I write fiction, non-fiction, verbiage for all our websites, and have been publishing my fan fiction on my various sites for many years. https://paulacas.com
I am a Spiritual Medium and use Tarot cards as one my primary tools in doing readings. For 30 plus years have been doing readings in settings from my living room to truck stops. I tell you what Spirit wants you know for your betterment, not what you think you need to know.
I’ve worked on computers since before there was such a creature as Windows.
A Mountain Maryland native, but have spent years spent living in Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona. My husband, Oro Cas, and I spent 10 years driving tractor-trailer across the 48 contiguous states.
Oro Cas and I produced and hosted Internet Radio shows on BlogTalk Radio, video productions on KDCL Media and Oro Expeditions YouTube Channels.
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is an herb of many faces. In spring, its white, lacy blossoms brighten woodlands and hedgerows, attracting bees and butterflies with their sweet fragrance. By autumn, those delicate blooms transform into heavy clusters of deep purple berries — a feast for birds, wildlife, and humans alike. Every part of the elder — flowers, berries, leaves, and even wood — has long been treasured for food, craft, and healing.
A Storied Past
The story of elderberry stretches back to the Ice Age, between 12,000 and 9,000 BCE, when glaciers carried its seeds across North America, Europe, and Asia. By 2000 BCE, early peoples were already cultivating the plant for its medicinal and culinary gifts.
I really enjoy spending time in old-growth forests.
I admire the sights, I love the sounds, and I like that old-growth forests can make a human feel small, yet still important.
Old-growth forests once covered large areas of land in North America, but these forests are far less common today.
As a result, we might find ourselves imagining things that aren’t entirely true.
We might believe, for instance, that North America was an endless expanse of old-growth forest at the time of European settlement. We might also believe that North America’s old-growth forests were — and still are — untouched and free from disturbance.
But how much of what we believe is true?
In a brand new video, I explore a few old-growth forest myths and discuss why our modern perceptions often miss the full story.
“The scent of rosemary, the smoke of sage, the whisper of bay — the old language of the earth still speaks if we pause long enough to listen.”
— Beth Schreibman Gehring, from Forage & Gather
Before Halloween, there was Samhain, the ancient Celtic turning of the year when the harvest ended and winter began to breathe at the edges of the fields. It was the time when fires were lit high on the hills to call the sun back, when families gathered to share what they’d grown, and to honor what they’d lost. They believed that on this night, the veil between worlds grew thin so that those who came before might wander close for just a moment, drawn by the scent of wood smoke and the warmth of the hearth.
The herbs of this season are the same ones that have long carried us through the threshold times, the in-between spaces when the light fades and the earth exhales. I think of them as old friends who know how to steady us when the days grow short.
These are only a few of the many illnesses associated with tick bites.
Interestingly, these illnesses are much more common today than they were even just a few decades ago. Why is that?
One way to get some answers is to figure out why tick populations are increasing. According to the CDC, the number of U.S. counties with an established population of blacklegged ticks has more than doubled since 1998.
How did this happen? What factors contributed to the explosion in tick populations? Did the U.S. government have something to do with this? Or did this all happen by chance?
Throughout the year, including on warmer days in the deepest winter months, you will find me out on the land: scattering seeds; planting and harvesting; communing with the plants, trees, and mushrooms; and working nature magic. With baskets overflowing with abundant herbs, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms, I take only what I need, leaning into the abundant plants, and harvest with permission and gratitude. I leave offerings, scatter seeds, and weave magic and flute songs. I often have other people with me–friends, herbal apprentices, visitors, cats, geese. We honor the land while we harvest the plants that heal, soothe, and help us connect with the sacred.
The autumnal equinox, which falls on September the 22nd, is a spoke in the wheel of the year — the brief pause when day and night are perfectly balanced, before the tipping into the darker half of the seasons. In the old calendars, it was a time of harvest and gratitude, a season of preparing pantries and hearts for the coming winter.
