You perhaps know by now that the ever-expanding and astonishingly enchanted Vaughan House, where this cover feature is set, is located near Lynchburg, Virginia, off an unassuming road and nestled in the backyard of married couple Megan and Mitch Vaughan. What began as an impulse on Megan’s part to fill the couple’s yard with plants—with a whole greenhouse full of plants in the wake of a devastating miscarriage—then became a hugely popular and Instagram- worthy micro-wedding venue where the couple hosts ninety weddings a year. Now it has grown into something of a mini- empire. In fact, there’s a whole cottage back there too.

And by “cottage,” we mean this. Tower, winding stairway, and all.

It came about this way: In 2020, Mitch was on the Geographic Information System and realized the trees beside their house were owned by the couple. “Always fun to learn you have more land than you thought!” Megan says. They cut some of the trees to make the land easier to access. For a year, they enjoyed exploring and letting their kids play in the creek.

One day Mitch suggested building a small deck by the creek to put a rooftop tent on, a place to relax with the kids and maybe camp. He casually commented that such a place could work as a guest rental too. Megan proposed that this hypothetical space be “worthy enough for photographers to want to rent for photoshoots.” But wait, she said … “What about a stone cottage? 700 square feet max? Nothing big! Super small. One room, a tiny bathroom. Just enough for our greenhouse couples to get ready in and have a cozy honeymoon night …” And the idea spiraled from there. As Megan admits now, “I take something that could have been simple … to the extreme.” But how else does one end up with a 1,300-square-foot castle in one’s backyard?

And as you can see from our cover shoot, The Cottage, as it’s now officially called, and which was finished in 2024, when this shoot took place, is full of custom details—all dreamed up by Megan and Mitch and brought to life by a team of small artisans. Just a few of these include the custom hobbit door designed by the Vaughans and made by Jeremy Jessop of Lynchburg, with hinge work by Forged Commodities in Kyiv, Ukraine. The library was designed by the Vaughans and features cabinetry from Scott’s Cabinet in Forest, Virginia; live edge shelving by Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, Virginia; and a ceiling hand-painted with ivy by Elizabeth Gray (who added ivy to the kitchen as well).

“Supporting small businesses was something we were incredibly passionate about when it came to designing the cottage,” Megan says. “So many of our followers ask for the blueprints, but there’s nothing special about those. What makes the cottage special is the many, many small businesses who saw our vision for it and blessed us with their incredible art and hard work. Without them, the cottage wouldn’t be what it is, have the charm that it has, and truly be one of a kind.”

When designing the cottage’s atrium, Megan knew exactly what she wanted. In fact, the entire main level was designed around this space and, very specifically, the gorgeous multi-colored leaf tile you see on the right, designed by Karen of MacMillan Aimes Studios and found by Megan on Pinterest. The entire process from the first email

to installation took about two years, with Karen handmaking each individual tile and creating a template for the installers to use. “The way she puzzle-pieced this together was actual genius,” Megan says. “It was truly a labor of love.”

Read more about The Cottage at vaughan-house.com/cottage.

When we were young, we didn’t think twice about expressing our own unique creativity, completely free from self-criticism or fear of the judgement of others. We were just simply being ourselves. But somewhere in the process of growing up many of us lost touch with that playful-child part of ourselves. For many it was squashed out by society as we were told we needed to grow up, be serious and responsible. For some, the demands of adulthood took their toll, and that beautiful innocent part of us slowly receded into the background. But I believe we still have that magical, wondrous child inside, and if we can connect with it, I think it could show us who we truly are in our soul, without all the programming and the shoulds and supposed tos. At our core we are a miraculous spark of the divine—full of curiosity, deeply creative, full of delight in the simple joy of living.

I believe that if we can uncover that inner magical child, it will help us reconnect with this important, sacred part of ourselves. It can help us remember how we played, what we loved to do, and how we created. It can help us get in touch with who we really are and tap into our innate creativity—not to mention have a lot more fun! I believe that this creativity is unique, divinely given, and a clue to what we came to this world to offer. At the very least, connecting with our child selves and remembering how we played will help us enjoy our lives more. It’s so easy to get lost in the seriousness of the world and forget to see the beauty, to play, and to enjoy the precious gift of our lives.

