Witch's Book of Shadows Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Deborah Cartwright! She's the winner of A copy of "The Witch's Book of Shadows, The Craft, Lore, and Magick of the Witch's Grimoire," by Jason Mankey and illustrated by yours truly! I'm including a 5x7 print of the chapter opener, signed and personalized just for you. You can frame it or add it to your own Book of Shadows!

Hey Deborah! Send me an email to mickiemueller@yahoo.com and give me your address, your goodies await!

Blessed Be~
Mickie

Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac Giveaway

Whoo-hoo! I just got my author copies of the Llewellyn's Sabbats Almanac! I had the honor of writing the "Crafty Crafts segments of this really cool almanac, so it's giveaway time!!!

Enter on Instagram, here's the link: Click HERE to enter!

Here's how to enter:
1. Follow @mickiemueller on Instagram
2. Repost this photo (above) on Instagram. 3.Tag#SabbatsAlmanacGiveaway and@mickiemueller That's all you have to do and you'll be entered into the drawing on Friday July 22! Make sure you complete all three requirements for your entries to be counted. 

More info about this awesome almanac and a couple sneak peeks...read on...

These are really fun crafts, I made them all to make sure I had the directions correct, I hope you enjoy them! This art is by Carolyn Vibbert.

This almanac runs from Samhain 2016-Mabon 2017. It was so cool to flip through the pages and see the illustrations that Wen Hsu did for my articles, she really nailed them perfectly! I've always admired her work. I illustrate a lot of articles and books for other authors, so it's really cool to be on the other side of that, I must tell you, they really are beautiful! Carolyn Vibbert created the other interior illustrations and the clever cover art is by Ellen Lawson. I've got two books, but I only need one...I think it's time for a celebratory giveaway!

One of Wen Hsu's awesome illustrations for my articles, this one is for the Samhain article! "Magic Divination Witch Bottle"  I think this illustration is my fave!

This essential guide offers fun and fresh ways to celebrate the eight sacred holidays. Enrich your spiritual life throughout the year and discover powerful wisdom and ideas from a wealth of popular this is a great guide with fun and fresh ways to celebrate the sabbats, more than 50 articles for both new and experienced witches, great ideas on marking the sacred points of the wheel of the year with great contributors:

Linda Raedisch, Melanie Marquis, Mickie Mueller, Michael Furie, Elizabeth Barrette, Suzanne Ress, Kristoffer Hughes, Dallas Jennifer Cobb, Sybil Fogg, Kerri Connor, JD Hortwort, Stacy M. Porter, and April Elliott Kent

"Sand Cast Crystal Grid Candle Holder" the illustration and the actual crystal grid project that I made!

The almanac includes creative, low-cost arts and crafts projects that I wrote just for you. There are also ideas for celebrating the sabbats as a family, simple recipes for delicious appetizers, entrees, beverages, and desserts. There are super helpful section on astrological influences with full and new moon rituals as well as extended rituals for groups and individuals. There are handy journal pages for keeping track of your festival plans and memories, and fascinating Pagan folklore and customs too!

My "Harvest Abundance Braid" and "Wheat Pentagram Wall Hanging" with my actual Abundance Braid in the background!

If you want to enter to win, click HERE and follow the easy instructions on the Instagram post!

Good luck!

Just in case you don't win but want a copy so that you can use my crafts and all the other great sabbat ideas too, here are links where you can get your own copy:

Llewellyn: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738737706

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Llewellyns-2017-Sabbats-Almanac-Samhain/dp/0738737704

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/llewellyns-2017-sabbats-almanac-llewellyn/1122705364?ean=9780738737706

Or shop at your local bookstore, check Indiebound for sellers near you: http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bookstore-finder 

Blessed Be!

Mickie

Presenting: The Witch's Mirror Book Trailer

About a week ago my talented kiddo Tristan, who just got an award for directing and acting in high school, got out the video camera, I dressed in my witchy black, we loaded up every mirror we could get our hands on, and traipsed into the woods near a local park to shoot scenes for a book trailer for my upcoming book The Witch's Mirror, The Craft, Lore, & Magick of the Looking Glass. We had a blast, the woods were lovely, green, and full of magic!
This kid is so creative! We also filmed some scenes right in my studio and even included a cameo appearance of the previous books in Llewellyn's The Witch's Tools series. I never stop being amazed at Tristan's talent, it's no surprise that my kid has aspirations to be a film editor and director, after working so hard to hone these mad skills so far, I have no doubt that their work will be entertaining us all in the not too distant future.

