Exploring Colorado: Peace in the San Luis Valley, and Crestone

"Dawning adventures sparkle, get some rest."
Nahko and Medicine for the People

A real vacation! We took an amazing 5 days off of normal life to relax in the high desert. Only 3 hours from home, we felt like we were in a different world. Saguache County is such a fascinating place. Tucked in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, we drove down lonely country roads while gazing far off into the distance to the peaks of the Sangre de Christo mountains, barely seeing the Great Sand Dunes peeking out between them, all rolling hills of sand, deceptively small from a distance compared to the peaks around them. We passed vast open spaces, dilapidated homes of yester-year, and the occasional random marijuana dispensary. Trekking through a sea of golden spineless horsebrush, we energetically reached out and felt for the Ley Lines that we know exist prolifically in this region. We never felt much that we readily perceived, but in the meantime, we found beautiful areas to relax, build cairns, and meditate while watching the clouds roll through the valley.

what is more enticing to you here... the warmth of the yurt, or the invitation of exploration of this high desert?

When we tired of sitting in the hot healing waters of the natural springs, we took an afternoon and drove to Crestone. The town of Crestone itself is interesting enough; kind of an artsy vibe, with just a splash of pretentious, maybe. It's so fascinating to me that this town is tucked just below a literal mecca of spiritual and religious spaces, and yet we both felt that we certainly did NOT belong here. As we enjoyed our local yak chili and chai in a chill internet cafe, I turned to my hubby and said, I don't think we are "cool" enough to live in this town. He nodded enthusiastically, and agreed, yah, definitely not! We took the rest of our chai to go, and as we strolled through the town, we observed some interesting encounters. People in this town all know each other, and everyone is very outwardly friendly and nice. For instance, an older couple walked past a guy walking his dog, and greeted him and his pup by name enthusiastically. But we keep our ears open, and catch snippets of conversations. It's a thing we do. We kept watching as the young guy walked away, and the older couple talked in hushed voices, "ohhh... that guy is fine... but even his dog is more conscious than he is!" As though consciousness has taken on some sort of status in this town, where residents can approve or disapprove of each individual according to their "vibe level". We had a good hoot between us about the juxtaposition of such judgement in the very shadow of a spiritual mecca, then headed up the hill to check out the spiritual centers anyway.

dwelling tucked behind a flaming autumn tree at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center, Crestone, CO

The spiritual centers of Crestone exist here as the culmination of an effort through donation to the Manitou Foundation, founded by Maurice and Hanna Strong, who originally purchased the land in 1977 and reportedly met a wandering mystic who explained to them that the land they bought had a long spiritual history, not only due to the proximity to the Sangre de Christos (literal translation "blood of Christ"), but long before that with native peoples and nomadic tribes who used the area as well. The Strongs granted land to over two dozen spiritual groups over the years, and the area continues to grow, lending to the recent "reinvention" of Crestone from 1800s gold mining town to spiritual mecca of the American west. You can still see hints of the old mining operations. For instance, while touring Shinji Shumeikai, we came across an old mine shaft that probably been closed for over a century.

We also found other surprises, like these "meditating" lizards, and the awesome building they call home, simply called The Dome, which was heavily inspired by sacred geometry and had almost perfect acoustics. The Dome is used for meditation and retreats, but this day, we and the lizards were the only ones around. It was quiet inside, and as I imagined it full of meditating people, it evoked a sense of feeling of vast potential before manifestation in me, or as the Taosists call it, Wuji. It is a moment before existence, when action is only potential, and nothing else. It is also the place of infinity, and infinite potential, the space we can reach into to find our deepest quiet and most subtle power. I felt a great sense of peace here, and as the lighting inside The Dome was also amazing, I found myself lingering with those quiet lizards.

my new friend, the meditating lizard

the sacred geometry of The Dome

The biggest joy of our trip was found in the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram at Maha Lakshmi. As we walked about the area, a hilltop speckled with earthships constructed of old tires and stucco, we were greeted warmly by a resident there who invited us to share lunch with them. We had just finished our yak chili and chai, so we politely declined, but whatever they were making did smell delicious. We asked her about some of the history of their guru, Babaji, and as she explained his many incarnations, she looked at us and paused, and said, "you will understand." Then considered for a moment, and continued, "or... you won't. And that's fine too." We smiled at her, poked around a bit longer, and bought a new tongue scraper from her shop.

The ashram itself was simple, and so beautiful. A quiet, sunny area with a small fountain outside in which to ritualistically rinse the hands before meditation, and as we walked in we were greeted by the most hauntingly beautiful statue of the Divine Mother. My husband said, after sitting in front of her (carefully out of her gaze) for about a half hour, ringing our tiny bell, that he was certain he would be seeing the Divine Mother in his dreams all night. There were green growing things everywhere, and the whole place had such a feeling of peace about it that we both found ourselves just sitting quietly quite naturally, as though it took no effort. We saw offerings of fruits and coconuts, and spoke in hushed whispers whenever we felt the overwhelming urge to share.

an incarnation of Haidakhan Babaji, the teacher of truth, simplicity, and love

The San Luis Valley is an extraordinary place. I encourage anyone who is visiting Colorado to enjoy at least a few days here. It's an easy place to "just drive through" on your way to somewhere else, but the reality of it is that this valley sinks into your being. And it takes a while for it's breath to work its way into your bones. There's more to see than you'd ever expect, and only those who take the time to listen to its whispers will hear its quiet messages of serenity, and peace, and deep wisdom. The locals we met who talked to us about their valley often got a quiet, dreamy look in their eyes, as they shared that there really is so much more to San Luis than meets the eye.

San Luis Valley and a rainbow in the mountain mist. May I please stay forever?

Xx The Tree of Life

Sources:
https://www.spiritualtravels.info/articles-2/north-america/the-surprising-spiritual-mecca-of-crestone-colorado/
https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/crestone
Babaji Photo Credit:
http://shiva.redzambala.com/guru/haidakhan-babaji-message-of-truth-simplicity-and-love.html

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