Poster: Lunar Eclipse, 11” x17”
By Mickie Mueller“

In December of 1999 there was a total eclipse of the moon that appeared in the sky here in the Midwest. It was beautiful! It is quite amazing to watch a lunar eclipse because you can observe something very similar to the phases of the moon, unfolding over merely a period of hours, instead of the month as usual. I say similar, because it looks different somehow, the dark section isn’t black, but an otherworldly color, sometimes gray sometimes a brownish-maroon, and the shadow is different, not a sharp edge, but a bit fuzzy. It’s easy to believe that an eclipse was considered supernatural long ago. As I watched this heavenly show unfolding before my eyes, I explained to my daughters that it was the shadow of the earth passing across the full moon. Gazing up at the almost totally masked moon, in my mind’s eye, I saw the spirit of the Moon Goddess, pulling her dark cloak around her, amusing herself with a celestial game of hide and seek. I kept this picture in my head for 9 months until I finally put it to paper; it had aged to perfection. It was completed on a full moon night the following August. A lunar eclipse can bring about change; it is a good time for letting go of the past and unveiling something new in your life before you. It is a time of blessings and wonder. 11" x 17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

Poster: Drawing Down the Moon, 11” x 17”
By Mickie Mueller

"The moon has great energies, love, intuition, spirituality, healing and is related to the Goddess or feminine aspects of Deity. The Moon pulls the tides and also our emotions with its cycles. The full moon is a time when its energy and magnetic pull is at its pinnacle. It is this time when the energy of the moon may be called upon to grant our dearest desires. She stands before the open sky – her blade held aloft as if an etheric lightning rod – and she draws the energy of the Goddess within her, that she might discover some ancient secret wisdom, lost long ago. The waves break on the rocks below and a gentle breeze dances through her hair as she becomes one with the Moon Goddess, in a communion of spirit. The candles flicker only slightly and the sounds of Nature are heard all around as she joins the glowing orb that illuminates the night. My beautiful friend Dawn posed for this piece, as well as the Lunar Eclipse. Many reference photos for the setting were taken at Lake of the Ozarks in Southern Missouri during a perfect week spent relaxing and enjoying Nature from wave-runners with my husband. I think the peace I felt on that trip transferred over into this work." 11" x 17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.”

Poster: Freya, 11” x 17”
By Mickie Mueller

Freya, of the Vanir branch of deities, is the Norse Goddess of love and of war. In addition to her association with sexuality and marriage corresponding with Aphrodite and Venus, she is also known as a seer and the Queen of the Valkyries. The Valkyries were spirit women who would fly over the battlefield on horses, choosing the bravest of warriors’ souls to bring back Valhalla to spend eternity with Odin. Freya as Queen of the Valkyries chose half of the warriors to join her at her hall. She is also a Goddess of magic and divination. She is often depicted either riding a boar, or driving a chariot driven by two cats. Freya owned the precious Brisingamen’s necklace, which she acquired by trading four nights of her love to the dwarves who owned it. The necklace was sought after in several tales, just as was Aphrodite’s famous girdle. This necklace is believed by some to embody her power over the material world – an emblem of the earth-goddess since the earliest times. It is said that her shed tears turned to amber or gold. She also had in her possession a cloak of feathers which allowed her to change into a falcon and travel between the worlds. As the embodiment of the holy life force, she was the one who brought magic to the Aesir – a later branch of Gods. Friday is named for Freya. Friday’s magical correspondence is love and beauty. She is seen here driving her chariot with her two cats and casting flowers as a blessing from her hand; the snow is receding and love emanates from the great Viking Goddess. My thanks to Nordic beauty Carrie for posing for this work. 11" x 17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

