A SUEPUR DESTINATION:
THE TAO OF TAOS, NEW
MEXICO
by Susan
Purdy
Many of the 10,000
residents of Taos, New Mexico say that people traveling through
their town on their way elsewhere find themselves delaying their
departure for decades. In fact, the majority of the people in
Taos come from elsewhere but like the fine threads in a Native
American blanket, they are woven together, each thread being as
important to the pattern as the next. Perhaps that's why movie
actress Julia Roberts enjoys living here and being one of the
many people who color this magnificent landscape.
Residents will tell
you their town is the spiritual center of the state. Called the
'Soul of the Southwest,' there is evidence that man has lived
in the area as far back as 3,000 B.C., and the Native America
Pueblo of Taos provides the link from these early inhabitants
to the surviving native culture.
As soon as I arrived
at the Touchstone Inn, Spa & Gallery, I experienced the spiritual
side of Taos. It was a combination of things that made me feel
instantly at home and at peace. Perhaps it was because the Inn,
located a short distance from the main road, offered the quiet
of a green sanctuary. The land abuts that of a medicine man and
I felt that his blessings and incantations had caught the breeze
and crossed the fence to the Inn's property. It was the labyrinth
built of single stones, laid side-by-side that added to the spiritual
atmosphere; a simple puzzle that relaxes all who enter. It is
Chloe Bren Price, owner, resident artist and grandmother who draws
you into the tranquility of Touchstone.
Many of Bren's watercolors
hang in the dining room displaying another side of her personality.
As an art teacher and traveler, Bren refers to a guiding philosophy
in the book of her prose and paintings, "Inside the Wind."
"I believe creative
expression is the pathway to human liberation and that liberation
and inspiration often comes in the least likely places. While
on a visit to the Summer Palace in Peking, a sage looked over
my shoulder as I put marks of randomness onto the page to begin
a drawing. All excited, he said, 'Ah! I see! You put the confusion
in first.' By way of helping me understand my own work, I believe
that this is a most precise understanding of the philosophy behind
it. First comes confusion, then calm. Life is confusion; we must
live one day at a time to bring about order; it is process. Each
painting, each drawing, each creative work is a process of living,
and living is a process of art. I see art in everything I do."
Her artistic touch
has extended to creating a gentle approach to spa treatments at
Touchstone -- such as a massage in a garden, a whirlpool under
a tree and time spent outside contemplating the stars. I expected
something different; I thought the spa at Touchstone would be
a large complex with an indoor pool, aerobic classes and a well-appointed
locker room. Instead, the adobe room furnished with an antique
sofa facing a raised hearth fireplace, Native American blankets
displayed on a wall and covering my bed, a Jacuzzi and a tiled
floor beneath my feet provided an oasis. Therapists were called
in by appointment to give facials, relaxation and detoxifying
baths and massages. I unpacked and prepared to stay.
The next morning I
wore the soft terry robe provided in my closet and walked to a
building where I found Belen, the massage therapist, waiting for
me in a room filled with scent and soft music. This young Basque
woman was a healer and it was apparent in her touch. As she massaged
me, her deep breathing was almost trance-like and as I matched
her breathing pattern to my own, I could again feel myself becoming
part of this spiritual experience. "Taos," she said, "is a healing
center and a well-kept secret. Massage and other holistic practices
are very much a part of the Native American rituals here."
That afternoon, I met
Rhonda Flemming at Touchstone. A local metaphysician, poet and
yoga instructor, she was as tiny as a child with white wispy hair
that seem to dart around her face like flying fairies and blue
eyes that could have been cold but seemed to shine with the warmth
of a fire. She had come to offer me a free tarot card reading.
We met at 8am the next day, and my first words were those of the
witch in the play, "The Wiz." "Don't give me no bad news!" She
said that her readings always concentrated on helping someone
see what they should focus on at this stage in life. We shuffled
cards and I picked four. Even I could see these were happy cards;
nice colors and people doing interesting things. I learned that
I was in a new cycle in life and it was time to envision what
I wanted. I was to be flexible and follow my intuition, not letting
a rational brain change my mind or allowing myself to be stopped
by others who might inflict their rules. Joseph Campbell said
it best when he advised, "Follow your bliss." Good advice for
all.
