Recently I took a cross country trip, to the middle of the desert for New Years. The destination: Sedona, Arizona, which is well known for being one of the most spiritual and transformational places on earth. This was a solo quest and an effort to own my gifts and talents as well as opening myself up to identifying as a photographer.
I have to send a huge shout out to a few fellow Infinite Receiving sisters. Back in October, I sat next to Lisbeth Overton and Gabriela Brunner at lunch one day during our Live conference. We ended up talking about Instagram and Lisbeth quickly asked me if I was a photographer. I said, no, not really. I just take pictures for fun and things show up for me to photograph while in my element such as hearts and whatever else in that moment. Lisbeth and Gabi both held me accountable and said, “the next time you are asked that question, your answer is going to be a yes, I am a photographer.” Thank you ladies for your support, you were right! I am getting there. And of course a huge thank you to the Infinite Receiving Queen Maru Iabichela for being a mama bear and keeping me focused while bringing me into a huge network of amazing people.
Back to the desert….
At almost every moment on this trip, I was able to follow my intuition to listen to what my heart wanted to experience. What did I need? What did I want to see and experience and most importantly, what did I want to feel? One of the very first things I found? You guessed it...a heart!
A friend of mine recently reminded me that our hips are guided by our intuition. (Thank you Yogi!) If you let them, they will go where we need to go. I listened. When I don't listen....my hips begin to hurt and ache urging me to do something, anything to make a change. My intuition is most active and clear in a natural setting. I see and hear things that others do not. I never stage a photo or wait to see something that is not right in front of me. If it's not there and not flowing to me or out of me, it is not meant for me. I am always guided along a certain path that leads me to where I need to be. I have learned that I take the best photos when there is absolutely no plan and when there is no resistance towards what I SHOULD see.
I wanted to experience as much as I could in the few days I had to spend there. I spent hours in the desert botanical gardens connecting to their plants and the local environment. I learned so much through their exhibits that I never would have been able to identify while simply being out in the wild.
I had a slight plan before arriving of where I would go on which days and how it would work out with the amount of time I had. Naturally, as things always do, my plan was challenged. Even though it was a loose plan, I still found myself getting frustrated by not being able to achieve what I had thought I could in a designated amount of time. It was a holiday with more visitors than a typical day so I had to work around a lot of people in the natural environment.
My lesson here was in SURRENDER and to trust that I was NEVER alone...even in the middle of the desert. Trust and Surrender, I did.
What happened after I surrendered? You guessed it again...I found TONS of hearts...and found many unexpected visitors accompanying me in my experience. Two of the most captivating were the bobcats. I have proclaimed 2018 to be my year of the bobcat. I have never seen bobcats in person and certainly not up close. It was no coincidence to be strolling along a small trail one morning to notice an odd pattern of vines that caught my attention enough for a picture. And then I focused my eyes….on someone else’s eyes and a face staring back at me. I am sure I could have been in some sort of danger by being so close, but we held a comfortable and respectful exchange until this bobcat was ready to turn in for its daily nap. As he went into his den, I saw the second beautiful bobcat. Standing by with dignity and beauty while keeping a close eye on what I was doing. What a way to start a new year!
To sum up my Sedona experience...
I chased sunrises even though I had no warm clothing for the very chilly starts to their days…. (because why would I need that in the desert!) I found javelinas, bobcats, many exotic birds, a ground harris antelope squirrel, things most would never even notice. I sat on the top of the rental car for the best views of the sunsets without people or cars getting in the shots. (Feels like freedom) I climbed rocks, I slid down the rocks, I sat on the rocks, I hiked for hours, everything quickly turned red including my rear-end. I found a whole collection of heart rocks. I took an adventure tour, met an Indiana Jones impersonator, had my very first off-roading experience (threw my back out, but it was worth it), ended up at a bar for New Years Eve covered in red dirt and was only drinking water. I had the most fabulous lunch experience at the Secret Garden Cafe that #ofcourse had a heart logo on their menu (shout out to Shannon!), I played with horses, met new friends, experienced AirBnB for the first time (and LOVED it). And to cross one more thing off my list of things to do while 30 list, I had my very first hot stone massage. By Wednesday, the day I was departing, I had absolutely no clean clothes left besides what was on my body. I had to continue to surrender to the experience as my connecting flight home was canceled due to the incoming blizzard.
It all worked out beautifully in the end as I drove 7 hours home, but later received a refund for the full amount of my whole round trip ticket. #ofcourse Infinite Receiving at it’s finest. #moreplease #Thankyou
I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Can't wait to see what else is in store for the year of the bobcat! :)
“Surrender to what is.
Let go of what was.
Have faith in what will be.”
Sonia Ricotti
"You can wear Spanx on your hips, but not on your heart!"
Agapi Stassinopoulos
"Never Stop Exploring Your Edges"
Maru Iabichela
Maru Iabichela Founder of Infinite Receiving:
Lisbeth Overton Founder of Healthy Nurse By Design:
Gabriela Brunner Founder of The New Firm:
