Sedona is beautiful. When I first came to Sedona I loved it so dearly that I decided to live here. While living in Sedona, I’ve had numerous experiences with the land and I’ve developed so many stories that I became a Sedona person. And I also came to write a book about Sedona. When I wrote the book, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart, I really didn’t expect that it would become a New York Times bestseller; however I had that dream. I was amazed that that dream came true.

If you have been to Sedona, when you close your eyes then you can see it again. Its blue skies, its red rocks. All of the beautiful and breathtaking landscapes of Sedona pass before your eyes. That means you have those memories of Sedona inside of your brain. We can live within those memories, and that becomes information. If you use this information well, it can also form the future of your life.

All of the different information that you get from Sedona, for example inspiration, messages, or feelings, those things can really change you. The experiences that I’ve had in Sedona have changed me.

If you lose your dream, you just go in the direction that the wind takes you. But deep inside you know that is not how you want to live. You may think; this isn’t what I wanted.

When you experience a time of feeling lost, you can reflect upon yourself and find your self-worth. Then your life can change. For me, when I visited Sedona, that was a time in my life when I was trying to find a new way to fulfill my dreams.

The moment that I saw Sedona I thought: Sedona called me, and Sedona has been waiting for me. Inexplicably, I felt that this was the place where something was going to happen. So, I moved to Sedona, and I rediscovered myself.

Sedona’s natural beauty inspires people’s spirituality. If you are lucky, when you see it you will realize that it is not just you looking at Sedona. You will also feel that Sedona is looking at you. We see Sedona with our eyes, but Sedona senses our whole body, all at once. This is because Sedona surrounds you 360 degrees all around. While in Sedona, you can feel that you are inside this massive tunnel of energy. There are some people who say when they come to Sedona they receive all of the energy they need for an entire lifetime. If you are aware enough, you can sense that energy with your whole body.

When you receive Sedona’s energy, that is when you discover the Self that you have lost. As you receive this huge energy, you can find a new purpose for your life, a new dream. And you never know; the energy of Sedona just might help you manifest your dream in reality, because if you have a dream but have no power, then you can’t make that dream come true. In order for the dream to come true you need to have power, you need to have energy. Sedona provides two things. Sedona doesn’t only give you a dream; it can also give you the energy to help that dream become a reality.

By the Editor

On Saturday, September 29, 2012, Ilchi Lee spoke at the Sedona Spirit Day Festival at the Red Rock High School Performing Arts Center in Sedona, Arizona. Inspired by his New York Times bestseller, The Call of Sedona, Sedona Spirit Day was proclaimed by the City of Sedona, with the event itself being hosted by the Sedona Meditation Center. In his five-minute address, Lee told participants that Sedona is a place where you can easily discover the greatness and beauty inside of you. He reminded them that although Sedona is beautiful, the soul they have inside is even more beautiful.

Ilchi Lee gave the audience a sense of the Sedona Spirit, which the Mayor of Sedona, Rob Adams, said in his congratulatory message was “manifested through the sharing of talents and skills of individuals and the appreciation of diverse cultural heritages that come together to form the mosaic of the Sedona community.” Mayor Adams read the Sedona Spirit Day proclamation and described the many ways Sedonans are coming together in peaceful dialogue.

During the afternoon, from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, artisans, psychics, healers, restaurants, and vendors from around Sedona catered to 500 attendees of an outdoor fair. During the fair, a silent auction, raffle, and souvenir sale raised money for the non-profit meditation center. A local band, Blues Dawg, and flutist and Cherokee Shaman, Randell Stands with Bear, entertained the people strolling between brightly colored tables. A play area and face painting was set up for the kids, who participated in a Sedona Spirit art contest, the winner of which was a girl named Sedona.

Some of the visitors stayed for the evening event, and a total 500 people watched performances of dance, song, and drumming from from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Emceed by Sedona entertainer, Shondra Jepperson, the performances were followed by a collaborative healing meditation. It culminated in a group jam and dancing session that had the audience off their feet.

David Arnold and Megan Plante

“It seemed like a really good festival. It seemed to represent what’s best in humanity if you look at it. It’s all positive. You didn’t see conflict, you didn’t see egos, you just saw people trying to be joyful,” said David Arnold about his experience.