Across cultures, this threshold was marked with festivals. The Celts observed Mabon, a harvest rite of thanksgiving where fruits, nuts, squashes, and grains were gathered in and shared with kin and community. Herbs such as sage and thyme flavored the loaves and stews, while rosemary was woven into wreaths to bless the home. It was a season of pausing, giving thanks, and carrying the abundance of the fields inward. Continue Reading …
A growing number of people are taking an interest in herbal medicine. Why learn herbalism now? For many, it is a way to deeply learn and lean into the nature right outside their door. Further, learning how to identify, prepare, preserve, and use medicinal plants helps you take health into your own hands. A lot of people who live in the US (especially in rural areas) recognize that healthcare is more costly and more difficult to access: it is harder than ever to keep a family doctor or get specialist care, and it is so costly that a lot of people can’t afford visits, tests, or medicines.
The 999 portal on September 9, 2025, is a potent numerological event that can be greatly enhanced by understanding its alignment with astrology. The numerological themes of endings, completion, and new beginnings are reflected and amplified by the specific planetary transits occurring today. The Sun is in Virgo. The Moon is in Aries. Mars is in Libra. Saturn is retrograded in Pisces. Jupiter is in Gemini.
The combination of these aspects creates a dynamic day for the 999 portal. The impulsive fire of the Aries Moon and the grounded nature of the Virgo Sun create a potent push-pull. You may feel a powerful urge to take immediate action, but the Virgo energy reminds you to do so with careful planning and intention.
With Saturn in Pisces and Mars in Libra, the day is highly focused on a spiritual and relational clearing. It’s a day for releasing karmic baggage and making decisions about relationships that are no longer in alignment with your true purpose.
Jupiter in Gemini encourages mental and social expansion. This transit suggests that as you close out old chapters, your new beginnings will be fueled by new ideas, learning, and communication. The 999 portal could bring about the end of old thought patterns and the beginning of a new intellectual journey, encouraging you to share your newfound wisdom with others.
The overall message of the astrological transits on September 9, 2025, is one of purposeful action. This is not a day for passive waiting. It is a day to consciously and mindfully participate in the end of one cycle and the beginning of another, using the practical and communicative energies available to build a more authentic and purposeful life.
If you’d like to join us on August 30 or August 31 for an exciting day of ecology and geology, you can register here. These outings are great opportunities to explore beautiful ecosystems while learning tree identification, mushroom identification, forest history, geologic influences on plant communities, and much more.
I’d love to see you there!
And now on to the new video…
Are pawpaws neurotoxic?
It sounds like an absurd question to ask. After all, many people eat these wild fruits every year without experiencing any apparent negative effects.
But let’s consider the following pieces of information:
Studies have linked the consumption of fruits in the Annonaceae family to neurodegeneration in humans. Pawpaw, it turns out, is in the Annonaceae family.
A compound isolated from pawpaws is neurotoxic in laboratory studies.
And a case report from 2020 describes a man who developed a possible variant of a neurodegenerative disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy. The man was known to eat lots of pawpaws.
Of course, none of this information is conclusive, but it does make some people wonder. Are pawpaws neurotoxic? Should we avoid eating them? Or is this issue overhyped?
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leading a series of forest ecology outings, and I’d love for you to join me!
On August 30 and 31, 2025, I will be leading two Summer Forest Ecology Outings at McConnells Mill State Park in Pennsylvania.
Designated a National Natural Landmark for its outstanding features, McConnells Mill is a treasure trove for learning. Central to the park’s landscape is the Slippery Rock Gorge — a deep ravine carved by powerful forces, exposing millions of years of ancient bedrock and currently supporting mature forest ecosystems.
Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, Cook Forest is home to one of the last remaining old-growth forests in the entire region, with 11 old-growth areas spanning over 2,300 acres. One of the areas within the park, the Forest Cathedral, contains arguably the finest concentration of old-growth trees in the northeastern United States.
During these outings, we will walk through deciduous and coniferous woodlands while discussing forest ecology. We’ll investigate big trees and big rocks. We’ll see historic landmarks, and we’ll discuss important geological influences that have drastically shaped the landscape.
In addition to learning key characteristics of mature and old-growth forests, participants will learn tree identification, mushroom ecology and identification, the role of fire as an ecological agent, ways to interpret forest history, and much more.
These outings are great opportunities to learn, explore, and connect with nature in spectacular settings. They’re also great opportunities to meet wonderful people.
Please note: Each outing is a single-day event. To maximize your learning experience, space is limited and registration with payment in advance is required to secure your spot.
Paths I Walk 
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