green from our pinion-juniper forests and blue from crystal clear skies that change with evening purple shadows to starry cobalt nights . This visual cornucopia of color is a never ending source of inspiration for artists , local residents , and visitors alike .
In our arid landscape water can never be far from our minds . Water is more than just habitat and sustenance for life . Water has shaped our earth , evolution , physiology , cultures and our religions . Abundant water is associated with peace and prosperity ; lack off water is synonymous with death .
Our ancestors believed the world consisted of earth , air , fire and water . But water is in many ways the most important since it shapes earth , is carried on the wind , and extinguishes flames . Sedona ’ s spectacular red rocks were primarily formed under shallow seas some 240 to 340 million years ago and are now visible largely because of water erosion . Our monsoon rains blowing in from southwesterly oceans are critical in keeping Oak Creek and neighboring streams in the Verde Valley flowing . Our firefighters , of course , necessarily rely on water to extinguish our annual forest fires . Most religions rely on water as a symbol to confirm beliefs and / or to provide a ritual cleansing of the soul .
Water sustains us in the most basic sense , but it also stimulates us . We
as explorers have always wondered where a stream begins and ends , who lives across the bay , what lies just beyond the horizon . As scientists we wonder about the bonding of hydrogen and oxygen to form the heart of water ’ s special nature . As biologists we look beneath the surface to view a myriad of exotic life . And water makes philosophers of us who see the world reflected in water . Shakespeare said , “ smooth runs the water where the brook is deep .” Henry Thoreau wrote about lakes : “ It is the earth ’ s eye , looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature .” When we allow our minds to reflect , water can have a profound effect on
Photo : Wib Middleton
12 IMAGINE l FALL 2016