we can always find the place where the special favors, gifts and shining mercies reside. Right here, right now and for what is yet to come, Yes!

A Year In Sedona: This Present Moment

 

Chapter 1

This Present Moment

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment.

 -- Thich Nhat Hanh

           

        “Maybe you’re overthinking this." Our usually affable real estate agent had grown restive, hoping for a contract signing on a rustic Sedona residence Louis and I had found. We'd been looking for over two years and wanted this to be the one because we loved its southwestern ambience, the beautiful saltillo tile floors, its swell little fireplace and the huge wall of northern exposure windows with red rock views. Our agent was right but for now overthinking was probably the best thing we could have done. Shifting into high gear, we went into a veritable analytical frenzy as we went back and forth for a week, tossing around the pros and cons of the house. The quaint white stucco charmer had great bones, a nice floorplan and a good location but would need many thousands of dollars in updating, renovation and landscaping. We wrestled with whether this was something we were prepared for as we ushered in our second half of life.


            After a spirited discussion, when we ended up deciding against the charmer the relief was palpable. We had come to realize the sweet old house was something we'd have been happy with  twenty years ago, but it didn't reflect at all the life we hoped to embrace or the people we wanted to become at this stage of life. Louis told me he was happy he’d married someone with a penchant for overthinking. I told him I was glad I'd married someone who knew how to fix things around the house. I was thoughty and he was practical so those endearments made us even in some odd way. We continued looking for a place that fit who and what we’d become, two post-sixty five years old people of relatively modest but sufficient means who wanted to cultivate a more conscious and contemplative life by reconnecting with a vision we'd had in our twenties. Creative souls at heart, we'd taken a detour many years ago and were now finding the road back to meet our muse.
       
        From the outset we'd known the new home should reflect whre we wanted to put our resources now. It would would be the refuge we wished to have as we grew older and, we hoped, wiser. In this context and at this stage of life a house was not just shelter,  it was a symbolic container for anything we might end up keeping from our past and everything we hoped to have in the future. It should have kept the good bones it began with while holding on to the functional integrity requiring only minimal maintenance. It would have space for a painting studio, meditation and yoga, a writing nook, a garden and room for hosting friends. Of course the bottom line would accommodate our budget and we expected it to conform to our notions of acceptable aesthetic design.

       We began house hunting anew and soon found another charmer, smaller than we wanted but arranged so that the space accommodated every single need and want we'd listed. Middle-aged, impeccably maintained, priced well and close enough to the center of town for walkability convenience, it was situated and landscaped so that a sense of privacy and connection to nature was preserved. The tiny back yard was already attractively landscaped and it had a knockout view of Thunder Mountain. in the scheme of things, it was perfect. We made an offer, the contract closed and happily, by choosing a smaller place we'd saved enough so we were able to put in some great saltillo tile floors. The real estate agent, to whom we were obliged for his patience over the years, was deliriously glad the hunt was finally over. So were we.

       As we got settled, questions presented themselves about what we should keep, who and what would be coming with us, and how could we best meet and honor our muse. Engaging with the muse, coaxing out the answers unexpectedly became an enjoyable contemplative and creative process in and of itself. The time had passed for overthinking and now, instead of  adopting some kind of elaborate logical inquiry to explore things or make more lists as we might have in the past, we simply invited the spirit of creativity and contemplation to inform and shape our path as we moved forward in the present moment.

Meeting Your Muse: In This Present Moment

 

           To smooth out  emotional edges and bolster confidence about the choice we'd made to search out the unfamiliar in the beginning, we looked for opportunities for gardening, hiking, writing, painting, cooking and gardening. We liked moonlight meditations and meandering walks by Oak Creek. There were a couple of good classical and jazz venues to nourish body and soul. But to stay consistently in the present moment we relied on an ancient and abiding set of practices we'd learned to maintain our creative awakenings and epiphanies. Sages and seekers across time and place were always intuitively aware of how to do this and modern neuroscience has confirmed that the contemplative processes enabling focus and creativity can be consciously cultivated and practiced by everyone. 

       One  simple method for finding and staying in the present moment  is a centering and grounding practice taught by Gestalt Awareness Practice teacher Christine Price. It emphasizes breath and physical sensation by developing a relationship to the ongoing process of breathing in a very conscious measured way that resembles the physical process of opening up and then letting go. Anytime you do this you are creating a personal moment of being present to the moment. This is a practice always available to you, no matter what.  Here's how to breathe your way to the present moment.

