This is a story of healing.  With the now declared worldwide pandemic of the corona virus, COVID-19, you have to wonder how ancient man protected themselves from disease and illness.  With all the medical advances we have in the modern world it is still those microscopic viruses that cause such disruption and death.  It is easy understand considering how mobile we are through mass transit and international travel that an untreatable virus can spread quickly.  You might think that back hundreds of years ago when basically the major mode of travel was by foot mankind didn’t have to worry as muc ..read more

Mesa Verde National Park is really a must see, not only for those of us interested in Anthropology and Archaeology but it is really one of those treasures that does not disappoint in any way.  Best time to visit is from Mid-May to Mid-October, that is when all the Cliff Dwellings are open to tour.  The park is open all year however, in the winter due to weather conditions you can’t go down into the Cliff Dwellings and there is no fun in that. My wife, Cathy, and I were lucky enough to have a great visit at the park in the summer of 2018.  In fact, the picture of the Cliff Dwellings on my homep ..read more

Since the late 1800’s when the phrase ‘The oldest profession’ is uttered most people think of something other than woodworking.  However, woodworking is actually the oldest known profession of mankind.  How can I make that statement?  Well, let’s take a look at it. The first evidence of man using metals has been dated to 7,000 BC.  For the 2.5 million years before that mankind’s tool kit was based on stone, bone, shells other animal parts and natural items, the most versatile and important of all was wood. Homo erectus, a species that lived from about 2.5 million years ago to 70,000 years ago ..read more

Art is basic and unique to the human experience.  Creating Art is inherently something humans must do.  All cultures have art in one form or another.  Art is a reflection of culture.  All cultures have their own aesthetics.  The world is dominated by Western Culture so we are mostly aware of the Western aesthetic of the perfection of beauty.  But there are other ways of seeing beauty just as valid. Wabi-Sabi is an ancient Japanese aesthetic and way of living that focuses on finding beauty in the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the impermanence of things.  It is the beauty of thi ..read more

Dude, we found some more old bones! That’s not probably the official headline you’ve seen in the last couple of weeks about this recent paleoanthropological find but it could have been. There has been quite a bit of media coverage in the past two months about a recent discovery of a 3.8 million years old cranium from the Afar region of Ethiopia.  You can read all about it here.  This new discovery is of an individual in the hominin species called Australopithecus anamensis.  The big deal about this find is that it questions the currently accepted idea that Lucy, an Australopithecus afarensis ..read more

'Everybody must get stoned', Bob Dylan, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 I guess we all going to be able to be legal potheads in a few years.  It is now legal to smoke recreational marijuana in 11 states in the U.S. and of the remaining 39 states, 30 of those it is either decriminalized or they have medical pot use or both.  There are currently only 9 states out of the 50 where marijuana is still illegal.  Oh yeah, in Washington DC it is totally legal.  I guess congress takes care of its own, after all, John Boehner (retired republican Speaker of the House) is one of the biggest spokesmen in the c ..read more

I was recently asked, in a comment after a blog post, this question. "If Neanderthal DNA is 99.8% identical to modern human then when we look at a person’s DNA and say they have 1-4% Neanderthal, how do we know the rest of it isn’t Neanderthal as well since the rest of their DNA is identical??" The short answer to that question is we have 100% the same DNA as Neanderthals which includes 100% of same genes. That is the truth of it right there.  How can I make that statement?  Read on to see. In the Beginning I believe it’s important when studying evolution to have a basic understanding of genet ..read more

Each Sacred Symbol and Talisman is created by hand, one at a time by me, using earthenware clay.  The good news is because I create each piece one at a time by hand there will be very small variations in size and color tone. They range from 10 to 12 ounces (284 to 340 gm) and are approximately 3.5 to 4 inches (8.9 to 10.2 cm) across.  Each Talisman is truly unique which is what you are looking for.  Because of its uniqueness your Talisman will be yours alone, no one else will have the exact same one. Celtic Tree of Life Small variations in handmade artwork are what give each piece its own 'ch ..read more

I wanted to write a post about exactly how Sacred Symbols and Talismans work to improve your Well-being and make your life better.    After getting started on it I realized I had a ton to say in order for to make the point.  I ended writing this 8,000 word essay and thought, man, that’s a long blog post. So, what I did was instead of making it a blog post I have it as part of my main menu of the website and if you just look up it’s on the main menu of this (and every) page. Sacred Symbols and Talismans I really hope you will take the time to read through the entire article.  It totally reveal ..read more

I can make your life better right now.  By right now I mean ‘right now’ as in this second.  Are you up for it?  If you aren’t then you might want to stop reading and go somewhere else because this whole post is about how you can, right now, make your life better by doing something so quickly and easily it’s overlooked by most. I am not talking about some bs that is floating around on the internet either.  What I am going to say is backed by two decades of scientific research conducted by actual scientists with PHD and MD attached to their names working in major universities and research center ..read more