Book Reviews – The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon

Traveler with staff standing on canyon cliff overlooking river and distant castle at sunset

Adding a Little Magic to Your Life

Posted on May 2, 2026May 2, 2026 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Indigenous wisdom, Native American Wisdom, Spirit Animals, Spirit Medicine, spirituality

Review of The Science of Magic: How the Mind Weaves the Fabric of Reality by Dean Radin, PhD

I’ve been a fan of Dean Radin since reading Entangled Minds and The Conscious Universe many years ago as part of my research on psi phenomena, which includes telepathy, remote viewing, clairvoyance, and clairaudience, among other things that involve some form of extrasensory perception, of ESP. Psi was a major element of my Star Trails Tetralogy series characters and influenced my foundation for Charlie’s abilities in the Dead Horse Canyon trilogy.

Radin has been researching this field of study for years, something that not that many years ago was vehemently dismissed by mainstream science, and in some cases still is. However, it’s now gathering enough momentum that more are taking it seriously. While we still do not have sophisticated enough instrumentation to detect it, with the possible exception of random number generators (RNGs), he uses a statistical approach. In other words, a literal “What are the odds?” view, showing when certain phenomena are unlikely to be pure chance, often in the billion-to-one category.

He points out that “The annual US science budget was nearly $900 billion in 2022; worldwide it is estimated to be $2.5 trillion. Of that impressive budget, exactly zero dollars was allocated for public research on psi or magic. How much might be allocated in secret is unknown, but I would be very surprised if it was zero.”

I suspect most people are well-aware that the military has been researching remote viewing for years.

Of course everything that Radin researches is something that Native American medicine men as well as Indigenous shamans around the world understand and use on a regular basis. Connecting with another very real spiritual dimension is what they do, performing supposed miracles, healing, and prophetic utterances without blinking an eye.

In this recent book he not only talks about his research but the philosophy behind it with numerous examples of encountering it in his life. Not everyone refers to it as “magic.” You’re probably familiar with the concept of manifesting what you want, which is very popular with any number of motivational speakers, especially since the movie The Secret came out years ago, which is the same thing.

One topic that comes up frequently in books and discussions on the subject is synchronicity, which is one of my favorites. This definitely fits with the concept of spirit animals, which I’ve covered here numerous times, including the previous blog. In other words, an animal that symbolizes the answer to something you’ve been wondering about just happens to appear at the right time. He has a great eight-minute video on the subject on YouTube that you can watch below.

I had this happen shortly after reading this book. I was rereading Inger Margaret Foster’s book, Always Just Beyond, which I totally love with its soft touch of the paranormal. I was to the part where this couple was buying an old, abandoned house and wondering if it might be infested with mice. (In case you’re not aware I live in an 1898 farmhouse that has hosted mice, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, and heaven knows what else at one time or another.)

Thus, I could relate. And about that time, I see this small darting shadow in my peripheral vision, which tends to be distorted by my reading glasses. I look over the top of them and see nothing. A short time later, there it was again, heading in the opposite direction and disappearing under a small dresser. Both my cats are asleep in the room and not the least concerned. Awhile later it happens again, but this time it stops. And yes, it’s a mouse, sitting there, right about where that knothole is on my pine floor in the picture below, looking right at me.

My cat, Poe, with his head under the dresser trying to get the mouse.

This went on for two nights in a row. The cats eventually did figure it out and tried unsuccessfully to catch it. Others that have invaded my space have not been so lucky.

After I finished reading Inger’s book, the mouse disappeared. If the cats had gotten it, I’m pretty sure I would have found its remains, though one of my cats has been known to swallow one whole versus letting my other cat get it. But I digress.

That, to me, was a definitely case of synchronicity. You have probably experienced it without recognizing what it was. In other words you’re thinking about something and suddenly you’re inundated by examples of it. Radin suggests trying it consciously to see how successful you can be. Another example, if you’ve ever worked in an office and needed to make copies of something in a hurry, is that the copier inevitably jams. Or your computer goes on strike or runs very, very slowly when you’re trying to get something done. I’m not sure if it’s in Radin’s book or elsewhere that I read that complex machines have a form of consciousness and therefore a personality. My car definitely does. Makes sense to me.

However, don’t think that it’s synchronicity when you start seeing ads on your phone, tablet, or computer after casually mentioning something with commercial potential. That’s your media, Alexa, or Siri, spying on you. Not the same. :-/

Fun stuff.

