Egyptians love us and we love them
I love it when I walk in Egypt and the people at the market, etc., say “where are you from?” and I say “America” and they always say “We love Americans!” and it’s true. It’s not just because we spend money there (which we do), but they also know that most Americans are friendly and fun loving and they enjoy interacting with us.
I’ve been coming to Egypt since 1983 and what I’ve found is that the Egyptian people are some of the warmest and friendliest people I’ve ever met anywhere in the world. As we close out this year’s amazing Egypt trip, I thought I’d just send you a taste of it. Our group was so lucky, we were able to do some things that simply aren’t possible unless you’re in the right place at the right time:
This year was the first time in 8 years we were able to stay at the Mena House. It was originally built by the British as a hunting lodge back in the 1860’s, it’s right next to the Pyramids and it’s absolutely spectacular.
You can’t imagine what it’s like to wake up in the morning and see the Pyramids, these structures that have withstood the test of time and are a reminder of our connections with our ancient past.
This is the view from where we had breakfast each morning.
On our very first day we were able to ride camels to the Solar Cross, which is just across from the Pyramids. We were able to do a meditation there which was very powerful.
No one knows the exact meaning of this place. Contemplating these mysteries is one of the most fun aspects of this trip.
We went to the Serrapium, which is the place where the Apis bulls are mummified and buried. Each sarcophagus is huge and we were able to do a meditation here.
I love how the light is illuminating Patricia’s face. It’s so beautiful and serene.
As we left the Serrapium, we were suddenly met by a busload of school children who were on their way there. When they saw us, they all came running over and they wanted to do high five’s and have their photos taken. It was very sweet and shows you how children are the same wherever you go.
I have seen this woman, Wafaa, baking bread at this restaurant in Sakkara for each trip I’ve been on since 1995. At that time, her daughter (on the right) was a little baby, but now she is learning this skill from her mother.
Every year when she sees me, she exclaims loudly, jumps up and gives me a big hug.
I decided to get my hair done and have a manicure and was taken to a salon a few blocks from our hotel that was obviously for locals, not tourists.
Even though no one spoke English, I figured out quickly that this little boy (Mohammed, the son of the manicurist) had just gotten a new kitten (named Lily). Although he looks like he’s strangling the cat, he’s not, the cat was enjoying it!
Mohammed was very proud of the cat and was showing off for me. He kept wanting me to pet the cat, even though my nails were wet! So cute!
In the Khan el Kalili market (which is over 1000 years old) we found a woman who did henna tattoos and a few of us did that – here’s mine.
The tattoos are temporary and last about a week. Women typically do this when they get married.
It was so funny, a few days later I received a text from my next door neighbor, who just returned from India and she sent me a photo of her with her henna tattoo that she had just received. What are the chances of both of us having a henna tattoo! I love experiencing these small, nuanced differences in cultures.
One of the incredible things that happened is that through a friend of a friend we were able to get into the Sekhmet Temple and do a meditation. There were orbs all over, see this huge one next to the head of the goddess?
What is an orb? No one knows for sure, but I can tell you definitely it is not a light anomaly with the camera. I believe they are beings from other dimensions, including beings who have crossed over, who are connecting with us, trying to help us.
My experience is they seem to only show up in the most special, sacred of places.
This is the place where in 1983, on my first trip to Egypt, I heard voices. I don’t typically hear voices, but I did here. That was one of the things that has fed my life-long interest in this amazing place.
Finding out about the past life that I had at this place has been a major part of my healing in this lifetime.
I think I fit right in, don’t you?
The next day we went to the Temple of Abydos. This is one of my favorite places because carved into the wall is the unmistakable images of a helicopter, a tank and a submarine. Can you see them?
No one has any explanation for any of this, it’s just mystical Egypt being her amazing self.
At the fabulous Temple of Hathor, the Egyptian government has begun a project of cleaning the walls from the soot and grit and grime that have built up over thousands of years. These are the original colors – extraordinary!
They left in this patch of black so that we can the startling difference.
Here is our fantastic group with our fabulous guide in the middle. Raafat is so incredibly knowledgeable and fun. I don’t believe there is a question he doesn’t know the answer to.
Here we are in front of the Temple of Hatsepshut, the most powerful of the female pharaohs.
