Walking the Land: Sedona Hike Part III-Courthouse Butte
Hi Everyone,
As promised, here is the second leg of Linda Metzler and my hike from last Saturday around Grandmother Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. This is known as the Munds Mountain Wilderness and the trail is called the Courthouse Butte Trail.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Here is Courthouse Butte in all its glory under cloudy skies.
I always find it interesting why something gets a name. In Courthouse Butte, long before white man settled the area in 1902, the Native American nations who lived in and around the area: the Hopi, Navajo, Apache, among many others, utilized the energy and spirit of this particular butte as a place to settle disputes. They would come, both factions, and do the proper ceremony to invite the spirit of this mighty butte to come and listen to their words and needs. The spirit of this butte would then speak to them and settle the dispute. Whatever the decision, both tribes abided by it.
And when whites came to the area and heard about this butte they called it “Courthouse” because in their reality, this is where legal disputes got settled in a court of law–in the courthouse. Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006 Here is the magic of Courthouse Butte–I call these the ‘2 cups’ but in actuality, they are symbolic of the two becoming one. I decided to choose a place right where the two met….
I always pay attention to why something is named locally. There’s almost always a good reason and more than one story behind it if you search around a little and play detective. And now, let’s continue down the trail and you will see WHY the above is true for this magnificent butte and the spirit who resides within it.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Here is the endangered Cliff Rose. We found it clinging to the side of a sand and clay wash in bloom at this time of year. This is from the Rose Family and they have the heaviest, sweetest rose fragrance you will ever smell. In fact, I smelled it before I saw it, anchored to a stop and looked around. And there she was!
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
This is Yellow Flax; a very small, tiny flower and she just happened to be bobbing her head up and down right next to the trail we were on.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
A little bit farther down the trail on our way to Courthouse Butte, on the right was the bright yellow berries from the Purple Nightshade. I thought it looked rather “Christmassy” in September!
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Here is an alignment of beautiful Sand Verbena which absolutely carpeted the fields leading up to and around that part of Courthouse Butte. I always pay attention to the primary flower color around a sacred place. In this instance, purple flowers dominated from Sand Verbena to the purple edged Sacred Datura to the Purple Nightshade were the most prolific. This told me that the Brow Chakra, our third eye, that power point in the center of our forehead, was the energy of the mighty butte spirit. That meant some real power because the brow chakra is above the heart chakra and the spirit had nothing but love and compassion for us. I was anxious to get over to it at this point and meditate with the spirit!
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Here is the other purple flower that proliferated around Courthouse Butte–the Purple Nightshade.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Linda Metzler is a flute player–a wonderful one. I wish she would put her music on a CD and sell it–it is food for the soul, nurtures the spirit and brings you to a peace within yourself. She took me to a place where the energies come together; the male and female, into one and this is where she played the flute after I found where I wanted to meditate nearby.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
This pile of rocks was almost at the middle between the 2 ‘cups’ of Courthouse Butte. Linda was down the way playing her flute for the spirits of the area. I climbed up to where the crack in the rock hill was at. I figured that was a good place for me since I’m fractured like the rest of humanity. What better place to sit and meditate. I asked for a healing from the spirit of the butte.
Copyright Eileen Nauman 2006
Here is a Sacred Datura plant not far from where Linda was playing her flute for all the spirits and relations around Courthouse Butte. When you see Sacred Datura around that means it is a very sacred spot–a good spot to sit down and meditate! I hope you’ve enjoyed our hike around Grandmother Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. This coming Saturday, Linda and I are going to Red Rock Crossing…so stay tuned!
In Spirit…