What’s fun about his book is he has a section on testing what he says to see what you can evoke. He even gives instructions! He considers this an act of enchantment. Perceiving other dimensions he refers to as divination, such as remote viewing, which requires achieving a mental state known as gnosis, where you open your mind and connect with the collective consciousness or whatever you want to call the spiritual realm.

Since I mentioned instructions, I’m sure you’re curious. To get all the juicy details you really need to read the book. Believe me, it’s an easy, entertaining read because he has an excellent sense of humor. But here are the basics for manifesting or in magical terminology, enchantment.

1. Motivation – You need a serious investment in the outcome. In intense emotional need. Know the difference between wan and need, that latter of which usually has more influence as it affects your well-being.

2. Connection – Identify strongly with the goal. It can’t be too abstract or hard to imagine.

3. Belief – No doubt that it can be manifested.

4. Effortless striving – Take steps toward it without stress or attachment. Wanting it too badly can often drive it away. Trust the Universe to deliver what’s best for you.

5. Intention – Know what you want and be able to focus on it.

6. Clarity – Clarify your intention to something reasonable. The example he uses is if your intention is to win the lottery, you need to narrow that down to why since even with some magic winning a big payout is unlikely. If you need a reliable car to get to work, focus on that, which could come about in numerous other ways than winning the lottery.

7. Gnosis – A change in consciousness to send your message to the Universe. This includes meditation, chanting, rituals, dreaming, dancing, drumming, etc. This is not easy without practice, but pick one that resonates for you and practice. He states, “Magic, like psi, is primarily effective in a non-ordinary state of awareness.”

The entire book is a treasure and I highly recommend it. (Not surprisingly to me as an astrologer, Dean is a Pisces born February 29, 1952.)

More information about the book on his website with buy links: https://www.deanradin.com/scienceofmagic

Dead Radin’s website: https://www.deanradin.com/

Other sources that I recommend on this subject are Mike Dooley and Darius J. Wright.

Dooley has regular workshops and sends daily inspirational Notes from the Universe that you can sign up for on his site. Wright is especially interesting in that he’s made more trips that he can count to “the other side” through OBEs (Out of Body Experiences.)

This woo-woo stuff is my favorite subject so expect to see more reviews of related books here. Don’t miss any by subscribing to this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for other news about my books and related subjects.

Spirit Animals 101

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, Spirit Animals, spirituality

Stylized painting of a mountain lion with indigenous icon images.

Review of “Animal Soul Contracts: Sacred Agreements for Shared Evolution” by Tammy Billups

This book sat on my shelf for a year or so before I finally got around to reading it. I’m so glad I finally did. If you’ve ever had a close relationship with an animal, such as having one very clearly choose you at a shelter adoption event, or even an unusual encounter with a wild animal, I believe you would enjoy this book.

Did you have a fascination with a certain species at some time in your life? For example, I have a granddaughter who at one time was enamored with elephants. A friend’s son obsessed on armadillos and knew everything about them. Do you identify with a specific spirit animal? More than likely there is more behind that interest than you realize. I lean toward mountain lions.

Our soul’s connection with animals goes so much deeper than we realize. Sadly, so many people treat animals poorly or even in an abusive manner, not knowing that they, too, have souls, and are here to teach us.

When I was raising a houseful of kids, we always had pets, usually cats. Concentrating on being a parent, they had names and we did our best to take care of them, but I didn’t connect with them that much. It was apparent they had personalities and emotions, but getting in what I would call a relationship with them varied. Some felt like true members of the family while others were just there.

As I looked back on some of the events related to the pets in my life I feel absolutely horrible, now understanding more about their emotional nature and purpose in my life. They have every bit as much reason to show up in your life as the humans we interact with and often have a more profound lesson to convey than most people.

The section on “Symbolism Agreements” was particularly interesting since it related strongly to the concept of spirit animals as depicted in The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon Trilogy. Charlie recognized messages in the animals he encountered, often answering a question or offering needed insights. The introspection triggered by seeing an animal of any kind, be it a spider, bird, or deer, always has value.

It’s not like the animal is going to talk to you literally, though it’s possible, like connecting telepathically with your pets. But with a chance encounter with a wild animal, how do you discern its message? Start by considering its character traits, life style, behavior, and the nature of the chance meeting itself. One of my recent blogs about a bluebird and the lessons he conveyed can be found here.

The concept of service animals or emotional support animals goes even deeper when you learn more about the spiritual connection you may already have. If you consider yourself an animal lover, this book will enrich that part of you at a deep, spiritual level.