The spirit of the festival applied to Sedona in general according to one visitor from Canada: “Sedona is the heart of the world. You see it in the eyes of the people as you walk in the store or down the sidewalk. I haven’t seen that anywhere. I see it in glimpses here and there but in Sedona you see it regularly.” Megan Plante, also from Canada, concurred that the Sedona Spirit is “absolutely joyful and loving and accepting and soothing. It’s very healing.”

The Sedona Meditation Center, whose mission is to help people find the Sedona Spirit inside themselves and the earth, will host the third annual Sedona Spirit Day next year on September 21st.

You can watch videos of the Sedona Spirit Day Festival performances on LifeParticle.com.

Originally published as a trade paperback by BEST Life Media in September 2011, Ilchi Lee’s book, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart, was released today by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Scribner also released an eBook edition and Simon & Schuster Audio published it’s audio edition.

Before being purchased by Scribner, The Call of Sedona appeared on the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today bestseller lists.

The author of 33 books, Ilchi Lee is an educator, mentor, and innovator devoted to mind-body principles, including Dahn Yoga, which he developed in 1980 in a park in his native South Korea. Since he first visited Sedona, Arizona 16 years ago, Ilchi Lee has dedicated himself to sharing the spiritual guidance he has received from Sedona’s awe-inspiring landscape. The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart is Ilchi Lee’s inspired memoir that shares this guidance, along with a range of his popular meditation and spiritual advice.

“Even though this book is set in Sedona, Arizona, its audience is not limited to those who are interested in this magical region,” said Ilchi Lee. “I wrote it for anyone seeking greater fulfillment and deeper meaning in their lives and who cherishes an intimate connection with nature. I feel very fortunate and honored that Scribner is taking this book to the next level.”

“We have watched with great admiration how Ilchi Lee and BEST Life Media have independently published The Call of Sedona about which I first learned from a visit to the area,” said Susan Moldow, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Scribner. “We are very excited at the prospect of expanding the audience for his seminal work.”

Scribner Senior Editor Shannon Welch, who will edit the book, acquired world, electronic, and audio rights from literary agent Bob Silverstein of Quicksilver Books.

Scribner is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., a part of CBS Corporation. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. For more information visit www.simonandschuster.com.

Ilchi Lee’s latest book, The Call of Sedona: Journey of the Heart, was recently awarded a Nautilus Silver Award in the category of Religion/Spirituality – Other Traditions & Practices. Originally published as a trade paperback by BEST Life Media in September 2011, the book made it to the New York Times bestseller list in February 2012, as well as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today lists.

Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, recently acquired the book’s world and eBook rights and will publish its trade paperback and eBook editions in July 2012. Simon & Schuster Audio will publish a simultaneous audio edition.

The Nautilus Awards recognizes books and audio books that promote “spiritual growth, conscious living, and positive social change,” while at the same time stimulating the imagination and offering “new possibilities for a better life and a better world.”

In its twelfth year, the Nautilus Book Awards picks Silver and Gold winners in thirty-four subject categories, including audio books and six categories for children and young adults. Winners are chosen in a three-tier judging process by experienced two-person teams of book reviewers, authors, editors, librarians, booksellers, and other leaders in the publishing industry. In choosing books, they look for “distinguished literary and heartfelt contributions to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change as well as to the worlds of art, creativity and inspirational reading for children, teens and young adults.”

Three books by Ilchi Lee also won Nautilus Silver Awards in 2010: In Full Bloom: A Brain Education Guide for Successful Aging (BEST Life Media, 2008), Healing Chakras: Awaken Your Body’s Energy System for Complete Health, Happiness, and Peace (BEST Life Media, Second Edition, 2009), and Brain Wave Vibration: Getting Back into the Rhythm of a Happy, Healthy Life (BEST Life Media, Second Edition, 2009).

I’d like to continue answering questions I received from high school students in North Las Vegas about my latest book, The Call of Sedona. You can read the rest of the questions by clicking here.

“I had an experience about two weeks ago during my first time meditating. I put on the meditation track and followed a women’s voice throughout my journey. I was laying flat on the ground with my belly up and my hands behind my head. About 8-10 minutes into meditation, I began to feel a sensation as if someone was touching my dahnjon [energy center in the lower abdomen]. I kept my eyes closed because I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would interfere with my meditation experience. This feeling happened about 3 more times during my meditation period, I’m curious to know if you might know what that was. Also, I remember seeing patterns in my eyes even though they were closed. In addition, at one point of time, I remember the feeling that my hands were not touching anymore.”
It’s great that you had such a visceral meditation experience. Everything you experienced were different energy phenomena that occurred in your body and mind. If you keep practicing, you will have many more experiences of different kinds. However, it’s important not to dwell too much on a particular experience. Just notice what happens and then let it go and stay in the moment. It is this steady focus in the moment that is important rather than fleeting occurrences.

