Author: Paula Cas

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.

Physical Land Healing: How do I know what to do?

The Druid's Garden

Some years ago, I remember one influential druid speaking at a major event and saying, “The best thing you can do in nature is pick up the garbage and get out.” From a certain standpoint, this perspective makes a lot of sense. It is the same perspective held by many conservationists trying to preserve pristine lands or lands that have been replanted and are healing; the best thing that can be done is figure out how to keep people from mucking them up, pick up garbage, and leave them undisturbed. This is a perspective ultimately rooted in the desire to care for nature, to preserve nature, and to do good. Unfortunately, this perspective doesn’t really seem to provide a meaningful way to respond to today’s problems ecologically because it’s largely based on assumptions that mitigate damage rather than actively regenerate ecosystems. This perspective as a whole teaches us how to…

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Discover the Health Benefits of the ‘Christmas Tree’, Spruce Oil and Pine Oil

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

The Pine tree is easily recognized as the “Christmas Tree,” but it is also commonly cultivated for its wood, which is rich in resin and is thus ideal for use as fuel, as well as for making a pitch, tar, and turpentine, substances that are traditionally used in construction and painting.

In folk tales, the height of the Pine tree has led to its symbolic reputation as a tree that loves the sunlight and is always growing taller in order to catch the beams. This is a belief that is shared throughout many cultures, which also refer to it as “The Master of Light” and “The Torch Tree.” Accordingly, in the region of Corsica, it is burned as a spiritual offering so that it can emit a source of light. In some Native American tribes, the tree is called “The Watchman of the Sky.”

In history, the Pine tree’s needles…

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3 Alcohol-Based Hand Rub Recipes – Herbal Academy

Good Witches Homestead

The most important prevention measures we can take right now are staying home and practicing social distancing if leaving the house for essential work or trips to the grocery store or pharmacy—that is, staying at least 6 feet away from other people (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2020a). Washing hands thoroughly with soap and warm to hot water for at least 20 seconds after being in a public place, after sneezing or blowing your nose, and before eating, drinking, or handling food is also crucial to prevent the spread of the virus; however, if handwashing isn’t possible, the CDC recommends the use of an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropyl alcohol until you can wash your hands again (CDC, 2020a; CDC, 2020b).

Folks have taken this approach to heart, clearly, because commercially available hand sanitizers are in seriously short supply these days! However, with a…

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In Praise Of Wood Frogs

Greetings,

In my neck of the woods, signs of spring abound — from the blooming of Snow Trillium and Sharp-Lobed Hepatica, to the reappearance of the Eastern Phoebe and warmer days.

Among the indications that winter has predictably expired and tipped its hat to another growing season is the emergence of the wood frog.

The wood frog is one of nature’s most resilient and adaptable creatures, occupying a range that — at the species level — spans thousands of miles of varied habitats. Perhaps most interesting of all is that this hardy frog has the amazing ability to freeze solid when temperatures plummet… and survive the experience!

The wood frog has been patronizing the local pools lately, allowing itself to be observed and filmed by anyone with any interest in these sorts of things.

As it turns out, I do have a deep interest in these sorts of things, and I recently visited a nearby floodplain to document and film the seasonal manners of this libidinous amphibian.

If you are interested in learning more about the wood frog — and also about vernal pools, cryoprotectants, and holistic approaches to conservation — check out the brand new video!

Have you ever seen something that looks like this? Though it resembles a pinecone, this structure is not produced by any conifer tree. Instead, this pyramidal growth is produced in response to an insect that feeds on a particular flowering shrub. Check out this recent Instagram post to learn more!

Click to view post

Thanks for reading and watching… and as always, thank you for your support!

