Did We Find a Witch Bottle?! How to Make One for Protection

We might have discovered a witch bottle in our back yard!



Dan and I were doing some yard work a few days ago since the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day. Our house is over 100 years old and near the back of the property every spring Dan goes back to pick up whatever broken glass he can find. When the ground freezes and thaws over the winter it pushes up glass, bottle caps, and other items to the surface. Dan found quite a bit of glass, among the glass he found was a weird little bottle full of dirt and residue of some kind.



The lid was gone and we have some evidence that it was probably either rubber or cork and likely rotted away, but there were a couple items inside, and one of them in particular was pretty standard in old traditional witch bottles! A couple of the pieces of glass were the bottoms of bottles so I was able to do a bit of research online and have figured that much of the glass in the back of the yard is probably early 1920's, to 1940's-50's. We live in a small town, back when this house was built it was still pretty rural, so it's possible that some of the Ozark witchcraft and folk magic traditions were still in practice at the time.



I decided to do a video to share it with you guys. I’ll also show you how to make your own witch bottle for protection.  A witch bottle is a traditional method for home protection that goes back centuries, these have been found in archaeological digs in America and Europe. It’s a traditional folk magic protection spell that’s easy enough for beginners and uses simple ingredients. The witch bottle was specifically used to ward against baneful magic.



Did we really find a witch bottle? I’ll tell you my thoughts and walk you through step-by-step while I make one.





I hope you enjoy it!

Be Your Magic!

Mickie

Lesson of the Hazelnut and Brigids Hazelnut Crusted Salmon Recipe

I've been a flamekeeper to honor the Irish Goddess Brigid for a few years now with a group called Bridgis Mantle. I keep an altar to her all year.  Flamekeepers light and tend a flame, usually a candle from sundown on their day until the sundown the following day. Flamekeeping groups usually have 19 members, and each takes a shift on different days the 20th day the flame is kept by the Goddess Brigid herself, as per tradition. There are many ways to honor her during flamekeeping. Writing, making or listening to music, artistic projects, caring for your animals, blessing your home, and healing work are among the many activities sacred to Brigid. Among her many attributes, Brigid is a Goddess of the hearth, and in a modern home, that's often the oven and stove, she is also a Goddess that feeds the hungry, so I love to make a special meal on my flamekeeping days.

Imbolc (circa February 2) is also Brigids feast day, it's another day when I light candles in her honor, blessing my home.  I also like to make a special meal on Imbolc so I decided to make hazelnut crusted salmon for dinner and a dessert of blackberry strudel topped with vanilla bean ice cream, all are foods associated with the Goddess Herself.

I lit my candles at sundown on my Brigid altar, Once I lit the candles on my altar,  next, I needed to get dinner going, I had been so busy throughout the day I hadn't cracked those hazelnuts yet, so I needed to get on it.

I found a recipe online to use as a guideline. (here is the original) Being a pretty creative kitchen witch and often changing things as I go, I knew I would do the same with this recipe and make it my own.  The one ingredient I knew would not be altered was hazelnuts, and I knew of a store in town where I could get them in the shell.

Just one problem...I couldn't find my nutcracker. Not anywhere! Dan and I tore apart the kitchen and the dining room but to no avail. Everything was put away from Yule and that was the last time we had nuts to crack, so I finally gave up on the nutcracker.  As far as the hazelnuts though, I would not be undone! I grabbed a couple bowls and a hammer and marched undaunted to the concrete front porch. I'm sure the joggers passing by thought I was nuts, no pun intended.

I went forward with my hammer (a tool of Brigid's forge incidentally) and one by one I not only cracked those nuts, but I did it with more speed than I probably could have with the nutcracker. As I worked I figured out the best way to do it, and after crushing a couple, I found the optimal way to do it removing the shell and freeing the meat within with the greatest of ease! The hazel is a Celtic tree that represents inspiration, wisdom, and creative energy, and it occurred to me as I worked that creativity is the problem solving ability that has helped mankind survive and prosper since the beginning of time! How to crack a nut, make a weapon for hunting from bone, flint, and wood, making fire, and every invention since from the printing press to the smart phone was worked out by a creative mind. We think of the term "creativity" in connection with the arts, painting, music, writing, but in fact, humans use the power of creativity in every aspect of life every time we look at a problem from a new perspective. So I listened to the lesson of the hazelnut as it taught me the best way to get my family fed in style, and thus the lesson of the Goddess Brigid as well as she whispered to me on my porch on Imbolc evening, did she plant the idea in my head? "Try turning it point side up, resting on the flat side. one blow with the hammer and it just might work." And it did, just about every time! More about the Celtic hazel tree wisdom here!

I balanced the flat top side of the hazelnut on the concrete and delivered one quick blow with the hammer. The shell popped right off pieces shooting to the sides and leaving the meat of the nut right where it sat and most were in one piece!

Pow! It worked again! Perfect!

I chopped the nuts up for my recipe.

Salmon on parchment lined baking sheet, covered with the mayo and Dijon mustard mix, sprinkled with salt and pepper. Now top with crushed hazelnuts!