We were so incredibly lucky that we were able to see the Tomb of Nefertari. Nefertari was the favorite wife of Ramses II, one of the most powerful of the Egyptian pharaohs, who ruled for over 60 years. The Getty Foundation completely restored her fabulous tomb in the 1980’s and it was open for awhile until they realized how much damage was being done by humidity and the tourists coming into the tomb. I saw the tomb in 2000 and in 2006, but then they provided only for private visits and the price was just too astronomical. I thought I would never see it again in this lifetime. But we were able to see it – the colors and the energy are just unbelievable. Another indicator of the good luck this group carried.
One of the most fun things we do is 5 days on a 5 star Nile cruise ship. This is the sun deck where there is a pool and jacuzzi. We had just finished a fabulous lunch when I took this picture.
It’s so incredible to sit on the sun deck and cruise down the Nile, stopping at the temples along the way.
I said to someone in the group, “someone has to be cruising down the Nile, it might as well be us!” We all feel so incredibly grateful and blessed.
At the Temple of Kom Ombo, I got to play with cobras!
This year we had a mother and daughter (Karen and Meryl), a son and a mother and 2 best friends. What beautiful connections. Here are Karen and Meryl on our Galabaya party night, where we get to dress like Egyptians, and dance and party.
It’s one of the most fun parts of the trip.
Abu Simbel boasts the largest statues in the world – it is nothing short of spectacular.
On Saturday we have our 2 hours of private time inside the Great Pyramid, where we’ll do some incredible ceremonies. It is always so amazing what happens in this sacred place.
On Sunday as you read this, I’ll be on my way back to the States. It’s been an amazing 2 weeks. It’s been filled with new awareness, new consciousness and a new appreciation for life. What an incredible blessing.
If you would like to come next year, we always do it the last 2 weeks of February. The new Cairo Museum will open before then and that will be absolutely incredible! Send me an email if you think you might like to come – [email protected]
It will definitely be another trip of a lifetime.
Wishing you a week filled with adventure,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Greetings from Egypt – Musings on living a Spirit-Centered life
Greetings from Egypt! Here is our small, but powerful, group! As usual, we were all in love with each other within 48 hours, which is such a wonderful part of our journeys. So far, we’ve ridden camels to the Great Pyramid, kissed the Sphinx, seen the treasures of King Tut (and the other amazing finds in the Cairo Museum), visited the Steppe Pyramid and we have been so lucky. They just opened a new pyramid at the Sakkara complex (which I have never seen in my 16 other trips because it was closed) and we will be able to see the Tomb of Nefertari, which I have visited twice, but thought I would never see again in this lifetime (more on that next week).
All of these places and all of these things that we have seen remind me again of what I love about ancient Egyptian life, which is that everything revolved around their connection with their spirituality.
For the ancient Egyptians, every part of life was a preparation for the afterlife. Every decision, every life choice, all aspects of their lives were lived with the focus on their connection to the Divine.
This meant living your life in a way that would make it possible for you to go to what we call Heaven after your death. That meant being an honorable and good person and living your life in spiritual connection.
The ancient Egyptians believed that at the time of your death your heart would be weighed against a feather. This is a depiction of the Last Judgment. You see this scene all over Egypt in carvings and temples and papyrus.
If your heart was lighter than the feather (meaning you had lived a good life and weren’t weighted down by evil), you would enter into Paradise and live out eternity with the Gods and Goddesses. However, if your heart was heavier than the feather, it was bad news. Your soul would be devoured by the jackals and you would be denied entry into Paradise.
So if you died tomorrow and the Egyptians are right about the Last Judgment, what would happen with you? Would your heart be lighter than a feather? Would you be able to pass and party on with the Gods and Goddesses into eternity?
What if you lived your life with the idea that there is a higher purpose for your life? A greater knowing? A higher way to be?
We spend so much time focused on the day to day-ness of our lives. Doing our email, going to work, dealing with the kids, dealing with our partners, children, bosses, employees, doing housework, trying to do something fun on the week-ends, getting the car washed, cooking, cleaning, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. It certainly doesn’t leave much time for connecting in with the highest part of ourselves and the Divine.
Would your life be different if you put just a little bit of focus on your life as a spiritual person? I know it would. It’s amazing what happens when you come from that perspective even just a little bit.