Without further adieu, I present The Witch's Mirror trailer by the amazingly talented Tristan Prefect! Be sure to "like" and "subscribe" on Tristan's YouTube Channel.  Enjoy!



You can own some of the mirrors in this video! The scrying mirror and the hexenspiegel sun catchers that you see hanging from the trees in this video will be for sale in my Etsy shop this week, mickiemuellerstudio.etsy.com  ALSO...I'm having a giveaway that ends on May 20 2016 and the prize is the actual book, bookmark, cover flat and compact mirror that appears in this video trailer! Click here to enter!

You can also get a copy of The Witch's Mirror from Llewellyn, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon

Behind the scenes director and editor Tristan Prefect on the job. This young director has a great eye, spied a spider web dusted with pollen and stopped to get a quick shot while we were on location in the woods.

The Man Who Made Mirrors

To celebrate National Astronomy Day today, I wanted to share the story of the man who you’ll see in the dedication of my upcoming book “The Witch’s Mirror, The Craft, Lore, & Magick of the Looking Glass," my grandpa and mirror-maker William M. Vaughan, but if you're his friend, just call him Bill. If you wonder why I dedicated the book to my grandpa, read on...

Grandpa with one of his magic mirrors that he painstakingly ground to the perfect shape and curve himself...what's so magic about it? You can use it to see the stars!

On January 4 1970 The Columbia Missourian Sunday Magazine published an article about my grandpa, and I thought sharing it here on National Astronomy Day would be a cool glimpse into a few of the mirrors that inspired me in my childhood and the master craftsman who made them, my grandpa. While I have posted the article here, I’ve also transcribed it as well as it was written to make it easier to read from my blog. I did take the license of spelling his last name Vaughan instead of Vaughn as it is spelled in the article, I just didn’t have the heart…LOL 

This is the original article as it appeared in The Columbia Missourian, Jan 4, 1970, Either my grandma or grandpa wrote in the name of the paper and the date there at the bottom.  The copy my family still has doesn't include the name of the writer of this article and I haven't been able to find in online. If  I can ever find it,  I will add the attribution.

Giant Eyes

January 4, 1970 Five years ago, Attorney W. M. Vaughan retired from his job as a claims director for an insurance company and hung-up a new shingle in the basement of his home on Route 2 east of Columbia. The shingle reads: “The Meridian Company; Bill Vaughan, President.”

Not only is Bill Vaughan president but vice president, master craftsman, and janitor as well. The Meridian Company makes telescopes, or more accurately, the concave mirrors which are the hearts of reflecting-type telescopes.

Bill Vaughan has been interested in telescopes and astronomy most of his life. Over the years he has read most of the books on telescope-making and optics. Eight years ago he built his first telescope. Since then he has built many. He became so good that he decided to make a business of it.

With the aid of unique contraptions fashioned from washing machine motors, he grinds and polishes mirrors ranging in size from 4 1/4 to 12 1/2 inches in diameter, which are corrected to within one-millionth of an inch. If you ask him how long it takes to complete an mirror, he will say, "It takes as long as it takes," explaining that each glass mirror blank has a personality of it's own, much like a diamond.

Bill Vaughan is proud of his optics. He guarantees them unconditionally. In the past five years he has sold at least one of his mirrors in each of the 50 states and Canada. He has yet to have a mirror returned. 

In pictures, Bill Vaughan works on a six-inch mirror, which eventually becomes part of a Cassegrain telescope (lower center).

Can you believe how thick this mirror is?! I can remember his workshop off the house, there was a little door off the back yard, it was a magical place to be, on the occasions when I went in to see it, I remember being amazed by all the wild looking equipment, and I was always careful not to touch anything!

We still have one of his telescopes in the family. I remember getting it out to see the Hale-Bopp comet when it came past our planet. Everyone in the neighborhood wheeled out their telescopes to get a closer look...can you imagine their faces when a big ole monstrosity like this came trucking out of that garage?!  Everyone's jaws just dropped! Those are shower caps on the ends to keep the inside dust-free!

So that's my grandpa, the master mirror maker. I knew him as that, but also many other aspects of the man. Grandpa, my sister Robin and and I went fishing and ate fresh tomatoes from the garden with salt and pepper. He played the ukulele he kept from his years working and living in Hawaii. He also had one of those electric organs which always made grandma roll her eyes when he played it.

Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day!

