Book Reviews – The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon

The Indigenous World View and the Physics of Consciousness

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American Prophecy, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, Spirit Medicine, spirituality

If there’s one thing that few will argue, it’s that Indigenous people have a closer connection to the Earth and all living things than the science-based white man. They repeatedly tell us we are all related, including the animals and all other living things.

Book cover for "The Making of a Healer" by Russell FourEagles

Even what a geologist would consider an inanimate mineral can have a story to tell, as conveyed in “The Making of a Healer” by Russell FourEagles. In that book he found a stone that was shaped such that it had apparently been the head of hide scraping tool. Using his Indigenous healer gift of perception, which inspired him to pick it up in the first place, he discerned its history, from when the rock was found by a young girl, to its evolution to a tool when it was secured in a young tree to grow around it to form it’s handle.

Book cover of "The Physics of Consciousness" by Ivan Antic

Many supposed “scientists” would undoubtedly think that this was nothing short of some elaborate hallucination. Except, perhaps, a man named Ivan Antic whose book “The Physics of Consciousness: In the Quantum Field, Minerals, Plants, Animals, and Human Souls” I recently finished reading.

Yeah, that’s who I am. I read weird stuff like that. But I must admit that much of this went over my head, but what I did absorb was remarkable. And right in synch with Native American beliefs regarding the unity of all existence.

I have a bachelors degree in physics. Thus, I’ve had college classes in quantum theory. I’ve had my own thoughts on that over the years. Years ago scientists thought that light needed to propagate through some medium and theorized the existence of the aether, that permeated all of creation, including outer space. Then, when this couldn’t be detected and proven to exist, it was dismissed, the term declared verboten, and space declared an empty vacuum. Then a few decades later, they come up with dark matter, which to me, is the same thing with a different name. And Mr. Antic agrees.

The quantum world is nothing like what we experience day to day. Its weird and loaded with mystery. Gradually, science is admitting it doesn’t know everything. Big surprise! In my mind the most laughable scientific period of time was “The Enlightenment” where we were supposedly beginning to understand how the world operates.

Yeah, right.

Instead, the true essence of existence was dismissed if it couldn’t be proven in the lab in a repeatable manner. Sadly, too many people still believe that today.

Like Antic states in this book, “Since our current stage of evolution has not gone past the monkey phase, obviously that explains why we are so imperfect, incapable, and destructive, and appear to be on a collision course aimed at destroying the whole planet we live on.”

He describes the world of quantum physics as the very foundation of nature where there is nothing solid. “There is not a material world as such, it is rather a universal energy field, a big information field where everything is interconnected in one unity outside of space and time, in which all the subatomic particles communicate with one another currently and irrelevantly of space and time.” [Emphasis added]

Well, well, well. Imagine that.

He goes on to explain that the infamous Maxwell Equations that I learned in college were actually modified by mathematicians after Maxwell’s death because the world was not ready for what the originals contained. Indeed, they blasted the “Enlightenment” out of the water by recognizing the aether as well as both Hertzian and non-Hertzian waves, which are separated by the speed of light.

He notes that “There is a common belief that the earth we walk on is a conscious being.” He notes that water has “physical properties that are a characteristic of the quantum world: it reacts to thoughts and neighboring frequencies, it remembers all the shapes and informational influences it was exposed to, both physical and mental, and acts the way consciousness would act in its most elementary form. Water unites consciousness with the elements, making it the foundation of life that is present in all living beings….”

I cannot count the times I’ve seen the statement “Water is Life” in Native American context.

Antic notes that “Plants adapt to their environment showing creative consciousness in their forming…Plants live on water and sunlight, sense and perceive, have non-local communication, bond emotionally with other beings, and feel the states of living organisms in their surroundings, especially in people.”

Is it any wonder that Indigenous people have certain plants they consider sacred?

He points out that “Tree trunks are antennas connecting the earth to the cosmos; they communicate with the stars. They communicate with people who are aware enough to have communication of this kind, those who can sense in their bodies the mild signals containing simple messages, always amicable and full of affection.“ [Emphasis mine]

The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon book cover

I was delighted when I read that since that’s exactly what Charlie did in “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon” in the chapter entitled “The Aspen” where the tree that witnessed the accident that killed his best friend gave him a clue on where to find evidence. When I wrote some of these scenes I wondered if they were realistic. My Cheyenne coauthor, Pete Risingsun, assured me that they were.

And there it is, in a book about the physics of consciousness.

Out-of-body experiences, such as near-death experiences (NDEs) have an important message in that they teach individuals directly that they are not their body but immortal consciousness. Per Antic, “For as long as we remain identified with the physical body as the only reality, we cannot know the true nature of consciousness and existence.”

This explains the reason why people who have had NDEs often are changed upon returning to their bodies. In the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy, both Sara and Charlie are different after going through NDEs. In many instances I’ve read that one is necessary for one to become a medicine man or shaman because it opens up their perception to other dimensions.

Shona Bear Clark in Nancy Redstar’s book “Our Star Ancestors” states, “I had been dead for seven minutes. I was in pure light. I didn’t see or hear anyone in the light, but ever since then I have been able to hear people thinking. I can see a person’s spirit floating above his head, which tells me a great deal about the person.” She goes on to say, ” I have lived a long life, continually aware of the existence of other realities and of strange, magical beings who can traverse the dimensional barriers and enter my world. These are things Indians rarely speak about to White men. But we are changing all that now.”

