For many, Sedona, Ariz., is a trendy outpost — like Tombstone or Taos; a sunny Southwest town where you can pick up a painting and down some good food.
But for others, Sedona is Mecca, a destination for pilgrims. Even before psychic Page Bryant claimed Sedona had four vortexes (sites where the Earth's lines of energy intersect) traditional religions were already flourishing here. Seekers came to see the glory of creation, enjoy the tranquility and visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
The famous chapel is just the flagship of faith in Sedona, of course. If religions were ice cream, Sedona would be Baskin Robbins — from the gauzy New Age shops and imported Asian faiths to the traditional rituals of Native Americans and more traditional Christians. In short, Sedona is a wonderful magnet for seekers.
"We are totally thrilled to be in a place that attracts the spiritually hungry," says Pastor Mary Piotrowski of St. Andrew's Episcopal. "We have a whole bunch of people here — from 40 years old or so — who were raised without religion. They came to realize something was missing, and the reason they are here is they are desperately searching for God. At St. Andrew's we make ourselves open to spiritual seekers. We have a labyrinth in our parking lot, for instance. What church wouldn't feel blessed to be in such a place?"
Indeed, the seekers come from far and wide and from dozens of backgrounds. One attraction is Sedona's world famous Chapel of the Holy Cross. The idea for the design of the chapel came to Marguerite Brunswig Staude while she was looking at the newly built Empire State Building in 1932. She claimed she could almost see a great cross running through the building. It became an idea for a shrine. Frank Lloyd Wright built a model of it and, after an earlier version of the chapel was abandoned in Budapest, the Arizona structure was completed in 1956. Today the chapel is not only a sacred landmark but an internationally beloved piece of architecture. One believer, who wanted to remain anonymous in order to showcase the chapel, not herself, said, "The people who come here are touched. People ask for tissues after visiting it. Some are moved to relate their life stories to others. It's a special spot. It's beautiful."
"A special spot" might also describe how many young people who follow New Age ideas see Sedona. They set up shop here and practice alternative forms of healing, feeling, worshipping and being. Frommer's guidebook claims "You can hardly throw a smudge stick around these parts without hitting a psychic." Jennifer Gentry, owner of the Sedona Crystal Vortex Metaphysical store, is just one who felt drawn to Sedona.
"I've lived here for 51/2 years," she says. "But I've been coming here for more than 20 years. I was drawn here by the natural beauty and the energy. The first time when I came here I was only 14, but I knew it was a sacred place."
Today, Gentry's shop offers everything from psychic readings and massages to aura photography and books. She even does readings over the phone for people who can't show up in person.
"I think when you come to Sedona, you need to be very conscious of what your 'mindset' is," she says. "I believe that whatever is in your mind at the time you come here will be magnified. Many people come here looking to be healed."
According to people in tune with such things, there are four vortex sites in the natural landscape in Sedona — Bell Rock, Boynton Canyon, the Airport Vortex and Red Rock Crossing. Over the years, millions have visited the sites. Today, taking people to visit them has become a cottage industry for young entrepreneurs. Several companies offer tours, some using helicopters.
The interesting thing is most traditional faiths don't see the vortexes as a threat, but — as the Rev. Piotrowski says — they become a reason to fortify their own faith.
When you live in Sedona you are almost forced to think about otherworldly matters. People feel compelled to think about their own beliefs and examine their own deeply held convictions. And when they do, many find what they were looking for down inside of themselves, not in the surrounding landscape. Bliss becomes a matter of the heart.
A local bumper sticker proclaims "I found heaven in Sedona, Arizona."
What the bumper sticker doesn't say is "I found it within myself."