There were several big quartz crystal clusters around their house which I often regarded with great awe. Grandpa was also a 33 degree Freemason which I always found quite mysterious and interesting, all the sacred secrets! I once did a calligraphy page of a poem that he wrote. He performed feats of closeup magic with playing cards, a few of the tricks he taught me, which I have long since forgotten after having practiced them so often in my childhood. He took in a funny little stray dog that he named Boo. Boo earned his name because it took so long for Grandpa to befriend the little foundling. That dog ended up being loyal to Grandpa even through his last days. There are family stories about him being an honest and true man, even in the face of difficulty doing what was right even when it was hard. He was a dreamer, a thinker, and a doer. He was respected by everyone who knew him.

Bill Vaughan as a young man, love that smile!

He was a really cool man, and even though he crossed over to the Next Big Adventure before I even graduated from high school, I made sure my kids all knew him through stories and memories. I imagine he looks down from the stars he loved so much and maybe he has even read the dedication nestled within the pages in my humble little book about magical mirrors.

If you've had the good fortune to see the stars through a telescope made in the late 60's through the 70's there is a small chance that the light from stars millions of miles away was reflected into your vision by a mirror lovingly ground and polished by the hands of my grandfather.

Blessed Be!
Mickie

Giveaway Time! The Witch's Mirror Prize Bundle Might be Yours!

Great News! 

I just got a package in the mail with a few advance copies of my new book The Witch's Mirror!!! The book will officially be out June 8, but I have four copies in my hot little hands! I also have a stack of book flats (covers before they are put on the book.) Soooooo, should I celebrate with a giveaway, of course I should!

The Witch's Mirror Prize Bundle! You might recognize all this from the video book trailer for The Witch's Mirror! Yep, I'll be sending the winner the actual book, bookmark, cover flat and compact mirror that appeared in the trailer...if you haven't seen it, check it out here...

A signed copy of "The Witch's Mirror, The Craft, Lore, and Magick of the Looking Glass," an autographed collectible book cover flat of The Witch's Mirror, our corresponding bookmark, made right in our studio, and I'm also including a lovely compact mirror with my Swirling Leaves Pentacle design that will be featured in my upcoming book trailer!  This can alllll be yours, just enter below on the Rafflecopter form, the winner will be chosen at random and announced next Friday, May 20th. No purchase is necessary to enter, only the blog post comment is mandatory for entry, I also have a few more options for you to get additional entries, you can tweet it once a day to boost your entries even more! Good luck! 

Big giveaway, be one of the first to get a copy of "The Witch's Mirror, The Craft, Lore, and Magick of the Looking Glass" plus a couple of really cool extras in your hot little hands!

ATTENTION: You must leave a comment on my blog below or you will be disqualified from winning. After you comment, click the button on the blue and white rafflecopter form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

In addition to commenting on my blog, you also need to click on the Rafflecopter form above to register and let rafflecopter know that you commented. After you register on Rafflecopter, you'll find more ways to add  your name to the drawing! Good luck to all who entered!

Be sure to leave me a comment on my blog,
Tell me, do you own any magic mirrors or are you looking forward to learning more about them?
Click below to add your comment, after you leave a comment be sure to comment on the blog below and then 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!

Announcing "The Witch's Mirror" by Mickie Mueller

Last year around this time I had an opportunity to submit a proposal for a book in Llewellyn's Witch's Tools series, a book about magical mirrors! I was intrigued. I have used mirrors in my practice from time to time, both black scrying mirrors and silver mirrors to reflect negativity away, multiply abundance, or boost candle magic; so I dug into the topic wholeheartedly.

As I worked on writing the proposal and eventually the manuscript, lots of connections with mirrors came to mind. I remembered all those nights playing Bloody Mary with my friends, the time I used a mirror meditation to help me recover from a difficult divorce, I even thought about my grandfather who was a highly respected craftsman of telescope mirrors in his day. Mirrors he crafted were in telescopes in every state in the United States. I thought he would approve of my project.

The Witch's Mirror is available for pre-order and will be out June 8 2016 Click here for the Amazon listing. 
Click here for the Barnes & Noble listing Isn't this cover a hoot?! I'm so pleased with how it came out! My fantastic editor Elysia Gallo and I came up with the basic concept and gave our ideas to cover illustrator John Kachik and let his creativity reign supreme. I'm delighted with the results!  As an illustrator myself, it was important to me to hand him the concept and then step way back and respect his process, seeing the magic he worked, it was well worth it.

