Finding My Way
by
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It was hot, the first time I entered Antelope Canyon. “It” is the July Arizona sun. “It” is the burning sand under my Asics. “It” is my body. “She”—and this is a distinctly feminine experience for me—she was cool. Cave cool. Soothing cool. Wait. Can a canyon be a cave? I am standing in one. Drawing cooler air into my lungs. Removing my wrap-around sunglasses. Feeling my unconscious heat-tenseness release. Refuge. And soon—beauty. Beyond description. I live amid the red rock splendor of Sedona. A wide open gallery of jewels. Lit by this planet’s biggest, brightest unfiltered light. Here, in this slot in the earth, this light has only a crack to illuminate through. But the dance it does in interplay with rock is cave-bustingly beautiful. In beauty we walk. Unlike The Grand, there is no wide shot whole-istic wow for eyes and soul. It is a walk. A path. Turns. And twists. Each step inviting a pause, a stay. Unlike Mammoth or Carlsbad, it is intimate. You can and do touch either wall of this rarified ribbon, and know its surprising softness. Rock, appearing as soft, spun, velvety fabric. Spun and loomed by its years of channeling life-giving water, in a high hot desert. I have gone to “her” in different seasons and contrasting days. Her raiment’s tone and colors vary. There remains one particular spot where at high noon or thereabouts, the master light shines directly down into her. The rest is diffused, often subtle, splashes of 10,000 hues. In semi darkness. This is why I chose this capture, this photo, by a world class photographer and a deep heart friend, Larry Lindahl. It speaks to my continual journeys of walking out of the dark towards the light, even as the dark blesses me with its wonders. In beauty I walk. As I walk, as I walk, The universe is walking with me. In beauty it walks before me. In beauty it walks behind me. In beauty it walks below me. In beauty it walks above me. In beauty I walk. In beauty we walk. Finding our way.
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About the Book
Joe’s music has been known and sung around the world since the mid 60’s. His four degrees are in Philosophy, Theology, Education, and Counseling and Guidance. For the first 22 years of his work life he wrote music, recorded it and performed it; gave lectures, conducted workshops, and facilitated retreats—throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Wise has been a resident of Arizona since 1995. Before that he lived 55 years in Louisville, Kentucky where between travels he offered a variety of workshops on writing and video story- telling, including as facilitator with other artists at the Louisville Visual Artist Association and Bellarmine College. His painting career has included studies with many accomplished artists including Ed Hermann and Joe Fettingis. His primary mentor was Dick Phillips. Joe is a member of the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition and a charter and juried member of the Northern Arizona Watercolor Society. His paintings have received numerous awards and hang in corporate headquarters and private collections. He has written, produced, and recorded 22 albums of music, published 6 books and scored a film. He has worked for over a dozen years teaching writing as a therapeutic tool in treatment centers for addictions, and conducts retreats using the journal as a gateway for spiritual awareness and clarity. Joe lives with his wife Maleita in the Sedona area of Northern Arizona. He travels out presenting readings of his works, some song, and reflections on the grand mix of life. Joe can be contacted at: wise1@q.com or through: www.joeandmaleitawise.com
About the Author
Joe’s music has been known and sung around the world since the mid 60’s. His four degrees are in Philosophy, Theology, Education, and Counseling and Guidance. For the first 22 years of his work life he wrote music, recorded it and performed it; gave lectures, conducted workshops, and facilitated retreats—throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Wise has been a resident of Arizona since 1995. Before that he lived 55 years in Louisville, Kentucky where between travels he offered a variety of workshops on writing and video story- telling, including as facilitator with other artists at the Louisville Visual Artist Association and Bellarmine College. His painting career has included studies with many accomplished artists including Ed Hermann and Joe Fettingis. His primary mentor was Dick Phillips. Joe is a member of the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition and a charter and juried member of the Northern Arizona Watercolor Society. His paintings have received numerous awards and hang in corporate headquarters and private collections. He has written, produced, and recorded 22 albums of music, published 6 books and scored a film. He has worked for over a dozen years teaching writing as a therapeutic tool in treatment centers for addictions, and conducts retreats using the journal as a gateway for spiritual awareness and clarity. Joe lives with his wife Maleita in the Sedona area of Northern Arizona. He travels out presenting readings of his works, some song, and reflections on the grand mix of life. Joe can be contacted at: wise1@q.com or through: www.joeandmaleitawise.com