In October, my friend was hosting a retail booth at the Grape Stomp at the Pahrump Valley Winery. It's an annual affair and people said it would be great fun. I hadn't been to the winery since I first moved to Las Vegas and we had their wines as part of our Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame Dinner Dance and Golf Tournament. I wanted to support her and I wanted to visit the Winery.
As I was driving along the highway I saw a sign pointing to the left that read 'Tecopa'. Now, I am very familiar with the name Tecopa as it is synonymous with the hot springs I've heard so much about. I did not believe that this was where the sign was pointing, though, because Tecopa is in California and this is Nevada, right?
I had a great time at the Winery and as I was driving home, I saw the sign again and it intrigued me. California is the Bay Area or the beach to me, not out here in the middle of Nevada.
Somebody get me a map!
To my delight, I discovered the entire western coastline of Nevada is California. Well, duh!
The next weekend I emailed the folks at Tecopa and asked if I could visit and tour. We emailed back and forth, confirmed a visit, and I drove out to the Hot Springs.
A delightful woman runs the facility with her assistant. We toured the facility, talked about the different spaces, and then climbed the hill to the labyrinth. The view was spectacular. At that moment I decided that I would hold my first retreat here.
I walked the labyrinth that day and I felt the seven cycles seep into my soul and my chakras as they are meant to do. On the way back down the hill, she asked if I wanted to soak. I was afraid that because of the level of my consciousness at that point, I would melt away in the pools, so I declined.
Leaving the hot springs, I felt energized. I was incredibly excited and motivated. I came home and set off to creating a way to make this retreat happen! I hired a VA. I spoke to several friends about the program, the cost, the timing. I emailed the Hot Springs back and forth for the next month. I decided I needed to go out there again. I needed to meet with the restaurant owners in person to negotiate some food deals and I wanted to be immersed in that energy again.
It turns out that I had no time to hang out as I had to meet with various restaurateurs. Negotiated a great deal with the Bistro and I determined that the guy who runs Steaks and Beer and his partner are the best for dinner. Great spaces, great vibe. Both small and intimate indoors, beautiful surroundings outdoors. Secure in the knowledge that I had food for all my meals, breakfasts at the Bistro, dinners at Steaks and Beers, I would be on my way back home.
I realized that it was going to be dark soon. It was the night of the largest full moon of the year and I had planned to go to the Sophia Center Full Moon Gathering. As I said my good byes and got on the road, the sun was setting quickly. In a matter of minutes, I found myself surrounded by almost pitch darkness except beneath the streetlights, few and far between. Miles of darkness. Nothing in any direction. Nothing.
As I drove, I saw a light in the sky over the mountain. At first, I thought it might have been the light bouncing off the city of Pahrump. As it rose into the sky as a ball I realized that it was the moon! It was so bright and so intense I was almost instantly overwhelmed. I tried to keep my eyes on the road. This moon was HUGE, incredibly distracting, and rising RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES! I had never witnessed a moon rise. I have seen the sun rise and set, yet I had not ever seen the moon do the same.
And in a moment she shifted and bathed me in total luminescence. I could feel her energy boring through my windshield. There were points along the way where I had to put my sun visor down to be able to stay focused and on track to see where I was going. There were waves of energy passing over and through my body at intervals. I turned off my book, my radio. I was riding in silence. I could feel the stillness.
Occasionally, I had to make a conscious effort to keep my eyes on the road. She was mesmerizing. I would not fall under the spell of her intensity. I could not take my eyes off the road. I could feel her, though. Wave after wave of energy pulsing through my body. My body would shiver, my organs would vibrate. Her energy was powerful. The moon affects the tides and the ocean. Humans are 98% water. It is she, Mother Moon, who has her way with us.
As I finally approached the lights of the city, I breathed a sigh of relief. The intensity had subsided. The light was less intense. I could make it the rest of the way.
When I got home, I got out of my car and looked up at the moon for the last time that evening. We shared a moment. I thanked her for her energy. I was grateful to get home safe and sound.
And I knew that I would forever regard the moon differently.