I had a lot of fun working on this book, I can't wait to share it with you.  I've included folklore and pop culture regarding mirrors, spells for just about every purpose using mirrors, mirror washes and condensers, meditations, where to find magic mirrors, even instructions on how to make many of your own mirrors for specific purposes.  Even if you've never used mirrors for magic, you will find some kind of wonderful use within these pages to inspire you to look at mirrors in a whole new way.

This is an actual mirror that I made as part of this book, and yes, I have included instructions for making your own, it's easier than you might think to create this oeil de sorciere, a special kind of convex witch's mirror!

The Witch's Mirror is the fourth book in Llewellyn's The Magical Tools Series proceeded by The Witch's Broom by Deborah Blake, The Witch's Wand by Alferian Gwydion MacLir, and The Witch's Athame by Jason Mankey.  I have enjoyed the honor of illustrating the interiors of all of these books, and I'll be illustration my own, and the rest in the series as well.  The beautiful cover art for all of these books was created by the talented and inspiring John Kachik, and the book cover design is by the amazing Lisa Novak.

A scrying mirror I made ages ago, it ended up in a good home of one of our Etsy friends.

Like the rest of the books in this series, there are brief contributions by other authors who talk about their personal uses of each tool and The Witch's Mirror is no exception.  I was so happy to have Raven Digitalis, Melanie Marquis, Blake Octavian Blair, Natalie Zaman, Lisa Allen Calantriniel, Charlynn Walls, Autumn Damiana, David Salisbury, Michael Furie, and Judika Illes all share their personal uses of magic mirrors in the "Reflections of Real Witches" segments sprinkled throughout this book.

This is one of my Witch's Mirrors, it lives above my old wooden art table. It belonged to my grandpa and before that it was on his family farm where he grew up. So what is its magic you ask? It has three purposes, one is that it multiplies the magic that happens on top of my art table altar, the second is for feng shui since my back is to the front door it reflects behind me keeping power at my desk. The third thing this mirror does is remind me of where I come from and brings the energy of my ancestors forward with me in my path in life

I still have to create the illustrations for this book, I have lots of mirror crafts to show you; jewelry, enchanted mirrors, candle holders, mirrored items and more.

Occasionally I make these one of a kind hexenspiegel charms and sell them in my Etsy shop.  A hexenspiegel is a special mirror carried on the person or displayed in the home to shield the user from the evil eye and all forms of negative energy, and yes, instructions for creating your own hexenspiegels and enchanting them are also included in The Witch's Mirror.

The art of looking glass magic puts you in touch with your own spirit and gives you new ways to manifest abundance, protection, glamour, healing, and divination among many other magical uses. Would you like to know how to find, create, and use magical mirrors for scrying, spells, amulets, and more? With the secrets of the witch's mirror at your fingertips, gaze into your own magical mirror, what will you discover?

A portable mirror can also be enchanted for all kinds of magic it's really a versatile powerhouse for any kind of spell work.

Watch for The Witch's Mirror in bookstores everywhere June 8, 2016,

or...be among the first to explore the secrets of The Witch's Mirror when it comes out and pre-order here: http://www.amazon.com/Witchs-Mirror-Craft-Magick-Looking/dp/0738747912

• 
  

Blessed Be!

Mickie

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Mabon

It's the Autumn Equinox, and amongst the many things that I'm acknowledging gratitude for today is the box full of books I illustrated that came in the mail from Llewellyn last week! Today I thought it would be appropriate to share the Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials book Mabon by Diana Rajchel!

I currently have a crystal grid set up, so instead of my usual seasonal altar, I added my Mabon items around the grid so as not to disturb it. Included is an electric candle and wrap made by my mom, you can see more of her work at FrogBirdsHouse.etsy.com 

Apples hanging out among the crystals will become some kind of dessert later.

This is the chapter opener for the "Old Ways" chapter where Diana discusses old Traditions celebrating the harvest.

Last year when I was working on these illustrations I was cracking up watching the squirrels running across the yard harvesting acorns, so I had to include one in the "New Ways" chapter opener.

I loved her description of the scarecrow from the crafts section, this guy was fun to draw with his dismayed expression.

The lovely Demeter with many other magical correspondences grace this page.

I love the crow on the cover, the cover art was designed by the talented Kevin R. Brown.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into Mabon from the Llewellyn's Sabbats Essentials.  Think mindfully about all that you're grateful for today, thank the Universe, and appreciate all the little things in life. The world is a magical place!

Available at Barnes & Noble Mabon from the Llewellyn's Sabbats Essentials
Available at Amazon Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials book Mabon

Blessed Be!

