Adventures with a Video Alchemist

   

  My goodbyes to all the villagers were filled with great respect. Don(Co-founding member) even gave me some cash for my travels. I was totally caught off guard by the gesture, because usually people pay him to stay here. I was super grateful for his support. It gave me assurance on the positive impact I left on this place. 

     The sweet young lady that picked me up was a new friend I made in Tucson. She was a kind woman that I vibe real well with. She expressed to me that she really wanted to visit the Grand Canyon before she moved. I have yet to see that land, so I asked to come along for the journey. She accepted my request and agreed to pick me up at Wind Spirit in a couple of weeks.   

 We got along great as we commuted to the concrete jungle. 

     It was getting late, so we decided to sleep in a parking lot of a hotel in Sedona. The next day we went hiking on the outskirts of town. It was such a beautiful landscape. Everything from the beautiful rock formations to all the specialized lifeforms living here. It was an absolute treat to experience.   

     Through a series of events, I ended up staying in Sedona instead of going to the Grand Canyon. I felt the call to network in this town for the night. I did not expect to do this. It was a last minute decision. There was this Secret Session(dance gathering) that night at some random place on the outskirts of town that I had been invited to. Plus I was gifted a place to stay at a really nice Airbnb, for free! Thanks to my friend @truelovelives  from the Ecovillage @gardenofeden  I lived at. She put the word out on social media about me needed a place to stay, and the universe provided me a stupid awesome opportunity. I was immensely grateful to my friend and my new host! 

     I stayed the night in this wicked cool room with my own shower, deck, and a ridiculously comfy bed.  At least it felt that way, which could be because I sleep on a thin pad in my tent most of the time. The next day I attended the Secrete Session and danced until my legs were noodles. I got to meet some amazing people there. It was a very enjoyable experience.   

     The next day I helped with the break down of the set after stuffing my face. The time was here. I am about to meet my new video alchemist friend(that I met at eden hot springs) for a week long adventure to gather media for my promotional video. As I waited for him on the side of the road, I felt in awe at my current reality. I was being given gifts left and right. I must be doing something right for all this to be happening. 

 Before I knew it he picked me up from the dance site and we were off on our adventure! 

   

  It was refreshing being with this human. He had a warm loving energy and tone to him. We went and had dinner so that we could further discuss my research and trajectory. I informed him that our first stop could be the Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute. From there we would head to flagstaff, then back down towards Phoenix. Stopping at any place we could to get the footage we needed to produce my promo video.   

     We drove to the Hopi reservation arriving after dark. It was a short sleep in our tents that night, but our mission remained strong. The communications to Tutskwa institute were rocky. They have a good reason to be weary of outsiders. People have come to the villages before to gather media but painted them in a negative light. I could sense a hint of caution when emailing them. They weren't responding to my request to film them, or give us a solid place and time to come. So I decided to personally investigate and ask around the reservation for direction to this institute. We got what we asked for from our waitress at breakfast. She gave us some directions to get to the “place with the mud houses"(is what she called the Institute).   

     I am glad I investigated because I had the pleasure of having many positive interactions with the husband and wife that ran the organization. Their commitment to creating abundance in their community was nothing short than inspiring. I greatly respected their efforts for a better future. It was an honor to interview them while my video alchemist friend captured their image for all to see. I will never forget those moments in time. 

   

  A few days went by at the reservation before we decided to continue our journey else where. Our next stop was Arcosanti, Here's a bio from their website:   

 “The Mission of Cosanti Foundation is to build the urban laboratory Arcosanti so as to inspire research and foster cultural evolution that explores equitable and responsible relationships between cities and the earth’s ecology.”

We did not get a full tour of the place, but we did stop by for a couple hours to get some footage and have lunch. 

     Mr. Alchemist had informed me that he got a surprise call from his Realtor about his condo he was in the process of selling. There was a misunderstanding, and it turned out that he needed to clean and be out of his condo in a few days. This put a little dint in our plans, but we rolled with it and drove back to Phoenix to move out of his place.   
 Here we go again with my favorite Permaculture principle! “The Problem is the solution”. 

     At first glance what seemed to be a damper in our agenda, was the perfect opportunity to give back to my new friend and repay him in whatever way I could. For he was giving me his time and skills for free, to facilitate the creation of my promo video. If there was anything I could do for this man, I would be on it like flies on poo!! That is exactly what I did when we spent a few days moving and cleaning his condo. 

  
 We had just one last thing to film for my video. My interview.   

     Me and Mr. Video Alchemist brainstormed on places to film my interview in. Not many places came to mind, but one option obviously stood out. That was Wind Spirit Community of course. What better place to film than my home base in Arizona! It was perfect. It took about an hour and a half to get there. 

  
 My new friend loved the land I took him to. I got to experience its beauty all over again.  

 

     We set up shop under the olive trees and began filming my monologue. I have had a little experience acting for a local agent in my home town, so I wasn't too nervous. Everything seemed to flow smoothly as we wrapped up with some more footage of me doing what I do in community. We even had enough light to catch some drone footy of this near by copper mine, to give and example of our disconnection with nature. 

     I felt satisfied with our efforts. We had completed our mission together! From shooting my promo video to helping him move out of his condo. It was a win win. Mutually beneficial.  

 
     I got to have a few meals with his family and got to go to a lake birthday party for one of his old friends before my time in Arizona came to a close. The Video Alchemist drove me to the bus station. We exchanged heartfelt farewells as I watch him drive off in the concrete jungle. He was to edit all the material we acquired and send me the final cut in a few weeks. 

 My next destination was California for a big event!  

 
 Stay tuned for my California Adventure!
 

I hope you enjoy the interview with the founders of the Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute. For more information on all the great things they are doing, visit their website : http://www.hopitutskwapermaculture.com/

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