I found it profound, satisfying and gratifying to find the phenomena depicted in mine and Pete’s books to be validated by a book that describes the “physics of consciousness.”

Undoubtedly what is commonly called our current “civilized” world is a gross overstatement.

Antic’s book, of which this is one of many, is not an easy read. I think I underlined a substantial percentage of it due to its wealth of fascinating content. Many paragraphs I had to read several times before I could grok what he was saying. It’s a book I will definitely read again. If you’re interested in what consciousness really is and its amazing implication, then you might want to pick up a copy on Amazon here.

If you enjoyed this blog be sure to subscribe so you’re notified when a new one is posted. I plan to do several more posts on this subject in the days and weeks to come. I also invite you to read “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon” trilogy, which is loaded with examples of Indigenous culture and their connection to dimensions most people cannot see and some claim don’t exist.

Like Antic noted, sadly too many are still at the monkey stage.

Beautiful Prose, Beautiful Message

Posted on November 21, 2025November 21, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American Heritage Month, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, spirituality

Cover of Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Gathering Moss

Review of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses”

This book has so many layers I hardly know where to start. First of all the prose is so beautifully poetic that aspiring writers of any genre should read it as a sterling example of that alone. Her use of analogies and metaphors add so much for the depth it reveals about this incredible author whose indigenous roots shine brightly in her books.

I never would have imagined that there could be that many varieties of mosses or that someone could devote their life and earn a PhD to their study. Our world is full of wonders, many of which are consistently overlooked. The beauty of mosses is clearly overlooked by the average person, myself included.

I love nature of all varieties, and was fascinated as well as astounded by the botanical side of this book. Who has ever expected more beauty from a moss beyond its soft, velvety touch on tree trunks or an old stone wall? That some mosses you may find are as old as the place they occupy? That they are true home-bodies and don’t respond well to being moved? That they can live for centuries, yet are so sensitive and particular about where they grow?

How many people realize that moss has amazing absorption qualities such that it can hold 60X its weight in liquid? Or that prior to the availability of cloth much less Huggies that ancient woman used it for diapers or sanitary products? If you need a trivia question no one is likely to guess there’s one for you!

Robin’s love for nature is impossible to miss. As a Native American she has a connection to Mother Earth that most white people lack. A couple times when she mentioned a species evolving I had to smile. I guess you can’t get to PhD level without being indoctrinated to the white scientific view of the world to some degree. But surely in her heart she knows that each of these beautiful plants was created as were all the animals and humans.

Her experiences during her research were fascinating. Canoeing through rivers embraced by steep canyon walls, a research center accessible only by boat where she would spend summers with her daughters, a consulting job at some anonymous wealthy owner’s estate who was trying to coerce nature to his will, thinking money alone was enough.

As an integrated whole, this book is like a guided meditation. It’s about so much more than the science of bryophytes. The title has as many layers as the book itself. Like the cliche, “A rolling stone gathers no moss,” it beckons you to slow down and look closer at the world around you.

This book is a masterpiece. Think of it as a walk through the woods on a spring day, not to be rushed, expectations open, or you’ll miss its magic. It’s encouraging to see how popular her books are, that people are seeking a world that those obsessed with power and greed have tried so hard to hide.

You can pick up a copy on Amazon here.

Medicine Men: Then and Now (Part 1)

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, conspiracies, Government Policies, In the News, Indigenous wisdom, Native American history, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Spirit Medicine

AI Generated image of a traditional medicine man shaking hands with a modern woman doctor

Healing is something we all seek at one time or another. In these modern times, many turn to their physician, who then sends a prescription to their chosen pharmacy. If you can afford it, you take it as directed. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Yet the human race survived for thousands of years without pharmaceutical companies. Probably the most questionable thing about them is how they did all in their power to suppress natural cures.

Why?

A natural substance cannot be patented and thus assure income.

Of course it’s becoming more apparent day by day that the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry isn’t about helping people get well–it’s about profits. While this subject is ripe for discussing any number of conspiracy theories, that is not the point I want to make.

Rather, I’d like to illustrate similarities between methods used for thousands of years by indigenous healers (i.e., medicine men or, in some cultures, shamans) versus “new” alternative medicine approaches that eschew drugs for other means for optimizing health, both physical and emotional, which are more connected than most people realize.

Cover of Louise Hay's book "You Can Heal Your Life"

That is one of the most fascinating “breakthroughs” in relatively recent times. Much of this began with Louise Hay’s book, You Can Heal Your Life. A similar book that was my first introduction to the possibility is Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol Kuhn Truman.

In his book, A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle states, “Suffering or negativity is often misperceived by the ego as pleasure because up to a point the ego strengthens itself through it. For example, anger or resentment strengthen the ego enormously. . . If you were able to observe the physiological changes that take place inside your body when possessed by such negative states, how they adversely affect the functioning of the heart, the digestive and immune systems, and countless other bodily functions, it would become abundantly clear that such states are indeed pathological, are forms of suffering and not pleasure…”

Cover of Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth"

He goes on to say, ” The remnants of pain left behind by every strong negative emotion that is not fully faced, accepted, and then let go of join together to form an energy field that lives in the very cells of your body…The pain-body is a semi-autonomous energy-form that lives within more human beings, an entity made up of emotion. It has its own primitive intelligence, not unlike a cunning animal, and its intelligence is directed primarily at survival…That’s why it thrives on negative thinking as well as drama in relationships. The pain-body is an addiction to unhappiness.

