Vortexes

Vortexes are found worldwide, from Sedona in Arizona and California's Mount Shasta to the Great Pyramids of Egypt. While no two people's experiences are the same, these sites share an ability to make visitors feel more connected to themselves, others, nature, the universe, or a higher power as they choose to define or label them.

Pete A. Sanders, Jr. is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) honors graduate in biomedical chemistry and brain science. A bestselling author with over a million copies sold, many consider Sanders the world's leading expert on Sedona's famous vortex meditation sites. USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, The Larry King Show, and numerous other media outlets have interviewed him.

According to Sanders, "Vortexes are locations that can act as catalysts, facilitating more effective prayer, meditation, stress-reduction, mind/body healing, creative problem solving and spiritual insights. Knowing the science and spirituality of how to tap them amplifies your abilities and deepens your experience in them."

In summary, Sanders theorizes that what happens in vortex sites can be explained based on topography, gravity, brain science, and superstring physics.

The limbic system, the brain structure that regulates emotion, motivation, behavior, and various involuntary bodily functions, can give rise to chronic mental, emotional, and physical anxiety when overstimulated. According to Sanders, "Brain science tells us that the limbic system (middle layer of the brain) is designed to keep us focused on the physical, and in specific, worries, hurts, anger and fears."

"People in limbic distress can find sustainable wellness at a meditation site. It can last and not just be temporary relief. I encourage people to find their ways to find peace at these sites," Sanders said in an interview with Today's News-Herald (Ashley 2019).

According to Sanders, the enhanced energy people experience in vortex sites is neither electric nor magnetic, as many believe. For this reason, Sanders believes the energy flowing in them exists in dimensions more profound than electricity and magnetism.

Physicists can't measure this energy at the deepest levels with today's technology, but Sanders maintains that humans can tap into and experience it. More information about this appears in his book Scientific Vortex Information (Free Soul Press, 2005), where Sanders also explains how people can access vortex energy in places where they live, work, and travel.

Sanders developed these concepts from his scientific background in brain science and biomedical chemistry, his studies in quantum physics, and his 40 years of discoveries as a Sedona resident and guide.

Sanders has a simple, topography-based system for labeling and identifying vortex sites as upflow or inflow. Upflow sites are locations where the energy flows upward out of the earth. The energy felt at these sites is usually positive, uplifting, and rejuvenating.

Upflow sites are commonly found at mountaintops, mesa peaks, or scenic overlooks. They're helpful for problem-solving, spiritual ascension, stress relief, and lowering blood pressure. According to Sanders, "Most sacred sites in the world have upflow energy. Think Mount Sinai or Machu Picchu. Every mesa and mountaintop has upflow energy" (Ashley 2019).

Inflow sites are locations where energy flows inward into the earth. They're typically canyons, caves, valleys, and other low-lying areas. These sites tend to have a calming effect and are helpful for introspection, meditation, and healing past hurts. According to Sanders, a single area can have both upflow and inflow sites depending on its topography.

"Vortex sites (in particular Upflow areas) assist in lessening the grip of that limbic brain, so your consciousness can soar into those dimensions (and potentials) beyond the physical," Sanders says.

As a local example, hikers atop Cupcake Mountain often feel so euphoric that they don't care about the risks they took to get there. Other hikers have turned to solitary places like slot canyons for meditation and introspection.

Both areas offer stunning scenery, majestic red rock formations, and many beautiful places to experience the great outdoors. Unlike Sedona, Lake Havasu and the Colorado River offer visitors the many wellness-enhancing and recreational benefits of water. People feel instant pleasure and relaxation when viewing or interacting with the area's clear blue-green waters.

Travel writer Roger Naylor calls Lake Havasu City "the most exotic place you can reach in Arizona by road." Where else in Arizona can you do yoga or meditate on a white sandy beach or an island beachfront resort?

Turning within: The Chemehuevi people

Native Americans have inhabited the Colorado River basin for at least 8,000 years, beginning with small bands of nomadic hunter-gatherers. The current Chemehuevi Reservation borders both Lake Havasu and the Colorado River.