Highly recommended. You can get your copy on Amazon here. Available in Kindle, paperback, and audiobook formats.

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.

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.

Co-Author Matchmaking

Posted on June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Author Interviews, Book Reviews, Book Status, Indian Reservations, Indigenous wisdom, Native American history, Native American Media, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, spirituality, US History

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.

Did I Channel this Trilogy?

Posted on May 6, 2025May 10, 2025 by Marcha's Two-Cents Worth in Book Reviews, conspiracies, Government Policies, Indian Reservations, Medicine Wheel, mining, Native American history, Native American Prophecy, Native American Wisdom, Native Americans, Northern Cheyenne culture, Spirit Medicine, Story excerpts

Okay, folks. Here’s the deal.

Pete Risingsun, my coauthor, and I did a vast amount of research when we wrote “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon” trilogy. The depiction of the Cheyenne culture is accurate. The history referred to in the stories really happened, save that which was clearly made-up, though even that was feasible. Abandoned mines definitely are a pollution issue. The astrology is actual for the time and place and characters involved, which is weird and another blog in itself.

But if there was one thing that was made up it was the source of the conspiracy, i.e., the Pearson Underground Residence Facility (PURF).

Or was it?

My jaw dropped when a friend sent me this article about just that, such a facility on an even grander scale than I have in our novel! Check it out here.

The article in The New York Post linked above opens with the following paragraph, “The federal government has secretly spent trillions building an elaborate network of subterranean ‘cities’ where the rich and powerful can shelter during a ‘near-extinction event,’ a former Bush White House official sensationally claimed.”

Much of its source and, if you’ll excuse the expression “from the horse’s mouth,” can be found in this short video (12 minutes) where Elizabeth Austin Fitts, who served as the assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Housing between 1989 and 1990, talks about it on Tucker Carson’s podcast.

While I knew there were plenty of underground bases (because the History Channel says so, right?) which made PURF credible, I had no idea it was even worse than I imagined!

So if anyone out there thinks that part of the story is a stretch, bear in mind that they have actually spent even more, by several orders of magnitude, than I have noted in the books. We’re talking TRILLIONS whereas in the story it was BILLIONS.

The money probably came from those “magic money machines” the DOGE team found, right? The actual corruption coming out these days makes my fictitious situation pale by comparison.

While Pete and I were writing these books I was amazed by how many actual situations–historical and otherwise–fit perfectly. Particularly, as we researched Cheyenne ceremonies, much came out that drove and further defined the storyline. I didn’t know anything about the Massaum as the Earth Giving Ceremony, the meeting of Indigenous leaders at Walker Lake, Nevada, or any number of other things when I conceived this story. I knew how it would end but I had no idea how.

As I look back, I can’t help but wonder where this story came from? Mine and Pete’s imagination? I may have mentioned this before, but I’m what they call a “pantser,” not a “plotter.” In other words, I write “by the seat of my pants.”

I start with a very general idea/theme in mind. I populate it with characters and turn them loose. I’m more of a scribe than an author making the story up. I simply watch what they do and write it down. My characters repeatedly get themselves into scrapes where I have absolutely no idea how they’ll get out.

But they do. Usually in some way I never dreamed of.

Did I channel these books rather than make them up?

I think most of us can agree there are other dimensions out there. Psychic phenomena are very real and no doubt operate in some other reality beyond what we can currently detect. Did these stories actually take place in one of them?

I had much the same experience while writing the Star Trails Tetralogy, especially in “The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51″ in developing the science behind a telepathic walking plant.

One of the reasons I love research is all the amazing, serendipitous factoids I uncover that fit and often drive the plot and action. It’s as if the story is already out there, just waiting for some writer’s muse to whisper it in their ear.

I must say, not knowing what will happen makes writing as much fun as reading. I like to think that if it has me in suspense that such will be conveyed to my readers as well.

Here’s one teaser from “Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose” where I had absolutely no idea what would happen. The character in question popped up quite late in the book, but she fit perfectly.

If you’d like to get the entire trilogy in a single mega-ebook that also includes some bonus material about that Earth Giving Ceremony, you can pick one up on Amazon here.

Let me know in the comments what you think regarding where stories come from as well as whether you find my stories predictable. Like I say, I know how they’ll end, but rarely if ever know how it comes about.

Review of The Science of Magic: How the Mind Weaves the Fabric of Reality by Dean Radin, PhD

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

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

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