Is Sedona a Progressive City?
by Blue Evening Star
The phrase “Sedona is the spiritual Mecca of the Western world,” coined by Gabriel of Sedona, is one you frequently see in print these days. But is Sedona a progressive city?
The term progressive city has become a buzzword. Cities are touted as progressive for everything from economic success and resiliency, hip architecture, environmentally sustainable ordinances, liberal politics, innovative infrastructures, and spiritual and cultural diversity to digital technology, human tolerance, and kindness to animals.
The Progressive Living Virtual Community website defines a progressive community as one with “open-minded, well-informed people whose concerns go beyond themselves to include the larger world and the rest of humanity.” I will use this idea to convey a Deo definition of a progressive city. The term Deo comes from the following Continuing Fifth Epochal Revelation concept:
Deo-atomic: A term designating atomic structure in alignment with God. (From The Cosmic Family, Volume I)
There are many things happening in Sedona that fall into the category of a Deo-progressive community. The Sedona Library, almost entirely built and maintained by donations and volunteers, is one example. Another example is the highly successful “Relay-For-Life” with its tremendous response by local citizens to creatively assist their brothers and sisters in the community who are struggling with cancer.
One of my favorites is the Sustainable Arizona organization. This is a dynamic group of local professionals and home-owners who want to use building and energy alternatives to create a society with a sustainable future. These folks are getting things done! From working with the City of Sedona on water conservation issues to researching and supporting the development of practical, affordable housing, Sustainable Ari-zona is on the veritable cutting-edge of cooperative teamwork in order to manifest high ideals for the common good of all. (Check out the brand new Red Dirt Adobe Company at 2215 Shelby Dr. for the latest in affordable housing that now meets revised codes for adobe in the Northern Arizona area.)
GLOBAL POLARIZATION
A very different, yet much more popular approach to the concept of progressive cities bases its criteria on a foundation of commercial growth and economic affluence. This scenario tends to benefit some at a high cost to others. Continuing Fifth Epochal Revelation defines this as dio, which is the root of the word diotribes.
Diotribes: Referring to negative or harmful particles in your body due to wrong thinking induced by the individual’s acquiescence to greed-based thought patterns. (From The Cosmic Family, Volume I)
In the film Cities For All, Anirudh Singh tells the story of the people in slums who form the backbone of prosperity and well-being of the urban dwellers in many cities in the developing world.
Here in Sedona, we have most of the service-industry workers living outside of town or in trailer parks which are distinctly inferior residences to the majority of Sedona homes. The disparity between the classes shows up also in the areas of health care, legal care, educational and recreational opportunities, as well as access to all the “gee-gaws” of “the good life”. With a minimum of affordable housing, Sedona follows suit with the majority of those in the “commercial growth/economic affluence” camp, because this is a polarized community of the haves and the have-nots.
Many travelers are at a disadvantage when they visit the Sedona area. Access to the beautiful red rocks is impeded by the Red Rock Pass program which requires a fee be paid before parking and hiking on forest lands. Several years ago the city voted against having any camping within city limits. Camping just outside of Sedona is heavily restrictive and only allowed at designated camping grounds. It is the opinion of many that much of the local and public lands were closed to the public to benefit the wealthy of the area. For the sake of progress, local city and county officials may want to reconsider their stance and open up inexpensive camping areas.
“If one man craves freedom—liberty—he must remember that all other men long for the same freedom. Groups of such liberty-loving mortals cannot live together in peace without becoming subservient to such laws, rules, and regulations as will grant each person the same degree of freedom while at the same time safeguarding an equal degree of freedom for all of his fellow mortals. If one man is to be absolutely free, then another must become an absolute slave. And the relative nature of freedom is true socially, economically, and politically.” (The URANTIA Book, p. 1490)
SEDONAN’S SPEAK
Francis M. Danielson, five-year resident of Sedona, stated that while Sedona wants to be progressive, it does not quite know how to be progressive. Danielson represents the majority of Sedona residents retirees and says that at this stage in his life, the city gives him what he needs.
“I wouldn’t want to be a young person here,” continued Danielson. “I’d be bored to tears. And if you need to work, this is not a city with opportunities for most people. Culturally we have pretty good venues. My age group has something to do every night of the week, but there should be more for the young people.”
Mr. Danielson and his wife, Geraldine Gains, were passing through Sedona five years ago, with no immediate plans to retire.
“I was the business manager of the Marin Symphony where my wife was cellist. I didn’t want to even visit Sedona at first. I thought it was a schlocky town. We bought a house the first day we were here. We moved here partly because we thought the Sedona Cultural Park would become the Tanglewood of the West. Well, it didn’t. But it’s a nice, schlocky town.”
Dorothy Sebert has lived in Sedona for fifteen years. She had moved
twenty-nine times in her life, living all over the United States and
having traveled extensively throughout the world. Sebert (a World War
II veteran in the Marine Corps) is an active volunteer in many local
organizations.
“Sedona is progressive in some ways, regressive in others,” said Sebert. “At least we pave all our streets, unlike Santa Fe. Our art galleries are full of diverse and high-quality art. We’re doing a lot more for the children than we ever did before.”