You’re calmer.
You’re more relaxed.
You don’t worry as much.
You start to have an innate knowing that everything will work out, that all is well.
You’re living your life from a place of peace, rather than a place of stress.
Sound good?
Although I have been on my spiritual path since 1978 when my mother died, I didn’t really begin living a spirit-driven life in earnest until I moved to Sedona in 2002. I highly recommend it. It has made all the difference in my life.
Are you interested in living more of a spirit-driven life? If so, consider coming to Sedona and doing a Soul Adventures retreat. It can jump start you in that direction faster than anything I know.
Connect with us and speak with one of our Angel Guides. They’ll connect with you in deep conversation and discover your deepest needs and desires; then they’ll custom design a retreat that’s perfect to set you on the path of living a spirit-driven life.
Click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you. Or if you’d prefer, call us toll free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you.
Wishing you a week filled with love and an open heart,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Michele says that her emotionally healing Soul Adventure was incredible for her spiritual growth
“My Sedona Soul Adventures retreat was so much more than I could have hoped for.
Everyone I encountered there was so unique and special…in who they were and what they did as practitioners. My Soul Adventure was custom made for me and proved incredibly helpful to my spiritual growth. I am now emotionally healed, my energies are balanced and my mind is clear. They also helped me to tear down the thick wall so I could open my heart. Most unexpectedly, I discovered I had newly raised consciousness. I wasn’t expecting that at all but am incredibly happy and excited to view life from this new perspective. I always had a strong spiritual take on life but this was unlike anything I’ve experienced and it’s with me to stay.
I truly can’t wait to return to Sedona and the other adventures they offer around the world. They all sound so seductive to my thirsty soul.”
Michele F., Vancouver, B.C.
Our next Sacred Travel Journey is Machu Picchu & Peru – June 17-30, 2017 – Want to come?
Come with us as we experience Machu Picchu on the Solstice and explore the ways of the shaman with our amazing shaman and guide, Jorge Luis Delgado, June 17-30, 2017.
I love sacred travel. I’m here in Egypt right now and one of the people on this trip went with me on the our Peru trip last summer. I love it that I get so many people who have done all of our trips.
Join me on this amazing journey, as we experience Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, Cuzco, Lake Titicaca, Pisac, the floating islands of Uros, the Sacred Valley and much more, doing ceremonies and receiving Jorge’s teachings.
For information on our amazing Itinerary Click here
For all the information on Pricing Click here
If you have any questions, please contact me at:
[email protected]
“The Peru trip was the trip of a lifetime”.
– Barb Nadeau
Do you want the relationship of your dreams? Here’s how
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! This always makes me reflect on the true meaning of love.
I know we all want to be loved and we all want to have an object of our affection. Everyone talks about unconditional love, but have you ever really given that, except possibly with a baby? It seems we can do it for a little while, but then those darn old conditions start coming in, don’t they?
“If he would just (fill in the blank), then I would be happy”
“If she would just let me (fill in the blank), then I would be happy.”
After all these years of working with couples (20 years as a divorce attorney, 15 years with Sedona Soul Adventures) I’ve finally decided that what we all really want is for someone to GET us. To know everything there is to know about us (all the good stuff, all the “bad” stuff, all the weird stuff) but even after all that, they still love us and want to be with us. For me that is truly the definition of unconditional love.
And the quickest way I’ve found to get there is this — If you want the relationship of your dreams, you need to take the other person off the hook.
With all the couples retreats that we’ve done over the years, the theme that we see over and over again, is that each person isn’t loving the other person for who they truly are. They say they love them, but they simply want them to be completely different!
They want us to “fix” them – have them change so that they can love them.
In every moment, we can either choose love or something else — upset, fear, jealousy, frustration. How do you want to live your life? I highly recommend living it from love.
The problem is, most people don’t know how to do that. When something happens, we don’t have the tools to communicate our hurt and our loss to our partners in a way that they can receive it and we don’t know how to let go of the hurts of the past that still haunt us. Sometimes people are holding onto things that happened long ago in the past, sometimes as long as 20 years ago!