One way I used to play was to lie under trees or large plants and imagine an entire world of fairies and elves set among the branches and leaves. I think this memory is behind my desire to create imaginative settings and tablescapes. And I truly felt the presence of magic when I was creating this tablescape. I’d been having a rough time, so I asked the fairies for help and allowed myself to get lost in the simple joy of playing. I love setting a fantastical table that makes people gasp and drop into their own child self and imagination. One of the most beautiful things you can do for those you love is to create a space for that to happen. You don’t have to go over the top like I do.

You can start by simply incorporating small bits of magical fun and play in your everyday. Take some of the elements I use in my tablescapes and put them into your own gatherings or even in your home as permanent magical decor. If you have children, let them help you. Take their lead as they unleash their own imaginations. Read a fairy story or watch a beautiful movie for inspiration. When you create a fantasy setting, you allow people a moment to pause, smile, and settle into their hearts. Best of all, you get to play and have fun creating the setting. I believe that when people are delighted, they’re filled with the light of the divine and are simply happier. What a lovely gift to give those you love—and indeed the world!

HOW TO BRING A SIMILAR MAGICAL LOOK TO YOUR OWN GATHERING

• Unite your look with a color story of no more than 3 or 4 colors to help the decor read cohesively and not feel overwhelming.

• You can also unite your design with a theme. Here are some ideas: Secret Garden, Magical Tea Party, Decadent Delightful Desserts, Through the Looking Glass, Enchanted Forest, Magic by the Stream. Or draw on a specific fairy tale, or a theme from the natural world, like beautiful bugs, butterflies, mushrooms, wildflowers, moss, and lichen.

Tips on setting up:

• Cluster your decor and have some open spaces to keep your table from looking too messy.

• Create different heights with nooks and crannies so the look doesn’t read as one-dimensional.

• For risers use books, cake plates, upturned baskets, logs, tree slices, fun boxes, and garden items.

• Use mismatched dishes and stemware for whimsy.

• Use live plants from your home or garden to save money.

• Think rustic with elegant, outside mixed with inside.

• Search for props in your garden and mix with elegant elements from your china cabinet.

• Sprinkle the decadent desserts or teas with edible glitter for an infusion of magic!

Many of us have at one point experienced a personal dark night of the soul, a time when everything seemed bleak and shadowy, without hope and seemingly no clear way out. During these times, it’s easy to forget the larger picture—how life is and always has been dualistic in nature, made up of challenges and successes, despair and hope, shadow and luminescence. Sometimes when things are very bad, it’s hard to see the light peeking in around the edges.

Having just gone through a rough patch myself, I wanted to host a symbolic gathering that would illustrate this truth in a simple yet memorable way, so I built this table centered on moths and candles for a nighttime soirée. I invited my tribe to come together so that we might witness, quite viscerally, the beauty within the darkness and appreciate how they so often exist at the same time.

In spiritual terms, the moth represents transformation and rebirth, the dualistic nature of life, and ultimately the enlightenment of the soul. Moths are comfortable in the dark yet drawn to the flame. To me, moths are a powerful metaphor for living and getting through difficult times. At one point during the evening, I asked my guests to stop, breathe, and simply take in the experience.

In the future, when we go through a hopeless night, maybe some small part of us will remember this gathering: the candles that delineated the darkness, the moths always drawn to the flame, the crystals that needed only a small glimmer of illumination to refract and spread their magic. In this way, maybe we can remember that sad times are fleeting and will pass, that they turn gently in the constant rotating dance of life and will shift, as all things do, back into the light.

HERE’S HOW I CREATED THIS NIGHTSCAPE:

• For the location, I chose an old, abandoned building on the ranch where I live. I loved the symbolism of the dilapidated building past its prime being made dazzling once again. If you choose a similar old-timber structure, do make sure to keep a fire extinguisher handy!