Carobeth Laird, an author of ethnographic studies of the Chemehuevi people, writes that the Chemehuevis had a tradition of spiritual meditation: "The acquisition of a familiar [animal spirit] came about through persistent dreaming and lonely meditation, or through visiting a sacred cave" (Carobeth 1974, 22).

According to Sanders, "The southern Indian tribes had a stronger spiritual focus on going within to meet and confront their inner demons. . .. Usually, valleys, canyons, and caves would be used for that inner journey" (Sanders 2005, 44).

Rising above: Spirit Mountain

Spirit Mountain, rising to 5,639 feet, is in the Laughlin, Nevada, area, about an hour's drive north of Lake Havasu City. It's a sacred place to Indian tribes in Southern Nevada and the center of creation for all speakers of the Yuman language.

One visitor describes the uplifting energy at its peak:

While exploring Its crag-covered slopes, its rugged canyons and gullies, and when taking in the far-reaching views from its summit, its [sic] not hard to see why the Indians hold the mountain in high esteem. (Redsplashman23 [Brighton, Colo.], comment on summitpost.org)

As Sanders writes, "Do you remember the strong feeling of expansiveness and stretching you felt at overlooks? Most overlooks are either upflow areas or upflow lateral/flow combination areas. That is why they generate that euphoric feeling of expansion" (Sanders 2005, 19-20)

In November 2019, Sanders came to Lake Havasu City at the invitation of Go Lake Havasu. He identified four sites in the area and verified one discovered several years earlier. All are easily accessible and open year-round, with free admission to the public.

Because Lake Havasu City is in a lowlands desert area, it tends to have more inflow areas than upflow. But time spent on, in, or near the water at inflow areas can make people feel happier and more relaxed.

Take Off Point Recreation Area at Parker Dam, about 16 miles south of Lake Havasu City [Map & Directions]

Top site for a higher perspective or emotional healing

Take Off Point is a quiet, low-traffic fishing and boat launch site at the confluence of Parker Dam and the lower Colorado River. It has a scenic overlook with a sweeping view of Lake Havasu, the recreational reservoir behind the dam.

"Take Off Point has upflow energy generated from scenic views overlooking the lake and inflow energy at the lake level nearby below," Sanders says. "It's where you can 'take off' to a higher spiritual dimension or greater oneness, or go deeper and work on healing an inner hurt."

Take Off Point is within sight of where the world's deepest dam retains a river's mighty waters. As dams can symbolize repressed emotions that need to be managed, Take Off Point can offer perspective for contemplating emotional self-regulation.

Easily accessible by car with parking at both levels, Take Off Point offers plenty of open space, solitude, and serenity for boaters, anglers, and meditators alike.

Yonder Vortex at Yonder Park (3884 Yonder Drive, Lake Havasu City) [Map & Directions]

Top site for a convenient location and intriguing topography

Yonder Park is a small neighborhood park on a quiet street in Lake Havasu City. The park serves the recreational needs of citizens living within walking distance or nearby. However, the area has served the community's spiritual needs since locals and visitors identified Yonder Vortex on the hill above the park six years ago. Of all the identified vortex sites in Arizona, Yonder Vortex is the only one residents can see from their back porches or patios.

Yonder Vortex was once a site for a full moon drumming circle intended to help people connect with their authentic selves. It has expansive views (out "yonder") from the rooftops below to the lake, mountains, and desert in the distance. While other enhanced meditation sites boast grander vistas, Yonder Vortex is easy to arrive at anywhere within Lake Havasu City.

"Visitors to this upflow area have easy access to an enhanced meditation site without traveling outside the city," Sanders says. "Even distant views of bodies of water can trigger that upflow feeling." He believes that Yonder Vortex's residential setting will appeal to visitors who want to meditate while on vacation yet still feel connected to home.

