Later that night, inside the teepee, the Fire Man burns wood in the center of the dirt floor with cedar incense which is supposed to curb the feelings of nausea which can accompany ingesting peyote, the key ingredient being mescaline.
We sit in a wide circle around the fire. I was told to bring a few pillows and a blanket but I have forgotten. I use my sweatshirt to pad my seat. For now this suffices.
Rick, the Road Chief, starts off with a short prayer: “I am going into...

I follow Randy and his wife June, up the winding highway 150 to Ojai. His wife drives like a lunatic and I have to be Mario Andretti to keep up.
Randy is an actor friend and aspiring writer who attends a bi-monthly peyote ceremony in the Ojai valley for his Native American religion. He tells me this is the most profound spiritual experience of his life and urges me to check it out. How can I resist such an invitation? “Most profound spiritual experience” is just what the doctor ordered....

I found it difficult to fathom how Tom attracted anyone to his walks. He imparted very little bird knowledge along the trip and spewed unrelenting venom and negativity. His disposition was almost diametrically opposed to the birdwatching mindset. The birders in this group seemed to regard Tom as a troubled grandchild, with more affectionate amusement than disdain. It even appeared there was the subtle element of these people really wanting to humor and help Tom by being cheerful witnesses to...

“In Buddha’s Pure Land there are many birds. There are snow-white storks and swans, and gaily colored peacocks and tropical birds of paradise, and flocks of little birds, softly singing and voicing Buddha’s teachings and praising His virtues.”
Buddha



“Unhitch the wagon, people. We haven’t got all day,” Tom belted, holding the gate open for two elderly women in hooded parkas who shuffled along at a snail’s pace in the gravel. “We’re burning...

What’s the meaning of this life and where do we find it? Through practical, everyday observations of life, and deep meditations on the wisdom of the ages, Jay Nuzum explores meaning in his own life after reaching a point where all meaning seemed lost.
“It was around the time I lost my job, my father passed away, my grandmother passed, my wife contracted breast cancer at age twenty-seven, and I almost died…” Thus begins the true-life account of personal transformation and a never-ending...