• One way I make sure my tables are rich and lush is by draping not just one tablecloth but layers of them in shades of the colors and theme of the gathering. I took my cue from the colors of the moths and used a rich burgundy as the “petticoat” under the table, then a cloth in a chocolate brown and another in a gold-mustard color. On top I laid an Indian sari in black with metallic gold embroidery. My constant guide was to look for light within the dark, and I felt the sari illustrated this principle perfectly.

• I used a multitude of paper moths from Moth & Myth and hung them with monofilament line in among the votives. I folded their wings so that they looked like they were in flight; as they moved in the heat of the candles on the table, they looked so realistic. Make sure you use battery candles in the hanging votives so you don’t burn either the moths or the monofilament line.

• As with all my tablescapes, I included a veritable ton of candles. The glow of candlelight is flattering, and it sparkles and glimmers among the crystals, truly bringing a charming shimmer to the evening.

• I hung lots of votive cups from the rafters using monofilament line. Again, make sure you use batteryoperated tea lights so you don’t burn through the line or the hanging paper moths as they move in the heat generated from the candles on the table. After you take down your fishing line, dispose of it carefully so it doesn’t harm any wildlife.

• From my own collection of crystals, I used both natural geodes and polished crystal balls for the centerpieces. I nestled them in piles of fall leaves—artificial ones, as the real kind are a fire hazard and a bit dusty.

• I hung chandelier crystals among the votives and moths and tucked one in each napkin as a party favor for guests to take home, to remind them of their own radiance.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE PARKE

You’d think that these two were connected at the hip, so in sync they are when they perform together, whether on the trapeze, or silks, or lyra (the hoop), or any other apparatus they use to move their bodies through space. You’d think they were twins, or at least sisters. Certainly, they’re queens of the air. They go by the portmanteau Satarah, a combination of Satya and Sarah, and they’re best friends, soulmates, performance and business partners. But when they first met at the Carolina Renaissance Festival thirteen years ago, they were anything but.

Sarah was performing with her longtime belly-dance troupe, while Satya, new to town, showed up to dance solo. Feeling territorial, Sarah went to watch Satya perform, commenting to her friends that the radiantly beautiful, enormously talented dancer could not possibly be a good person too. Later that day, Satya stopped by and asked Sarah’s troupe if anyone wanted to dance with her in front of the stage. She was so nice, Sarah says, that she found herself feeling even more suspicious. But once Sarah accepted the reality of Satya’s talent and charm, she decided that the two of them could be friends anyway, and that was that. Soon everyone thought they had known each other for years. It felt that way to them too.

They got lucky, they say. Sometimes you meet a friend and everything clicks. And sometimes those new friends are two women who support each other unconditionally, so that both can bloom into the queens that they’re meant to be, without the rivalry and undercutting that can sometimes plague female friendships.

The two began collaborating in numerous ways—taking aerial classes, team-teaching belly dance, and then eventually planning and putting together a sixteen-act show to bring the North Carolina artistic community together, with a spotlight on fire and aerial and belly dance acts. The event, which debuted in 2012, became known as Bloom Festival and has been held nearly every year since.

The duo has also debuted a number of different classes and shows, and even opened a brick-and-mortar studio, Bloom Movement Artistry, in Charlotte, North Carolina. They teach private and group classes, provide open gym sessions, and host student showcases—all while continuing to perform together. As business partners, they find that their strengths complement each other: Satya is the logistical one, Sarah the organizational one.

Bloom Movement Artistry has, in a sense, become an extension of their own friendship—a safe place where students can come and learn to develop the magic in their own bodies and in the air, nurtured by the community around them. Every year they put on a variety of events: student and instructor showcases, shows called Ice & Embers and Critters & Tea, and something darker and very wonderful—Shadows, which Satya and Sarah created in 2018 to allow performers to use dance and the aerial arts to explore their own pain and trauma, their shadow selves. Through their routines, they release those stories to an audience in a space that’s completely safe. Creating this kind of forum, Satya and Sarah say, has allowed them to push through trauma that they couldn’t process in their own talk therapy. Each Shadows show begins and ends with a meditation to create a healing experience for all the performers and attendees. There are plenty of tissues to go around.

