The Indigenous World View and the Physics of Consciousness

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.

Star Ancestors book cover

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

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.

Living in a Gift Economy with Reciprocity and Gratitude

Book Cover of "The Serviceberry"

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.

Explore Cultural Depth with Dead Horse Canyon Reader’s Guides

open book overlooking canyon

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.

The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits (Book 1)

Return to Dead Horse Canyon: Grandfather Spirits (Book 2)

The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits — Novovose

open book overlooking canyon

Essential Guide to The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon

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!

The Fascinating World We Cannot See

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.]

Co-Author Matchmaking

Have you ever wondered how Pete Risingsun, a Northern Cheyenne elder living on the tribe’s reservation in southeastern Montana, and Marcha Fox, a science fiction author living in Texas, became coauthors? If so, you’ll want to read the article published by the staff of Soaring Eagle, the charitable organization that supports the Heritage Living Center for Northern Cheyenne elders where Pete resides. You can find it in the Spring edition on their website here. That organization was key to facilitating this incredible partnership that has produced three award-winning novels over the past five years.

Pete and Marcha have never met face-to-face and he does not even have a computer! Phone calls, texting, and snail mail were the vehicles used to communicate, collaborate, and produce over 1400 pages of an incredible three-volume story.

The response to the article was great, as shown by a significant increase in book sales. Of particular interest was a letter, which you can see below, that was sent to Soaring Eagle by a woman who read the newsletter and as a result purchased and read the three books.

The biggest challenge for most authors, especially those that are self-published, is finding their audience. The Dead Horse Canyon Saga is unique, making this even more difficult since it doesn’t fit a single genre. However, with multiple story themes including a government conspiracy, murder, a detailed glimpse at Cheyenne history and ceremony, deep bonds of family and friendship, to say nothing of Charlie Littlewolf’s transformational journey back to his roots, there is something for everyone.

So far the three volumes have captured a total of 13 awards. This includes 5-stars and glowing reviews from Readers’ Favorite for each book, along with prestigious Book Excellence Awards.

Fans of the Longmire series (Craig Johnson’s books as well as the TV series) or the Leaphorn and Chee stories by Tony Hillerman and continued by his daughter, Anne, (novels and the Dark Winds TV series) are likely to enjoy these books. Dead Horse Canyon takes an even deeper dive into native culture and history with characters the reviewer from The Book Commentary described as “lovable,” while an Amazon reviewer of the third book described them as “Characters you will fall in love with. Characters you will fantasize horrible death wishes for with fingers crossed. And sleepless nights as you read it.

It’s been said, “Do not to judge a book by its cover.” Just in case this is an issue, new covers are coming the end of June! Stay tuned!

You can find the books on Amazon here.

Following the Same Path

I am very pleased to report that “The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose” has received both a Book Excellence Award and a 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite. I give tremendous credit to the reviewer, Jamie Michele, who had a heavy task, dealing with the final book in this long, complex saga. I’m beyond grateful she was clearly up to it, however, and comprehended the significance and import of the events. Here is what she had to say:

“The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose by Marcha Fox and Pete Risingsun is the finale to the Dead Horse Canyon Saga. In books one and two, Sara Reynolds recalls only her husband Bryan’s dying plea to discover his killers after a deadly crash. With the help of Bryan’s friend, Charlie Littlewolf, and ancient ceremonies, they uncover the truth behind Bryan’s murder, sending their lives into turmoil.

“As Charlie roils with conflict over his oil drilling job, he also faces his true destiny on the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Meanwhile, Sara risked her life to expose a government conspiracy that was ready to silence her permanently. Now, Sara fights for survival after the attack that left her paralyzed, and Charlie vows to help her heal. His journey to Bear Butte reveals a destiny tied to restoring the ancient Massaum ceremony. As corrupt officials celebrate a secret facility’s opening, Indigenous leaders gather, fulfilling long-held prophecies that could change the fate of Dead Horse Canyon forever.

“’Do not become afraid when the Sweet Medicine Spirits come to you. Do not disobey them. Be humble and do what you are told.’

“The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon by Marcha Fox and Pete Risingsun stands out for its sharp writing and complete ability to immerse readers, especially in Charlie’s spiritual transformation. Poor Sara just cannot get a break. Attacked, paralyzed, kidnapped, and then labeled a domestic terrorist and sanctioned! This isn’t just a fight for survival; this is about the power of truth in the face of overwhelming opposition.

