Last November, I experienced one of the finest moments of my life! Launching a book is like birthing a child. The story grows within one’s private heart and then is out in the world for all to see. Hello! My dear friend, artist Karen Guzak, offered her fantastic studio, a historic former church, and videographer AJ…

Myanmar Zodiac Painting from Ancient Bagan   Unlike Western astrology, the Myanmar astrology system has only eight signs. Known as Mahabote, this zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal. Ancient Buddhist monks created the system using observations of the skies…

Shan State is a beautiful part of Myanmar with deep red earth and forested mountain tops receding in the distance into various shades of indigo blue. I had a picturesque, yet occasionally terrifying, experience traveling by rail from Pwin Oo Lwin to Hsipaw, crossing the deep gorge on a narrow, teetering wooden bridge that seemed…