Traveling Jo

We landed at sunrise in Dublin, just as the skyline was turning pale pink behind the coming and going airplanes. By the time the sun was cresting the distant horizon, we had loaded the mini Cooper rental car and were out of the city. Toll roads, tunnels, and bridges gave way to thick hedges that cloaked either side of narrow roads that were carved through the land before cars existed.  Our intention for the trip was to see as much as we could, visit sacred sites and the oldest pubs and bistros Ireland. Leaving the highway, we found ourselves drenched in green landscapes with stone fences flanking either side of our Cooper as we whizzed by.  We wound up and down mountains, watching as the clouds moved over the foliage the way waves move across a beach. The damp and cloudy day had a way of making all the colors of the plants and stones around us brighter and more vibrant.  Arriving at Piper's Stone Circles, you pass through a hodgepodge entry that adds charm to the experience and wal

I was raised at the foot of a serpentine canyon outside of Provo, Utah. Many of the youth activities I attended for my church were there in that winding passage. I've driven this canyon my whole life. As a passenger and as a pilot in many different vehicles. I remember when a tram used to take sightseers to the top of Bridal Veil Falls and a small restaurant offered refreshments. A landslide cleared those novelties long ago and I have been witness to two other landslides there since.  photo credit Katie Jo The Provo river meanders between the mountains, trickling out from the Deer Creek Reservoir Dam above. As a child in elementary school, we used to practice emergency drills just in case the dam broke. In high school my friends and I would build fires at campsites and talk until sunrise or curfew; whichever came first.  I find myself in these canyons when my heart needs reprieve. Simply being in the cradle of the mountains and the tilting of the car as I drive through the curving

There are two places in the world most known for salt flats. Bolivia and Utah. These salt crystals are the fractal posterity of ancient oceans. Water soaked soil that bakes in the sun as crystalline gems grow and reflect.  The Salt Flats in Utah are fabled with extra terrestrial folklore- the sound of derby engines roar in the distance- reminding us that world records for land speed have been broken here.  But, for us, we gathered to connect to this sacred place, using breath and guidance. Suzanna Rose, a psychic medium channel who translates from dimensions beyond, known and unknown, was told to gather with a small circle of others. To unite in purpose in clearing out discordant energies from the world.                    photo credit Katie Jo These ancient oceans are still alive and connected to the land and water, the wisdom and consciousness of oneness- as water is one. All waves are really the ocean. All raindrops, all rivers, all misty explosions that billow from waterfalls and c

My experience of Havasu Falls, Arizona. My heart is full and emotions are mixed. The pristine turquoise water competes only with the turquoise stones adorned on the wrists and neckwear of the native people there. Their deep soulful heritage and nobility preserved against all odds and historical oppression and modern day commercialism. Like the hidden falls and water full of spirit. The waterfalls were not only majestic- but awe-inspiring. I had seen pictures ... but until I stood beneath the tremendous power and energy of the falls- the experience of the sheer force of movement blasting me like a torrential wind without even standing beneath it- I could have never understood the true essence of the Water energy. I am contemplating the FOUR elements as I write. The Air (hot and humid, like breathing in when I blow dry my hair after a shower) The Fire (The sun that layered over our bodies with blanketing and suffocating heat) The Earth (The presence of thousands of souls and footfalls th