Last spring my brother and I went on a search for a Red-faced Warbler. They are actually a Mexican species. Very rare in this country. But southern Arizona borrows a few of them for the summer where they are fairly common at higher altitudes.
So we went to Tucson. Not much of a mountain town. It’s more a saguaro, golf course, spa kind of place.
But on the northeast edge of town there’s a road that winds to the top of Mt. Lemmon. Not your average desert, rocky, cactus-covered outcropping. Instead at over 9000’ it has spruce/fir forests. Aspen. Ponderosas. Even a ski area. It’s a different world from the desert far below.
Most tourists go to Tucson for other things than a mountain experience. Some aren't even aware it's there. I get that. It's hard to notice even a 9000’ mountain with cucumber slices on your eyes.
But there it is.
And at about 8000’ among pines and willows we found several of these beautiful little gems. Singing away.
We watched a female building her nest in a cavity under a bush. Meanwhile the male mostly made a nuisance of himself trying to court her and keep competition at bay at the same time. (I'm told it's rare they totally succeed at either.)
ut our mission accomplished, we headed back down to town. On the way we passed some curious rock formations. Pillars with strange shapes. The sign said they were Hoodoos. Never heard of them. So I looked them up. The name comes from an African American tradition of magic dating back to slavery. It seems to be the practice of spells. Curses. That sort of thing. I think. I couldn’t find a direct link to these particular rock things. I did find two other things about it though. One, outsiders define it as bad luck or revenge. And two, insiders aren’t fond of outsiders trying to define it.
Hmm. I decided I didn’t need to know all that much about it anyway.
Besides the connection seems very loose. Legend has it that a group of early Tucson settlers saw the formations in the mist and thought they were giant magical beings.
Silly? Maybe.
But a remarkable number of people today believe just that.
Not just in Tucson. People all over the world hold similar beliefs about such formations. They consider them living, sentient and sometimes wise rock beings.
All of which would explain why the world was so outraged recently when two scout leaders decapitated that 172 million year old dude in Utah.
Not knowing what to think myself, I decided to consult an expert. An interdimensional communicator she’s called who is able to understand these beings and to commune with them. She explains Mt. Lemmon’s Hoodoos are every bit alive and were “Birthed” 350 million years ago. She points out that when you look at them carefully each has a nose, a mouth and at least one eye (which means he or she is a messenger.) And they have developed distinct personalities. Over eons rock beings evolve a consciousness that allows them to communicate. Not only among themselves but with us. However, not just anyone can do that. Most people don’t have their sight adjusted to the correct rock frequency.
But if you are able to accomplish that, she says, and “need to learn patience and endurance, and how to weather the storms of your life, sitting with such ancient beings can be very helpful!”
I’m sure it can.
Who knew?
