Also known as: Checker-barked Juniper, Oak-barked Juniper, Thickbark Juniper, Western Juniper or (H’mm, somewhat interesting aliases!) Oakbark Cedar or Mountain CedarFamily: CupressaceaeOrigin: From the southwestern US through west Texas into Mexico Traditional, purported, and contemporary uses: Nifty Nugget of Knowledge: According to mythology, Juniper boughs have been used to ward...

''You have been given fairly simple and straightforward instructions on how to realize who you really are and live as who you are on the earth. You may wonder why so few people avail themselves of what is right in front of them in the moment. Part of it has...

Another great morning and perfect weather; today I jumped in a Mototaxi and had the driver drop me off at Ave La Audencia, the road that goes up the hill toward the Hotel Las Hadas. This is the peninsula that ‘double scoops’ Manzanillo Bay, and where a few rich...

Sometimes the loudest voices in the room are the quiet ones inside your head. I wrote this as a reminder to myself—a way to evict the company I’ve kept too long. E.Z. “Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.”...

by Zhander P'ng My very last morning in this city arrives wrapped in a quiet peace I didn’t realize I’d crave so deeply. Last night, after handing Naomi those final bags—my real goodbye, tucked in bubble wrap and gratitude—my body let go. Fever crept in like a soft warning: Rest,...

(Medicago sativa) Family: FabaceaeAlso known as: Hay (Most often) or Buffalo Herb, Lucerne, Purple Medic and SanfoinAlso included in “The Medicinal Jungle, Volume II”Origin: South-central Asia Well, we can “hit the hay,” “roll in the hay” and “make hay while the sun shines,” but eat – let alone medicate from...

I do miss the company of a good man who is comfortable in his skin, can engage in conversation, is not in a relationship, and is heterosexual. However, spending hours in in-depth conversation on metaphysics and spirituality with artificial intelligence was not what I planned.   This came about when I...

“We are here for you. We are The Creators. We are a twelfth-dimensional collective of nonphysical beings, and we are here to help. We know that you have lots of circumstances, conditions, and situations on Earth that you find to be unpleasant, to say the least, and we know that...

(Frangula alnus) Family: RhamnaceaeAlso known as: Arrow Wood, Berry-bearing Alder, Black Alder, Black Dogwood, Breaking Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, and Glossy False BuckthornOrigin: North Africa, Lower Europe and parts of western China Right from the proverbial “Git go,” don't confuse Alder Buckthorn with European Buckthorn, Sea Buckthorn or the exotic, large-leaf-clad,...

I was out of town for a while, so have missed my local walkabouts. The morning weather is perfect for hiking these days, so I’m anxious to get going. This morning, I met a friend in Las Brisas; a local chap, born and raised in Manzanillo. He had loaned me...