The author says, “I grew up in nature surrounded by forests. I would spend whole days playing in the woods in the presence of bears, perched on the tallest trees with the hawk, on top of mountains peaks with the eagle, hiking with the mountain lion, running with the deer, soaking in the streams, singing with the hummingbird and dancing with the butterfly, ice skating on the frozen pond, skiing topless in the moonlight, watching the shooting stars with my dad’s giant telescope, collecting everything wild, stones, flowers, resin, herbs, barks, asparagus, berries, fruit, mushrooms, the wind even...hunting, and gathering Mother Earth’s magic. I instinctively knew the natural world was good for my well being. I talked to the plants and asked for their secrets. “My love for the Universe, nature, beauty, and the sacred kept growing so intensely that I started to express it in the form of poetry at age eight. My first poem, “The Black Tulip,” won an adult poetry contest. Poetry has been a way for me to share my deep gratitude for all the gifts. I’ve apprenticed for many years as a “Vegetalista” traveling to Peru and all over the world learning plant medicines, sitting in ceremony, and now holding ceremony. “This book is an offering to Mother Earth, to Spirit. Gracias Señora. Gracias Señor. Life is the ceremony.”
