West of the Santa Ana and Other Sacred Places is the third full length collection of poetry by Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl. As I sat by many-a-river, oceans, and other bodies of water, they would tell me to go home. Yet, the winds, they continually whispered, instigating movement, liberation, open roads and free skies. It is said that, "Home is where the heart is." 'Tis certainly true! Yet as a Libra/Scorpio-cusper, the winds ignite the fire within, moving me here and there, making my heart more of a timeshare than a home. So in this poetry collection, I take you back to the beginning, on a journey down memory lane, where a little girl from an all-American city grows up to realize she isn't all that all-American afterall; hence, beginning the eternal search for heart and home, for roots and wings. And though the journey commences in the past, it emerges in a contemporary setting; and although it ends in the here and now, it takes you back to the beginning of time and space, simultaneously interweaving the threads of my human existence with the intricate web of humanity. All of this, bringing us back to the waters of life, demonstrating how a river truly runs through us all.