What quote am I vibing? " Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows, And fair is the lily of the valley; Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne - But my love is fairer than any."
Road Day: 40
Well, 45 minutes ago, I thought I was the happiest person on Earth.
I went to Stewart Mineral Springs, one of the 12 official Sacred Sites in the Mt. Shasta area. This has been on my list from the get-go. The process begins in a private bath where mineral water is pumped in right from the spring into the tub. Two springs mix to form this water - one is high in iron and magnetism, the other is high in silica which makes the water feel very silky.
I limited my time in the tub to about 3-7 minutes at a time. Some people stay in as longer, but my skin is sensitive, and you can really feel it after a bit. Following the tub, you cover yourself in something or other - I chose the sheet that they provided, and move on to the wood-fire sauna to heat yourself up and dry off a bit.
Once that dry heat has become enough for you, you move on to the 45-degree creek and you just let yourself go. The water is shocking. You gasp and you clutch your cold wet sheet closer. Fish tickle your feet. You settle in. It becomes easier to sit there. Then you get out and start the whole process again.
I went through these three steps a total of four times in my 75-minute session. By the last iteration, I felt amazing. I FELT. Everything. It was good. And I knew it was the right time to end.
You may question the spiritual experience, but people have been doing this as long as there are people. In fact, my dad did this as a kid up on the mountain at "Bare-Ass Creek." A cycle of sunning oneself and plunging in the ice cold stream. It's an instinctual process of cleansing and rebirth.
Before I left, I figured I'd use the tarot card deck in a lounging area to see what the Universe wanted to tell me. I don't know anything about it, but I try to be open to all signs and messages. I shuffled and chose one card - Cooperation. Strange, for my solo journey. Symbolizes the human virtue of knowing how to complement each other.
I suppose I found out the reason I might need cooperation in the coming days. There is a new fire south of Mt. Shasta - the Delta Fire. I came home to ash flying in the air. It's really disorienting. I made a video but I don't think it properly shows the volume of ash in the air and the strange tone of the sky - also I said "smoke" when I meant "snow." Again, not a YouTube superstar. My host, Sylvia, is wonderfully knowledgeable and communicative. I'll be turning to her to know how to proceed.
For now, I'm going to get a burger in town - she gave me the go-ahead. And I need to eat and make a plan.
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