Sedona Vortex Jeep Tour 6 '15

Family standing on the airport mesa vortex

Sedona is recognized worldwide for the presence of powerful energy spots known as “VORTIXES. So what is a vortex, anyway?  In layman's terms, a Sedona vortex is a place, usually on or near an interesting rock formation, where people have reported feeling inspired by a beneficial source of energy . If you're skeptical, that's okay - looking for vortexes is still a fun excuse for a hike or a guided tour to find one.

  So on on Tuesday afternoon, David and Laura treated Bruce and I to a jeep tour of a few of Sedona's vortexes

There are at least four major Sedona vortex sites: Airport Mesa Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Cathedral Rock. The guidebooks say that these four areas are just a fraction of the energy sources and sites that you can tap in Sedona.. Other special places to connect with the sacred energy of Sedona include: The Chapel of the Holy Cross, Wilson Mt (Sphinx), Schnebly Hill, West Fork and the Amitabha Stupa.. .. Our tour guide promised to take us near enough to find out way back to  three of these sites and allow us to get out at two of them.

Our first stop was at the AIRPORT MESA VORTEX.  Do you remember our post about our visit to the airport mesa overlook to watch the sunrise in this morning?It seems  had we parked a little to the east we would have been standing on the Airport Mesa Vortex .  A cross which is visible from the Sedona Valley floor marks the spot of where most believe the center of the vortex to be.

Our tour guide n the physical world a vortex is created from spiraling motion of air or liquid around a center of rotation. (like a whirlpool or a tornado). In Sedona, vortexes are  believed to be created, not by wind or water, but from spiraling energy.   The energy of the vortexes interacts with a person’s inner self. It is not easily explained. Obviously it must be experienced. Sometimes it is experienced as  a tingling feeling sometimes it is a sense of calm or heightened emotion.

Some claim the widespread experience of some form of sensation is caused  by the amount of magnetism created by the iron rich soil in and around Sedona.  Others believe the vortex to be spiritual locations where the some of spiritual energy of thousands of visitors is left behind and experienced by the next visitor. 

Dylan and Ryan seemed a little skeptical of that last explanation, but then I didn't experience anything at the airport vortex, and Bruce only seemed to feel irritated.  With that bit of understanding under our belts we were off to our next site which is

THE KACHINA WOMAN ( in Boynton Canyon)

The Kachina Woman is  steeped in  North American Indian lore.  According to local Indian legend, the Kachina Woman will stand watching over mankind as a symbol of peace and compassion, but if humans become to greedy or merciless with one another, she will crumble and fall. The formation site is still an important location for annual Native American ceremonies

Some vortexes are said to have either masculine or feminine energies. The Boynton Canyon vortex has  a balance of both, which is supposedly ideal for balancing energy within oneself and with relationships.

Twisted Juniper at Boynton Canyon ( photo credit Kevin Korycanek)

As an interesting aside,juniper trees apparently feel the vortexes more than other plants and trees. They grow in a twisting manner the closer you get the center of a vortex.

The Boynton Spire (also known as Kachina Woman) is a quick, relatively flat jaunt from the parking lot, just 5,200 feet from the trail head. The center of the vortex is located in a knoll south of the spire. Hikers can climb to the top of the spire. While not lengthy, there is some tricky footing near the tip. Unfortunately for us it is also on private land.  While individuals are allowed to walk to the site, Commercial tours are not allowed to drive their clients to to, so we had to be content to see  where the path to the vortex began off the main road.

 Our  guide had planned to take us to the Chapel of the Holy Cross for our third Vortex site , and to allow us to get out for fifteen minutes, but  since David and Laura had already spent a good deal of time at the at church on Monday, she offered to show us a different site  instead.

 WILSON MT. VORTEX ( aka The Sphinx)

She drove us to the trail head  that led to see the Sphinx Vortex

And up Coffee Pot Drive to an overview where we could see the entire Sphinx Formation at the south western the base of  Wilson Mt .

It wasn't quite as interesting as getting out and trying to feel some energy, but whether we believed in vortex energy or not,  none of us were interested in hiking any where in 105  F. + temperatures.   and the overview offered a splendid opportunity for family picture taking

and the overview offered a splendid opportunity for family picture taking.

Thank you, Laura and David for a lovely vortex tour.