Christmas in NM

The sun is just coming up as I write this from the high desert of New Mexico in the little town of Sombrillo, midway between Santa Fe and Taos. It is January 1, 1997, and as always, the sunrise over the Sangre de Cristo range has turned the sky to vivid shades of pink and lavender. Here at 7,000' the air is thin and pure and I feel closer to God than anywhere else. I live here now, though I use the word ‘live’ in the sense that this is where I am today. But this is not my first time in New Mexico, nor my first experience of this sacred land.

New Mexico was new to me twenty years ago, amid the turmoil of traveling with two toddlers, luggage, and spouse. We journeyed from the east coast to California, and New Mexico was just part of the trip. Yet there was a sense of majesty about this landscape back then. I recall feeling as if there was some wonderful presence inhabiting the land, yet it was just beyond my ability to see. Living there would never be enough; I wanted to merge! That feeling has stayed with me to this day, and it is that which drew me back here. There is something magical and hypnotic about New Mexico and there is no place like it on Earth.

Getting back to this land was not as easy this time, although there was a sense of destiny in bringing me here. In the dark hours of night, in December of ‘95 I was awakened by a voice saying ‘New Mexico’. This type of sudden guidance has been a part of my spiritual path for many years, so it did not seem all that strange.... and I was ready to explore this message further. Years ago I was guided to memorize all my books, travel light, and develop portable skills. It has been done! So, within four months of that fortuitous message I had sold my belongings, kept only what fit into my little Suzuki and left on the April solar eclipse. I drove 3,000 miles alone, heading south-west, to a place where I knew no one, guided only by an inner sense of purpose.

The events leading up to my living in the ‘Land of Enchantment’, as it is called, are so varied and colorful as to be stranger than fiction. I’ll save that for another time. But for now I have been privileged to absorb, and be absorbed by, this land. To have been able to leave behind the crowds, materialism, and stress, and to focus on the beauty of nature, has allowed me to experience the most spiritual Christmas and solstice-birthday of my entire life. I let go of everything to be here and it has changed me for ever. I believe that living on faith and trust is truly the only way to know God. When we are owned by our possessions, trapped by debts and obligations, and comforted by money, there is no room to experience ultimate reality. That reality is that we are provided for and we only need to ask. I live this now, and I feel blessed.

Christmas in New Mexico has a unique spiritual flavor, distinct from anywhere else in the world, and people are drawn here from all over. One tradition in the Mexican Catholic churches is to hold special services called Posadas on each of the twelve days of Christmas. I attended a Posada at El Santuario de Chimayo. This church is a 200-year old structure built in traditional adobe style. {Adobe bricks are made of mud, sand, and straw and dried in the sun till hardened. Many layers are used creating walls over 2 feet thick. Roofs are flat and the outside walls with rounded corners are stuccoed in the pastel earth tones of the area. The overall effect is that these dwellings and places of worship blend into the environment perfectly, looking as if they sprang up from the Earth.}

Miracles happen regularly at the Santuario de Chimayo. This little Spanish church near Espanola, New Mexico is filled with discarded canes and crutches as testimony to the many healings that have occurred. When one enters there is an immediate and tangible feeling of reverence. Strong people weep; children become quiet. This sacredness has been building for hundreds of years and draws people from all parts of the globe. I visit the Santuario often, and it is now a beloved place because of its serene energy. There are many such places where entropy is low and purity is high. Lourdes, Giza, Stonehenge, and Sedona are famous for it. These are spots where one can recover from work, get perspective on the problems in life, release stress, and heal.

The Posada is a Mexican Christmas ritual depicting the birth of el Santo Nino, the Christ Child. The original tradition was to have the children going from house to house with lighted candles. This Posada in the evening at the Santuario, beckoned to us with the sounds of Mexican guitars and Spanish hymns. The tiny church was filled to the rafters yet all were welcomed inside. There were prayers of gratitude and healing, a Mass in Spanish for Catholics and blessings for those of us of other faiths. Soon it was time for the children dressed as Mary and Joseph to arrive, and we walked outside into the warm desert night to greet them. We raised our lit candles in prayer and sang hymns in Spanish. Strangers became friends, and time seemed to be slowed down as we all moved in easy grace. The energy of Divine love was everywhere, and with the full moon and clear star-filled sky the night was magical.

On Christmas Eve there is another beautiful and simple tradition here in the Southwest. Small brown paper bags are partially filled with sand and a lit candle is placed inside. Thousands of these are set on the ground in yards, along streets, and in parks, while street lights are dimmed. These farolitos (fire lights) burn everywhere, bringing a warm glow to the night sky of the desert. Car’s lights are turned off and are driven slowly, while the atmosphere transforms to something mystical and other-worldly. One might wonder who prepares all these tiny farolitos. Well, the teenagers of the community spend days in advance, at their schools, and after hours, filling bags with sand and gathering small candles for these little lights. What a wonderful--and rather unexpected--pastime for them.

The high desert here at 7000’ has a spiritual quality of it’s own. It is said that we are above the astral plane at this elevation and I agree that there is sacred space here. This area from Pueblo, Colorado down to the Mescallero desert in NM is in a powerful energy grid (see ‘The Keys of Enoch’) where spiritual frequencies enter our third dimensional space first, then spread over the surface of the planet from here, elevating us all to the frequencies of the 4th and 5th dimension. To live in the middle of this grid as I do now is a powerful experience that goes beyond my ability to describe.

Santa Fe draws seekers of truth from all over the United States and even further a field. Native Americans seem particularly attuned to the energy of this place and they come from their home lands to be here. Culturally and environmentally, New Mexico is a land very different from anywhere else. It is the poorest state in the union, yet it has a beauty that is almost God-like.

When I am driving the high road to Taos, or picking desert sage at 7000’, I am just grateful to be here and will always remember the magic of this land. It stays with one forever, no matter where you live afterwards.

Prospero Annyo Nuevo (Happy New Year)

Sombrillo, New Mexico Jan 1, 1997