Revised article, published first in Four Corners Magazine
April/May 2005, p 46 - 47.

We live in a time of profound changes. These changes occur on the level of our consciousness, but also with the Earth itself. There are many ways to look at these changes and there are many interpretations about what their cause(s) are. Even science begins to acknowledge that what is happening can no longer be seen as extremes of normal fluctuations. The Earth is in motion and the weather is erratic not only in faraway places but locally as well. In the winter of 2004/2005 there were several floods in the Sedona and Camp Verde area and Arizona had 6 earthquakes within one week (at the end of February/beginning of March 2005). The strongest had 4.6 on the Richter scale.

Many people pray and hold ceremonies hoping to prevent more big natural disasters, such as the tsunami of December 26, 2004. The ceremony to activate the Sedona Landscape Temple on April 24, 2005 is one of the worldwide activities to heal and balance the Earth to prevent these types of disasters. Of equal importance is the intention to activate the energy of the Sedona area to a more optimal state.

Whenever we pray and/or hold ceremonies it is helpful if we understand what actually happens during these activities and on what to focus our intention. It also helps to realize that in the process we are not only healing the Earth, but also ourselves. We are intricately connected with the Earth.

The Earth as "source"

Connecting with the Earth was and is an essential part of spirituality in many ancient and Indigenous traditions. In these traditions spirituality is an essential part of their daily lives. The separation of science and spirituality in our Western culture has estranged most of us from the Earth. The Earth has become an object that is there to use. We no longer consider her to be a living entity. We have forgotten that she is truly a "mother" who provides us with everything we need on every level of our being.

What does Mother Earth provides us with? In the first place the Earth provides us with every atom in our body - either directly or indirectly - making us inseparable from the Earth.

Secondly, the Earth provides the electromagnetic environment we need to function optimally. NASA discovered with the first astronauts, that we do not function without this field. The Earth also creates a special electromagnetic frequency that is important for us: the Schumann resonance frequency of 7.83 Herz. This frequency resonates with our brain activity in the lower alpha (relaxation and peak performance) and higher theta (deep relaxation, meditation and access to our unconsciousness). The Schumann frequency stimulates a broader functioning of our brain. In addition this frequency helps us to connect with the subtle energies of the Earth.

The subtle energies are a third gift to us. These energies resonate and interact with our meridians, chakras and subtle energy bodies. On Earth we find those energies in lines, grids and vortexes.

Vortexes, lines and grids

Many books have been written on Earth energy lines and grids. There are, however, only a few books on vortexes and all of them are about the vortexes in Sedona. This is quite remarkable, because vortexes exist everywhere. They are found where energy lines are, because almost all vortexes are found in connection with lines. We define a vortex as a place where energy goes in and/or out of a system. That system can be the Earth (vortexes), our body ( the chakras and acupuncture points) or the Universe (galaxies, black holes and white holes). According to science whenever energy moves it will move in a spiraling way, hence the name vortex (vertere (Latin) = spiraling).

There are many different types of vortexes. To a varying degree they all have an effect on us. From some we do not yet know what the effect is, but from others we now have quite a good idea. There are vortexes that resonate with our meridians. Others resonate with our chakras or with our energy bodies. There are grid systems with vortexes that hold our consciousness, the Christ consciousness and even other types of consciousness.

Although vortexes can be found everywhere it does not make Sedona less special. Sedona has more vortexes and a larger variety of them than any other place that I am aware of. When we compare a certain vortex with a similar one in Europe the one in Sedona has a diameter 5 times larger than the one in Europe revealing that the amount of energy in each vortex is very high. Sedona is truly "a place of vortexes".

Communication lines

To understand the landscape temple of Sedona we need to mention one other type of lines, the communication lines. These lines are induced through human consciousness during certain activities. These lines appear between churches. They appear when we handle (charge) stones and place them in the landscape. They also exist between rocks with petroglyphs. The lines have a certain type of sub-lines that were named triads by researchers in England . Between churches and stones you usually find lines with 3 triads. Between stones with petroglyphs you may find lines with 5 triads. Between some of the larger ceremonial kivas we find lines with 9 triads. There exist even lines up to 12 triads. If we can create lines with 3 triads between churches and Jeanne (my wife) and I can create lines up to 5 triads with crystals, I wonder what state of consciousness (or maybe even what consciousness) can create lines with 12 triads?