Cover of "The Making of a Healer" by Russell FourEagles

Here is what Russell FourEagles, a modern-day Native American healer, has to say about such emotions:

“We humans tend to hang on to too much baggage such as anger, guilt, and pain. We tend to keep inside the hurts and sorrows from losses of family and friends. We also hang onto other life losses such as money and material things. That little place the Creator gave us to store our hurts was meant to be used for just a short while, until we were ready to let them go. But instead, we stuff our heart boxes with more and more hurts and traumas until we learn from our life’s lessons or die. We may often carry this baggage for many lifetimes if we don’t learn to let it go…

“The addition of the new trauma has caused the heart box to swell, so that it presses uncomfortably against the heart and lungs. But then, in an unconscious ability the Creator gave us, we have stolen energy from our own cells to build a wall around our heart box… One way to unload our heart boxes is through the Oneida Fire Ceremony. The ceremony’s main function is for us to give all our painful memories and traumas to the Creator. We do this through writing things down and offering them up in prayer. This ritual helps us to heal and get stronger. In the process, we uncover ever and ever deeper old hurts.” (The Making of a Healer: Teachings of my Oneida Grandmother)

Cover of Dr. Bradley Nelson's book "The Emotion Code"

As far as the Heart Box is concerned, modern researcher and chiropractor, Bradley Nelson, states: “Trapped emotions can create a wall around your heart that can block you from living life to the fullest…Your subconscious mind–which knows no limitations–will sometimes use the energy of these trapped emotions to create a barrier or shield around your heart. Literally, it creates a wall of energy around your heart, to protect it…

“When you have a Heart Wall, you are not able to give love as well as you might, because that love energy that is in your heart cannot get out as well. (The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions for Abundant Health, Love and Happiness)

Cover of Karol Kuhn Truman's book "Feelings Buried Alive Never Die."

The heart is not the only place that emotions can be trapped. As Louise Hay, Karol Kuhn Truman, and Dr. Bradley Nelson each explained, different feelings get stored in different organs. If you have specific health problems, its origin could lie in some past emotional trauma.

I invite you to check out one or all of these books for details.

Watch for more on this fascinating subject of how ancient beliefs about everything from healing to the true meaning of consciousness are coming full-circle with modern science.

Living in a Gift Economy with Reciprocity and Gratitude

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American Media, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, spirituality

Review of “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer

This beautiful little book gives you plenty to think about. The illustrations complement the text perfectly and help convey it’s sweet message. I expected it to be a bit longer, but it’s the expansion of an essay/article done previously.

I love the author’s insights based on her Native American heritage. There is so much wisdom there. The core message of the analogy to the serviceberry is reflected in the subtitle, “Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.” Everything we have and need comes from the Earth as a gift. We should take only what we need. Greed and hoarding are not how nature operates. When do we attain the feeling of “enoughness?”

It’s message is also nicely expressed in Chief Seattle’s quote, “Take only memories, leave only footprints” from a speech he gave on honoring the environment.

Sharing builds friends and community. Giving back benefits both the donor and the recipient. She states, “Gratitude and reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy, and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange, their energy concentrating as the pass form hand to hand, a truly renewable resource.”

She tells the story of a little wooden “Free Farm Stand” that was placed by the road where excess produce was left for people to take. The irony was that when winter approached and the stand was shut down, someone took the sign literally and actually took the stand itself! Fortunately, a young man in the area was working on his Eagle Scout Award and planned to build a new one as his project.

Many years ago I lived in a community that dated back to the 1800s where everyone knew each other. Probably more than half of them were related, progeny of the town’s founders. Our children played together, we shared our talents and our harvests. We bartered, eggs for fresh milk and various other exchanges.

This is fairly easy to do in a small community. She mentions potlatches, which I was not familiar with, so I looked it up. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “A ceremonial feast among Indian tribes on the northwest Pacific coast to which the host distributes gifts requiring reciprocation.”

I have seen that on a smaller scale, where you would take a treat or dinner to someone and tell them to pay it forward to someone else as opposed to paying it back to the giver. To think this was a inherent part of Indigenous culture is thought provoking at the least.

These practices are more easily accomplished in small neighborhoods where everyone knows each other. It brings to mind something I read in Nancy Red Star’s book, “Star Ancestors,” about a great migration that occurred thousands of years ago. The people were advised not to stop and build cities, but of course some of them did.

If you look at cities today you can see the wisdom of that advice. In cities people lose touch with one another. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, clear back in the 18th Century, argued that humans were happier and more virtuous in a “state of nature.” Cities, civilization, and fancy social structures just made people fake, greedy, and miserable. He saw city life as the root of inequality and moral decay. He believed living close to nature, simple living, and smaller, self-sufficient communities — not the crowded, artificial world of cities, was the way to live. Centuries later, Henry David Thoreau echoed the same sentiment in Walden Pond.

Going deeper into that subject opens Pandora’s Box, so I’ll leave that for another day.

Indigenous cultures had a beautiful concept of community and taking care of one other. Small communities often operate in a similar manner. Each of us could start with our families by instilling the concept of giving, reciprocity, and gratitude, then expanding it to friends, neighbors, and relatives.

After all, it’s the family where such beliefs should begin.

You can get your copy on Amazon here.

Think you own your home? Think again.

