Desert Apothecary: Desert Mountain Apothecary is the Original Desert Apothecary for Mind Body & Spirit.
Desert Roots: Apothecary products that are hand-crafted, 100% natural, free from any toxic chemicals or additives, and proud of our deep desert roots.
Desert Mountain Botanicals: The greatest inspiration for these products is both the harsh landscape, and the resilient and beautiful plant life of the desert mountains.
Desert mountain panoramas and time lapses are one of my favorite video subjects. Beyond light and shadow, we are adding the element of time to the composition. This give us a chance to observe the gentle caresses of light and shadow as time passes. Here in the Southern California desert, we are spoiled for beautiful panoramic vistas. I wanted to share some of my favorite from the winter and spring, set to some soothing music.
Time lapses are wonderful to me, because they change our perception of time passing, and prompt self-reflection. The passage of time is one of the most variable, and subjective sensations. When you are watching the sped up footage of a time lapse, it’s almost as if we are observing our own world from an ancient and eternal viewpoint. We are no longer bound by the mere human lifespan and the endless repetition of days and nights.
Reflecting on the past winter and spring, and the year still to come, many of us here in California and the American West, are pondering our future here. The long term prognosis for access to our most precious commodity: water, is looking grim. Last summer we saw complete ecosystem collapse and full desiccation of plant life here in the desert. The intense heat, and lack of usual monsoonal rainfall, were simply too much for even the hardiest of cacti and wildlife. It seems we have finally started to reach our breaking point.
The desert is defined by its scarcest commodity. Water is the force that shapes the landscape, and dictates who and what lives or dies. During our brief winter season, we trade our blue sunny skies, for the possibility of being blessed with snow on the mountains and rain on the valley floor. Moisture, so badly needed in a bone dry land. We’re desperate for just enough rain to hold on until next winter, just to survive.
For many it is a time of quiet contemplation, and sowing seeds for the new year. Winter is a special time in the desert It’s our season of regeneration, setting the stage for the glorious spring renewal when on a good year, the land bursts alive with colorful wildflowers. When the winter storms blanket the mountains with snow It’s our time to gather with loved ones around cozy wood fires and enjoy the aromas of Julian white oak, and desert mesquite cured firewood.
This spring sadly there was no wildflower bloom, the rainfall of the winter was simply insufficient. A few perennial plants like ocotillo, sage, and cactus bloomed, but by mid-spring the land had already started to brown out and die back. The effect of Climate change on the desert is becoming more and more apparent everywhere you look, and eventually there won’t be much left but rocks, sand, and insects. If you have ever wanted to explore the desert, now is the time, don’t wait, the clock is running out.
About Me: Hi I’m William Z. Brennan, founder of Desert Mountain Apothecary, natural lifestyle expert, & author of upcoming e-book Natural Lifestyle Optimization. I am passionate and committed to helping everyday people live better lives, look better, and most importantly feel better, by integrating a natural lifestyle into their every day lives through small changes that have massive impacts.
About Desert Mountain Apothecary: I created Desert Mountain Apothecary because after being failed over and over by both dermatologists, and conventional skincare products. While working for a perfumer, I learned about blending fragrances and formulating cosmetics, but I also acquired a horrific allergy to artificial fragrances. Even many readily available natural skincare products were simply too strongly scented and too harsh for my incredibly irritated and delicate skin. Out of sheer necessity I started to make simple products that were completely natural, but very effective. Lo and behold, my skin started improving, and I knew that I was onto something. If you are a sensitive flower like myself, try Desert Mountain Apothecary natural skincare and fragrance for a refreshingly new and natural experience.
About Natural Lifestyle Optimization: When I developed my natural skincare collection, I did many years of testing on my friends and family. They were getting great results, and quickly, but many of them didn’t feel any better about themselves. It devastated me to hear otherwise great looking and successful people confess to me how badly they felt about their appearance, and the terrible feeling of letting themselves down by simply giving into the natural aging process. Even when their skin was plumped, smoothed, and glowing from my natural skincare products, they didn’t feel any better on the outside. Worse still, were my friends who subjected themselves to painful and unnecessary cosmetic surgery and procedures, they spent more and more money, and just feel worse and worse about themselves. Many of them slowly morphed into marionette-like caricatures of their former selves.
I wrote Natural Lifestyle Optimization to give people a realistic, and tangible alternative to feeling so bad with no relief in sight. We can never release ourselves from suffering, it is the shadow that contrasts to the light of life, but we can avoid unnecessary suffering, and that’s what so much of our anguish around our appearance and aging is, truly unnecessary. Join me for my journey of discovery as I release my upcoming e-book: Natural Lifestyle Optimization.