Taos is an exotic mixture
of cultures that co-exist in harmony. When I visited the Taos
Pueblo just north of town, I discovered that in the Tiwa language,
"Tao" or "Tua-tah" means Place of the Red Willows" and when the
Spaniards arrived in 1540, they added the 's' and thus the name
Taos. Guests must pay and admission and additional fee to use
cameras while Pueblo residents sell crafts from small adobe houses.
The church is cool and the altar statues are dressed for the four
seasons. Another church to visit is San Francisco de Asis, built
in 1710 and said to be the most painted and photographed church
in New Mexico. 'Laying on of hands' takes on new meaning each
June as parishioners and visitors all help to refresh and restore
the adobe exterior with a new coating of mud from the hills. This
jewel of a church is in desperate need of a new roof. If you are
interested in learning more about this, log on to www.laplaza.com,
click on 'community,' then 'Taos area churches.' The young priest,
up to his elbows in mud when I spoke with him, will also tell
you how to join the June mudslinging.
One cynical resident
said, tongue-in-cheek, that not everyone who stayed in Taos years
back had a choice. He claimed that some who wanted to leave started
out but soon encountered the 1,000 ft. deep, 50 mile long Rio
Grande Gorge and the thought of climbing down these steep cliffs
and crossing the river soon sent people back to town. To get a
bird's eye view of this magnificent site that cuts through the
earth exposing the geological history of the area, I walked across
the Gorge bridge built in 1965 and said to be the second highest
suspension bridge in the US A little scary, especially when huge
trucks rumbled past, causing the bridge to shake.
Like a freshman college
cheer, I walked around Taos thinking, 'art rules!' Galleries and
museums abound, each more interesting than the next. The
Millicent Rogers Museum houses an excellent collection of
folk art, jewelry and weavings. Navaho artist, R.C. Gorman's bronze
sculpture, "Winona" is set in a particularly small and lovely
garden. A must-see is the 3 1/2 lb. turquoise necklace worn by
Millicent Rogers, a woman who only weighed 97 lbs. I suggested
that I be given the necklace as I weighed substantially more than
Ms. Rogers and could carry it with ease. I was ignored. Other
places to visit include the Mabel Dodge Luhan House where I was
fortunate to enjoy local dramatist, Roberta Meyers, perform as
Mabel and who lectured about frequent guest Georgia O'Keefe making
the house and history come alive.
With all this cultural
mix, good food is easy to find in Taos. For Native American fare,
stop in at the Tiwa Kitchen at the Pueblo and try the buffalo.
For more traditional fare, Lamberts Restaurant offers delectable
lobster wantons and pepper encrusted lamb. In the evening luminaries
called farolitos light the roof line making this one of
the area's most beautiful dining places. Visit the Stakeout restaurant
but don't be fooled by the name -- this is no chuck wagon. Enjoy
elegant food seated inside or on the terrace of this white building
situated on a hill overlooking a sage covered desert. Don't neglect
the Old Blinking Light Restaurant and Doc Martin's at the Historic
Taos Inn.
A few books to add
to your enjoyment of Taos include:
New Mexico -- Off
the Beaten Path, (Globe
Pequot Press), by Todd Staats
Traveler's Tales American Southwest (Traveler's
Tales) true stories edited by Sean O'Reilly and James O'Reilly
When Jesus Came, the
Corn Mothers Went Away -- Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New
Mexico 1500-1846 (Stanford University
Press), by Ramon A. Gutierrez.
Taos
County Chamber of Commerce -- 800-732-8267
Touchstone
Inn and Spa -- www.touchstoneinn.com
Museum
Association of Taos -- www.taosvacationguide.com/MAT/
Mabel
Dodge Luhan House -- www.mabledodgeluhan.com
Stakeout
-- www.stakeoutrestaurant.com
Lambert's Restaurant
-- (505) 758-1009
Old Blinking Light
Restaurant -- (505) 776-8787
Doc
Martin's at the Historic Taos Inn -- www.Taosinn.com
