Origin Information:Clear Light, New Mexico A special feature of the New Mexico landscape is the Southwestern cedar tree that flourishes here. Cedars spread their beauty across the mountains, bringing a clean crisp scent to the high desert air. In some cultures, the cedar is a sacred tree, and burning cedar needles as incense evokes mystical memories. For thousands of years, Native Americans here have known about cedar's healing properties and have used it for both therapeutic and ceremonial purposes. For generations it has been used to give homes a clean, refreshing scent and keep insects away from clothing and other stored treasures.
Joshua Peine began studying the lore of New Mexico mountain cedar while hiking through the aromatic forests of New Mexico's high country in the early 1970s. He learned about the herbal and medicinal qualities of green cedar from the Navajo and Hopi and from Nature herself. As Joshua studied native cultures, he began giving away little pouches filled with the green cedar needles he'd collected. Everyone asked for more, and Clear Light • the Cedar Company was born. It struck a responsive chord in those who took the time to savor life.
Today, we carefully watch over the harvest, making sure it is done to Joshua's exacting standards. The needles are picked at precisely the right moment, leaving the trees healthy and happy; then they are cured only long enough to preserve their clean, everlasting fragrance. Joshua invented and refined this unique method of collecting and curing green cedar needles; it enhances and preserves their tangy aroma.
