What is the Birthing Cave?During a recent trip to Sedona, AZ, I met Jesse Kalu, a native Chamorru, musician, and escort to sacred sites. Being that it was my partner’s birthday and the day before Mother’s Day Jesse suggested a hike to the “birthing cave” on Mezcal Mountain.
The Hopi believe their people came from center of the earth, i.e. they are born of the womb of the mother. The Hopis of the Red Rock region, where Sedona is located, sent pregnant women to the birthing cave on Mezcal Mountain to (oddly enough) give birth. The women would hike up to this cave right before going into labor and sit and wait and pray until their child was born.
What is the Sacred Feminine?Those of the sacred feminine tradition come to worship feminine beauty and the power of sexual reproduction at Sedona’s birthing cave. The embodiment of the sacred feminine philosophy is the “inner priestess” which is the aspect of a woman’s being that knows all life is sacred and upholds the sanctity of daily life.
Can you find the Virgin? The Crone? The Mother?
The birthing cave is one of three interconnected landmarks on Mezcal Mountain. As you look up from the canyon floor you see the “virgin” on your right, an hour-glass shaped relief known as the “crone” in the center, and the “mother” to the left. Look closely at the mother and you’ll notice anatomic similarities to a woman’s reproductive organs. There is a clitoris above the cave; the cave itself is shaped like a vagina; holes that look like ovaries are on the left and right walls of the cave, and in the center is a small indentation, which is the called the “womb”.
Back to the Womb
Getting to the “mother” cave itself was not difficult. However, getting to the womb was. With Jesse directing me, I climbed the red sandstone walls of the “mother” using handholds and footholds. Finally, I reached the womb, climbed in and (carefully) turned myself around to face a 280 degree view of the red rock monuments. Once I was nestled in the womb I felt secure and stable. I sat still and meditated on the awe inspiring scenery feeling a strong sense of how a baby must feel when meeting the universe upon birth. I also felt love and appreciation for the mother, Mother Earth. As if this transformative experience weren’t enough, Jesse, who taught himself how to make and play the bamboo flute, serenaded my partner and I with songs inspired by the nature surrounding us.
People come to Sedona from all over the world to get in touch with their spiritual side, for cleansing, internal healing, and guidance. My partner and I experienced all this and more. We returned to dwell in the central organ from which all life flows–the womb of nature, the primal ground of creation, where the secret key to all things lies hidden.
