Secrets of California Deserts

by Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk

December 2023

From the Author of the book

Secrets of California Deserts

Mojave, Colorado, Great Basin with the cultural expert’s eye

photos: Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk

AMAZON color version

Barnes & Noble b-w version

AMAZON black & white version

eBook

Secrets of California Deserts - Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk

When I moved to Southern California, the first thing that delighted me was the coastline, the beaches, the ocean, and the colors of the sunsets. I spent every free moment by the ocean. The ocean is all about emotions. The ocean is life. The ocean is the universe. The ocean is me.

And one day, someone asked,

"Would you like to go to the desert to Death Valley?"

"Yes," I replied without hesitation.

I've never been to the desert before. And 'Death Valley' sounds...well...serious and rather menacingly. But also, magical. And magic happened...

On the surface, the desert seems to be the opposite of the ocean. Just as life seems to be the opposite of death. How easy it is to fall into this mental dualism. How easy it is to fall into the trap of the mind's programs and lock a thought in a frame. But when you stop and listen to the silence of the desert, then the impossible becomes possible. And you hear the music of the Universe. And you see the paintings painted by the brush of the perfect Painter. You see worlds that the eye can't see. You look with your heart, and you already understand that the desert, like the ocean, can be your best friend and worst enemy. Because it's all in you, it's all you, and it's all about you. The desert is the secret place for all of us.

It's been a while since my first trip to the desert. And I keep returning. And I'm still discovering it anew. After all, the desert lives, albeit in its own time and space. In its own way. The desert is life and death. The desert is all about emotions. The desert is the Universe. The desert is me. After all, all is One. Everything flows and everything interpenetrates. And the Desert is a powerful teacher. Wise, patient, but also strict.

The desert has many stories to tell. Desert stories and human stories. And the desert tells these stories. And I'm trying to hear them, find them and tell them in my own way. I invite you on a journey through the world of the desert.

© KatarzynaNK (Catherine)

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