I've been digging deep for inspiration lately following Huchi-Kuchi and all the Hearth Goddess deep into my imagination to conjure up some images of inspiration to keep my dream alive. Last night I remembered an inspiration from when I was still in college in Boston. Before Whittard's, before Alice's, before India, I read the Nora Roberts' three sisters trilogy and was inspired by the oldest sister, Mia. She lives on a small provincial island in New England with her two sisters nearby and they are witches.

Love and danger and magik unfold through the three romance novels (of which I think I will go buy today and reread). But the part that is most inspiring to me, is Mia's bookstore. Her bookstore is the heart of the little town. It's in an old victorian house by the sea with comfortable chairs and narrow bookshelves with ladders and creaking stairs and crystals in the windows. It's where everybody goes to be understood, given a cup of tea and a good book. It's the only source of magic and wildness and sexiness for the old fashioned folk living their island lives, kind of like the candy store and it's goddess in Chocolat. All these women do is promote enjoyment of life and everyone thinks they are evil temptresses until they realize how much they need a little enjoyment. I think tea can be one of those things.

It's not that I want to find a provincial place that has no magic, it's just that there seem to be A LOT of places that feel like that to me anyway. A lot of places. Most places. I usually feel a little out of the ordinary when it comes to enjoyment of life (I enjoy it a lot.) It's not that I think people don't feel magic themselves, quite the contrary, they just don't always have an outlet for it and I want to be like Mia and bring it to somewhere that needs one which is everywhere.

I want to be the scandalous woman in the neighborhood who kisses her Erik all the time and who has wild hair and wears beautiful dresses and glittery things and will make you a cup of tea to heal all your wounds and make you feel like you were just given a tiny present just for you. It's like I want to wrap the world in a starry blanket.

I am, afterall, a witch.

That's my Muse for the day, Mia and her magic bookstore on a tiny wild island.