Journey With ME

Last week I spent time walking through the dry, vast land along the Rio Grande in Northern New Mexico. I honestly didn’t know what to expect as I planned a short visit to the Gorge Bridge after a long day of work in a nearby town. I had a plan. “Melanie, you have about 20 minutes to visit the bridge and then head back to town and rest up for tomorrow.” That was how I envisioned my visit. When I arrived, I parked the car and began walking along the (very high!) bridge when the trails along the Rio Grande caught my attention. Without knowing why, I turned and walked, in the opposite direction, to them.

I walked for about 2 miles along the Rocky Mountain trail pausing when I felt a strong vibration. Then, I stopped, overcome by an inner emotion – a knowing. My feet resisted all my efforts to move. They instead remained planted, forcing me to be still. I studied the desert plants and realized how green and alive they were. After some time, I continued my walk along the trail.

Two hours later, sun setting and tourists dispersing, I remained. Walking. I couldn’t leave. I felt life all around me.

The land is sacred. In that dry place, there is life.

I honestly know almost nothing about Native American spirituality, so I can offer little scholarly knowledge about the land on which I stood. I can only share with you my experience as I walked all alone in that space. I connected with the living, the elders, and stewards of that land, and with the Source of all life. How do I find words to explain the inexplicable?

If we’re lucky, we may find ourselves experiencing moments for which words are inadequate. Some people would say that spiritual experiences are simply our “opium” or delusions. But if you’ve ever had an encounter with the sacred, then you understand that there exists a sacred knowing which does not come by way of privilege, educational status, socioeconomic status or job title. Sacred knowing is a gift that cannot be earned. It is bestowed upon us in spite of our failings and not because of our goodness. It takes us aback as we’re going about our regular day. It disrupts our plans and schedules and reorders our priorities.

Have you ever watched a flower begin as a bud and over time slowly open into a beautifully colored, scented blossom? That, to me, is how sacred wisdom unfolds.

In that unplanned walk, I received a gift that I neither deserved nor earned. That day, I connected with God through my walk through the land of those who relied on and cared for that space.

I am grateful for the holy reordering of my evening that day. I saw beyond what my mind could have seen or known. I felt. I knew.

I’m certain. That day, I stood on sacred ground.