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Government Policies, Indian Reservations, Indigenous wisdom, Native American history, Native Americans, US History

I tumbled down that particular rabbit hole upon reading, “How to Truly Own your Land: Land Patents” by Ashley Rocks, Kenneth Plaster, and Gwendolyn Morris. More on that later. Since writing the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy with my coauthor, Pete Risingsun, I now filter many issues through what I’ve learned about how “trustworthy” the United States has been regarding Native Americans.

Right. I can hear you laughing already.

That book about land patents started with Article VI of the U.S. Constitution which states:

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

And that is where I fell down the rabbit hole.

If treaties represent the supreme law of the land, how did Native Americans lose so much of theirs? No Constitutional amendments exist that pertain to Article VI.

So what happened?

Brace yourself for a brief history lesson to illustrate how convoluted that simple question’s answer tends to be. Then we’ll get into how this affects you as a home or property owner.

Consider that the Constitution was ratified September 17, 1787, over a hundred-fifty years after the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. Per Carl Waldman’s “Atlas of the North American Indian,” during the Colonial period, the English, French, and Dutch recognized the sovereignty of Indian nations and negotiated a plethora of treaties. Their intent was mostly to legitimize their own land purchases, claim colonial powers, and establish trade agreements. (p. 236)

Following the American Revolution, it’s easy to guess what happened to those early treaties. Like an incoming hostile landlord, the U.S. Government assumed control with a new set of conditions. Years later, Article I, Section 10 of the Constitution specifically banned states from entering into any treaty or alliance, implying previous ones were of little effect.

Cover of "Atlas of the North American Indian" by Carl Waldman

From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation prevailed as the rule of law. The United States’ intent with treaties was typically to legalize the right of conquest.

In a similar manner, Native Americans were not initially granted “birth right citizenship” in spite of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, ratified in July 1868. Why? Because they were not born in the official United States. Furthermore, reservations were under Indian jurisdiction and therefore were deemed not to qualify.

During the 1850s, numerous treaties were negotiated with Indian tribes, i.e. 52 from 1853 to 1856 alone. Treaties as policy ended with a negotiated agreement between the federal government and the Nez Perce in 1867, the last of some 370 treaties! (Waldman, p. 237) Furthermore, numerous agreements made between tribes and supposed government representatives that failed to be ratified by Congress fell through the cracks while Native Americans signed them in good faith, often not even knowing what they contained.

Is it any wonder Native Americans accused the white man of “speaking with a forked tongue?”

In 1871 an act of Congress officially impeded further treaties. Supposedly, treaty obligations were not invalidated, but Indians were now subject to unilateral laws of Congress and presidential rulings. (Waldeman, p. 237)

In “The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West” by Martha Sandweiss she described the meeting the Peace Commission held at Fort Laramie with numerous tribal leaders in 1868. Fast forward to 1873 when Blackfoot (Crow) stated how they were promised a multitude of things that were not actually written in the treaty as described in “Great Speeches by Native Americans.” (pp142-143)

Blackfoot said, “What we say to them, and what they said to us, was “Good.” We said “Yes, yes,” to it; but it is not in the treaty….When we were in council at Laramie we asked whether we might eat the buffalo for a long time. They said yes. That is not in the treaty. We told them we wanted a big country. They said we should have it; and that is not in the treaty. They promised us plenty of goods, and food for forty years–plenty for all the Crows to eat; but that is not in the treaty….”

Of course it wasn’t, since two years before, as stated earlier, Congress impeded further treaties.

Get the picture?

Do you really think the government holds any of its citizens in higher regard than First Nation Americans?

Which brings us to the book that started this tangent.

Cover of "How to Truly Own Your Land: Land Patents"

If you think you own your home or land, think again. While those who came to the New World in the 17th Century did so for freedom and the opportunity to own land versus a feudal system, over the years that has been corrupted like everything else the Founding Fathers intended, reverting back to what they supposedly left behind.

This book is essential reading for anyone who thinks they own their land. You most likely hold an equitable interest title or deed, but do not hold full title to the land. Don’t believe me? Fail to make your mortgage payments or pay your property taxes and see what happens.

If you held what is known as an allodial title, the land would be yours. Period. You would not owe homage to some financial institution or government authority to retain it. It would be yours. Forever.

So why don’t you own your land? This relatively short book of 83 pages describes all the particulars, of which the average person is entirely unaware.

It is possible to obtain a Land Patent, or allodial title, but it involves a complicated process and a lot of research, tracing your property’s ownership history back to its origins as a land grant with an allodial title. While this book is not intended as legal advice, it does give you plenty of information to help you along that convoluted path.

I’m definitely interested in getting an allodial title to my existing land. My property taxes are horrible and nothing would please me more than to be situated to avoid them.

You can get a copy of this eye-opening book on Amazon. It’s a bit pricey for a skinny paperback, but the information it contains could save orders of magnitude more should allodial title be achieved.

Confessions of a Life-Long Bibliophile

Posted on August 11, 2025August 23, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Author Interviews, Book Reviews

The True Loves of My Life

As an only child, books were important. Fortunately, my mother read to me as a young child such that I could read by the time I went to school. I was reading chapter books by 3rd grade, maybe sooner. My early favorites were animal stories by authors like Paul Gallico, who wrote “The Abandoned,” my favorite book for many years, perhaps for all time. Robert Lawson, author of “The Tough Winter” was another favorite.

I remember going to the Peekskill New York Public Library in my home town and coming home with a huge stack of books, especially in the summer.