Poster: Brighid 11” x 17”
By Mickie Mueller

“This ancient Celtic Goddess known as Brighid, (Brigit, Brid, Bride, etc...) is beloved to Ireland and the British Isles as the keeper of the home’s hearth, patroness of healing, smithcraft, fertility, poetry, and midwifery. Legend says that when she was born at sunrise, a tower of flame reached from the top of her head to the heavens. Her birth is said to have given the family house the appearance of being on fire. The household fire is sacred to Brighid, and each evening the woman of the house would smoor the fire, (cover it over to keep the fire overnight) – asking for the protection of Brighid on all its occupants. Brighid’s festival is Imbolc, or Candlemas, and falls on February 2, and is the in-between time after the winter solstice and before the spring equinox. It is the time the very first signs of impending spring become apparent, as the ewes and cows come into milk and prepare to give birth. This festival is usually celebrated by keeping a flame burning in the home, either in the fireplace or with candles to honor this fire Goddess, and invite her to bestow blessings upon the home. Traditional foods served during this time include dairy items such as milk and cheese. Many Irish households proudly display a Brighid’s Cross – an ornament made of rushes and hung in the home for protection, and to honor Brighid. She is one of the best historic examples of the survival of a Goddess in Christian records. During the time when Christianity moved into Celtic areas, her followers refused to give up their worship of Brighid, so the Church had no choice but to bring her into their fold by making her a saint. The most popular folk tale tells that she was midwife to the Virgin Mary, and thus was always invoked and prayed to by woman in labor. There had been a shrine dedicated to the Goddess Brighid at Kildare, Ireland with a Perpetual Flame tended by 19 virgin priestesses called Daughters of the Flame. Their tradition was that each day a different Priestess was in charge of the Sacred Fire – and on the 20th day of each cycle, the fire was miraculously tended by Brighid herself. When Catholicism took over Ireland, the Shrine became a convent and the virgin priestesses became nuns, but the same traditions held, and the Eternal Flame was kept burning. For over a thousand years, the Sacred Flame was tended by nuns, and no one knows how long before that it was kept by the priestesses. 11" x 17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor Pencils on Illustration board.”

Poster: Faerie Guide, 11” x17”
By Mickie Mueller

“There are many legends surrounding the Fey, or Faeries. In ancient (and not so ancient) times people had many names for them: Daoine Sidhe, Good Neighbors, The Gentry, People of Peace, Tylwyth Teg, and the People of the Hills, to name a few. Faeries lived in lochs, lakes, and faerie hills below the earth. These enigmatic spirits were often associated with the Tuatha De Dannan – a mysterious tribe that came to Ireland long before the Druids were in power. It is considered wise to regard them with respect, as they are protectors of the land. They enjoy an occasional offering of bread or milk. It is believed that unseen faeries can be made visible by looking through a stone with a natural hole in it. Many a light bulb has blown due to the dancing feet of a slightly mischievous faerie. They love music. My lovely youngest daughter modeled for me. This faerie is a friendly guide of the Tuatha. She is clever, witty, and a fine tracker. She can guide any who wish to follow on a shamanic journey to the land of the Fey. Her season is Summer, her friends are the fireflies, and her spirit is laughter. 11" x17 " acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.”

Poster, Color: Dancing the Circle, (11”x17”)
by Mickie Mueller

On the hilltops in the British Isles you can still see bonfires burning joyously away on Beltane or May Day, May 1st. Beltane is still celebrated as it has been throughout the ages as a fertility festival by farming communities in olden times. The awakening of the land was very important when people’s existence relied upon it in order to reap a good harvest in the fall. It is traditional not only to dance around a maypole and weave colored ribbons about the pole, but also to dance around, between, or leap over bonfires. This is for purification after the long winter. As the celebrants dance about the circle, sparks of energy that they have raised with their jubilant dance flow about the circle like fireflies. They are all dressed differently, representing different backgrounds and traditions, but come together in the circle in fellowship. One woman has donned faerie wings, a reminder that the first of May is a day of much faerie activity. The drummer keeps time and one man plays lilting airs on a flute. We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning, and never ending. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

