Our travel through the world of the Anasazi Indian migration took us to Taos, New Mexico to see the current inhabited pueblos near this sweet New Mexico town. The native people of this area have been living continuously in the area of the Taos Pueblo for more than a 1000 years. They are living in some of the same ways as their ancesters. They cook outdoor in wood heated mud ovens and drink and wash with water from the river that runs through the pueblo. They have a church as well as native religion blended as well as each living separately.
It was a fascinating experience that reminded me of living with the Bedouins in Egypt but that is another blog post... The similarity ran in watching a society transition through time.
We took a wonderful tour and purchased our share of jewelry, food, and sage sticks. It was wonderful to see these people work hard to keep their heritage alive. The spot is recognized as a world heritage sight and helped the kids see the heritage of this nation in a light that goes beyond Christopher Columbus and Spanish search for gold and the spread of Christianity.
We went back to Taos and had a lovely time in the pool and chilling in our southwestern accommodations. We planned to drive out towards the Rio Grand Gorge for Sunset. We each were thinking about what we had seen and how remarkable it all was.
When sunset approached we were a little late in getting ourselves together and into the car. We were kind of tired and road weary. My husband indicated he did not want to drive after doing so much driving the day before. So I drove the car and we headed south 'towards the gorge', or so we thought. We had looked it up on our phones the night before and thought we had a clue where we were headed. We thought it was about 13.5 miles south of Taos....
When sunset approached we were a little late in getting ourselves together and into the car. We were kind of tired and road weary. My husband indicated he did not want to drive after doing so much driving the day before. So I drove the car and we headed south 'towards the gorge', or so we thought. We had looked it up on our phones the night before and thought we had a clue where we were headed. We thought it was about 13.5 miles south of Taos....
The sun has already setting. The sky was on fire. Never in my life have I seen a sunset like this one. It encompassed the entire sky, 360 degrees around you. It did not matter if you were looking west or east. There were enough fluffy clouds to reflect colors in all directions. As we drove my mouth was hanging open. I wished I could stop and take some shots and just enjoy the view. I was also starting to worry that we were not headed in the right direction.
Finally we checked Google Map and it spun and spun not picking up a signal. I know how we were meant to be headed in the direction we took. We had maneuvered our selves into a open plain surrounded by distant mountain ranges, far enough away to open the entire sky to view. We were on a high point looking up, down and around at a bowl of open sky. The sunset was so fierce that we pulled over and got out of the car. Google map finally told us we were now 23 miles away from the gorge and heading in the wrong direction. Yet this fire sunset was our destination it seemed. As clear as the GPS saying you have arrived at your destination I knew we had arrived and would go no farther.
The boys were asking questions and me and my husband just stood there with our mouths hanging open. I kept telling the boys how amazing this was and while they enjoyed the view it did not resonate with them the same as it did with me. As they said "We are boys mom...."
The entire sky was on fire. The peak of the sun going down the horizon was so brilliant it was almost hard to look upon. The sun was saying, 'I am going down but here is something to remember me by.' The reflection of the light all around the entire circumference of our vision kept changing in colors from golds to pinks, purples, blues and reds. The pictures can hardly do it justice.
So what did all this fire mean. I closed my eyes and felt the power of the sun that shows this incredible energy even when moving on to another area to spread daylight. No matter what happens the energy of the sun continues to flow, unconditionally, faithfully, bathing all in it's path with life and then leaving the night to rest and heal before the next day begins.
The sun shows a powerful, even, gentle yet fierce pressure towards its path and keeps it's energy flowing. I connected this to life, we push towards goals and expectations with fits and starts that drain or recharge at times. To have that even, unconditional flow would smooth out some of life's paths. The practice of yoga and meditation attempt to tap into that smoothness and calmness.
Tapping into the energy of that sunset by enjoying the moment and the path instead of stressing over the outcome of our destination was freeing. It was driven by powers much stronger than any goals or expectation. I was loving the moment and at one with the flow of the fire.
That moment, a memory and feeling, so strong, can remind and inspire with strength and calm as needed. The lesson of this element of fire was to feel peace with the path, the journey and the destination without need to fuel or stoke the ever present fire, just being energized and bathed in it and allowing the path to be.
That moment, a memory and feeling, so strong, can remind and inspire with strength and calm as needed. The lesson of this element of fire was to feel peace with the path, the journey and the destination without need to fuel or stoke the ever present fire, just being energized and bathed in it and allowing the path to be.
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