While still in elementary school I discovered Nancy Drew Mysteries. I would save my allowance to buy the latest release and had them all, which were usually read more than once. As a teen my favorite was “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. I remember reading on a city bus and coming to a part that made me laugh out loud, earning odd looks from my fellow passengers.

As a working adult, I had to give up certain authors because they kept me up all night: Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, to name a few.

Home at Last!

Somewhere along the line I discovered science fiction. The classics by Jules Verne such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” were my first discovery, followed by Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein, the latter my all-time favorite, especially “The Door Into Summer” and “A Stranger in a Strange Land,” where the word “grok” originated, for those of you who didn’t know.

I scratched out my first science fiction story in 6th grade on yellow lined paper about the planet our teacher hailed from. Not much of a plot, but my classmates found it entertaining. Not surprisingly, an avid reader like myself aspired to be an author when I grew up, more specifically a science fiction author.

One thing that always frustrated me was that science fiction books had very little actual science in them, probably why I favored Heinlein, who was an aeronautical engineer whose fiction started the “hard science fiction” sub-genre.

As a perfectionist, I wanted to learn more about science so that when I wrote my stories they would contain the scientific explanations I craved as a youth. Thus, at 35 I returned to school to earn a bachelor’s degree in physics from Utah State University, followed by a 21 year career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

We’re told to “Write what you know,” right?

My first science fiction novel, “The Capture of Phaethon,” about an asteroid collision with Earth was written while I was in college. It won me a scholarship as well as First Place Honor in a state competition. Maybe someday I’ll get it published. For now, the manuscript is in a box in the basement. Writing Phaethon was when I discovered the mysterious serendipity associated with creating fiction.

That’s all it is, right? Fiction? Something made up in your head?

My fictitious asteroid was named Phaethon, after the son of Apollo who crashed his father’s chariot into the Sun. Imagine my shock when doing research in the USU library’s NASA section that I found an asteroid by that name had recently been discovered! OMG! Later I discovered its usefulness in astrology, where it often indicates a “crash and burn” situation, figuratively or literally.

Heaven on Earth

The first time I set foot inside a library it felt like I was in Heaven. How it feels within the walls of a building lined with thousands upon thousands of books is as unique as it is indescribable. Every cell senses the knowledge and secrets that await, stirring my soul.

That could be why I often spend as much time researching a book as I do writing it, sometimes more. As much as I love my Kindle, for research it has to be a print book. I dog-ear pages, highlight, and leave sticky-notes galore. When I encounter a used book like that, it tells me someone was really into its content, which is what any author hopes for.

When I wrote the Star Trails Tetralogy I incorporated science and technology problems into the plot. These were books I wanted to read as a youth but couldn’t find. I even created a Compendium with additional information for readers, teachers, and home-schoolers.

Star Trails books were popular in a charter school in Utah among young nerds like I was. I had the privilege of talking to those students a few years ago, which was so much fun. I know of at least one middle school science teacher in Florida who has my books in her classroom for extra credit reading.

My favorite review for these books is the one where my writing was compared to Robert A. Heinlein. Imagine that! I have no idea how many children may have been inspired by them, but it’s good to know of at least a few.

Shifting Genres

“The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon” saga started as a cozy mystery, but my propensity for research quickly led to a far deeper and darker story. My characters got out of hand, as usual, and suddenly I had a main character who was Cheyenne, a culture about which I knew nothing. My encounters with Native Americans was limited, and primarily with the Navajo. Research and serendipity delivered coauthor, Pete Risingsun, who kept the cultural elements on target, to say nothing of the story itself and additional research we did together.

The Reader’s Favorite review for the second book, “Return to Dead Horse Canyon: Grandfather Spirits” noted, to our delight, that “The depth of ethnology packed into both novels is meticulously researched and beautifully detailed. Fox and Risingsun are a dream team with this saga.”

Serendipity was alive and well writing that saga, especially how beautifully ancient ceremonies dove-tailed with the plot as if I’d known about them all along.

What will be lost?

Besides a book’s creative or intellectual content, to me it’s a physical thing. I love how they feel and smell, whether it’s fresh ink newly off the press or a musty antique over a hundred years old. Ebooks just didn’t feel that satisfying. I was grateful when self-publishing a paperback was an option, making it possible to hold my first print book, “Beyond the Hidden Sky,” in my hands and flip through the pages.

However, to me, a real book is a cloth-bound hardback with a dust jacket.

And this past June that dream was finally realized when all three books of the “Dead Horse Canyon” saga were released as hardbacks, laminated covers on Amazon, and real books with a cloth cover and dust jacket available through Ingram and found on Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million (BAM), and numerous other booksellers’ websites.

Everything is being digitized, which is convenient, but I shudder to think that my generation of Baby Boomers may be the last to embrace physical, print books. The expense and storage involved versus the option of digitizing everything leaves no other choice.

Given that, how many will grow up without the joy of holding a brand new release from their favorite author in their hands, much less an autographed copy? Or never know the awe and expectation amid the imposed silence found within a massive library? While the words may be the same, there’s an essence found only from a tome in tangible form. When they’re my age will they miss their first smart phone the way I treasure the memory of those beloved books?

Or maybe that’s just me, an admitted bibliophile, who loves the print medium as much for its physical presence as what lies within. Digital formats that could disappear with a power surge or a few key strokes just aren’t the same. (Probably a thought my children will express loudly when I die and they have to deal with my many bookshelves full, only one of which you see at the top of the page.)