Orange zest! Here's what my orange looked like when I was done, if yours does too, you did it right!

Hot from the oven!

I served it up with tiny potatoes, beans and carrots.

It was delish!

Want my version of the recipe? Here you go! I hope your family loves it as much as mine did and I hope it inspires some inspiration!

Hazelnut Crusted Salmon

Ingredients

2 lbs salmon fillets, boneless with skin on, I used Aldi brand 

1/2 cup olive oil mayonaise

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups chopped hazelnuts

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary ground)

1 tsp. fresh thyme (or dried)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. mix the mayo and dijon together. Put the salmon on the baking sheet skin side down. Brush or spread the dijon/mayo mixture over all the fillets. Top with the chopped hazelnuts. Sprinkle the herbs over the tops of each piece of salmon then top with orange zest. Bake about 15 minutes.

Blessed Be!

Mickie

Win a Copy of The Witch's Cauldron, Ends May 1, 2017

Win a copy of The Witch's Cauldron, The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Vessels by Laura Tempest Zakroff, a collectible book cover flat, and a 5x7 of the chapter opener that I'll sign for you! 

It's giveaway time again! The latest addition to Llewellyns The Witch's Tools series, The Witch's Cauldron, The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Vessels by Laura Tempest Zakroff, and I really think you're going to love it! I was honored to create the illustrations for this excellent book and I just received my "illustrator copies" and a few book cover flats as well, so I thought this would be a nice time to do a giveaway. One lucky winner drawn at random on May 1 will get a copy of The Witch's Cauldron, a collectible book cover flat, and I'm also including a 5x7 print of the chapter opener, signed and personalized just for you. You can frame it or add it to your Book of Shadows!


I had a blast with these illustrations for the book, Laura, being an artist herself, gave me great direction on what she wanted to see in her book, she was really great to work with. 

You'll notice that the cover doesn't look the same as the other covers in this series, there's a very good reason for that, Llewellyn Worldwide has decided to re-design all the covers of the Witch's Tools series.  I'm delighted to report that the new covers will be featuring my line art from each book! Whooo-hooo! 

These will be the first Llewellyn book covers to feature my art that were not companions for my oracle/tarot decks! As you know, I really thought the original covers were fun, but I do think these new covers are super witchy and really reflect the material inside. wonderfully! The art department did a great job with the vision and design. I wanted to make sure to tell you about the other books getting new covers so you can snatch up the books in this series (Including my book The Witch's Mirror) with original covers while you can, I'm squirreling away a few myself since they might just become collectors items!

Laura did a great job with this book, one of the perks of being a book illustrator is that I get to read them first! The Witch's Cauldron is full of lots of great information about cauldrons, including history, folklore, traditional and innovative ways to use them for all kinds of magic, caring for them, and includes many different kinds of cauldrons you may not have considered. As always in this series, you'll find fantastic contributions by other witchy writers that share their perspective on magical cauldrons including Jason Mankey, Gwion Raven, Meredith Spies and more. Be sure to follow Laura Tempest Zakroff on Facebook for updates on her book tour, and visit her website http://www.lauratempestzakroff.com/

Want to win The Witch's Cauldron?
You have until 5/1/17 at 12:00 AM CST to enter, a winner will be chosen using Rafflecopter.

Click the widget below for instructions on how to enter.
ATTENTION: You must leave a comment on my blog below in order to be a qualified entrant. After you comment, click the button on the blue and white rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to leave me a comment on my blog,
Tell me about your favorite cauldron magic from fiction including books, movies, TV, or video games?
Click below to add your comment, after you leave a comment be sure to click the button on the blue and white rafflecopter form above, that way your entry will count. Also, feel free to unlock the bonus entries for extra chances to win!

Blessed Be!
Mickie Mueller

Kitchen Witch Candle Jars Sneak Peek

I'm excited to show you the prototype for a brand new line from the studio workshop, and my kitchen! I'm working on a brand new line of Kitchen Witch spell candle jars. Dan found these lovely frosted jelly jars from one of our dye sublimation suppliers and of course my witchy brain immediately thought, "spell candles!" watch for them in my Etsy shop Mickie Mueller Studio in the next couple days.

UPDATE: Now you can purchase a Kitchen Witch spell candle jar of your own! Click the name of the candle purpose to see photos of these beautiful re-usable candle jars!
Protection     Prosperity    Peace of Mind   Healing Vibes    Clearing & Uncrossing

Here's how the prototype turned out, I'm pretty happy with it! I'm also working on designs for Clearing & Uncrossing, Healing Vibes, Protection,  Blessed Home, Peace of Mind, and  Love & Romance. Each one will have the "Kitchen Witch" label, and will be covered with magical symbols associated with the theme; some drawn by me, and some public domain vintage art. 

I really had fun putting these designs together on the computer, I've got a few done, so you'll be seeing them in my Etsy shop really soon! Don't you love that vintage witch?!

We always have a bit of a learning curve when we dye sublimate a new item, this was our second try, and I was delighted to see it turn out so nice!