Mickie 

Llewellyn's Midsummer Book on my Midsummer Altar

Midsummer, it's the longest day of the year, the point when the sun is at it's zenith, the Summer Solstice, and a magical in between time, this year it falls on June 20th.  It's also called Litha. I've got my Midsummer altar all set up and ready for honoring this significant stop on the Pagan wheel of the year. Even though it's been a rainy week, (forgive my low-light photos) my Midsummer altar is brightening up the place and radiating out Summer energy into my home when I need it the most.

My Midsummer altar all dressed up with my God and Goddess candle statues.

I'm so happy to have my copy of Midsummer by Deborah Blake, the latest release in the Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series.   I've discovered that these little books are simply a perfect addition to my Wheel of the Year altar, I'm keeping the set nearby as a reminder of the cycles of the earth and I'm placing the current Sabbat book on the altar for easy reference and inspiration, plus they really look pretty! 

My mom Amanda Bryant of Frogbirds House started making these lovely sets with an altar cloth and electric candle wrap for each sabbat, I love these!  This one features a beautiful bright sun on a blue sky, I hope it's magic summons up blue skies here!  Want your own? Click here

I was inspired by both Deborah Blake's correspondences list in the Midsummer book and what is in bloom right now in the fields here at Aelfheim.  I made a bouquet in the cup from my Celtic Faeries Tea For One set and used my grandmother's antique owl "flower frog" to prop the flowers up.  I included two kinds of wild daisies, queen Annes lace, rosemary sprigs and lavender. Grandma often created fresh flower bouquets and included fresh herbs, so she would approve.  I'm watching for the St. Johns Wort to bloom so I can add some.  

One of my illustrations for the "Old Ways chapter in which Deborah explores old Summer Solstice traditions and practices.

My illustration for the "New Ways" chapter. Witchy Summer Solstice curb appeal introduces this chapter full of modern ways to celebrate.

I'm stuck with store-bought tomatoes until my are ripe, but Deborah included a recipe for a chocolate tomato cake using green tomatoes which sounds intriguing, and there are some on the vine! I'm going to try her rosemary shortbread cookies for my Midsummer night cakes and ale!

The correspondences section, full of inspiration!

I hope you enjoyed visiting my Midsummer altar, may you enjoy the Summer Solstice as you grow abundance, and perhaps have a Midsummer Night's Dream!

Featured:
Llewellyn Sabbat Essentials Midsummer by Deborah Blake (illustrated by lil' ole me!)
God and Goddess Statues by Sacred Source designed by Mickie Mueller
Altar Cloth and Electric Candle wrap by Frogbirds House (my mom!)
Celtic Tree FaeriesTea for One Set by Mickie Mueller Studio


Blessed Be!

Mickie

Sneak a Peek at the Beltane Llewellyn Sabbat Essentials Book

I was working like a mad woman to finish up the book I've been writing by the deadline and Beltane kind of crept up on me. Thankfully two great women had my back, my mom Amanda Bryant of FrogBirdsHouse and author Melanie Marquis, the author of Beltane in the Llewellyn Sabbat Essentials series. I actually finished writing my manuscript on Beltane, emailed it off to my editor, and began flipping through my Beltane book for some quick inspiration to celebrate the day! Do you want a peek inside this awesome little book...for you, anything!

Mom has been embroidering these awesome sabbat sets of altar cloths and electric candle wraps. (click here to see more of her work) I was so happy with the Beltane set, I love a good bonfire, so this depiction for Beltane was perfect! I set up my altar with the lovely set, added my God and Goddess candle holder/statues from Sacred Source, and looked up quick correspondences for Beltane that Melanie Marquis added to the back of the Beltane book to finish decorating! 

I just love the covers for this series, designed by Kevin R. Brown, I can't wait to have the whole series, it's going to look gorgeous sitting on the bookshelf! 

The book goes into the "old ways" traditions as they've been celebrated in the past.  I just had to include a bonfire and maypole in this illustration beyond the old time witches gate to her cottage.

For the "new ways" section I illustrated the modern witches entrance, including Melanies mini tabletop maypole in the window, a modern torch for the Beltane flame outside, and of course a faerie garden statue to represent the faerie legends surrounding Beltane.

The recipes and crafts section is awesome!  I've decided I'm just going to celebrate the season of Beltane, going beyond just the day, that way I can enjoy some of her awesome recipes. Blessed Lemon Custard, Sexy Rosemary and Garlic-Roasted Asparagus, and Magical May Wine...yes please!!

