Sedona, AZ is inarguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. The red-rock formations, the Painted Desert, the magnificent vegetation and Verde River running through it all make Sedona a true paradise on earth. Needless to say, as is the unfortunate case with any such location, the initial interest and admiration gradually turned into outright exploitation in the form of tourism, development and shameful abuse of the natural resources and treasures. As late as the mid 1990's, most people had not heard of Sedona. Today, unless one has been living under you know what, everyone has heard of Sedona, Arizona. This did not happen by accident; to the contrary, it was the direct result of calculated marketing and clever advertising. The marketing I am referring to took place under many different forms and mediums, but it was mainly selling two things: One being the unmatched natural beauty and serenity of Sedona, so unique, you will not find it anyplace else on earth. And two, the claim that Sedona harbors a handful of energy vortexes that radiate a mystical type of cure-all that can heal everything from physical ailments to depression and spiritual bankruptcy.
This book is about the latter of the two marketing attractions, and in my opinion, it is selling snake oil to the anxious gullible. This vortex business falls in the category of paranormal, witchcraft and New-Age "love is in the earth" nonsense that attracts certain types of people whom lack common sense and have a propensity for easy manipulation while desperately reaching for answers outside of themselves. The type that lack true spirituality but have the pretentious outfit and jewelry perfected down to a tee, and sport carefully-selected acessories to complete the "look". The type of lost souls that will cling onto all things sold under the broadly commercial category of “New-age”… In the 1990's, I visited Sedona during my early 20's and I've kept on going back pretty much annually, some years more than once. Sedona is quite possibly my favorite place in the world… True, during one of my frequent visits, I did have a spiritual awakening that came full circle in Sedona’s rapidly disappearing tranquility and its infinite silence. However, my epiphany was certainly not due to the vortexes or anything of the sort, but due to my own searching for an eternal quest that had lived within me, and also by my letting go of the past... Such realizations and awakenings have everything to do with a person fostering an open mind and heart, and nothing to do with some undetectable energy spewing out of a rock... Undoubtadly, those who look for salvation in such a ridiculous place as an imaginary vortex or any other physival location for that matter, will sadly never succeed in finding it for real...