And how much easier might it be to pull the plug on books with content found offensive or declared “wrong” by someone in authority? Where would we be as a civilization without old tablets, scrolls, and other records?

To a bonafide bibliophile like myself digitizing books reeks of sacrilege. If you agree, be sure to buy a physical book once in awhile. Preferably a new one, so the author sees even a few dollars of benefit from it.

Epilogue

When I saw “The Abandoned” and “The Tough Winter” were still available on Amazon I literally cried. The book cover for “The Tough Winter” looks exactly like the book I had as a child. I ordered “The Abandoned,” planning to read it again, then leave it as my favorite book from my childhood to whomever wants such an anachronism when I die.

This trip down memory lane led me to discover my reading list for the remainder of this year. Revisiting those favorites from the perspective of a septuagenarian should be interesting.

What books did you love from the time you could read? What made them special? Would you like to hold them again as you would hug a dear friend you hadn’t seen for years?

And that, no doubt, is why I simply had to order a physical copy of “The Abandoned.”

Explore Cultural Depth with Dead Horse Canyon Reader’s Guides

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American history, Native American songs, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, Readers Guides for Booksclubs, spirituality

Grab your reading glasses and find a comfortable chair! Reader’s Guides for all three books in The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy are now complete! You can download each one in pdf format below as well as on each book’s respective page on this website.

Note that there are two for each book. The “Thematic” version is much shorter and addresses the book as a whole. The Reader’s Guides are more comprehensive, especially for Books Two and Three. These proceed chapter by chapter while they’re grouped for Book One.

Just for fun, trivia, a playlist and even a few recipes are included. Why? To further relay the tone, feeling, and in some cases, taste, of the books.

Along those lines, here’s a link to some indigenous music I love to get you in the mood. It’s not Cheyenne, it’s Australian, but who can resist that beat? Why is it here? This is what Charlie and Sara are listening to when they’re searching for Bryan’s data! This scene is found in Chapter 42, Canopus, of The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits.

This trilogy not only lent itself to reader’s guides, but demanded them. Why? Serious readers, including book club members, crave a deep dive into complex stories. This trilogy is loaded with characters, each with their own agenda. So many that a dramatis personae was included in each book to help keep them straight. Greedy oil barons, corrupt government officials, and lobbyists on one side with charismatic indigenous men and women reestablishing a culture white men tried to destroy on the other–plus a wide variety of other supporting characters.

Their destiny? Light the fuse on a 19th Century curse.

Here are a few comments from emails I received:

“…intrigued, not only by the depth of the storyline, but by how seamlessly you blend Indigenous prophecy, science, and spiritual awakening. That balance isn’t easy to strike, yet your work does it with power and purpose.”

“You two are such a powerful creative force, and this story is proof of what fiction can be when it’s written with purpose, cultural depth, and emotional honesty. The pacing, the point of view shifts, the drama, the reverence– even the surprising emotional pivots and that healing ceremony…wow came together in a way that felt epic, yet deeply personal.”

“An explosive conclusion blending conspiracy, cultural heritage, and spiritual awakening is an incredible hook. The depth you’ve woven from Cheyenne prophecy to modern corruption creates a narrative that’s both gripping and profound.”

What are you waiting for? Dive in today, armed with a Reader’s Guide that will assure you don’t miss a thing. If you do, it’s okay. Multiple readers have reported reading the books more than once, catching details they previously missed.

Less likely, however, with the Reader’s Guide. 😉

Available as ebooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers. If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read the entire Trilogy for free. [NOTE:–Hardcovers on Amazon are laminated covers, those on Barnes and Noble are cloth covers with a dust jacket.]

And when you’ve finished devouring the saga please leave a review! Reviews help other readers find books they’ll like and help authors as well. If you read reviews before you buy something, then you know how important they are.

Essential Guide to The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon

Posted on July 6, 2025July 22, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, spirituality, Uncategorized

📘 The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Readers Guide Download

If you’re a serious reader and want to really sink your teeth into this saga, now you can download our free Readers’ Guide for help along the way. Loaded with thought-provoking insights, discussion ideas, a few recipes, playlists, and a touch of trivia, it will enhance your enjoyment and understanding of the complexities of this award-winning story. Numerous readers have reported reading it at least twice, which bodes well for its quality and reader engagement.

If you belong to a book club, this will facilitate your dive into the series, with similar guides for the other two books coming soon.

Download your copy today!

Exploring the Untold Stories of the 19th Century Peace Commission

Posted on July 3, 2025July 3, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Government Policies, Indian Reservations, mining, Native American history, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, US History

Review of “The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West” by Martha Sandweiss

A magnificent must-read for aficionados of the West’s colorful history

When I saw this book’s haunting cover, I knew I had to find out what was inside. I’m astounded by the wealth of research done by the author and what she uncovered, revealing who and what those six men were as well why they were gathered at that place and time. Sandweiss includes the photographer and even succeeds in identifying the lone Native American girl, whose name was not included in the photo’s caption.

Be aware that every incident included in the text is documented in fifty-seven pages of “Notes.”

Wow.

What an incredible quest! One accomplished through scrutinizing government records of official actions, census records, newspaper articles, wills, land records, and personal interviews with the progeny of those involved.