Ok, I just had to share a shot of this set my mom made for my Wheel of the Year altar!  I love how the light of the electric candle shines though the candle wraps she makes, and these new altar cloths are so cool! She has some really nice candle wraps and stuff over at FrogBirdsHouse

I loved her description of the Mini Tabletop Maypole, it was really fun to illustrate!

I love the correspondences sections in these books, a super quick and easy reference guide for witches on the go!

After flipping through the book Beltane I found the inspiration I was looking for, and also having recently read Deborah Blake's new book Everyday Witchcraft, I decided a quick Beltane ritual and offering to the Fae would be just the thing after finishing up writing my first stand-alone book on this auspicious day.  I ventured deep into the fields of our home at Aelfheim with a small dish of wine, bread with real butter and honey in a wooden dish, a red, white, and black cloutie to tie to my wishing tree, and a solar lantern to light the way.  The moon is close to full now, so the landscape was illuminated with a milky light.  I reached the stump that I use as an altar and set my offerings and the solar lantern upon it.  Taking a moment to take in the beauty of Aelfheim at night, I was simply in awe and speechless for quite some time.  I spoke to the spirits of the land from my heart offering thanks for their constant blessing and inspiration as I made my offering to them.  When I was ready, I tied my cloutie to the tree as I made a wish (sorry, can't tell) then I made my way back to the house.  I tried to snap a photo, but there was just no way to capture the glow of the moonlight, lantern, and the magic all around my outdoor temple amongst the trees, so this description will have to suffice.

I hope you had a blessed Beltane and that you enjoyed getting a peek at my Beltane author and the illustrations inside Llewellyn's new Sabbat Essentials series Beltane book.  I can't wait to get my Midsummer one in the mail! Speaking of Deborah Blake, she wrote that one, Can't wait!

Blessed Be!

Mickie

Spring Came Early Today!

Spring burst out of my mailbox today in the form of Llewellyn's new Sabbat Essentials book, Ostara by Kerri Conner.  It's -1 degree Celsius here at my little country home of Aelfheim, and the trash can was at the end of the long, long, driveway. I didn't wanna go get it.  But I bundled up and while I was down there at the end of the drive I checked the mail. There was a white plastic envelope with what felt like two little books inside, the name on the return address was Llewellyn Worldwide! Warm happiness and excitement filled my heart and my cold little hands as I danced back up to drop off the can and run in the house...I was pretty sure I knew what was inside, and I was right! Here it is right on my old wooden art table.  My illustrator copies of Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials Ostara book written by Kerri Conner, interior illustrations by little ole me. Yeeeee!!!!

This gorgeous cover art by Kevin R. Brown inspired me so much while doing the illustrations.  This is just the pretties little book, I love the look and the feel of it, this is the kind of book that you just want on your shelf, or on your coffee table during the season of Ostara.  I created illustrations for this entire series, a big job, but what an honor!

Seeing my decorative border for the introduction next to this decorative page of  cursive writing with inspiring Ostara key words made my heart just sing. The design of this book is brilliant!

I re-invented the wheel, Wheel of the Year, that is.  I love that they have the wheel for both the northern and southern hemisphere, wrapping my head around it made my brain hurt, but they've got it all worked out, so you don't have to. 

Each book will have a chapter for Old Ways and New Ways.  The illustrated chapter openers will follow the same old world witch's enchanted gate and a modern  witch's welcoming home with  magical curb appeal as they change through the seasons. 

One of my favorite Ostara crafts that Kerri came up with for this charming book was the book terrarium, I loved illustrating this one and honestly, can't wait to try making one of my own. 

A few of the chapter openers are the same for all the books while many others change with each seasonal sabbat.  I was really happy with how the Spells and Divination chapter opener turned out.

When will I stop being proud and excited to see my art in print...never, ever, ever!  

This book is just loaded with inspiration for the sabbat of Ostara; spells, rituals, lore, recipes, crafts, correspondences, you name it, it's in there.  I really appreciated getting this little book on my hands on such a cold winter's day, it reminded me not to despair, even though it's bitter cold outside, the sun's rule over the land is growing daily, and spring shall eventually overcome winter's icy hold over the land.  Even though I'm thinking about the upcoming festival of Imbolc in February, this gives me a couple months to get ready for Ostara!  Eight of these charming matching books, I need to pick out just the right bookshelf to display them now...hmmmmm...

Oh, I nearly forgot! If you want to get in on the fun of these lovely books, they're actually available now! Find it at Llewellyn Worldwide, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or check at your local bookstore/metaphysical shop.

Blessed Be!
Mickie Mueller