May 13, 2012
The sun came up around 5:30 AM, and it wasn’t long after that the sides of my black van began to heat up. I was forced to get up around 6:00 AM. Note to self: From here on out park in a space that has morning shade.
After publishing my journal for Day 23 and after wishing all of the mothers that I knew a “Happy Mother’s Day,” I headed to Tuzigoot National Monument, an ancient pueblo built by a culture known as the Sinagua.
Google Maps 2012
The pueblo sat atop a hill in the middle of the Verde Valley.
After paying my $5.00 entry fee, I walked to the top of the monument to look out over the ruins…
and to take in the views of the surrounding area.
That’s when I noticed a river winding through the valley. A wren appeared on the scene while trying to locate a trailhead down to the river. It was the second wren in two days. This particular wren perched on the stonewall very close to where I stood. It began to sing its morning song, utterly unintimidated by my presence.
The wren made me feel very welcome. It continued to sit on its perch, singing its song, while I took the following photograph. Seconds later, it leaped off the top of the monument and took a nosedive down into the valley below. I interpreted that as a sign that I should take the time to visit the river.
Once again, Wren offered the following wisdom:
- Messenger of God,
- fearless,
- seeing into the future,
- siblings.
With the wren’s message in mind, I entered the room below and began the “Jealousy” invocation. I performed this meditation between 9:41 and 10:01 AM. Once I completed the meditation, I returned to the visitors’ center to inquire about a hiking trail to the river. The park attendant informed me that there was no trail but told me how to get there by vehicle. I drove down to the river and went for a hike.
As I was walking along the river bank, I happened upon one of the most magnificent trees I had ever seen. It was huge, with large branches reaching out in every direction. I stood in complete awe of the tree.
As I continued my hike, I took the time to wade in the river and walk through the desert. I looked back at Tuzigoot and tried to imagine what it was like to live there when the ancients inhabited it. This site is what they saw as they approached home after a day of hunting or traveling.
I returned to my van and walked upon the most significant bird dropping I had ever seen. It was at least a foot long and resembled an image of an ancient man holding a staff pointing to the stars. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how the straight lines in the dropping got created. I laughed out loud when I thought that Mother Nature had found a new way of communicating with me on my journey.
I titled this image “Star Shaman.”
It was at this very moment that it finally dawned on me what I was supposed to do with the olive branch that I had brought from Phoenix. I quickly finished my hike, returned to my van, and returned to the Tuzigoot National Monument. I removed a leaf from the olive branch, exited my van, and returned to the monument. I placed the dried leaf on the stonewall of the memorial…
and left it there as a peace offering. At that very moment, I added this new ritual to my journey.
With my first peace offering complete, I returned to my van and headed towards Cottonwood. I spent the rest of the day walking around the old town, visiting various state parks, and planning my next destination.
I returned to the Walmart parking lot that night and went to bed around 10:00 PM.