August 26 thru September 20, 2012
The following week, on August 31, I crawled out of bed to greet the sun at 6:00 AM. Using the sacred corn pollen that Ahote and Tuwa had gifted me during my last visit to Hopi, back on Day 49, I offered a small portion of it to the sun and asked the Creator for some help on something that I was trying to manifest.
On that same day, Ricardo returned to California, this time to interview for a job with a company in the San Francisco Bay Area. After he finished his interview, he called to say he felt almost certain he would be offered the job the following week. Although I was extremely happy for him, I couldn’t help but wonder what changes were in store for me.
That same evening at approximately 6:30 PM I drove to Papago Park to watch the sunset and moonrise, which were scheduled to take place just six minutes apart. As I pulled away, I noticed my lucky numbers on my odometer.
I arrived at the park a few minutes later. It was a beautiful, warm Arizona evening. I parked my van on McDowell Road and hiked up to the top of one of the large rocks in the park—this particular part of Papago Park is located on the 33°27′ Parallel.
Google Maps 2012
From where I stood, I saw the most fantastic view of downtown Phoenix.
Sunset | Phoenix, Arizona | August 31, 2012
Just as the sun began to set in the west, I removed the mixture of Piki bread crumbs and ground-up olive branch from my medicine bag, which I had mixed back on Day 33 of my journey. I placed it in my hands and offered it to the Sun. I expressed sincere gratitude to the Creator and then turned to face the east and greeted the Blue Moon as it appeared over the horizon.
I offered another small portion of the mixture, this time to the moon, and made a wish using my three silver rings:
“On the evening of the Blue Moon, take any piece of silver jewelry or a silver coin, make a special wish, and say it aloud three times. Place the jewelry or coin under the full Moon overnight. Silver is associated with the Moon and the Goddess and is the best material for a Blue Moon ritual. Once the jewelry or coin is charged with the energy of the Moon, it will act as a lucky talisman to allow your wishes to come true.”
I returned home a few minutes later and placed my silver rings in the moonlight to sit overnight. The following morning, after the sun returned, I left my rings outside for several more hours for the sun to bake in and seal the energy of the Blue Moon from the night before.
Looking back over the last three years of my life, I went from making close to $50,000.00 in 2009 to $14,000.00 in 2010, $10,300.00 in 2011, and only $6,700.00 in 2012. I was amazed by how I could do so much with so little. I knew that if it hadn’t been for Ricardo and several members of my family, I would not have been able to survive these journeys financially. Their support had played a tremendous part in my success.
With that in mind, on September 1, I celebrated my adventure with a night of dancing. I had not gone dancing in a very, very long time. In the past, dancing had always helped me change my life’s energy; it got me through some of my life’s most difficult times. It could magically transform my life.
I wasn’t sure if it was the energy brought on by the blue moon or the spell of the Hopi’s sacred corn pollen, but I suddenly felt the urge to reconnect with the dance floor on an elementary, primal, indigenous level. Since Ricardo was out of town and I had nothing else to do, I heeded the call and decided to go to a small dance club in Scottsdale, Arizona. I arrived at 9:00 PM. “Holiday,” by Madonna, was one of the first songs I heard that night.
I spent the next hour or so drinking beer and texting my niece in North Carolina. I didn’t step out onto the dance floor until approximately 10:30 PM. Once I started dancing, however, I didn’t stop. I danced for a couple of hours. While everyone else on the dance floor barely broke a sweat, I was soaking wet by the time I finished. It had been almost three years since I allowed my soul to soar through dance, and it felt incredible.
For Native Americans, dancing was an uplifting experience of self-transformation designed to connect to the Spirit. The transformational energies created during dance helped to teach appreciation for oneself while nurturing intuition and awakening the senses and inner wisdom for health and longevity. It was an evocative, empowering process for self-renewal to enrich creativity and spontaneity and to revitalize the self. Dance had always done the same thing for me. Dancing has always been a very religious experience for me. It was no different on this night. I left the dance club feeling renewed, empowered, and transformed.
On the evening of September 6, Ricardo received a call from his family informing him that their 80-year-old mother was taken to the hospital. We loaded up my van a few minutes later and set out for Santa Paula, California, to be with his mother and his family. We departed Phoenix at 9:45 PM.