And in welcome news for Enchanted Living readers, it is possible attend Shadows virtually as well as in person. This might be just the kind of ceremony Autumn Queens hold in the forest at night, with the moon shining above them and creatures watching from the branches and the leaves.

Learn more at bloommovementartistry.com. You can also drop in for a studio session if you’re in Charlotte. Find tickets to upcoming Satarah productions, both in person and online, at events.humanitix.com/host/satarah-productions.

Photography by
Rainstitcher @rainstitcher

Models:
Miss Wondersmith @misswondersmith
Chelsea Santiago
and Heather Drury

A Letter from a Pumpkin Witch

Sure, being a Pumpkin Witch is a rather specific profession, but it’s certainly an important one! After all, what would an American fall be without pumpkin spice everything? And can you imagine Halloween without jack-o’-lanterns? My trade began many centuries ago, when carved turnips and tubers were sacred talismans to keep away evil spirits as the veil between our worlds thinned. These vital plants and rituals kept our people safe, so my foremothers cast spells for bountiful harvests and protection. As the cultural notions around this time of year shifted, so too did the work of my ancestors—pumpkins instead of turnips, spices instead of sachets. But still, the importance of this work carries on. Perhaps you think my title trite or “cutesy,” even.

Perhaps you think pumpkins are nothing more than decorative squash or marketable signs of the season. Do allow me to correct you: Pumpkins still function as protective talismans and blessingson your home. Do you really think we would all continue to trek out to pumpkin patches and carve fearsome faces if we didn’t all know, deep down, that it was important? And do you really think our cultural obsession with pumpkin spice is just a marketing ploy started by large corporations? My dear, what is pumpkin spice but a powerful blend of protective plants intended to bless you and keep you safe from harm? It is thanks to our spells that you crave that pumpkin spice latte as soon as the autumnal winds shift. It is thanks to our magic that pumpkins still proliferate on doorstops to protect those within. Without us, October would be swarming with far more darkness, and you wouldn’t be nearly so safe in your bed.

But never fear, the Pumpkin Witches have sworn to uphold our sacred duties. Every fall, I call upon my coven to join me in summoning the white magic that we infuse into the pumpkins that all of you take home. It’s tough work that requires a lot of concentration, so afterward we celebrate with pumpkin treats and hot spiced pumpkin cider, poured out of a teapot passed down in my family for generations. It too holds the same ancient magic that flows out of our palms and, indeed, into the pumpkin sitting on your very stoop. May you sleep deeper tonight knowing the protective pumpkin magic that embraces you even now. And if you don’t yet have a pumpkin, you’d best move fast, since the spirits are extra restless this year…

Pumpkin Praline Pecan Bread Puddings

These wonderful teatime treats can be baked right inside adorable small pumpkins! Make sure you buy small eating pumpkins, not the tiny (and very hard) decorative ones, as they are difficult to hollow out. The roasted pumpkin flesh can be scooped out along with the bread pudding, so it’s best to choose fully ripe varieties for a treat that has an extra surprise!

Makes 12
Ingredients:
12 small pumpkins
2 cups heavy coconut milk (or almond creamer) 1 cup packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ to 2 pounds day-old bread
(more for dense bread)
2 cups pecans, chopped

Directions: Tear the bread into bite-size chunks. Sourdough or challah works wonderfully, but softer bread works too; it’ll just make a slightly softer pudding.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin puree, melted butter, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Once smooth, add the bread and stir to combine, making sure all the bread gets saturated. Let sit while you prepare the pumpkins.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the tops off the pumpkins and hollow out the seeds, then place them on a nonstick baking mat.

Spoon the mixture evenly into all the hollowed pumpkins. Sprinkle the tops with the chopped pecans. Bake for 45 minutes with the lids on, then 15 to 20 more minutes with the lids off or until the pudding has fully set. Let cool slightly and serve warm, or refrigerate until cold.

