I recently took a short trip to Sedona, Arizona, my first visit to this remarkable area. I’d heard about its spiritual energy for years and couldn’t wait to experience it for myself. As with all my travels, I brought a few of my tarot decks along. I never travel without them…partly because I do daily readings for myself and partly because I love exposing my cards to the energy of new places.
That morning, I found myself at Boynton Canyon, one of Sedona’s well-known vortex sites, seeking a message from my spirit guides and hoping to deepen my intuitive connection. The red rocks were warm beneath my legs, sun-soaked and ancient. I shuffled each deck and pulled a card from each one, laying them across the stones.
One by one: The Magician, King of Pentacles, Six of Cups, and Nine of Cups.
I gazed at the cards, turning inward, waiting for their story to unfold. Around me, Sedona’s wind whispered through the towering formations, the gentle breeze offering its own kind of prayer. I had come here to listen - to the cards, to the quiet, to something ancient and sacred.
The Spread of Earth and Sky
Each card reflected the sunlight, resting upon the earth, tuning in to the energy of the land.
The Magician came first, one of my favorite cards in the deck. A reminder of our ability to manifest, to create, to remember that everything we need is already within reach. The King of Pentacles grounded the moment, echoing Sedona’s strength and stability, the power of rooted presence.
Then came the Six and Nine of Cups, softening the message with emotion and memory. The Six invited reflection, a return to innocence and joy. My younger self would have been in awe of these red rock cathedrals - pure magic. The Nine radiated gratitude, that deep inner “yes” that confirmed I was exactly where I needed to be.
In that moment, I felt harmony all around me, a deep peace, a wave of gratitude, a knowing that I was part of something that defied explanation.
The Gift of Perspective
I lingered there, taking in the cards, the sunlight, the texture of the rock beneath them. Then, almost instinctively, I looked up.
The landscape stretched endlessly before me, red cliffs glowing against an intense deep blue sky. And in that instant, it became clear: the message wasn’t only in the cards. It was everywhere.
The Magician was in the way sunlight brought out the layers of color in the rocks, a living display of creation itself. The sky above felt like the perfect complement, the yin to the earth’s yang. The King of Pentacles lived in the steady patience of the land, the grounding beneath my feet. The Cups flowed through my heart with joy, reminding me to trust my inner light.
For that brief moment, the cards, the land, and I were part of the same energy, a single current of awareness and consciousness.
Seeing Beyond the Spread
When I finally gathered the cards, my heart felt lighter. I was humbled and grateful to have been part of that moment. I sensed my spirit guides beside me…and perhaps, the echoes of the land’s first guardians reminding me of the sacredness of all things.
I realized then that tarot isn’t only about asking questions. It’s about learning how to listen. To trust presence, gratitude, creation, and connection, the very elements the land had been reflecting back to me all along.
Sometimes, the reading doesn’t end when you pull the last card. It continues in the wind, in the light, in the quiet recognition that life itself is speaking.
Every rock, every ray of sunlight, every breath can become part of the reading.
If you’d like to continue exploring the wisdom of tarot, sign up for my Inner Light Insights monthly newsletter. Each month, you’ll receive fresh reflections, tarot spreads, and inspiration to help guide your own journey — plus a little extra light to keep your scales in balance.