There is a stillness and a silence to the desert that allows for a deep listening so we may confront our thoughts, fears, and desires in a new way. The desert’s raw, elemental intensity acts as a mirror, reflecting the hidden landscape within us. The inescapable blazing sun insists that the buried parts within us rise up and become exposed. The harshness of the desert demands a deep letting go. The wild winds mirror our restless minds- at times they howl with chaos or whisper with clarity, depending on our inner state. When we learn to surrender to them, they cleanse us. The intense shift from searing days into cold nights speak to the duality of life. As the desert challenges, it transforms. And lying beneath the desert’s starry sky is one of the most humbling and awe-inspiring experiences. The eternal starry sky is indifferent to our small dramas, and awakens something primal in us. We remember how vast the universe is—and how fleeting we are. Under its infinite canopy, the desert becomes a cathedral.
There is a reason prophets, monks, and mystics have journeyed to the desert seeking an encounter with the divine. It invites us into deep solitude, which is very different than loneliness. In many ways the desert is a crucible. It tests one's endurance, faith, and purpose. What emerges from the desert is never what went in.