AG-EPCDAN

Poster, Color: Rhiannon, (11x17)
by Mickie Mueller

Rhiannon is a Welsh Goddess - she is also known as Epona, Macha, Rigatona and The Great Queen. She is a Mare Goddess as well as a Goddess of birds. She hails from the Otherworld known as Anwynn and is often connected to the Fey. Her stories are told in the ancient book of Celtic mythology known as The Mabinogin. The tale leads the reader through her courtship, during which she displays her intellectual prowess and ability to get exactly what she wants. Her Wedding tells us of her great generosity. Later in her story, she meets with tragedy and suffers humiliation, which she bears with great dignity and grace. She eventually overcomes her tragedy with great triumph. The Mare Goddess has been a very important figure in history, evidenced by the many statues of her that have been unearthed, as well as the amazing monument of the great White Chalk Horse carved into the side of a hill in Uffington. The horse culture advanced the people with the ability to travel farther, and their use in warfare as seen in the Goddesses aspect of Macha. In much later times the horse was used in agriculture and therefore was a bringer of abundance. Rhiannon is sometimes accompanied by magical birds that sang so sweetly that they lulled the living to sleep and could wake the dead to repeat their tales. She has been described as wearing a dress of gold and riding a white mare that, while seeming to run at a normal pace, cannot be overtaken by the fastest horse. The trick to catching up with her is deceivingly simple, merely ask her to stop, and she will tell you that you would have saved your horse the strain if you had asked her sooner. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

AG-EPCRHI

Poster, Color: Inner Journey, (11”x17”)
by Mickie Mueller

A place outside of a place, a time outside time - the world that we travel in dreams and meditation is as real as this one is. Real is all in perception, and you can affect change in yourself from this place of meditation as you can in the physical world. Sometimes the journey within is just as important as the journey without. In this place, this traveler has created a world in her mind’s eye. We see pieces of earth free floating and unconnected to each other. A sacred spring wells up at the feet of a goddess figure. The tree of life appears before her with the light of truth shining from behind. Paths float, and can be chosen, or not. The traveler passes along, deep in meditation, a light scarf serving as a connection between the worlds. This is a place of safety and introspection. White doves pass far off in the distance, spiritual guides, there to assist if called upon. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

AG-EPCINN

Poster, Color: Crystal Dragon, (11”x17”)
by Mickie Mueller

"Dragons have always been a passion of mine, and one of the first things I’m likely to doodle while I’m on hold listening to hits from the 70`s. In the Arthur legends, Merlin explains that the world is a dragon. One of J.R.R Tolkein’s most intriguing characters from The Hobbit was a dragon named Smaug. The Chinese Emperors believed they were their ancestors, and if you choose to believe Darwin’s theories, they may be right. We don’t know why but dragons seem to permeate the world’s cultures with their presence. Perhaps they are some memory of great lizards we carry on a cellular level like Carl Sagan suggests, or an archetype common to all people of the world according to Jung. They do represent to us wisdom and magick; an ancient creature deeply rooted in our past. This dragon is the feminine "Yin" - cool, nurturing and healing in nature. Hovering above a healing and enlightening crystal formation on gauzy wings, her scales glisten as she summons her consort - the Garnet Dragon to create balance." 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board.

AG-EPCCRY

Poster, Color: Garnet Dragon (11”x17”)
by Mickie Mueller

Dragons are a symbol of strength. They also express grace, beauty, and power. This is a creature of cunning; you don’t want to get into a battle of wits with a dragon! The tumultuous year 2000 was the Chinese Year of the Dragon. The red dragon was the symbol on the legendary Arthur Pentagon’s crest, and is still the symbol on the Welsh flag today. Proud and majestic, he soars over his homeland as its protector and mascot. Dragons have long been regarded with a mixture of curiosity and fear; their place in our psyche is undeniable. This dragon is the masculine "Yang", he is like the sun; hot, energetic and proactive. He soars over a formation of Garnets – a stone of passion. His talons gleam as he approaches his consort, the Crystal Dragon, to create balance. 11"x17" acrylic and Berol Prismacolor Pencils on Illustration board.