Bourbon Sauce: In my mind, the whole reason for bread pudding is the hard sauce that goes on top—yum! This praline-inspired silky sauce is spiked with bourbon for a rich flavor that pairs wonderfully with the pumpkin. If you’re making this treat for kids, just substitute fresh pressed apple juice for the bourbon instead. (Or save this sauce for yourself and drizzle some maple syrup over theirs …)

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup heavy coconut cream
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons bourbon

Bring brown sugar, coconut cream, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, immediately lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then stir in the bourbon.

Pumpkin Spice Apple Cider

This hearty warm drink is a mash-up of two seasonal favorites: pumpkin pie and apple cider! It has the fresh zest
of cider with a slightly rounder, richer flavor thanks to the pumpkin. Plenty of spices give it lots of autumnal flavor.

6 cups fresh-pressed apple cider (unfiltered apple juice)
1 cup roasted pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 cinnamon sticks
1 large apple, sliced into rounds
1 large orange, sliced into rounds
Maple syrup, to taste

Add the apple cider and the pumpkin puree to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth into a large saucepan.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours or until fragrant. Taste a little bit, and add maple syrup to sweeten as desired. Use a ladle to serve, being careful not to disturb any sediment in the bottom. Enjoy hot!

Step into the enchanting world of autumnal tablescaping with captivating ideas. Drawing inspiration from 19th-century dark poetry, use vintage photos as place cards, bask in candlelight, and toast to ancestry. Craft fragrant pomander balls and add vibrant hues like orange pumpkins or red roses to your palette. For a comprehensive guide, read ‘A Table to Celebrate Your Autumn Inner Witch.’ Let’s explore the art of autumnal table decor!

• Write out your favorite 19th century dark or thought-provoking poetry, by such authors as Poe, Keats, or Shelley. Scroll them up and seal with red or black sealing wax.

• As place cards, use a photo of a direct ancestor of your guest (black-and-white photos are best). Ask as part of the activities for the guest to share a story about this ancestor.

• Use candlelight the way you would expect to find it in a Victorian parlor.

• Toast your ancestors with mead or deep red wine in silver goblets.

• Make your guests pomander balls of oranges studded with cloves. Place them in a large bowl in the center of your table as part of your decorations.

• Consider adding orange pumpkins for more color. A black-and-white palette with the pop of a bright color like the orange of pumpkins or the red of roses is beautiful and dramatic.

• You can also bring in touches of nature with moss, ferns, and lichen-covered sticks for a more nature-witch feeling. The colors of black, white, and green could be quite unusual and beautiful.

I adore the autumn—the rich warm colors, piles of pumpkins, abundantly set tables with baskets and platters overflowing with the season’s beautiful offerings. But when creating this autumn table, I was curious about combining the harvest season with the inner reflection that fall evokes in me—the feeling of spiraling inward and connecting with my ancestors and my inner witch. I decided I wanted my table to reflect this more restrained mood. I still wanted the pumpkins and the feeling of autumn but in a way that wasn’t quite so exuberant. To convey this feeling, I chose a subdued color palette with white pumpkins and soft cream and blush flowers juxtaposed against dark velvety black. I wanted the contrast of the dark and the light, symbolic of the duality of life, celebrating the beauty of both.

I included ravens, which remind me of magic, the unknown, and the Great Mystery that they traditionally symbolize. I wanted their mystical iridescent feathers mixed with the glow of old silver and my crystal balls to invite reflection on our inner universe. Layering tea-stained lace over black velvet and tulle created the contrasting color story and a base for the decorations. Black floral china, vintage silverware, and etched turn-of-the-century stemware gave a nod to both a Gothic and a Victorian sensibility, reinforcing the supernatural vibe. Some of these items were my grandmother’s, thus bringing a bit of her energy onto my table.

I wanted to stick with more of a classic feeling while also bringing in a mysterious touch, an atmosphere that invites quiet, thoughtful conversation and an opening to the mysterious inner witch who for me wakes in the fall. But this style could go a few different ways. You might honor your ancestors with old black-and-white photos from years past as part of your decoration. You could easily go classic Halloween with bones, skulls, cauldrons, and other spooky touches. For a full Goth look, add blood red roses and black lace.