Last year we had a couple who came here and their marriage was pretty much over. They had been married for over 12 years, they have 2 beautiful children. They started out really loving each other, but over the years they had grown completely apart with many different interests that seemed incompatible. The sizzle was completely gone and worse, their respect for each other had been eroded by things that had happened in the past.
They actually separated and he had contacted a divorce attorney. In a last ditch effort, he convinced her to come to Sedona to do a couples retreat. Their goals were different — he wanted to save the marriage, she wanted to make the divorce go more smoothly. They were both miserable and unhappy.
In their first couples session, they did both acknowledge how much they had loved each other over the 12 years they had been together. They also identified when things had started to go off the rails, which led to his feelings of inadequacy and her feelings of disrespect toward him.
Then they both did separate emotional clearing sessions. In her session, she realized how she was living out a pattern of her mother disrespecting her father. She came to a huge realization that her mother’s disrespect of her father had triggered feelings of inadequacy within her. This often happens when parents disrespect each other, because children have this innate knowing that their mother is part of them, their father is part of them. So when her mother disrespected her father, she began to (unconsciously) believe there was something wrong with her.
She had never dealt with these feelings of inadequacy. All of that was cleared out, and then her practitioner helped her clear out all the pain and grief she had accumulated over the last few years when the marriage was falling apart. She told me she felt like this huge weight had been lifted.
In his emotional clearing session, he realized that her disrespect of him had triggered his own feelings of “not enough”. In his session, his practitioner dug deep and they discovered an event that had happened with his father. In a moment of frustration and thoughtlessness, his father said to his 6 year old son “you’re worthless”. This had cut deep into him, in a way he never understood until then. He had unconsciously held onto that pain all these years. He experienced a similar release, with lots of crying that he said felt so cleansing. He told me, “I was always taught that men aren’t supposed to cry, but I can’t believe how good that felt, to finally let go of all that”.
Both of them were triggering each other’s unhealed feelings of inadequacy. It’s the ultimate irony, isn’t it? That the person who is “supposed” to love us the most, is actually triggering these deep feelings of not-enoughness? But that’s the nature of relationships. Our deepest relationships trigger our unhealed parts and bring them up for healing. It’s the crucible – burning off the impurities to get to the gold of a healed heart.
Most people don’t understand that this is really what’s happening in our relationships. It’s not so much what the other person is “doing” or “not doing” – the other person is triggering old wounds that are coming up for healing.
But the really amazing part for both of them came in their breath journeys, which they each did separately.
The breath journey took her into the altered state very easily and suddenly she saw her mother (who had passed away many years ago). In that moment, her mother seemed to be the embodiment of love. Her mother communicated her deep love for her and also her deep love for her father. She had this huge realization that “everything is all about love”, there really isn’t anything else that matters. Suddenly, she felt her heart burst open with the deep love for her husband that had always been there, but had just been covered over with the slings and arrows of the past few years. She saw an image of she and her husband walking together in what appeared to be some sort of paradise, blissfully happy.
In his breath work session, he saw lots of images and colors, which intrigued him because he doesn’t think of himself as very visual or very creative. And then suddenly his father was there with him. His father communicated his deep love that he had for his son. He also communicated that his son needed to become more of a man. Not a macho type of manliness, but the man who takes care of his woman and takes care of his family and lets them know he is there for them. He realized he had abdicated this role and that his wife no longer felt cared for by him. He said it was the strangest thing, but that after the session, he actually felt “stronger”.
After these amazing clearings and healings and realizations, they then came together for a couples session. Both of them were so full of love for each other, they were almost bursting. Their marriage was completely restored. Along the way with their other sessions, they received tools for continuing to have all of this continue to go deeper and to maintain, especially through deep and honest communication.
The best part was that after they went home, they continued to use the tools and their love just came through deeper and deeper. They came back again 2 weeks ago to take their relationship to an even deeper level and they’ve never been so happy. They both said the most amazing thing was that some of the same things are still going on as before — their interests are somewhat divergent and there are issues with work. But for both of them, it just doesn’t matter. They’ve taken the other person off the hook. They both feel loved and respected by the other, and that’s the most critical piece for both of them. The smaller issues just don’t seem that important any longer.
I love this so much. It’s so incredible what can happen when we finally release the wounds of the past and move into love. It changes everything.
