Some of you love the beach which is why you may be enjoying our Summer Immersion Series in Baja, a vacation with benefits: immersions in health & fitness, writing, and Spanish speaking, but you can opt-out of all of that and just relax.
So, all of our summer MEA workshops are in Santa Fe. Last week, someone asked me why New Mexico feels different from Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, the other “Four Corner” states in the Southwest. I could have said the altitude, the high desert, and the cultural diversity as being the most noticeable differences, respectively, with these three other states (by the way, New Mexico is both the largest and the least populated state of the four, by far, so we have more open spaces). But, there’s another lesser-known reason why New Mexico feels different.
New Mexico has a unique mixture of fire-born obsidian rock and heart-centered rose quartz under the earth that creates a geologic and energetic landscape that is quite unique. Obsidian is a volcanic glass formed when lava cools rapidly. Energetically, obsidian is known as a protective and truth-revealing stone—it brings subconscious patterns to light and cuts through illusion. It’s linked to grounding, shadow work, and facing one’s inner depths. Rose quartz is rarer in New Mexico and is the stone of unconditional love, healing emotional wounds, and restoring compassion—for self and others.
So what does that mean for New Mexico? If we imagine obsidian beneath our feet and rose quartz in the deeper layers, New Mexico becomes an energetic metaphor for transmutation through truth and healing through heart. This land invites transformation. It doesn’t just cradle ancient wisdom—it challenges and softens you at once. Like a true midlife chrysalis, it cracks you open, then shows you how to love what you find inside.
So, if you’ve experienced the Land of Enchantment magic at our 2,566-acre Rising Circle Ranch, it’s not just because of our unique programming, it’s also because of the geologic underpinning of this land. Hope to see you for a workshop this summer as we still have some space in next week’s collaboration with St. John’s College at the ranch: Crossroads & Classics: Navigating Transitions with Art & Literature.
-Chip