            Slowly, very slowly and very deliberately begin to train yourself so that awareness of breathing is effortless and a consistent touchstone in the changing landscape of your life. Once a day, at the same time every day, simply rest and follow the movement of breathing for 5 minutes.  Notice the movement of your breathing throughout the day, maybe  just two or three breaths. Sometimes you might stay with the breathing for a minute or more. Begin to train yourself to do this a few times each hour and in as many different circumstances as you can: in the middle of a meeting, talking on the phone, walking down the street, brushing your teeth, driving the car. Anytime you feel confused, tense, excited, scared, happy, stressed or over excited, make a point of noticing a few breaths.If you notice any kind of physical sensation, pain or pleasure, include breath awareness as well.

     

   

    

A Year In Sedona: Coming Home

Chapter 10
Coming Home

 Bowl, Earth and Fire Ceramics Design Studio
 

                 

Art enables us to find ourselves and 
lose ourselves at the same time.    -- Thomas Merton

              Sedona had become for us what we'd hoped, a new home where at the second half of life we'd reconnected with our muse. We'd found ourselves at wisdom's edge, members of a tribe of creative spirits who had come here for the same reasons we did. When we joined the  non-profit Sedona Visual Artists' Coalition, a lively group of artist and other creative spirits, we knew it was time to dust off our professional bona fides and set to work as volunteers. Louis, a former professor and dean of students, headed up the student scholarship program and I offered my journalism experience. I met with Mike Upp, a clay artist and retired marketing whiz who spearheaded marketing efforts for the Open Studios Tour, a huge regional celebration featuring local artists in northern Arizona's Verde Valley. 

          Becoming acquainted with Mike and his artist/author wife Sharon, Louis and I were astonished by the similarities in our stories of how we'd ended up in Sedona. They'd arrived in Sedona in 2013, eager to reconnect with their youthful artistic roots and like us, were post-career boomers who'd been young and idealistic seekers of wisdom and truth over forty years ago. After raising a family and leaving careers in marketing and teaching, they were free to seize the opportunity to realize their dream of resurrecting a long held vision of life with the muse by opening a commercial ceramics studio creating art with beauty and purpose.  

        Mike had become the driving force behind the explosive growth of Open Studios which had in just four years expanded from 28 to 59 artists showing their work in studios all over the Verde Valley, including Sedona, Cornville, Cottonwood, Clarkdale and Camp Verde. The work was both a tribute and legacy, his own contribution to creating a solid and ongoing tradition that would long outlive his active participation. Little did he know, when he and Sharon had visited Sedona seven years before, they were about to meet their muse in a  way that would bring them full circle from their beginnings as artists and spiritual seekers, both using their professional experience as a way to help others realize their potential.

        In April, 2010 Mike and Sharon were vacationing in Sedona when by happy coincidence they stumbled upon the annual Open Studios Tour in full swing. They remember feeling like they'd been invited to some kind of huge block party, a fun and fabulous festival for art lovers who wanted to rub shoulders with lots of top notch artists in their personal studios. Immensely enjoyable and exhilarating, the whole thing reminded Mike of their wildly adventurous years when he and Sharon had been Arizona State University students. Her art studies in Mexico and his life in an artist's cooperative in Tennessee and later return to Arizona to run the Tempe Arts Festival were also very large pieces of their evolution as  bona fide creative spirits. Finding Sedona many years later, both Mike and Sharon reveled in the Southwestern feel and ebullient friendliness of the people. They liked the art they'd seen and the spectacular red rock countryside, not a bad backdrop for an art show. Like so many others over the years who came, saw and surrendered, the Upps immediately moved Sedona to the top of the list for possible retirement spots and by 2013 had moved from California to Arizona to establish Earth and Fire Ceramics Design Studio, a living/working space on two acres just outside Sedona in nearby Cornville.  
           
         When we visited their studio, Louis and I both remarked on the unflagging dedication in Mike and Sharon's pursuit of their dreams, evident in their new home with its shape of a life lived with conscious attention to meeting the muse. They showed us the garden, which doubled as a space for Mike's need for meditation and nurturing. Sharon took us out to where she'd constructed a winding labyrinth for walking meditations, the focus for her art and spirituality workshops. They didn't talk much about themselves but it was obvious that as their new studio had taken off,  producing large batches of what they called Art For Living ceramic dinnerware, both Mike and Sharon had blossomed again as working artists. The studio had grown into a respectable and satisfying business venture as well.