-Adam Haritan

A Passion For Violet: A Video Preview — Gather Victoria

I’ve been busy making videos on foraging & eating wild spring greens over at Gather Victoria Patreon but in April with the entrance of Venus, Goddess of Beauty and Love, I’ll be paying homage to her flower. Yes, that spring seductress of the wild woodland – violet. Used in perfumes, enchantments and love-spells throughout the…

via A Passion For Violet: A Video Preview — Gather Victoria

A Brief History of Chloroquine

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

FDA fast-tracks the drug, modeled after the natural substance quinine in cinchona bark, for use in COVID-19 clinical trials

Editor’s note: The nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC) is disseminating this information to its members and other stakeholders in the medicinal plant community to provide historical insight into the ethnobotanical approach to drug discovery with respect to chloroquine and its derivative hydroxychloroquine. ABC is not recommending the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, or any of the quinoline alkaloids on which these drugs are modeled, as treatments or for the prevention of COVID-19. This includes any naturally occurring botanicals with similar or related chemistries. Such recommendations must come from appropriate medical and regulatory authorities after appropriate testing is done. ABC emphasizes that the use of these drugs carries a substantial risk of adverse side effects. ABC has always supported the process of modern drug development from medicinal plant and fungal sources, insofar…

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Essential Oils A Natural Substance

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

For over several thousands of years, humans have been employing essential oils for therapeutic purposes as well as sustaining good health. In effect, the ancient Egyptians extensively used essential oils. Currently, essential oils are used extensively in lotions meant for external use, aromatherapy, comforting baths and in a great assortment of herbal medications.

Any attempt to define essential oils accurately as well as in a few words is really difficult. For all practical purposes, one may possibly depict essential oils in the form of natural odoriferous (having potent fragrance) compounds that are present in or separated from plant materials. Generally, essential oils are in liquid form (in some exceptional cases they may be in semi-solid form, but seldom found in solid form), are not water-soluble and volatile when they come in contact with steam. Essential oils evaporate at dissimilar paces under normal atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. Therefore, they are…

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A New Page In My Chronic Pain Journey

Oro Cas Reflects

My name is Oro Cas and I am a chronic pain sufferer. A fifty foot fall in my 20’s, a lightning strike at 40, and 30 years of driving tractor-trailer have taken a toll on my body and nerves. As of my last spine series, I have 3 dead discs, 2 ruptured discs, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and degenerative disc disorder. Needless to say, I am a patient at a pain clinic where over the past two years I have gone from 10mg of Oxycontin once a day to 20mg twice a day.

I’m getting close to a time where there will have to be some major decisions made. Decisions that I dread. Do I have surgery with the hope of better mobility and pain relief? The opinions from two neurosurgeons were no help. One said call me when you’re ready for surgery, the other said you have a 50-50 chance…

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Benefits and Use of Peppermint Oil

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

The next few posts will be about an herb we grow commercially on our farm in Oregon. I can not bestow enough accolades for the use of peppermint whether it be the plant or the essential oil. We have grown peppermint for over 30 years on 2400 acres, grown commercially and shipped worldwide, it has to be one of the most commonly used oils in the world, but few really know the virtues of peppermint.

I and my daughter are constantly creating uses for this oil, from salves {we created a muscle salve for Hubbie after his farming accident when a water line {wheel} came down on top of him and crushed his spine. If it had not been for our German Shepherd Mountain my husband’s injuries would have been far more severe than what had initially occurred. He would have been stuck in a foot and half of the…

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What Are The Health Benefits of Clary Sage Oil?

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Clary sage, also known as Salvia sclarea, is a plant native to the northern Mediterranean Basin. It is widely used for medicinal purposes and as a spice.

Many parts of the clary sage plant can be used, including the leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. In alternative health practices, clary sage essential oil is used in aromatherapy.

In this article, we take a look at the uses and suggested health benefits of clary sage oil. We will also look at whether there is any scientific evidence to back these claims up. We also examine how the oil is used, and what side effects could occur.

Uses for clary sage oil

Clary sage oil

Clary sage oil may have properties such as antidepressant effects, improved digestion, and stress relief.

Aromatherapists and related alternative health practitioners often use clary sage as an essential oil in their treatments, and supporters believe it has many health…

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