Although I was a little nervous about driving 4 hours across the desert in the middle of the night, we made it without incident. We pulled over at 3:00 AM to get gas, and that’s when Ricardo noticed the letters and numbers on my license plate. When he got back in the van, he asked me if my license plate had been specially ordered or if it had any personal significance. I told him I did not order individual plates; as far as I knew, the letters and numbers had no real meaning.
He thought this was very interesting mainly because the word ÁME in Spanish meant commanding a large group of people to simply LOVE, and since my journey was primarily about LOVE, he thought I had special ordered my plates.
We arrived in Santa Paula seven hours later, at 4:45 AM, on September 7. The following afternoon, while Ricardo was at the hospital with his family, I sat down and took a moment to decipher the letters and numbers in my license plate.
I first noticed the numbers 1, 2, and 3 at the top of my validation stickers. Other meanings of “AME” in various languages: Latin: Beloved, German: Eagle or Effort, French: Soul, African: Universal.
The number 7 in the Voyager Tarot is represented by the “Chariot” card, which offered the following messages: My astrology sign of Cancer. | Law of motion and movement: mind, body, heart, and spirit continually move toward their highest possible attainment. Moving onward and upward. Adventurer. Traveler. Conqueror and hunter. Carries the shell of a home on their back.
The number 0 in the Voyager Tarot was represented by the “Fool/Child” card: The seed of life—a new beginning. New birth, lives on faith that the universe will care for you. Relax. Be yourself. Take risks. Play. Be unconventional. Walk on the edge. Be open, curious, intuitive, original, and spontaneous. A youthful energy that wants to move, experience, and learn. If you fall on your face, it’s okay. It’s part of growing. A direct connection to spirit, or God. The Fool’s journey.
The “Balance” card represented the Number 8 in Voyager Tarot: Astrology sign of Libra: Law of action and reaction. Balance amid ever-present change. Every change creates a new balance/imbalance. Balance is a dance. Stay flexible. Balance the left and right brain: analytical, creative, logical, dreamy, decisive, and reflective. Mental strength. Infinity. Success.
When the numbers 7+0+7+8 are added together, the master number 22 appears. 2+2=4. The “Emperor” card represented the number 4 in Voyager Tarot: Astrology sign of Aries—the law of material construction. Worldly development. Very well full. A pioneer. A mover and a shaker. A doer. Eagle eye. Tangible achievements. Leader. Daring. Headstrong. To make your mark on the world. Aspire to the top—hard work.
Because Spirit mostly led my journey, I was happy to see the very essence of my journey expressed in my license plate. It was a strange confirmation.
The following day, Ricardo’s mother returned home from the hospital. We spent September 8, 9, and 10 working around the house and ensuring she was comfortable and had everything she needed. On the morning of September 11, three of Ricardo’s family members and I gathered around Ricardo’s mother to perform a healing ceremony. Since his mother was a Catholic, the five of us sat in the formation of a cross to perform her healing. Once the ceremony was complete, Ricardo and I loaded up my van and headed back to Phoenix.
Under the new moon of September 15, I felt another shift within. I finally felt the strength and confidence rise within to make something out of my journey. I had a vision of myself sitting at a desk in the middle of a large white room with large prints of my photography on the surrounding walls. This art gallery and spiritual healing center appeared to me as a small business promoting spiritual art, spiritual web design, spiritual blueprints, and healing consultations.
Two days later, on September 17, I received a text message from my dear friends at Hopi informing me that I would hear from them again very soon regarding the date of my next visit. I spent the next several days patiently waiting for their official invitation. Later that evening, Ricardo received an official offer for the job in San Francisco.
The following day, September 22, during the Autumn Equinox, Ricardo informed me that he was most likely going to accept the job offer in California. I now began to wonder if I would be returning to Phoenix after my next visit to Hopi or if I would head off in an entirely new direction.
On September 25, my spirit guides and teachers asked me to purchase the URL for my proposed Spiritual Healing Arts Center: TheLoveShac.org. And so I did!
Later that afternoon, I received, via UPS, a 20″ x 20″ oil painting that an artist friend in Santa Fe, New Mexico, had done for me as a trade for designing his website, JoeRamiroGarcia.com.
I loved the painting because it contained all of the elements of my journeys. I envisioned it someday hanging at the entrance of The Love S.H.A.C. Although Joe titled the painting “Chris’ Painting,” I chose the alternative title “72 Days of Light.”
72 Days of Light
On September 27, 2012, I began redesigning my website.
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