The men in the photo are General William S. Harney; Senator John B. Henderson; John B. Sanborn; Samuel F. Tappan; Nathaniel G. Taylor; Alfred Howe Terry. The photographer is Alexander Gardner, famous for his documentation of the Civil War as well as portraits of President Abraham Lincoln, General William T. Sherman, and other dignitaries. The girl is Sophie Mousseau.

Looking at it journalistically, let’s use the standard who, what, when, where, and why.

Who: The men are members of the federal Peace Commission.

What: Meet with a multitude of Native American tribes.

When: It’s 1868, the nation still recovering from the Civil War.

Where: Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory

Why: To work out treaties and agreements with the Native Americans

Not a simple task, to be sure.

Within the pages of this amazing tome lie details not found anywhere else about who each of those men were besides soldiers, politicians and activists. Not their public persona: their angels and demons, opinions, political sway, family, and in some cases, criminal records.

Their negotiations with the various tribes is detailed as well.

This is not some dry, impersonal chronology that makes your eyes glaze over like you encountered in high school. It’s an intimate look at not only these men and the circumstances that brought them there, but a glimpse of the true condition the United States (which was still in the process of forming) and the challenges faced by the government.

Besides the challenge of integrating the slaves freed following the Civil War into society, they had troubles galore related to the settlement of the West and working out agreements with the Native Americans. Don’t forget that the nation was also loaded with immigrants, with everyone trying to find their place in the adolescent nation.

You may have heard of the Sand Creek Massacre and Wounded Knee, but what about Blue Water Creek? If you believe like I do that this land was deliberately stolen from its original inhabitants, (who were not considered citizens until 1924 because they were not born in the United States), you will learn even more of the sordid details.

At least some of the Peace Commissioners (obviously not the military members) were actually pretty objective and fair, acknowledging the many gripes the Native Americans had as legitimate. The report even pointed out conflicting values by stating, “If the lands of the white man are taken, civilization justifies him in resisting the invader. Civilization does more than this: it brands him as a coward and slave if he submits to the wrong.” Conversely, “If the savage resists, civilization, with the ten commandments in one hand and the sword in the other, demands his immediate extermination.” While the commissioners didn’t want Indians to disrupt the settlement of the West, they doubted “the purity and genuineness of that civilization which reaches its ends by falsehood and violence, and dispenses blessings that spring from violated rights.” (p. 159)

I was aware that the Black Hills were very much stolen. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, which promised the area to the Lakotas in perpetuity, was nullified by the so-called Agreement of 1877 and redrew the boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation to exclude the Black Hills.

Why? To open it up to white settlement and the pursuit of gold while also ending the military defense of Lakota treaty rights.

Originally, that reservation was around sixty million acres. But the 1877 agreement (signed by only about 10% of Lakota men versus the required 75% according to an 1868 treaty), returned most of the Black Hills to the United States. The new reservation was now slightly less than twenty-two million acres, a 63% reduction.

In 1892 the Lakota began demanding compensation. Petitions and protests persisted for roughly 60 years until 1980, when the Supreme Court ruled in their favor, stating that the 1877 federal seizure of the land was done in bad faith without the proper consent from the adult men of the tribe. It awarded the tribe $17.1 million in damages, plus interest from 1877, for a total of roughly $106 million.

That may sound as if the issue is resolved. It’s not. The tribe refuses to take the money, which with accruing interest, would now be around $1.5 billion. Why? Some leaders say it would represent relinquishing their claim to the land–a price too high.

Since then the Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation has resorted to purchasing parcels of land from private ranchers. The Interior Department now hold that land in trust to be governed by the same laws that govern other trust land in Indian Country.” (p. 273)

Did you know the U.S. Government had a program that accepted “Indian Depredation Claims” from people who had suffered property damage from Indian raids and other incidents? Some of those claims took decades to settle, typical of government programs to this day. Some things never change.

So what about the girl, Sophie Mousseau?

It turns out that Sophie was “in the middle” in another respect as well. Her mother was Yellow Woman, a Oglala Lakota. Her father was Magloire Alexis Mousseau, a French Canadian.

Indeed, Sophie went on to marry and have children with two different white husbands. In censuses and other records it was common for individuals to show up as white in one document and native in another.

This was another situation that arose with its own set of complications, the matter of mixed breed individuals who were often not accepted by either culture. Furthermore, there were Indians who behaved like whites, and whites who behaved like Indians. Some of this came about when reservations were broken up via allotment programs, where many stepped in to grab land, which further reduced the size of reservations.

We think the times we live in now are complicated, but this books demonstrates that the 19th Century was loaded with challenges, some of which we still face today.

If you’re a history buff interested in the growing pains of the American West, many of which still remain as various aches and pains, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Maybe the detail will be too much for some, but getting to know the people in this iconic photo brings it to life like never before. It was heartening to find out that the Peace Commission did recognize many of the injustices perpetrated against Native People. However, Congress didn’t agree and thus ignored its recommendations as they pleased.

As stated before, Pete Risingsun and I did a lot of research writing the Dead Horse Canyon Saga, but it was nothing compared to what was done to create this amazing book. You can find it on Amazon here.

The Fascinating World We Cannot See

Posted on June 22, 2025June 26, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, Spirit Animals, spirituality

If you’ve read any books in the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy you’ve encountered numerous instances where Charlie received a message from something other than another human being. In the Cheyenne culture these messengers are known as the maiyun, or spirit helpers. When I was writing these stories and Charlie would come across one, I always wondered if it was a stretch, my imagination getting out of hand. However, my coauthor, Pete Risinsun, always assured me they were quite typical in his culture.

