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.
Even though 2020 has been intense for most everyone, the moon cycle is always a reminder that we can reset our own energy and mindset. In this cycle we welcome a new season ahead which also gives us another chance to rebirth our visions. 2020 is almost over, but it is getting more intense.
So grab a cup of pumpkin spice anything and get cozy. Read below how you can keep yourself grounded though this moon cycle and we have some big announcements at the end about the 2021 planners!
Autumn is the season when the world mellows out and takes stock on what has already been achieved. Change occurs, but at a reassuringly slow drift rather than a hurried panic. Planet Earth takes on a warm glow as the sun shrinks back into the soil. Golden moments with friends, family and self shape the […]
We are happy to announce the first in a new series of Ethnobotany Webinars from the American Botanical Council and the Sustainable Herbs Program. Leading ethnobotanists Michael J. Balick and Paul Alan Cox will be discussing their new book Plants, People & Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany, revised from the first edition published in 1996. Balick […]
A woman hikes up to a sacred spring that she visits at least once a season. From her small bag, she pulls out a beautiful crown of flowers that she had lovingly crafted before leaving home. Placing the crown upon her head, she dances and sings around the spring, drinking deeply and celebrating life on this early fall. As a sign of respect and offering, she hangs the flower garland near the spring and carries her sacred water back down the mountain.
Family wears crowns I made at the bridal shower
I find it interesting that the ancient art of flower crowns garland making is almost non-existent today, at least here within the US. This tradition has so much potential. The only people who I’ve seen make these delightful crowns are children, who haven’t yet lost their magic or wonder about the world. And yet, garlands and flower crowns, are…
2020 has been challenging for nearly everyone in a multitude of ways. One of the things that we are faced with right now is grief: grief over lost friends and family who have passed, grief over a previous way of life that seems to be gone for good, grief over lost careers and uncertain futures, grief over continued suffering and uncertainty with regards to our climate and life on this planet. I have certainly been experiencing many of these things. Perhaps the two most central things that happened to me this summer was the loss of a good friend after a long and difficult battle with cancer and the destruction of a large part of our family’s property to put in a septic line. The loss of many trees that I had grown up with and a beautiful ecosystem that we had cultivated into a botanical sanctuary. These losses happened…
As is so often the case these days the weather seems to be mirroring the volatile and unexpected nature of the energy flow. As September approached there was an abrupt end to the summer weather almost as though a switch had been flicked. There is now a distinct feeling of Autumn in the air something that is also reflected in the garden and countryside around us.
The Energies of September
A good way to sum up what the energies of September have in store for us would be to say that the roller coaster ride of transformation looks set to continue to increase in intensity.
The winds of change are blowing in, both literally and figuratively, and they are gathering force. This is not something to be concerned about, but it will help to expect the unexpected and be prepared to flow through any transformational opportunities that come your way.
Some plants are easy to find. Other plants require time, turnpike tolls, and chance encounters with botanists’ field notes in order to pinpoint their precise locations.
Buffalo Nut, an understory shrub with a rather bizarre lifestyle, falls into the latter category.
My first encounter with Buffalo Nut took place more than 5 years ago. Since that initial sighting, I had never seen the plant again.
A few weeks ago, I came across a list of plants that a few botanists had compiled regarding the flora of certain forests. One of those forests was located in the southwestern portion of the state, and one of the plants included on the list was the elusive Buffalo Nut.
Intrigued, I decided to plan a visit to this forest in search of Buffalo Nut, though because I was quite unfamiliar with the area, I knew that I’d be embarking on a small-scale adventure. What excited me the most was finding its fruits, because years ago when I first discovered the plant, I had only witnessed it in flower.
The trip was planned, though the questions remained. Would I find the fruits? Would I even find the plant? Why are turnpike tolls so expensive?
In this brand new video, I recount the story of my recent adventure in search of an unassuming denizen of the forest.
If you are interested in learning artistic nature photography skills, there are two upcoming opportunities to learn directly from an expert in the field. Michael Haritan (my father) is a photographer with over 30 years of experience. He will be teaching two separate classes in southwestern Pennsylvania (Allegheny County) on the techniques involved in using the camera to create images worthy of artistic merit. If you are interested in taking your photography skills to the next level, these all-day classes are definitely worth the investment.
A former roommate once picked on me because I saved the crumbs from the bottom of cracker, chip, and pretzel bags. A few years later, he admitted he was rather impressed with all the different uses I found for them, from incorporating them into quiche crusts and coating fish, to topping casseroles and mixing them into meatballs. So it is not surprising that I am often astounded by the bags of trash that get brought to the curb after my neighbors host summer barbecues. I can’t help but wonder: how much of my neighbors’ food waste could be used for something else?
One of the great pleasures of summer is fresh corn on the cob, and one of my least favorite things is the silk that often interferes with that pleasure. But these silky strands can be dried and used as a tea. Corn silk was used…
2020 is certainly a year to remember for many of us in the human realm. Here in Western Pennsylvania and up along many parts of New England, we’ve had an additional serious problem affecting the natural world—an extreme drought. This summer, the jet stream is way off of its normal course and so most of the major storms that would typically hit us have been forced south of us, creating the “moderate” drought that we are now in and causing uncharacteristically dry conditions. know there are other serious droughts around the world, such as the three-year drought currently happening in Germany. Climate change is making these kinds of weather events all the more common and teaching us powerful lessons along the way. In today’s post, I’ll share some drought lessons, drought land healing, and ways of working and honoring water.
I love weeds. There, I said it. Don’t worry, I do pull them (there’s a reason why they’re called weeds, after all), but I am much more likely to make a tincture or a salve or something good (yes, good) to eat than to discard them completely.
After all, weeds were really the first herbs. Emerson said “weeds are but an unloved flower.” They have also been called a plant out of place. Consider a field of commercial dandelions with a single forlorn rose bush growing in the middle. Now which one is the weed?
Weeds tell wonderful stories, and as we learn them, they take us on a journey to discover where they came from and how they came to be who they are today.
For example, there’s the common broadleaf plantain (Plantago major). Broadleaf plantain is everywhere, which is a good thing for…
One of the great pleasures of summer is fresh corn on the cob, and one of my least favorite things is the silk that often interferes with that pleasure. But these silky strands can be dried and used as a tea. Corn silk was used…
Weeds tell wonderful stories, and as we learn them, they take us on a journey to discover where they came from and how they came to be who they are today. 
Paths I Walk 
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