How is your relationship doing this Valentine’s Day? Is it blissful and fabulous or are you just going through the motions? Are you “going along to get along” or are you happily and deeply in love? Do you feel loved and respected and cherished?
Make the decision to come back into love. The problems that you are facing may actually be the result of wounding from the past, rather than that person who you think is doing things to hurt you.
Connect with us and let’s find out. Let’s find out what’s blocking you from having the relationship of your dreams. It may be something completely different from what you think it is. Whatever it is, we can help you both come back into love within yourselves and with each other.
Connect with one of our Angel Guides. They’ll speak with each of you separately to really get at the heart of what’s going on. Then they’ll design the perfect retreat that will remove the blocks and bring you back into connection.
Click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you. Or if you’d prefer, call us toll free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you.
Wishing you a week filled with love and an open heart,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Frank says before their Couples Retreat the “D” word was coming up more and more; after their Couples Retreat, their “relationship is renewed, passionate, and loving.”
“My wife of 12 years (Together for 14) and I have two children ages 4 and 8. Up until about 18 months ago we lived a “fairy-tale” marriage. we played together, laughed together, and enjoyed life together. We thought alike, shared the same dreams and values and it seemed nothing could tear us apart. In short, about a year and a half ago that all suddenly changed. My wife became increasingly introverted and obsessed with metaphysics. I, an earthly, and frankly not so spiritual person, became confused, then upset, and at times very angry. I could not understand what was happening to my wife whom I had shared so much in common with. The connection was deteriorating.
After months of marriage counseling the “D” word was coming up more and more often despite our desperate attempt to put the pieces back together. We never were able to get to the core of what was sending us in different directions.
Our 12 year wedding anniversary was approaching. We have always spent some alone time together for our anniversary. I wanted to do something special for her, and our relationship. I also wanted to do something special for me. I wanted to bring back into our relationship all that had been stripped away. Trust, passion, communication and most importantly the connection. I decided I was willing to learn more about my wife’s new interest, combine that with her learning more about me and blend that together to find that special place all over again. I was searching for something with a spiritual base, designed for a couple like us, in a special setting. I sent my wife the link to Sedona Soul Adventures… she could not believe that it came from me. She was so excited, and so was I.
After our Couples Retreat, our relationship is renewed, passionate, and loving. We are connected more than the day we married back 12 years ago. I learned I do have a spiritual side. I am a spirit having a human experience. My wife is beautiful just the way she is. She now loves her new found ability to communicate. Our communication is better than ever, and our romance is better than ever. Our marriage is safe, and there is no turning back.
Thank you to you and your entire team of loving and talented individuals for all you do. Thank you from me & my wife. Perhaps someday my children will thank you too.”
Frank & Valerie F., Los Angeles, California
Download a free copy of our “Machu Picchu & Mystical Peru” report
Have you received a copy of our “Machu Picchu & Mystical Peru” report? It’s beautiful and gives you all kinds of information and photos of these spectacular places in Peru:
- Machu Picchu
- The Sacred Valley
- Cuzco
- Sillustani
- Island of Amantani
- Floating Islands of Uros
- Doorway of Aramu Muru
- Ollantaytambo
- Pisac
- Sacsayhuaman
- The Lost Pyramds of Caral
- Nazca Lines
Click here to download your free copy.
And I’d love to have you join me on our next Machu Picchu & Peru trip – it’s June 17-30.
We’ll be at Machu Picchu on the Solstice, doing sacred ceremony with our shaman and guide, Jorge Luis Delgado. It truly is the trip of a lifetime.
For all the information on our amazing day to day Itinerary – Click here
For all the information on pricing – Click here
“If you’re looking for deep and meaningful travel that connects you to other amazing people, takes you way behind the scenes and most important, creates the space for a deep dive into yourself, Debra and Sedona Soul Adventures has it down. Had I attempted to navigate my recent trip to Peru on my own, I’m confident I would have only experienced about 30% of the true magic Peru has to offer. Because the trip was so well organized and our guides were so knowledgeable, we experienced things every day that other travelers, lost on their own or stuffed in a tour bus, never got to see or feel. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am grateful and truly transformed.”
Lisa Sasevich
CEO, The Invisible Close
If you have questions, please contact me at:
[email protected] – I love talking about Peru!