Vision Circles in Nature Retreat:
Sedona mystic vision & ceremony outdoor seminar
followed by 3-day Navajo Spirit Journey at Canyon de Chelly
Program and guides arranged for small groups
Led by Sandra Cosentino
Participants drive on own, transportation not included
Day 1: Sedona half day Nature, Insight Journey, Ceremony & Vision Quest introduction outdoor seminar
Day 2-4: Canyon de Chelly at Navajo with Ceremonies, Canyon Exploring, Insight Journeys & Vision Quest solo circle
Option on day 5 to add:
- Hopi Villages and Spirit Circle Independent Journey or
- extended Navajo experiences in Canyon de Chelly arranged for you to do independently
(best months are May, June, Sept. and Oct.)
Preliminary Program Outline
Day 1:
Sedona Mystic Nature Shamanic Journey and Ceremony.
This is an 4-hour outdoor core skills training in nature connection and shamanic journey practices. You also learn to create sacred space and work with ceremony to activate positive change. Will include introduction to Vision Quest practice & making 4 direction emblems. It is preparation for you to connect with spirit helpers and to do solo vision circles in nature at Canyon de Chelly.
- overnight in Sedona on own
Day 2:
8 am – noon
Drive on own across wide open Colorado Plateau landscapes to Canyon de Chelly on Navajo lands with stop at Painted Desert overlook. You will have a Navajo cultural introduction and music collection to play enroute.
midday: lunch (on own) and museum quality Navajo gift shop in old trading post building
Earth-Spirit Connections from the Rim of Canyon de Chelly
“Here in the Colorado Plateau country, a magical region lifted to the sky, the stars are a constant, abiding presence. High altitudes, transparent atmosphere, wide spaces of crystalline rock bring the stars into our nightscape. Comforting, reassuring, tantalizing, felt as an essential part of our inner landscape.” Sandra Cosentino
afternoon:
4 hour Jeep tour into Canyon de Chelly with Navajo wisdom keeper.
Attune with the spirit of the canyon as you wind through the deepening red cliff walls. You will see rock art, ancestral Puebloan cliff houses and Navajo homes-sheep-horses of today. We will share a Spirit program at his private site with sharing, and sand painting demonstration, and insight journey.
Dinner
Evening: Insight Journey connecting with Spirit of Place and Spirit Helpers and star viewing on the rim.
Day 3
Breakfast on own
Dawn prayers, nature communion and hike (on own, 2 – 2.5 hours leisurely pace) on well graded 1.5 mile canyon trail with 600 feet elevation change–nature communion time (you do not have to go all the way to the bottom).
Late morning: South Rim sacred sites connection, and Insight Journey & Ceremony to Clear your Path for new vision
late lunch/early dinner break on own
Late afternoon till stars come out:
- Fire blessing Ceremony & songs with our Navajo wisdom keeper host.
- Sunset to stars rise 2-hour solo vision quest circle on canyon rim. Our Navajo host calls you back with flute song.
- Closing circle with sharing, Navajo songs and dance celebration.
Canyon de Chelly was designed as an earthly place of divine connection at the time when supernaturals still walked the earth according to Navajo legend. We invite connection with the unseen Holy Wind, or inner form of all life that connects and flows between the stars, us and all of life.
overnight on own: hotel on own or campground options (about $20) in Chinle or on rim at Navajo run campground (tent/gear rental available)
Day 4:
Breakfast on own
Morning circle:
- share experiences, dreams, knowings, intuitive feedback from Sandra
- Insight journey to deepen experience
North Rim sacred site connection and closing ceremony
Afternoon: head back to Sedona with late lunch or early dinner stop at the historic La Posada in Winslow
options on your own:
- overnight at La Posada
- drive to Hopi for independent journey with private Hopi guide. Sandra will consult with you and arrange this prior to our 4-day program.
- extend your canyon time with overnight camping and hiking in canyon with Navajo host
Navajo Spirit
Navajo people are hardy, at home out one the land and are known for their ability to adapt to change. Navajo people believe that the Creator placed them on Colorado Plateau region land between four sacred mountains and that the patterns in the stars are patterns in us.
“Each being is infused with its own spirit, or ‘inner form’, which gives it life and purpose within an orderly and interconnected universe. The interrelatedness of all creation is recognized through daily prayer offerings and an elaborate system of ceremonies. The purpose of Navajo life is to maintain balance between the individual and the universe and to live in harmony with nature and the Creator.” Mary T. Begay
Related Article: Circles of Connection in Hopi and Navajo Spiritscapes
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