May 22, 2012
I woke up around 6:30 a.m. I turned off the AC unit, opened all the doors to my van, and allowed the cool breeze to blow through as I contemplated my next destination. The park ranger made her rounds at 8:00 a.m. and noticed that I had not paid for my campsite. I told her that I had gotten in late the night before and would pay on my way out. As I pulled away from my campsite, I noticed a Desert Quail sitting in a tree next to the road.
Quail offered the following wisdom:
- facing hard times,
- peaceful solutions,
- blending in.
How appropriate, I thought.
I stopped at the visitor’s center to pay my $22.00 camping fee and departed Dead Horse Ranch State Park. As soon as I started down the highway, I noticed a huge, black hawk sitting in a nearby tree. I stopped my van, walked down to the tree where the hawk was sitting, and took several photographs. The hawk just sat there staring at me as I walked beneath it trying to find the perfect angle for a decent photograph. I wondered if Ahote had sent the bird to watch over and protect me.
After spending time with the hawk, I stopped in at Denny’s in Cottonwood to have breakfast and to publish Day 32 of my journal. It was during my time at Denny’s that I decided that my next destination would be a return to Montezuma Well, the place where my journey into Navajo and Hopi Country began.
After a twenty-minute drive, I arrived at Montezuma Well. It had been eleven long days since I had set out on my “Vision Quest.” Looking back over the last eleven days, I was amazed at everything I had learned, experienced, and accomplished. Once I returned to the site, I sat in the same spot where I performed the “Sharing The Flame” meditation on Day 23. I invoked the “Revealing The Dark Side” angel this time and performed this meditation between 11:47 and 12:07 PM.
Once my meditation was complete, I looked overhead and took the following photograph.
I then walked over to the stream…
and placed two of the olive leaves in the running water.
One leaf was a peace offering for Ahote, while the other was for Tuwa. I asked that peace remain with them as they continued their journey at Hopi. I then took a moment to have some of the Piki bread that Tuwa gifted me on my last day in Hopi. Since the Hopi visited Montezuma Well once a year for a sacred ceremony, I felt as though this was entirely appropriate.
While eating the Piki bread, several people appeared and started various conversations with me. As the park closed, I submerged my entire body in the running water. I wasn’t exactly sure why I needed to do this, but I did it anyway. I was now baptized in the ways of the Hopi.
After I dried off I then headed back to Phoenix, and the 33rd Parallel.
I arrived back in Phoenix at 7:00 PM. I spent the rest of the evening sharing my memories of the Hopi and the Piki bread with Ricardo. Afterward, I felt led to grind up the leftover Piki bread and the remaining leaves from the olive branch and pour the mixture into the medicine bag that Ahote and Tuwa gifted me.
Exhausted but grateful to have completed 33 days of my journey, I went to bed around 11:30 PM.
After spending the last 12 days performing meditations 22 through 33, I decided to pause my adventure again on the 33rd Parallel. I had no idea when I would resume my journey.