If we focused on tuning into nature, considering we’re all part of the same greater, spiritual whole, we could hear them, too. You could start with noticing spirit animals, which is when you spot anything from a spider, bird, squirrel, or other wild animal that gets your attention. What is he or she trying to tell you? Often it will relate to one or more of its characteristics that you would do well to replicate. You can find a previous blog on spirit animals here.

If relating to an indigenous culture is too much of a stretch, try reading about the experiences of someone from a more familiar western way of life; someone whose work provides a bridge of sorts between the two belief systems. One I’ve learned from is medium, Rob Gutro, who has first-hand experience with the world of spirits.

I first discovered his books when I stumbled upon his “Pets and the Afterlife” series after losing one of my fur babies, an 18 year old Bengal named Ophelia. He not only channels humans, but pets as well, providing information he couldn’t possible know or understand, yet has meaning to grieving pet parents. I found considerable comfort in the stories, which include information on signs to watch for that your pet is paying you a visit from beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

Indeed, shortly after reading the first book in that series, Ophelia did, indeed, come to visit one night. I have her cremated remains on a bookshelf in a little wooden box. Next to it is her favorite toy that she used to carry around. When she did, she would meow as Bengals do which, with the toy in her mouth, came out as a distorted blood-curdling yowl.

She loved her “baby” and often slept with it. And one morning, when I got up, her “baby” was on the floor. There was no other way it could have gotten there since it was out of reach of my other two cats. Furthermore, there was a chair stacked with pillows in front of it, so it should have fallen on top. If one of the cats had jumped on it, the pillows would have fallen. However, the toy was not only on the floor, but underneath the chair.

I’m sure she’s come by other times as well, most likely with her much larger brother, who passed in 2020, which I suspect is what’s going on when my other two cats are staring with wide eyes at something I cannot see.

If you have ever lost a beloved pet, I highly recommend this series. I had the first two books, both of which I’ve given away to friends and family when they were grieving a similar loss.

Thus, when I encountered another of Gutro’s book, “Kindred Spirits: When a Medium Befriends a Spirit” I was fascinated. The other books were very informative about the Spirit World, so I wondered what else I might learn. A few details came out that were new and directly related to the Cheyenne concept of maiyuns.

One very basic concept is that our deceased loved ones are not as far away as we may think. He explains how spirits are those who “go into the light” when they pass while ghosts remain in a fixed location for some reason known only to them. Sometimes they’re lost or confused and can be helped to cross over, which Gutro has done on occasion.

If you’ve read the Dead Horse Canyon books, you may recall White Wolf and Charlie talking about doing that in book 2 when they drove to Billings to get a new alternator for the Explorer and perceived spirits along the highway, which according to Gutro’s explanations, would have been ghosts.

Gutro noted that spirits can interact with anything living. There are various instances in the trilogy where Charlie encountered just that. What comes to mind is whether it was the spirit of the aspen tree (Book 1, Chapter 6), or the squirrel (Book 3, Chapter 43) that spoke to him, or was it a spirit of one of his ancestors prompting the interaction?

According to Gutro, visiting spirits often leave something for you to find, like a coin. In most cases its date will relate to the person in some way, such as their birth or death year, or other key time, for example when you met. Such an example in the books is the arrowhead Charlie came upon during a trail ride. (Book 2, Chapter 39). Later, in Book 3, White Wolf told him that a maiyun spooked the horse so that he would fall off and find it.

Gutro also mentioned how a person’s energy is retained in their cherished possessions. This is what “sentimental value” is all about. What do you have that is quite possibly just sitting around collecting dust, but you simply can’t get rid of it because it means something to you or did to someone you cared about and is now gone?

Here’s an example of such an object I have doing just that. That little knick knack,

which is older than I am and at one time cost $0.79, which is inked on the bottom, belonged to my mom. As long as I can remember it sat on the kitchen windowsill. I have no idea what it meant to her or why, but it was always there, and has been broken and repaired numerous times. For whatever weird reason, I think I would protect that little bull with my life! (Maybe not, but you get the idea.) Something about that little guy touches my heart.

Not long ago, a friend sent me something and when I received it I could feel the affection it contained. That made me rethink my usual practice of having presents drop-shipped to save money rather than reshipping them myself. Should I be infusing these gifts with affection, like Star did with the gifts for Sara and her family in Book 2? And what about Amasani’s blanket, (Book 1, Chapter 24) that conveyed her love and comfort to Charlie?

I can’t help wondering about trickster maiyuns, like the ones that always caused minor household problems whenever White Wolf and Charlie were away from home. If you’ve ever had a friend or relative who was prone to practical jokes, could that be their origin? Still up to no good in the afterlife?

Gutro’s knowledge of the Spirit World has vast similarities with what the Northern Cheyenne and other indigenous cultures not only know but take for granted. Spiritually enlightened people continue to remind us we are all connected and love is the strongest energy there is. We can always hope that daily living spirituality is making a comeback.

The real question is not only why but when was it lost to the white man, but not indigenous people?

History undoubtedly holds the answer.

[Note:–The Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy mega-ebook that contains all three Dead Horse Canyon volumes is now on Kindle Unlimited! If you haven’t yet indulged in this series and don’t have Kindle Unlimited, you can get your copy for only $7.99, a 38% savings over buying the ebooks separately, plus a special addendum is included.]