Read Pt. 1 – The Woman Who Could Talk To Bees

Throughout history, we’ve been enchanted by bees. Vital to our agriculture and valued for their honey and wax, bees were revered as bringers of wisdom, played a role in community rites, and were associated with deities from cultures all over the world. Beekeepers considered their bees to be a part of the family or community, and because of that, there were many strange traditions associated with tending bees.

In one such tradition, called “telling the bees,” the head of the household would let the bees know when a death had befallen the family. Other family happenings, such as births, marriages, or absence due to war or a long journey, were also shared with the bees. Failing to do so could mean disaster, as the bees may swarm, die, or not produce enough honey for the season.

Bees have also had a long association with witchcraft. Tales of witches dancing unabashedly under a full moon or chanting spells over a large black cauldron are not complete without a black cat or toad whispering to them of dark enchantments and evil deeds. These familiar spirits were often thought to have been low-ranking demons or even fairies and would come most often in the form of a dog, cat, newt, owl, or toad. But bees too were thought to be familiars to witches—maybe because it was believed that bees formed a connection between the spirit realm and the human world, or because of their association with fertility, as couples trying to conceive would be given pots of honey. No matter the reason, we cannot deny our bewitchment with those busy creatures who speak in a symbolic language of dance, can predict the weather, and can read the electric field surrounding flowers. So next time you’re near a hive, feel free to tell the bees “thank you.”

Cauldron Tapers

Autumn brings a chill and a darkness that settles across the land, drawing us to the fireside. Thus begins the dark half of the year for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. We can celebrate this transition, as October closes and the veil thins between the world of the mundane and that of the otherworld, with a bonfire kindled by beeswax and sacred herbs. Specific herbs such as mugwort, sage, mullein, rosemary, and calendula all have associations with divination, funerary practices, or communication with the spirit world. Rolled onto beeswax tapers and used to light an alder wood (a tree associated with the dead) fire, these herbs can give you a very magical bonfire.

You will need:

• One honeycomb beeswax sheet (8 by 16 inches) cut in half to make 8- by-8-inch sheets for two tapers
• Two lengths of cotton wicking, approximately 9 inches long
• Combination of any of the following herbs and essential oils: mugwort, calendula, sage, mullein, rosemary
• A lighter

To make the candles, lay the wick along the edge of a sheet of beeswax and start rolling the candle by bending over about an eighth of an inch of the wax around the wick. Once secure, roll the candle slowly, making sure to keep it even. When you’ve come to the end, form a smooth edge by gently pressing the edge down onto the side of the candle.

When you’re ready to press your herbs into your candles, use a lighter to quickly and gently warm the wax in the area you’re pressing. Press larger leaves first in a way you find pleasing, followed by smaller petals. If you choose to use essential oil, anoint your candle with it before use.

You can ritually use your tapers to ignite a fire in a cauldron, firepit, or other fireproof container to call in the spirits—or just to enjoy a fragrant fire on a brisk autumn evening.

Warning: These are not meant to be burned in a candle holder—but used only as a fire starter outdoors in a secure fire-safe container.

What could be more fun than combining two of our most beloved treasures, tea and fairy tales, into a lovely party? Setting teapots and beautiful china laden with sweet treats among vignettes from our favorite childhood fairy stories sets a wonderfully whimsical and magical mood. All ages will enjoy figuring out the clues and delight in sharing memories of their favorite tales over a cuppa.

As with all parties I create, lighting plays a very important role. When outside, drape twinkle lights in the trees and bushes or over fences. They sparkle and delight as well as cast a gentle and magical glow. If you’re inside, consider dimming or turning off all bright lamps or chandeliers and then basking in the glow of twinkle lights strung on the walls or draped on plants or existing lighting fixtures. Line the top of your walls with them, hang them like curtains, trim your furniture with them. However you choose to set them up, the light they cast is worth the effort. I even love to weave battery-operated twinkle lights into the table display. It continues the same ambiance and is especially good when candles may not be an option. Though, as a fan of abundance, I think that twinkle lights and candles together truly create the perfect mood.