The Landscape Temple of Sedona

The term Landscape Temple comes from the book "Sedona Sacred Earth" by Nicholas Mann (2). Geomancy (Mann is a geomancer) looks at alignments and mathematical patterns of prominent features of the landscape. In this way he discovered in the Sedona landscape a 6-pointed (hexagram) and 5-pointed star (pentagram). He also discovered a couple of alignments, which are called ley lines. In addition he saw a snake and a bird in the outlines of the landscape. Initially skeptical I was surprised that I could indeed find a hexagram almost identical to the one Mann has drawn in his book. Each point was anchored on a vortex. The lines between the points were communication lines with 12 triads. This means they are induced in a very high state of consciousness. At the point near Steamboat Rock were 2 extra lines. In one of them the energy was flowing towards the star and in the other the energy was flowing away from it. The energetic center was close to where Mann indicated the center: just above Devils bridge.

I was, however, not able to find any lines indicating the presence of a pentagram. This does not mean that Mann is wrong. The potential for the formation of this sacred symbol may be present but not yet manifested as with the hexagram.

Consciousness and Earth Energy Activation

Adam Yellowbird has had a vision that he gives form via Earthworks (3) and through The Institute for Cosmic Awareness (3). He organizes ceremonies together with Elders of many traditions to balance and heal Mother Earth. In his vision the hexagram and pentagram are very important. The hexagram represents the balance of the masculine and the feminine. The pentagram represents "man". He felt guided to organize a ceremony to activate the pentagram and the hexagram in the Sedona landscape. As Sedona already has so much energy what will the effect of such a ceremony be?

I believe that every ceremony with focused intention will have an effect that goes beyond our current understanding. This ceremony will be a contribution to the healing and balancing of the Earth. In addition there will be a localized effect that is very important for Sedona. Based on research it has become clear that none of the vortexes and lines are optimally activated. Increasingly many types of human activity deplete the energy even further. Activation on the scale as is planned will stimulate the activation of many vortexes and lines in Sedona. Several vortexes and lines will be measured before and after the ceremony to study the effects the ceremony will have on them.

One of the most interesting aspects will be the pentagram. Will a group of dedicated people be able to physically create a pentagram in the landscape? Will they be able to induce lines forming a pentagram with points anchored on vortexes? If that will happen it will change the energy of Sedona and increase the experiences of those who will visit these areas. Who would not like to participate in such a wonderful and challenging event?

Addition (December 2005).

After the activation some preliminary research was done. The activation resulted in an increase in energy in the lines and vortexes in the area. For example, in the lines of the 6-pointed star the energy increased around 50%. The biggest question was: "Will the activation induce lines forming a pentagram as Mann indicated in his book?" These lines were not detectable before the activation. The answer was very clear. The activation of the Sedona Landscape Temple resulted in the creation of a pentagram that was outlined by communication lines with 5 triads. These lines formed a pentagram that was almost identical to the pentagram Mann showed in his book. There was, however, one difference. The pentagram and the hexagram were energetically not connected. It may be possible that further activation may lead to a connection between these two forms in the landscape. The lines of the hexagram are communication lines with 12 triads, while the pentagram has lines with only 5 triads. The difference may be too big to allow a connection. Meanwhile research continues to understand the Sedona Landscape Temple as such and to understand its place in the energies of the South-West.

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Notes.

(1) There are quite some books and booklets available on the subject of the Vortexes of Sedona. They all refer to the 4 to 6 "famous" vortexes. Here are mentioned most of the books that are also still available.

(2) Nicholas R. Mann (2004). Sedona Sacred Earth: A Guide to the Red Rock Country. Revised Edition. Light Technology Publishing.

(3) More information on The Institute of Cosmic Awareness and Earthworks can be found on their web site http://www.ica8.org .