Zion National Park - "Living the Meditation"

On our trip across the Southwest, we suddenly found ourselves in Utah, a state that proved to be expansive, completely beautiful, and one which has a total variety of vistas. Even though the land itself is desolate, dramatic and varied, the people we met were very friendly, polite and yes, normal, while living in an incredibly stark and remote location. And in that area is an absolute gem, Zion National Park, and until this trip, I had never even heard of this fabulous and mystical place. (Yes, I am originally someone from the state of New York, and as the old New Yorker cartoon attests to, a New Yorker’s conception of the United States suffers dramatically as one proceeds much west of Buffalo.)

Anyway, my husband being the photographer of the family had planned for 2 days in Zion. When we arrived and did the initial drive through the amazing canyon of Zion, we, along with 98% of the rest of the public going through the park, drove at the pace of about 15 miles an hour and finished the drive around the park in about 35-40 minutes. The route was certainly spectacular as we looked up onto the walls and formations of the canyon, but when we were done I asked my husband and said, “But honey – we just saw the canyon, how are we going to spend 2 days here?” He replied, “No, we only drove through the canyon, we really haven’t seen anything yet. This time we are going to drive slowly” (meaning slower than the 15 mile an hour creep) “and really see the canyon. We’ll be stopping along the way at those pull offs and I will shoot a number of locations along the way.”

Hmmm, and what will I be doing during this time – my self-serving mind chatter posed to me? Over the years, I have come to learn the virtue of attempting to make lemonade from lemons, and I received the information that I was to make those 2 days a living meditation. So as we drove ever so slowly, like a turtle, from one side of the exquisite canyon to another, sometimes stopping, creeping along and then stopping again, often only traveling 200 feet or so from where we were; thus, we became the living meditation.

As we slowed down, our senses opened up. We relaxed into the vistas of the canyon and mountain walls that surrounded us. We opened up to a large variety of birds, insect life, lizards, mammals and tiny flowers and the trees. We received the peace and tranquility of the nature around us. We would drive one way taking several hours, stop on the exit side of the park, refresh ourselves, then turn around and creep back the way we came, only to experience a totally different view of the canyon in reverse.

At one extended stop, my husband told me he wanted to climb a bit onto the rocks to get a particular shot. Did I wish to come, or did I want to be by myself? I chose to take the opportunity to open up to what the canyon offered in meditation. As I further expanded myself at the spot, and as I went outside myself with all that is, I suddenly felt the eyes of another looking at me. I opened my eyes, and no one was around. I heard within myself “look up, I am here above you.” And then I saw him, a male mountain goat, a couple of hundred feet directly above me looking right down. He had not made any noise, but had communicated with me saying “Hello, isn’t this life just grand? I see you and your lovely spirit. I am One with you and the Great Spirit.” I came back into my body, I smiled and answered him, “yes, and thank you for sharing that beautiful message with me.”