“Where would you retire to?”
My work is my passion and my fun. I feel called to do what I’m doing, as if it is part of my very nature. I cannot imagine stopping. I will continue to share the messages of Sedona and the Earth for as long as I am able.

“After reading the The Call of Sedona I realized that as long as you put your mind to do or complete an objective you can. I also feel like life is what you make it and how you would view where you are going by staying focused. But what gave you the idea to do a large journey like the one you did?”
As I wrote in The Call of Sedona, I had many questions about life and death in my youth that remained unanswered. These questions were so important to me that I felt like life was meaningless unless I knew its purpose. It was this desire to know the answers to these questions that began my journey.

“… my question is how has your family viewed your work to help heal the world? Do they support you at all?”
My family has been very supportive of my work, and especially now that my sons have grown, they take part in it. They help me share the messages I’ve received and the techniques I’ve developed. I am sorry I could not be there for them all of the time when my children were young, but I’m grateful they have stuck by me and my work, even when they did not always understand my decisions initially.

“In The Call of Sedona, chapters like, 5, 6 and 13, you discuss about the messages you have ‘received’ while dwelling in Sedona when you activate the Chunjimaum and Chunjikiun receptors within the human mind, body, and soul, when done correctly, you experience such divine phenomena, how did you know which events to include in the book? What process did you use to narrow down what you experienced?”
While I have a wealth of experience to share, I chose particular stories for The Call of Sedona because I wanted to inspire people to overcome their limitations and realize their dreams. I am not someone with special powers or an extraordinary upbringing, so by telling my own story I hoped I could show it was possible for anyone to create their dreams. Also, because the focus of this book was Sedona, I limited the majority of the experiences I wrote about to those that occurred in Sedona.

“Reading this book has gone out the realm of anything that a high school student usually learns about in any of their classes. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book because now I have a better understanding of the world and reading it makes me want to realign my goals in life. If it is not too much to ask I would like to inquire about the woman who realized that she was reliving a sort of déjà vu, that she was a Native American who died there. I would like to know more about her story because that experience she had really struck a chord in me. I would also like to ask you about the difficulties you encountered while trying to become enlightened and also having to try to provide for your family. How where you able to balance the two without getting sucked back into the programmatic lifestyle?”
I found balance by maintaining my meditation practice and keeping in tune with the awakenings and enlightenment I had found. With that practice, I have been able to align my everyday thoughts and actions with my vision of creating a better world. Providing for my family has been a part of that rather than something separate. My vision is so vast and far-reaching that it requires my overcoming many obstacles, including my own limitations, which is not possible if you fall into a “programmatic lifestyle.” It is not yet complete, and its constant pull and my dedication to it keeps my mind and energy fresh and filled with a flow of new ideas.

One thing I know for sure about the woman you mentioned: Her life was not a “happily ever after” because of that experience. But I believe she discovered what truly mattered to her.

“What intrigued me most about your book Mr. Ilchi Lee is the great resonance of the use of Sedona as a great metaphor. What I believe your intention was is to show everybody that the place for enlightenment can be different for everybody; it’s just the place that one feels most at peace with. For example when you talk about the Lady the resembled the Native Americans and when she came to Sedona she felt that was where she belonged and that is when she realized that is where here roots are, I think everybody has that realization, that sense of belonging and a sense of being one with the environment around you. (please correct me if I’m wrong)”
I agree that everyone has the potential to have the realization that they are one with their surroundings. Sedona itself is not the answer. Sedona and any place you feel you belong to is connected to your own inner space that gives you meaning and value. Please nurture that space with great love and care.

“Dear Mr. Lee, you are my favorite Lee besides Bruce Lee and Jet Li. I greatly enjoyed your book. It helped me understand the difference between completion and success. I must admit that I always wanted to be complete but I would confuse it with success… Thank you for writing the book and helping repair my relationship with the earth and others.”
Thank you for adding me to your favorite Lee list. I’m also a fan of Bruce Lee and Jet Li.

I admire the youth that all of you have. You are now living the spring season of your life. Blossom it fully and make this world more beautiful with your colors and fragrance. Every blooming flower is beautiful.