Astro Alchemy

As the holiday season of 1938 approached, Chicago-based Bob May wasn’t feeling very joyful. The 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward was exhausted and almost broke. His wife was bedridden, at the bitter end of a two-year battle with cancer, leaving Bob to look after their four-year-old, Barbara. Barbara didn’t

On April 15 2019, a horrific fire broke out in the roof area of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.  When the spire collapsed, it created a draft that slammed all the doors and propelled a fireball through the attic. Shortly before the spire fell, the fire had spread

During the Civil War, brothers fought against brothers over the right to keep human beings as property. Decades of controversy were brought to a head when Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election, triggering seven Southern slave states to secede from the U.S. The war began on April 12, 1861,

Years ago, on a train headed to Tokyo, Terry Dobson witnessed something that changed his life. It was a peaceful afternoon and the car was relatively empty. Then the train stopped, the doors opened and suddenly the quiet was shattered by violent curses. A big, drunken man in dirty laborer’s

Many in western North Carolina were hard hit by Hurricane Helene. This includes the folks at Earthaven Ecovillage near Asheville, a region previously considered a climate safe haven. After the epic storm passed, the hundred or so Earthaven members were confronted with raging rivers in their roadways, downed trees everywhere,

Nobody could have foreseen the young Mohandas Gandhi becoming a world leader. Small and unassuming, with a big nose and jug ears, the Hindu boy was so shy he couldn’t speak up for himself. But another side of him began to arise after he was married at 13 to a

Photo of red-tailed hawk by Erin Western This year, the San Diego region has been experiencing heat waves and drought conditions that have severely impacted local wildlife. All over California, birds and mammals are suffering from dehydration and heat stress – especially this week, as temperatures soared into the triple

Most of us will remember Don Henley’s 1982 smash hit “Dirty Laundry.” The catchy tune was a scathing send-up of tabloid journalism, which was then on the rise. To air one’s dirty laundry means to discuss or argue about unpleasant or private things in front of others. And although the

Recently I’ve been playing with an exciting new approach to manifestation, as outlined in the book Scripting the Life You Want, by Royce Christyn. It involves a daily practice of writing down your intentions for the day ahead, including things you hope will happen along with others that you absolutely

Have you been watching Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics? If so, you know greatness when you see it. “She’s not even human,” I’ve heard several people say of the world’s most decorated gymnast – who’s been wowing star-studded crowds. And on Tuesday, Biles clinched her fifth Olympic gold medal

By the early 1950s, Frank Sinatra’s career had hit a low ebb. No one wanted him as a singer or an actor. Yet when he read the book From Here to Eternity, which was about to be made into a movie, Sinatra knew he was born to play the part

One Saturday when I was 14, my friend Erin and I were hanging out at my home when the minister of our church stopped by to lay his hands on my mom’s sprained ankle. As this was not standard procedure for Methodist ministers, Erin and I exchanged dubious looks. We

Our beautiful green planet just marked a shocking new milestone – enduring 12 consecutive months of unprecedented heat. Every single month from June 2023 to May 2024 was the world’s hottest such month on record. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, who are about to mark the beginning

What if, all through your childhood, your dad told you things like, “You’re gonna shake up this world,” and, “You’re gonna win Wimbledon.” And drove you past mansions in the wealthy part of town, assuring you that some day you’d have one of your own. For two young Black girls

It’s hard to imagine, especially for those of us (like me) who spent our summer vacations haunting the local library and devouring adventure novels, but many U.S. kids have no library near where they live – and thus no access to books. Three years ago, this fact became apparent to