Looking out at this vast scene while standing on the area's flat-top, cathedral-like topography, visitors can experience a rising sensation while staying connected to the earth. For some people, this can create a transcendent sense of expanding into a dimension or whole greater than oneself. The unique setting might appeal to yoga or other mind-body exercise practitioners.

Buoyed Swim Area at Rotary Community Park (1400 Smoketree Ave, Lake Havasu City) [Map & Directions]

Top site for intensive stress relief and special-needs travelers

Rotary Community Park is located centrally in Lake Havasu City. With its lush green grass and tree-shaded walkways, this lakeside oasis invites guests to wind down and relax. One of the park's features is a safe, buoyed swim area in a no-wake zone.

With no street lamps in any residential areas, Lake Havasu City has one of America's last pristine night skies today. "Lake Havasu is like a giant float tank under the night sky," Sanders says. "Relief obtained from the wellness of water is what Lake Havasu offers in abundance."

Sanders recommends that park visitors float at night in this swim area's gently rocking waters for maximum relaxation of mind and body. Sanders says this experience offers the intense stress-relieving benefits of a sensory deprivation tank but at no cost or risk of adverse side effects.

Rotary Community Park's buoyed swim area provides a resource for special needs guests to decompress when they feel overstimulated.

Lake Havasu's waters are the warmest for floating and swimming from May to early October

Topock Gorge section of the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, about 14 miles north of Lake Havasu City [Map & Directions]

Top site for positive and inspirational energy

Located off Arizona Highway 95 at Castle Rock Road, Castle Rock Bay is a splendidly scenic and secluded ten-acre section of the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge at River Mile 220. This popular launch area for non-motorized boats is also peaceful for hiking, fishing, wildlife watching, and relaxing on the beach.

Sanders refers to areas like Castle Rock Bay as combination sites. He says, "Combination sites are best when you need expanded connection and inner awareness. An example would be when a challenge you are facing or a hurt needing healing requires a greater sense of oneness and inner strength for dealing with bruises from the past."

One of the unique features popular with paddlesports fans at Castle Rock Bay is a high cave that opens into, spans along, and exits a rock wall on the bay's east side. Caves are cool in the summer and warm in the winter, making them comfortable places to meditate in nature year-round. They are also places of profound stillness and silence.

The small beach area along the bay's shoreline offers another intimate setting for solitude. A short hike away from the water and up toward Castle Rock offers energy flows that, according to Sanders, can uplift physically and spiritually.

Finding stillness and silence facilitates prayer, inspiration, and contemplation for people of all faiths. Throughout history, spiritual and religious leaders have used meditation to reflect upon a power greater than themselves.

While the mind-body-spirit connection varies from person to person, anyone can experience a sense of personal wellness. Sanders offers this advice: "Consider the experiences that add to your quality of life, rather than focus on the quantity of activities offered here. You're more than just the physical being. Consider what will most renew a feeling of wellness so you can be excited about life instead of being exhausted."

Lake Havasu City offers many opportunities to experience wellness-promoting activities such as fishing, boating, watersports, swimming, cycling, hiking, and golf.

No group tours of the vortex sites in Arizona's West Coast region are available.

The Lake Havasu City area has three labyrinths, single-path mazes dating back to ancient Greek mythology. A typical labyrinth is used for walking meditation and has a single entrance that leads to a center circle. You can retrace your steps until you reach the entrance again. For centuries, people have used labyrinths to discover spiritual meaning, inner peace, inspiration, and solutions to personal problems.

Open at all times to people of all faiths or none, the courtyard at Grace Episcopal Church has a Southwest desert-style labyrinth at the junction of Acoma Boulevard and Bunker Drive.

Cattail Cove State Park, south of Lake Havasu City off State Route 95, has a labyrinth on a flat overlooking Lake Havasu's southernmost section and shore.

Ease your mind, clear your head, and connect to your spirit at The 1000 Goddesses Labyrinth: an ever-evolving community project created to raise the earth's healing energies. The labyrinth is located at SARA Park, in the dirt BLM area across the street from Dylan's Dog Park.