“Charlie fits into this description, with a spectacular ceremony for Sara’s healing, but also as a powerful catalyst when he is in the presence of Grandmother Earth and the consequences of his actions. Fox and Risingsun are a dream writing team in every way, and, culturally, this portrayal of Charlie’s heritage is painted from the sky to the smallest pebble and the fire burning in between. The pacing is elevated by point of view shifts and all the drama, but also a surprising relationship transformation as well. Ultimately, this finale succeeds with a perfect 10 landing.

“Very, very highly recommended.”

Every author believes in their work but receiving validation from an objective reviewer who doesn’t know you from Adam is worth its weight in gold. Self-promotion is not my superpower, making me appreciate the kudos even more.

If you haven’t yet read the trilogy, all three volumes are coming out April 18 as a box set ebook on Amazon. You can preorder your copy here.

THE WORLD OF THE MAIYUN

My method of writing is generally referred to as a “pantser,” i.e., I write by the seat of my pants. The other prevalent writing style that of a “plotter,” where the author determines the entire story, scene by scene, in an outline. I tried plotting, but my characters persistently got out of hand. They’d refuse to follow my plan and do their own thing. It didn’t take long to discover they had a better grip on the story than I did. Thus, I became a “pantser.” I populate my story idea with characters, then sit back to watch what they do as would a dutiful scribe.

I began work on this saga before connecting with my co-author, Pete Risingsun. I had a handle on the story’s government conspiracy angle, but lacked cultural knowledge of my main character, Cheyenne Charlie Littlewolf. I wrote what he told me to, but didn’t know whether it was feasible.

As a science fiction author, I wondered.

Was my imagination getting carried away?

I tend to obsess over accuracy and can get carried away with research. I started reading books on Native American cultures, but I needed to find a Cheyenne elder who could let me know if what I had written from Charlie’s point of view was accurate or too off-the-wall.

When Pete got involved he assured me that the various incidents I’d included were indeed realistic in the Cheyenne world. I smiled, relieved to learn Charlie was not leading me astray.

One incident that I wondered about is depicted in chapter six, “The Aspen,” of the first book, “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits.” It’s there that Charlie receives a message from the aspen tree that witnessed the wreck that killed his best friend. Besides numerous others, another one of my favorites is in the second book, “Return to Dead Horse Canyon: Grandfather Spirits,” where in chapter thirty-nine, “Trail Ride,” Charlie finds an ancient arrowhead that tells him and his brother, Winter Hawk, (cousin in western culture), that their prayer regarding the fate of the murderer had been heard.

As work on the saga continued, more and more research came into play. The works of George Bird Grinnell as well as Peter John Powell were excellent sources, but had limitations. I find it ironic that some of the most detailed information on ancient Cheyenne (Tsistsistas) beliefs and ceremonies is conveyed by German anthropologist, Karl H. Schlesier. His book “The Wolves of Heaven” was priceless while writing this trilogy, especially his detailed description of the Massaum, the Earth Giving Ceremony, that plays a key role in the final volume. In a typical episode of serendipity, I found Schlesier’s book on Amazon, attracted by its subtitle, “Cheyenne Shamanism, Ceremonies, and Prehistoric Origins.”

Or was it a maiyun who brought it to my attention?

What is a maiyun?

Schlesier tells us they are powerful spirits that associate with human beings. There are also the hematasoomaeo, which he describes as “the immortal spiritual forms of plants, animals, and human beings. . . .The maiyun most responsible for physical life on earth belong either to the deep earth or to the sky places. In Tsistsistas ceremonies they are celebrated especially and represented through plant and animal forms.”

The lodge of the maiyun is the Sacred Mountain, i.e., Novavose. (You’ll meet plenty of them in “Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose.”)

Why have western religions denied the existence of such things? Claim that animals do not have souls, a belief with which any pet owner, farmer, or rancher will disagree? Slowly the world is awakening to the reality of other dimensions; recognizing the thin veil between life and death and the elusive nature of time.

Things ancient peoples took for granted.

Speaking of animals, a few months ago, my precious 18 year old feline fur baby, Ophelia, crossed over. I hoped that when she did, that she was reunited with her half-brother, Hamlet, who’d left this life four years before. Thus, I was drawn to the “Pets and the Afterlife” book series by Rob Gutro. He’s a medium who specializes in connecting with pets in the spirit world. These books contain dozens of stories of such experiences. The truth of what he envisions is validated by multitudes of grieving pet owners when he provides details of the encounter that he couldn’t possibly have known.

As I read Gutro’s books I couldn’t help but think of the maiyun–spirit helpers that indigenous people have relied on for millennia. What are “civilized” people missing by tuning out these messages and connections?