            Friendly Mike was the outgoing entrepreneur with lots of funny stories to share with visitors, who were always delighted to hear all about the latest glazing technique or new pot in progress. Sharon offered a warm and welcoming presence that made visitors felt comfortable and right at home. The two accessible hosts were always ready to discuss their unique process and the creation of their regionally-influenced line of ceramics and eager patrons liked hearing about the amazing ideas the two artists had, literally, cooked up with their interesting ceramic processes. Visitors usually counted themselves lucky to have stumbled upon this delightful slice of originality in the high desert. Who even knew such a welcoming and creative place like this existed?

         As the studio grew, they found it particularly rewarding to show off the possibilities inherent in sculptural and functional creations designed for everyday use in the timeless culinary tasks of mixing, baking, serving, even microwaving.  We asked them what they liked best about this new life, what would they want to be remembered for? Both said it was knowing that people would be using and enjoying their work every single day to make their life more beautiful and functional. It was a point of pride that their artistic legacy would be that the best pots and dishes they could create would endure and provide enjoyment and beauty for their owners in the years to come. When we broached the question of whether they felt they'd come full circle to wisdom's edge, the response was not surprising. Like most questions best answered through contemplation, this one would find its answer within the sacred space of the labyrinth walk.
 

                 Meeting Your Muse:  Walking The Labyrinth

Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us, the labyrinth is fully known;....where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.

                                                                                  --Joseph Campbell

             
              An ancient  symbol, the labyrinth walk signifies a journey that begins, meanders, learns and observes, comes to center, then returns by a similar path to where it first began. It signifies a coming home full circle with something new, different, better, perhaps a treasure or bounty that can be shared with the tribe. It signifies the story of many who travel to wisdom's edge represents the spiritual journey we all make whether we even choose call it that or not. 

            Sharon and Mike Upp had followed similar spiritual paths over the years, he as a younger man in the 1970s exploring the teachings of Swami Kriyananda, a primary disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda and the Self Realization Fellowship. Sharon was a student in the Vedanta tradition and led a Course In Miracles group for a decade. Through writer Kay Lindahl (The Sacred Art of Listening) she'd become involved in the interfaith dialogue process, a powerful life altering experience in learning how to listen deeply and be present with people of varying beliefs. 

        As their lives had come full circle as artists, so had in many ways their spiritual journey. The labyrinth was a graphic symbol for the meandering path of two artists committed to making an  impact in the world by helping other artists and spiritual seekers to find their creative path and potential. The sense of connection to the earth had always been important and for Mike working with clay or in the garden was a wakeful meditation. For Sharon, constructing the labyrinth  opened an enormously meaningful personal and spiritual growth path that in time she would share with others exploring ways to merge art and spirituality.  


                Visiting this beautiful and sacred space, Louis and I walked the labyrinth for both instruction and inspiration, marveling at the complex conceptual framework Sharon had laid out. There were  markers for the four directions, inspiration ceramic tokens with spiritual symbols sprinkled here and there among the rocks. In the center she had placed a gift from her friend Phoenix, a local spiritual healer. The magnificent clear crystal was rooted and standing tall among testaments representing still other concepts that made the walk so meaningful and creative. Among the reminders of how art for living can be achieved,  were two words side by side: Hozho and drala both of which, from the Navajo and Tibetan traditions respectively, meant beauty. As we walked the labyrinth, it became a lovely and inspiring metaphor for our journey to wisdom's edge. Sharon told us that in her art and spirituality workshop, participants reported a sense of having completed a momentous journey as the walk concluded. Afterwards she helped them validate that by showing them how to hand build a clay piece to both symbolize and commemorate their journey. 

          Sharon suggested looking up Walking a Sacred Path by Rev. Lauren Artress, author and Episcopal priest, one of the best books on discovering how to use this ancient tool to discover your own sacred space. Unlike a maze a labyrinth has no dead ends and there is just one path so it's not possible to become lost because even though there are twists and turns, the entrance is also its exit.  This imagery of wholeness (holiness) combines circle and spiral into a meandering but purposeful path, reflecting the process of traveling to our own center and back again. It's good to remember that when entering a labyrinth (whether it is an actual circumscribed template on the ground or whether it is within your own heart and mind)  you're placing yourself in a container within which to travel. When you're done traveling to the center and back,  the meaning of what you've experienced will be fully realized leaving you a different person, even though it may take awhile to grasp. Marking sacred time and space within ourselves by physically entering an ancient physical form has the power to bestow new insights about our lives, and perhaps, our relationship to the muse.

             
        How?  Because this place has been a safe container for you to recall your roots, see the past, experience the present and face the future, providing structure for your new story with an ending very different from what you thought it would be when you entered the labyrinth. As you exit, don't be surprised by a new ability to relate past, present and future to make a bold new statement about what and how you define yourself in the second half of life.