I'm so excited to share my Book Fairy story with you! I had no idea how fun and magical this would be, delivering a gift of Christine Mason Miller's(aka SwirlyGirl) book Ordinary Sparkling Moments to a surprise recipient, so forgive my gushing like a 10 year old girl, but just go ahead and picture me jumping up and down flapping my hands as I relate the tale....
Here's the deal with being a book fairy for the 100 Books Project, it's kinda like being a Secret Santa of a way cool spiritual/creative kick in the butt for a random someone who you have no control over choosing!! I sent Christine a note that I'd love to deliver one of her books--way back in December 2009. I told her how special Sedona is and that I think someone would really be touched to find this gift in a place where lots of folks come to get in touch with nature and a deeper sense of spirit.
So when she sent me the package for delivery I got all excited and started planning my adventure: I knew I wanted to leave the book outside in the spectacular natural surroundings...would I leave it on a sacred mountain? a lovely canyon? I started to run down the list of my favorite hikes and special places. What if weather was a problem? And then my life got busy, really busy and the book sat in my studio with a bunch of other things on hold while I began my Spring production and pretty much everything in my life besides work got ignored. Swirly checked in with me and I told her I was going to take it on a hike during Spring Break with my 12 year old son--well, Spring break came and went without any hiking. I was pretty stressed and bummed, and feeling frazzled, but somehow I always know things have their own sense of timing, and I knew I would go on my hike with the book when the time was right.
Easter Sunday dawned bright, sunny and warm and after a lovely lunch with my boy and my sweetie (that involved a bit of chocolate bunny beheading) we discussed going for a hike. My son chimed in, "let's go to Mezcal Mountain!" out of the blue and I know right then that's where I should take the book. There is a cave there, known to us locals as 'The Birthing Cave'.
I was surprised and grateful that C just blurted it out, since we hadn't been there in over 5 years....
We set off. The weather was spectacular,and we were all in a stellar mood as we hiked in the sun. The trail is fairly easy until the last climb up the mesa wall into the cave itself, where the spiky bushes and cactus have nearly grown over the trail and blocked it.
More than a few scratchy reminders later we were up there. The cave itself is more beautiful than I remembered and in the years I hadn't been there, some folks set up a rock altar in the spot where there had been a fire pit and it was covered with all sorts of offerings and notes and trinkets of all kinds: dollar bills, coins, jewelry, shells, stones. I got a rush of emotion, knowing this place would be perfect for Christine's book and hopefully someone would discover it in a really reverent kind of way and listen with their heart. Actually, I had no doubt that whoever found it would be in the right frame of mind to really 'get' it. I was super stoked. I placed the book just outside the main altar so someone could see it clearly was not meant to be left as an offering but to be taken as a gift. And as the three of us hung out in this beautiful natural cave, I noticed it seemed we were all positively 'bouyant' with glee. 
I don't know if it was because it was a gorgeous Spring day, or we were all just high on the joy of being in the great outdoors or that it was because we were accomplices in working a little magic for someone...I said a little prayer for the book's recipient to be blessed by the experience and we went back on down to the main trail.
and that was that. The boys and I had a great day out on the rocks hiking and exploring and came home exhausted.
I sent Swirly a quick note, telling her the book was delivered and that I'd process the pix and write up a little story later in the week. (which I hadn't yet completed) Several days later I got a note from her, saying she is forwarding an email she received from the person who found my book. My heart skipped a beat--someone found it and even wrote to her!!!!!!! ( I wonder how often that happens??)
and here's what the note said:
Hello Christine, my name is Gloria Ortega I found your book in Sedona, Arizona the day after Easter. I took my hike up to mezcal mountain, was praying the whole way up about what I needed to do with my life, I'm a beautician and astrologer, meanwhile cashiering at New Frontiers, a health food store. I was deciding wether to go to the birthing cave or on up to the council circle where the ruins are, I chose the birthing cave. I needed some answers to why I'm at this point in my life, I sat and was journeying into the juniper tree which sits there when I decided to move to the shade, I spotted your envelope still unopened at the alter, I saw the message "This gift is for you." I ignored it awhile then it stuck out "YES YOU!" so I opened it and read the whole book sitting there. It was the best answer I needed! Spirit knows I need answers in writing at times to get it, so my prayers had been answered with a quick reading of a lovely book left there just for me. I was slipping it back into the envelope for someone else to enjoy ...then loud and clear I realized I should e-mail you and let you know how it touched my life so I brought it home. My roommate read it, and she was so inspired she sat up all night setting up a new web for a business we have been trying to get off the ground called Land of the Sacred, a hiking and retreat center to teach people about the land, all about the plants and animals, and old shamanic ways to connect to Mother Earth. She got it done, and we're on our way with lots of new ideas! So your book moved us both in lots of ways! Thank you for your words of wisdom and for leaving it. After e-mailing you I will return it to the birthing cave for someone else to enjoy ,Thank you again! if you're ever back in Sedona look us up at Land of the Sacred.com Gloria Ortega
wowzers.
If you haven't already clicked on the link to Gloria's site, please do! Three awesome women living the authentic life, sharing what they know and offering to be the connection to this magical land of Sedona.
I'm just floored that I was a bit of a catalyst in getting this rolling. After she sent me the email sharing Gloria's story, I asked her to write her to get permission for me to share it here on my blog, and she said YES! One of these days, I'm sure I'll run into her in town and I'll out myself, but for now, we're like ships in the night.
Posts
