Spider Rock, Arizona

Our destination was Canyon de Chelly on the land of the Dine (Navajo) people in Arizona. A girlfriend of mine had arranged the trip to the canyon for her friends that were arriving from Japan to celebrate their honeymoon. A wedding blessing from a Dine medicine man was planned also. The land of the Dine people and the canyon that Ansel Adams took many of his photos of is so beautiful to behold. It's a magical place blessed with hundreds of Anazazi homes created high in the steep, red-colored cliffs. The elder we were with referred to the people as "the ancient ones." Their symbols and ways of communicating with each other decorate the canyon with hints of another time and stimulate the imagination. My heart is still there and I look forward to returning and spending more time in the special place. All trips into the canyon require a Dine guide. There is one hike to the base of the canyon that can be done independently but to explore the canyon you must be accompanied. We were going to spend the night in the canyon, but our plans unexpectedly shifted and we had a beautiful jeep drive instead to spider rock at the base of the canyon. Ideally, it would be nice to camp in the canyon and also see the canyon by horse back. Both are offered. Our last hours were spent in a sweat lodge with a youth group who were celebrating their transition from high school to the adult world. Our friends from Japan also received prayers and blessings from a Dine medicine man, a dream come true for them. Dine is the name the Navajo people call themselves. Dine means "Holy Ones", Navajo means "taker of scalps" and it was name given to them by others.

If you visit the canyon, there is a wonderful campsite, Spider Rock RV Park & Camping Too, owned by a Dine man, Howard Smith. His family practices a Dine medicine tradition. At the campsite there are two hogans, traditional Dine living spaces, one large and small, that can be rented. Howard also guides groups down into the canyon. A relative of his offers jeep tours. Howard is very helpful, caring, and brings an open heart to his interactions. There is a sweat lodge on the premises that can be requested if you'd like a ceremony. Howard would lead the ceremony or his brother. Howard can be reached at 1-877-910-camp or email him: spiderrock@ftitel.net. His website is: www.spiderrockcampground.com. Reservations are a good idea, especially for the hogans.

Sanctuario de Chimayo, New Mexico

The Sanctuario de Chimayo is about a 40 minute car ride from Sante Fe. The grounds and site of the church are known as a healing place. The care-giver of the church told us the place receives over 300,000 visitors a year, and many attest to experiencing miraculous healings and answered prayers. One section of the church is lined with a sampling of crutches that have been discarded after people have been instantly healed. There is a legend that a saint traveling through the area died on that spot. Years later a crucifex he carried had resurfaced from the ground. The locals had been praying for guidance and light when the metal of the cross caught their eyes as they stood a top one of the many surrounding hills of Chimayo. They felt a strong healing energy being emited from the spot the cross was found and from the cross itself. They brought the cross to the closest church a few neighboring villages away, and gave it to the priest there and told him of the story of its discovery. The priest also moved by the cross decided to hold unto it and keep it in the church. The locals of Chimayo were a bit saddened by the loss of this sacred symbol and its soothing and peaceful energies. It was a great surprise to them when they returned to Chimayo from their journey that the cross with no earthly explanation had returned to the original site it was found. That is when after meditation on the matter the locals decided to build a church, a sanctuario, to honor the miracles that they had witnessed and received. This story was told to me by Joe, one of the care-givers at the church. He said almost everyday someone will come to him sharing a story of healing or a miracle.


While I was there I took some time to pray and light a candle. My grandmother is very ill right now so I prayed that she may receive healing, blessings, and support on her journey for this part of her life. I also prayed that she doesn't have to needlessly suffer in pain or otherwise. I prayed too for myself. Lately I have been working on opening my heart more, feeling more, and actively engaging life from the point of the heart rather than only the head. I lit a candle that I infused with many prayers, and headed into the room where the sacred cross had originally been found. You can see in one of the pictures above there is hole in the ground with sand, that marks the site where the cross was found. When I entered the room I found a rock perfectly shaped into a heart sitting on top of the sand on the site. It was a sweet find. I felt like the universe was supporting and honoring my intention to open my heart. The heart has become a reminder to me of my prayers at the sanctuario.

One other thing happened that I felt was directly related to prayers I made at the sanctuario. I was on a small road trip when I visited the church. As I mentioned earlier my grandmother was very sick, so I was checking in a lot with my family. The last I had heard about my grandmother was that the doctors felt they couldn't do a needed surgery because my grandmother was just too weak and that they felt she wouldn't make it through. Without the surgery there was very little hope of her recovering her strengths. After the sanctuario visit I telephoned my mom, and learned that my family decided to go ahead with the surgery, and that my grandmother was in surgery right then. I was glad to know there was a candle of prayers burning for her in that church. If my grandmother made it through the surgery, the next 4 days would be the most crucial because that's when infections can set in and my grandmother's immune system was almost non-existent. Despite great odds my grandmother made it through all the pivotal junctures and she is now working on recovering from the traumas of surgery. I felt it was a miracle. My family has hope were there was very little previously.

Those were some of my experiences at the sanctuario. If you're ever near that area, I recommend going there whether you believe the stories and miracles or not. It's a beautiful place, very peaceful and healing. The church is very unique and earthy and overflows with local and distant colors. The village lies amid rolling hills, and the locals are very helpful and kind. Joe and Helen are the caregivers of the church, and they both take time to answer questions and share their stories and experiences. It was a lovely morning and a highlight of my journey into New Mexico and Arizona.