Back in early 2017, Becky and John, Bob and I went on vacation to Sedona, Arizona, the desert land of high vibratory energy.
I didn’t give the trip much thought prior to our travel date and not until we actually landed in Phoenix, did it occur to me that perhaps I could take advantage of the rich natural setting where many of our country’s most gifted new age healers reside to book a session with one.
I thought to myself, how foolish of me that I did not think of this sooner but figured, the best I can do now is to give it a shot, and see who I can access. There were two reasons for me to want to see someone with higher conscious powers. One was, that I have a skin condition relating to an autoimmune deficiency and I’m always interested in finding out practices of energy healing work, and ancestral karmic cleansings which might possibly uproot the cause and help cure naturally.
The other reason was, that I wanted to be better prepared for attending the setting and spiritual aura where my beloved uncle had passed in the Grand Canyon so many years ago.
Aparicio drowned in the Colorado River after hiking down the Canyon one hot Good Friday, at twenty-seven years of age.
Learning of his loss meant a rite of passage experience for me having just turned fifteen, myself.
The night prior to the devastating news, I hadn’t slept a wink. The bedroom I shared with my sister was dark and ominous that night as I laid awake crying uncontrollably, for no reason at all, except that my imagination inspired thoughts of my mother dead, and what life would be like without her.
The following day, at school, everyone asked me what happened and why my eyes were so puffy and red. I tried to explain that it was from crying all night, without an actual reason for it. After school that day, I went straight home. A few hours later, a girlfriend came by after having visited my parent’s bakery looking for me. With a confused smile, she blurted out, very matter of fact, “Your mom was wailing on the phone. Do you have an uncle? I think her brother died.”
In that moment time stood still, and I felt like I was out of my body. I asked my friend to leave, resenting her insensitivity and for being the messenger of such dreadful news. I walked over to a window, and as I watched the people walking on the street down below, I wondered how the world could continue moving after such a tragedy. Days, weeks and months went by in a stupefied state, and feeling as if I was in a dream.
I always sensed a strong connection with my uncle, Aparicio. He represented illuminating treasured moments of my childhood. After his death many events in my life coincidentally related to him in oddly synchronistic ways occurred, which only now I have come to recognize.
Late that night when we arrived to Sedona, I got a contact for a medium from the waiter serving us at the restaurant in our hotel. “Her name is Nema, call her, she’s very good. I would gladly help you, but tomorrow I leave for ten days” said the long hair, tattooed waiter, heavily ornamented with crystals and amulets.
Bob couldn’t help but poke fun at my confidence in what he felt were flimsy concepts and even tried to dissuade me from pursuing such “dubious” ideas. I liked the waiter’s energy, so I immediately called the number he had given me, written down on the back of his card.
The following morning, Nema returned my phone call. We spoke and made an appointment at her earliest available time which was after my trip to the Grand Canyon. I asked her advice on how I could best honor my uncle’s spirit when visiting the site of his final day on earth. Nema recommended that I take a quartz stone, pray on it, and find an area to bury it as a gift for him, in a moment of privacy and quiet.
The day at the Grand Canyon started sunny and with clear skies. We walked through several areas near the visitor center, took our usual touristy photos, and selfies, admiring in awe and with wonder the Canyon’s majestic powerful beauty. Then, Bob and I held hands in contemplation of the river down below hidden between crevices and boulders the size of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. We both cried with deep emotion for the memory of my uncle. Bob whispered to me, “If we have to die, what better place to take flight then from here.” I quietly agreed, though wishing still it hadn’t been so soon in that sweet young man’s life.
Then it began to rain, followed by a fierce downpour of sleet and dark fog forcing everyone to run for cover. When we got back to the car I asked Bob for the keys, and took over the wheel, (very atypical of me). We were hoping to find an area that would offer us an open view of the Canyon where to park the car, sit inside and enjoy our lunch. Upon seeing the perfect spot on the opposite side of the road, I made a quick u-turn against everyone’s nervous warnings, and fit us tightly between two cars in a magical space exposing us to a different perspective of the Canyon. We ate our lunch with the sounds of the pouring rain, and seventies music. While the familiar tunes kept bringing back shared memories of those years between Bob, John, and Becky together growing up, I kept attentive to the right moment, and as soon as it stopped raining, I got out of the car. With the excuse of wanting to take some pictures I walked over to the ledge of the rim, and leaned against a dry, shaggy barked Juniper tree. Breathing-in the expansion of the open canyon, I wondered if perhaps here was the ideal place for making my offering. I squatted and prayed, asking Aparicio to manifest himself, like his name illustrates, apparition. “Aparicio, please manifest, if you hear my loving call. Tell me you are well and that you hear me.”
Holding the small quartz in my pocket, rubbing and infusing it with my energy, I readied myself for planting it under my feet. Impulsively without thought, I first picked-up a small stone, one of many lying on the ground, and very naturally turned it over, and there I saw my answer. On the hidden side, the stone had a unique design painted. It looked like a half moon, and sun in gold and silver. I felt an electrical charge down my spine as I held the stone tightly, and gave thanks. Then, in that same spot where I found my little rock treasure, under the tree of life, I buried my quartz in an exchange of love.
When I looked up there was a raven flying at me. I grabbed my iPhone to take a picture, and saw that it was, 2:22. I knew that this meant a confirmation of our spiritual communication and that all was well with Aparicio. The raven flew around me a couple of times until landing on a branch above. While the raven and I looked at each other for a moment, I heard Bob calling my name. In the car, unable to hide my euphoria, I told my story and showed my rock to everyone’s amazement.
When we got home, Cat greeted us at the door. I showed her the precious rock, and before I could finish my story, she showed me a little tattoo on her wrist and said, "Mom, look, it's almost identical to it". With a dropped jaw, Bob took back his cynicism, and admitted, “Now, you got me. I'm convinced.”
I later researched the symbolic message of coinciding with the numbers, 222, and found that it's an affirmation that my thoughts are aligned with the truth, nothing is by chance, and everything has a reason.
It was 2:22 the moment I took the above photo. I didn't plan on it. I had no idea of the time. It was surreal.
Peace.