Transforming the Alchemists

Transforming the Alchemists
-By John Noble Wilford Historians of science are taking a new and lively interest in alchemy, the often mystical investigation into the hidden mysteries of nature that reached its heyday in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries and has been an embarrassment to modern...

In the Land of the Lotus Eaters

In the Land of the Lotus Eaters
-By Patricia Leigh Brown For native Hawaiians, u-pick-’em waterfalls and remote red sand beaches are not sybaritic water parks. They are part of an ancient land division system called ahupuaa, in which nature’s resources are cared for and harvested in...

A Peyote Ceremony

A Peyote Ceremony
-By Omer C. Stewart The meeting place is a tipi with its entrance to the east. A crescent-shaped altar and fire are prepared according to custom. A drum, feather fan, eagle humerus whistle, gourd rattle, Bull Durham tobacco, and sagebrush complete the necessary ritual...