Sebert believes David Keeber at the Sedona Library is doing a great job contributing to the progress of the city with his sessions on intolerance. She also commended Janeen Trevillyan for her marvelous work with the Sedona Museum and feels the Film Festival is very progressive. “It’s a shame the Cultural Park went down the tubes,” stated Sebert.
On the subject of vision for the future, Sebert believes Sedona would be more progressive if the “old guard” residents would stop holding the city back from developing appropriate infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population.
“Sedona is progressive in many ways,” says Sebert, “because in everyone who comes here there is a spirit to do something. With me, it is to pay back. My father was European, and we are grateful to be here.”
Vena Devi has lived in Sedona for two years. She moved here from Santa Barbara, California and refers to the Foundation for Conscious Evolution as a model for a progressive society. Devi has lived in New York City and Black Mountain, North Carolina, two places she considers progressive and has also lived in many rural areas of Connecticut.
Devi has been able to “maintain her independence” by working in Sedona doing interior design, photography, contemporary art, and classical feng shui consultations. She is especially impressed with the profusion of overlapping spiritual groups that “co-exist non-judgmentally with one another in a vast cross-section of spiritual seekers who are in different stages of awareness development”.
When asked about areas in which she sees potentials for greater progress in Sedona, Devi suggested that we create a meeting hall for thousands to come together and celebrate. “This could be a place in which the focus of many could bring a shift in consciousness.”
Devi believes Sedona is progressive because it is a place that allows people to come into awareness of who they really are.
STARSEED
Starseed: A term generally used to designate mortals originally from another universe. There are seven orders of starseed. (From The Cosmic Family, Volume I)
The concept of starseed sheds light on why certain places in the world are commonly known as progressive. Could it be because there are a lot of starseed, who tend to be progressive people, living there?
Places like Sedona, Arizona; Mt. Shasta and the San Francisco Bay Area of California; Austin, Texas; and Boulder, Colorado are havens for starseed because something about the energy there allows for open minds and gives people room to grow and progress. Starseed hold within themselves ancestral memories of past repersonalizations on higher worlds, in really progressive civilizations where people live in respectful honor of the Universal Father, each other, and the world. On these worlds there is an overcontrol of divine administration, a necessary aspect of a truly progressive society, because the big picture is always held in perspective for the common good of all.
HOW THE WORLD VIEWS SEDONA
Sedona is an incredibly diverse community with fantastic potential. People all around the world are increasingly interested in coming here. Why? People come here from everywhere expecting to find an open doorway into a higher reality. Are many of them disappointed, or do they find what they are seeking? What draws them here? It has to be more than the red rocks!
Who are the real leaders and teachers that make this community the “spiritual Mecca of the Western world”?
The following quote is from a recent article in the Seattle Times. This was the beginning of an extensive article in the Travel section which was published on June 6, 2004 and titled “Fasten Your Seatbelt. This Ain’t No Ordinary Jeep Ride” by Marc Ramirez.
“Sedona, AZ:
You are the beauty with too much make-up. Whispers fly even from those who love you of your questionable tastes and frequent babblings of mystical import. Your skin crawls with cosmic prospectors and vehicles culled from a box of Crayolas. You are strange.
You imagine yourself metaphysical Mecca, but you’re really metaphysical Vegas: “Come one, come all, to the Greatest Show on Earth! In this ring, the wacky! In that ring, the tacky! (And over there, a little thing they call talackypacky.) Sure, you might sweat some traffic and trip over a few real-estate agents, but listen, can I help it if people love me?”
It does not take much digging to find people who are willing to talk about how they love Sedona. The remarks that follow are parts of an interview with a recent first-time visitor to our fair city.
“I am a 28-year-old woman from New York City. I have been an activist since I was 12. I was instantly in awe of the politically-conscious inhabitants. It was so refreshing to see cars with progressive bumper stickers. Many folks think that New York City is so liberal—this is not 100% true. If one were to have a bumper sticker declaring a free Palestinian state—forgeddaboudit; kiss your car good-bye. I have honestly lost count of the numerous times I have received obscenities from passer-by motorists for having Green Party and environmental stickers on my car.
“So you can imagine my joy when I saw one Sedonan’s car with numerous progressive, politically-conscious stickers. I had immediately honked my horn in support with a thumbs-up, and as we slowed down to a light, he, with a smile, pointed at other stickers for me to read. This doesn’t happen in NYC.”
Meri Wittman visited Sedona from August 23 through September 4 of
this year. Her mother visited last year and raved about it saying to
her daughter it was “right up her alley.”
“A progressive city” in Wittman’s opinion “is one which hosts open debates and direct action to create a stronger, larger, politically conscious, and, more importantly, active populace. It would also be expected that people look out for one another—that there are no homeless, hungry, uneducated or abused inhabitants—that every effort is made to ensure that highest quality life for all.”
Editor’s Note: If you are a part of an organization that helps make Sedona a progressive city, write to us about it. We'd like to hear your views!