I am beyond grateful for my introduction to this marvelous world while writing these three tomes with Pete. My heart and mind lived there from July 2018 when this story was conceived until the final book was published in January 2025. My life is enriched beyond measure for the experience.

Two of my favorite quotes related to this lost wisdom were spoken by Tȟašúŋke Witkó (Crazy Horse), the Oglala Lakota Leader who said:

The red nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world; a world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations; a world longing for light again. I see a time of seven generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred tree of life and the whole earth will become one circle again. . . In that day, there will be those among the Lakota who will carry knowledge and understanding of unity among all living things and the young white ones will come to those of my people and ask for this wisdom.

The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy is a lengthy saga that is more than a juxtaposition of a corrupt government’s clash with Cheyenne spirituality. It’s an introduction to a world too many don’t yet see.

But as Crazy Horse declared, they will.

You can find the trilogy on Amazon and other online vendors.

Thoughts on Ancestral Rights

I couldn’t help laughing when I came across an article that contained this quote from Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) where he states: “The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years.  The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.” [Emphasis added.]

What does that have to do with this blog mostly dedicated to Native Americans? Can you not see where I’m going with this?

Okay, let’s say the quiet part out loud:

If the U.S. believes that Israel has “historic rights that go back thousands of years,” what about Native American’s rights to their lands? Like, for example, let’s say the entire Western Hemisphere!

In my mind, the most shameful is land seized by conquest to say nothing of attempted genocide, while purchases like Manhattan Island for $24’s worth of trinkets aren’t much better.

Did the white man steal Native Americans’ land?

You bet they did!

I don’t believe in coincidences for a variety of reasons. Thus, I don’t consider it an accident that the same day I encountered that article about Israel I also came across one recounting the Fort Robinson Breakout back in January 1879.

If that incident doesn’t ring a bell, that is when Chiefs Little Wolf and Morningstar (a.k.a. Dull Knife) refused to return to Indian Territory in Oklahoma as directed by the U.S. Army. Rather, they insisted on returning to their homeland. After being nearly starved and frozen to death, they decided to escape. The hardships they suffered and loss of life they endured to return to their ancestral home is heartbreaking.

Land they maintained was given to them by the Great Spirit.

If you’ve read “The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose,” then you can fully understand why the Israel statement’s irony struck me like it did.

If not, let me explain.

Karl Schlesier’s book, “The Wolves of Heaven: Cheyenne Shamanism, Ceremonies, and Prehistoric Origins” was an important reference developing the final book in the Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy. Schlesier is a German anthropologist who attributed the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming (shown at the top of this article) to the Cheyenne and provided evidence that led him to believe it was the site of their ancient ceremony called the Massaum. (You can see my review of his book here.)

The Massaum, which Schlesier describes in fascinating, albeit laborious, detail, is also known as the “Earth Giving Ceremony.” It is likewise referred to by George Bird Grinnell and Peter J. Powell in their works about the Northern Cheyenne people. The first Massaum was conducted tens of thousands of years ago by Cheyenne prophet, Sweet Medicine, when he accepted land gifted to them from Maheo as their ancestral homeland. That land was centered on the Sacred Mountain in the Black Hills with them also given the right to expand their hunting ground by conducting the same ceremony.

I don’t know about you, but I suspect the reason the U.S. Government yielded and eventually gave them the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana was because it was part of the land consecrated for them by the Creator God through the Massaum.

But what about the rest of their land, “from sea to shining sea?”

Another thing that really gets me riled up is how much the U.S. Government has done for other “conquered” lands, e.g. Japan and Germany. Who attacked us or our allies during World War II! Yet, they allowed those countries to remain in the hands of their original occupants while giving them a whole lot of financial help rebuilding.

What have they done for First Americans other than break treaties and allow far too many to suffer in Third World conditions? Then an even bigger slap in the face, when for the past four years, illegal aliens were welcomed with payments far larger than my monthly Social Security benefit, which I earned.

That sounds an awful lot like speaking with a forked tongue, don’t you think?

But that’s another blog (or should I say rant?) for another time.

Meanwhile, I got my personal “revenge” in the grand finale of the Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy. I suspect there isn’t a single Indigenous person who would disagree.

P.S. And just for the record, I’m about as white as you can get. My ancestry is strictly Western European, some of which goes back to the Colonial Era in the late 1600s in Connecticut. That said, I’m ashamed and embarrassed by what my forefathers did.

[NOTE:–If you’re interested in more information related to the Israel issue, you can find the full article I referenced here.]