Where to start? Where to start? Hmmmmm ….. FUCKING INCREDIBLE!!!!!  There is no better way to describe this spiritual place that has been on my bucket list for years (long before I even thought of buying Amerigo). Monument Valley belongs to and is maintained by the Navajo – it is their land and is a place where time stands still, long enough for you to feel the harmony and peace that blankets this treasure. The pictures will speak for themselves, but pictures cannot describe the spiritual presence that exists in the Valley.

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In an attempt to explore the Valley’s full grandeur, I was up early, and the day started with an amazing sunrise.  Then it was off to the visitation center to get a map so that I could find my way around. At the gate ($20 entry fee) I was told that Amerigo was not allowed to tour the Valley past the visitation center – I found out later that vehicles taking a beating on these bumpy (to say the least) roads.  At the visitation center, I bought the proverbial t-shirt, read about the history of the park, and was able to take some truly inspiring pictures.  But that was not going to be good enough.

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It was then that I decided to book a 3-hour guided sunset tour of the backcountry, in an attempt to fully grasp the wonderment of the valley.  I chose Monument Valley Tribal Tours (www.monumentvalleytribaltours.com), which offered an open-air vehicle that holds up to 15 people and has access to parts of the valley that are not open to the general public.  BUT, on this day, the other travelers that booked the same trip canceled, which meant I had a PRIVATE TOUR – huge score.  

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My guide was Rebber, his Navajo name is Sonnitóh (Big Baby).  Along the route, he not only pointed out the significant highlights of the valley but had amazing insight on life, which in part came from life experience but mainly from his grandmother and great-grandmother’s stories of the Navajo way of life.

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He spoke of the belief that the Haashch’eeh diné e, the Holy People, created plants from air, water, light, and soil to beautify the land and to provide for Diné, the Navajo people; these stories explain the marriage that exists in harmony between Mother Earth and Father Sky.  The Diné believe that the earth is their mother and the sky their father, and together they bring about life; both have to be respected in order for there to be life.

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Monument Valley was created from Mother Earth and Father Sky’s harmonious patients and an appreciation of both.  The Navajo have inhabited the valley since at least 1300 A.D. (base on ruins,) but no one knows when they first arrived.  Long before that, during the Paleiozoic Era – about 570 million years ago, the entire Colorado Plateau was underneath Gulf of Mexico. An uplift generated by ceaseless lava pressure caused the surface to bulge and crack.  These cracks deepened and widened into rocky ravines and canyons. Today, after millions of years of erosion, Mother Earth and Father Sky, working in harmony, have sculpted a masterpiece.

Simplistically understanding the current valley, it is important to know that there are three stages of erosion:  The Mesa is a rock formation that looks like a table; usually wide, stable and the first stage of erosion; The Butte is a smaller rock formation and the second stage of erosion; The Spire – the final stage of erosion – comes from the Butte and is a rock formation that becomes narrow and free standing.  There are countless examples of all three throughout the Valley.

The Diné believe that there must be harmony between the universe and all living creatures. Mother Earth will provide everything that is needed to live with the “wealth of a clean soul that protects the whole being from the evil.” Although Mother Earth will give you everything that you need, it is important to only take what is needed. For example, the juniper tree provides wood for fire and sturdy logs to build Hogans (Navajo traditional home); it also provides berries that can be used for healing yet also known to be poisonous if consumed in excessive amounts.  Lesson: If we cut down all the trees, we will lose a valuable source of food and building material, and if we eat all of the berries, not only will we get sick but will also lose a powerful medicine and the seeds that produce more trees. If we only take what we need, they will continue to exist and keep giving (I hope that makes sense).  

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Without getting too political, we live in a society of overabundance and indulgence.  Modern society is raping Mother Earth of the very gifts that all creatures need to survive; all in the name of becoming rich and powerful.  Eventually, Mother Earth will be barren of all of her gifts – there will no longer be harmony between Mother Earth and Father Sky – and society will cease to exist.

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Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox, but it PISSES ME OFF!!!!! We live in a consuming environment, where people are more concerned who got kicked off Big Brother, than appreciating and respecting the gifts that are around us every day.  Like the Diné, we also have to live in harmony, the harmony between mind and body.  We are so caught up in the 9 to 5, with emphasis on the drive thru (Hell, with Grub Hub we don’t even have to go to a drive-thru) we have failed to appreciate life and the gifts that surround us every day. Point being: Appreciate and respect the gifts that surround us; exercise your mind and body; And get off the couch and do fun stuff always – you will be amazed at what you will discover.

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P.S. – Spoiler Alert – Do you want to know who gets kicked off Big Brother???  Answer – Who the fuck cares!!!!!  Go do something fun to invigorate the mind and body – you’ll thank me later.

Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it.
Arapaho Proverb

#dofunshitaways #dfsa247 #navajonation #resist