Feminine Power Heroine’s Journey in Zion with Coach Marilyn Hager: Angel’s Landing

I want to share a powerful awakening for me, an amazing story about something that happened while we were on the Feminine Power Heroine’s Journey in Zion: Angel’s Landing, June 21-29th, 2013, that illustrates the exquisite force of all three Power Bases, foundational in Feminine Power, when they work in alignment with truth…

The Feminine Power lesson that we were focusing on the day that this story took place was Power Center #2 and having “faith in the goodness of life.” This “having of faith” is something that I have whole-heartedly and deeply desired to believe. However, I came from a childhood that was literally “not safe.” I have sometimes struggled to “know” this faith in every fiber of my being. My intention for the journey was to break-up anything in the way of my ability to give and receive love in really healthy ways. This story also shows the organic power of our relationships with others…

How this Feminine Power Heroine’s Journey Unfolded:

We were about 3/4 way through the week of our journey when we took our threshold hike.  Angel’s Landing is 2.5 miles up and 2.5 miles down. It requires climbing 1,000 ft. from bottom to top and descending 1,000 ft from top to bottom. The middle .5 mile is very difficult both up and down.

I honestly wasn’t sure I would even attempt that final ascent before I got there. However, the 2 previous miles had been so rewarding that I was inspired and “on fire” when it came time to step forward. I had walked those incredibly beautiful and breathtaking 2 previous miles with Patricia, a very powerful 69-year-old woman. Patricia was a Feminine Power coaching client who I worked deeply with the previous year. She has since become a very dear friend and evolutionary partner. Patricia has knee issues and the heat was wilting her body. But her spirit was absolutely inspiring and she was incredibly attuned with her inner strength as I extended support and love to her with every step going up.

Through her empowered attunement, Patricia recognized her limits and decided to stop her ascent and sit under a tree on Scout’s Lookout. Scout’s Lookout is first pinnacle before Angel’s Landing, with a gorgeous view of the looming peaks and valleys all around us.

Making the Final Ascent

The hike up to Angel’s Landing required that, in many places, one hold onto chains that are bolted to the side of the wall with a sheer cliff on the outer edge of a sometimes 6” wide walkway. If one were to fall, that would be “It.” So, ‘I’m Not Safe” was definitely in my face… This required lots of holding and containing of the fear, extreme focus on the places to put my feet and hands and great surrender to the strength of my nearly 60-year-old body that I spent months conditioning for this very event. Every once in a while, the grace of the Great Mother would give us a moment of reprieve and the path would widen enough to stop and take a breath. The ascent was slow, but steady, even though sometimes my fearful legs were not the most steady part of my body.

We were all ecstatic when we reached the top!!! Sunni, our Priestess Elder, a 73-year-old sister sojourner experienced a really challenging time making it. Luckily, Sunni was deeply supported by amazing 58-year-old Carla, who, in her deepest desire to be of service, extended her training as a Yoga teacher for the elderly. They were so extremely overjoyed as the top as their heads peeked over that final ledge and their sparkling eyes danced as they met ours. What a testament to the power of the feminine, the power of supporting each other and to the power of relatedness we all were!

So all of this, in and of itself, would have made for quite the inspiring story, but what happened next completely blew my mind and shifted my very essence of “knowing!”

We sat on top of that landing for about 45 minutes, taking in the incredible view and feeling the bonded awareness of not only our group, but of the 75 or so others on top of that landing who had also made the same efforts and had tackled the same fears that we had.

My Life-Altering Experience

When we finally started to make our way down, I was feeling very happy and in love with everyone and all of life. After the first set of chains, we came upon our first widened pathway. As I stepped upon the flattened surface, I noticed a woman standing against the wall, looking tired, forlorn and despondent.

I reached out to her with my energy and said with my voice, “Sweetheart, you are so amazing…[planning to finish with, “look at how far you have gotten, the end is just ahead!”]… but, because I had taken my attention away from my own center, and what my feet were doing, my left foot slipped on the side of a slightly protruding rock on the flat area and slid into sand… my left ankle buckled, foot twisting onto its side and popped as I went straight down to my knees. This was quite shocking and I immediately knew it was serious…as we quickly pulled off my shoe and sock, a 5 inch blue egg extended under the surface of my skin on the top of my foot just below my ankle.

…before I could utter a word, a “legion of angels,” strangers who I had not noticed were even with me, flocked around as the perfect “others” to support me through this event. The young man who had been walking right ahead of me had reached into his backpack and pulled out some ankle wrapping tape and started activating an emergency ice bag. (Turns out he lives in the same valley that I do in Colorado.)

The young man who “happened” to be walking behind me was the medic for a Division 1 Women’s soccer team, also from Colorado. He tested for a break and then determined it was just a torn ligament; “Phew!” He proceeded to tape my ankle so that I had an instant professional cast. Behind him was a friend of his, a young fireman, who insisted upon staying with me for the treacherous hike down the .5 miles to Scout’s Lookout…

… Had the “goodness of life” not lined up with the extended way I was being and all of those others had not been also attuned on a deeper level, this would probably have meant a very dangerous, dramatic, expensive and painful helicopter rescue off of the side of the peak…

Healthy Divine Masculine Support

As it went, we were all so grateful for the expression of healthy divine masculine that was all around us! I was so focused on where I needed to place my hands and feet to maneuver my way down, it was better not to be touched by anyone else, but that they were “there’ for me. How it all happened, I didn’t even notice the edges and I flew down that path on the sturdy arms that I had worked so diligently to condition for the journey…

When we returned to Scout’s Landing, Patricia was there with her big smile and loving arms. She and another joy-filled, loving and amazing sister sojourner, Debi, supported me for the final 2 miles back down to the trail head, guide being guided, supporter being supported…giving and receiving love as we made our ways home.

“Angel’s Landing,” what an apt name for the incident that activated every fiber of my being to “know” that “it is safe to trust in the goodness of life” and that this is the key to my “ability to give and receive love” at every turn and in every moment of my life…