The candle jar is cool on it's own, but I just had to throw in a magical candle! I decided to use my old Kitchen Witch technique. This candle was dressed with herbs pressed into warm wax right in my own kitchen and charged with magical energy for prosperity and also charged with Reiki energy (since I'm a Reiki Master) for an extra kick. 

We did a nice little label for the lid too. The jar will come with one of my Kitchen Witch  herb dressed candles wrapped in paper and tied with a little bakers twine. (I need to pick up some bakers twine! LOL)

Here's what the prototype looked like when it had burned down for several hours, I love the way it glows. These candle burned for about 24 hours in this jar.

The right side...

...the left side.

My little Kitchen Witch candle burning away with all those lovely magical kitchen herbs doing their magical stuff!

Once the candle has burned out, you may dispose of any leftover wax however you like. The art on this jar is water-proof so I just set mine in a dish of hot water for about 10 minutes to loosen up the wax, scraped it out, and cleaned it out with hot soapy water to remove all the wax and any residual herbs. This jar can be re-used over and over. You can pour your own candle into the jar, or use votives or tea light candles dressed with your own herbs or oils as I did here.  You could also use it to store a homemade prosperity floor wash, smudge blend, or loose tea blend. 

Well, I better get back to work on a few more designs so that I can make one for you! They'll be in my Etsy shop Mickie Mueller Studio in the next couple of days, I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of the prototype for our new Kitchen Witch spell candle jars!

UPDATE: Now you can purchase a Kitchen Witch spell candle jar of your own! Click the name of the candle purpose to see photos of these beautiful re-usable candle jars!
Protection     Prosperity    Peace of Mind   Healing Vibes    Clearing & Uncrossing 


Blessed Be!

Mickie

Stop! Don't Toss Those Radish Greens,They're Delish!

Fellow gardeners, have I got a treat for you, this will seriously change your life.  When you harvest those lovely radishes this summer and you cut off all those pretty green leaves, don't toss them in the trash can or compost, I have a much better use.  You work hard to grow your produce, watering, weeding, encouraging, so why wast a bit if you don't have to?

It all started for me when I watched the indie movie Chef on Netflix directed by and starring Jon Fareau (which I highly recommend.) Near the beginning of the film, Chef Carl goes to the market to get fresh produce for the restaurant where he works and he tells the produce guy that he wants fresh radishes with the tops still on, "I use those." What?  I wondered what do you use them for?  I was intrigued.

Chef Carl at the produce market with his son in the indie film Chef.

So when the radishes in the garden were ready to harvest, I remembered the statement and just googled, "radish greens recipes."  Wow! You can make all kinds of dishes with radish greens, so I saved them in a plastic bag and tossed them into the crisper drawer instead of the compost, feeling very proud of myself for not being wasteful. Radish leaves contain more fiber, vitamin C and protein than those pretty red roots do, and the roots are pretty good for you, so that's saying a lot!  Here's more info on the health benefits of radishes, both the roots and leaves, click here.

Tonight, I picked up one of those roasted chickens from the grocery store, it's a quick and easy dinner when I have lots of work to do.  With two book illustration jobs and revisions for my upcoming book all due around the first of the month, I like easy.  Then I remembered those radish greens...

So I looked up some recipes online, and I created this version based on what I had in the house...I must say, it's a new family favorite!  We'll never toss those radish greens again!  I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family did.

Tossing the potatoes and radish greens in the pan.

Sauteed Potatoes and Radish Greens

I've included the magical folklore uses for all you kitchen witches out there.  This is a great happy home recipe, not only does it taste wonderful, but if made with magical intention it's ingredients will fill you with blessings and keep negativity, envy, and gossip away from your dinner table.

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped radish greens, be sure to rinse them before you chop (fire energy, defends against the evil eye, induces passion)
1 medium onion halved and sliced thin (the moon, healing, hex breaking)
2 cups of diced red potatoes with the skin on (primal earth energy, manifestation)
1 pinch of turmeric (purification, courage)
1/4 tsp powdered cayenne pepper (breaks up negative energy and hexes, promotes love and passion)
fresh cracked pepper to taste (breaks up negative energy and hexes, stops envy)
sea salt to taste (blessing and protection and purification)
2 tablespoons olive oil (divine favor, associated with Athena)
1 pinch of sugar (dispels evil, sweetens the family life)
balsamic vinegar to flavor, I used about a tsp. (fire energy, breaks up baneful energy and gossip)

In a skillet, heat the oil and saute the onions until slightly transparent.  Add potatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, and cayenne and toss.  Reduce the heat and cover, cook until the potatoes are soft.
Add chopped radish greens, toss to combine with potatoes and onions, cover and cook about 5 minutes until the leaves have wilted. Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and balsamic vinegar, toss and enjoy as a side dish or serve with on warm tortillas and feta cheese.

Our radish harvest!

If you love this recipe just google "radish greens recipes" There are a ton of uses for this healthy green, I plan to try more recipes myself.

Blessed Be!

Mickie