Another element of my table displays and indeed any lovely tableau is to create differing heights within the decor. Whether for a buffet or a formal sit-down dinner, arranging your decor on different levels with nooks and crannies will add interest and depth to your table. Cake stands and pedestals work well, or in this instance, beautiful old books—particularly fairy tales—are a wonderful option. The books can help set the theme. If you don’t happen to have stacks of beautiful old books lying about, an easy and affordable option is to go to a local thrift store and buy hardcover books. These are usually no more than a dollar or two each. Take the covers off and use them stacked with the spines turned away from the viewer so the title is not readable. They add height as well as ambiance, and who knows? You might even get lucky and find some fairy tales among the castoffs.

Once you have your table laid out and your levels set, all that’s left is to add your vignettes. Think of the stories you love and the images that stand out in your mind. Make lists of all the things that you can think of for each story and then go on a treasure hunt for everything. You could even make a game of it with your family by rewatching and rereading the stories leading up to the party day. Then go on a scavenger hunt together looking for the items you need for your table.

Once all your decor is set, scatter about the table all the beautiful treats and decadent offerings for your guests.

You, the weaver of magic, have truly created a tale that ends with happily ever after!

Photography by MARK SHELBY PERRY

Imagine if you will: You arrive from New York City, blindfolded, at a country manse on a wooded lake somewhere in upstate New York. Your hostess is artist Cynthia von Buhler, as well known for her imaginative theatrical stagings as her lauded graphic novels, children’s books, and illustrations.

The bindings over your eyes are removed and there before you stands Pig King, a man wearing an elaborate three-sided mask, the center of which is porcine in nature. There is a strange, fantastical dance with other masked creatures—a mouse, a cow, a monkey, and more—and then you and the twenty or so people who arrived with you are led inside to the dining room. As an opera singer tucked between the tables starts serenading you, aerialists wrapped in crimson-colored silks descend like exquisite spiders, slowly and soundlessly, from the ceiling.

You’ve been here at this provocative, deeply alluring affair for less than ten minutes, but already you recognize that this could turn out to be one of the most memorable nights of your life.

So began the original incarnation of The Illuminati Ball, an immersive theatrical experience conceived of and made reality by von Buhler, one of the country’s busiest and most inventive Renaissance women. In addition to producing graphic novels, children’s books, illustrations, and paintings, von Buhler has staged a half-dozen successful productions of her own works, including The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini and Speakeasy Dollhouse: The Bloody Beginning. But The Illuminati Ball, which ran for more than three years in von Buhler’s own home and later in secret locations in New York City, may be considered her greatest achievement thus far.

Von Buhler drew her inspiration for The Illuminati Ball from a somewhat peculiar source, the surrealist ball Baron and Baroness Rothschild held at their French chateau in 1972. “My choreographer sent me pictures of it,” von Buhler says. “And they were so intense—people were wearing these animal masks, and even Salvador Dalí attended, and Audrey Hepburn, who wore a birdcage on her head. They dubbed it an Illuminati party because everyone always said the Rothschilds were the Illuminati, but that was really tongue-in-cheek. I saw a picture of Marie-Hélène de Rothchild wearing a stag head with diamond tears and it made me think about the plight of animals who are adversely affected by the human race on this planet. I had been wanting to do a project about animal rights so I merged the two themes.”

Potential guests applied online to attend The Illuminati Ball, where, the story went, they would be inducted into the centuries-old secret society formed to oppose religious influence over everyday life. Depending on their deepest desires, guests at the original event at von Buhler’s home were grouped into cabals led by half-animal half-humans who had escaped from a laboratory and pretended to be the Illuminati in order to obtain power over humans.

They were given masks corresponding to their animal kinship and then, as von Buhler describes, “all of the kinships broke into groups and did different things on the property and experienced different parts of the storyline. There were morality tests that were written into the night, and the people who made the correct choices were given a key. They received special privileges and were able to experience certain things that others might not get to experience.”

Throughout the evening the alcohol flowed freely and sublime vegan food, created to mimic meat-
based courses like duck, were served. There were esoteric rituals completed and visits from fire performers and burlesque dancers, as well as an appearance from von Buhler’s pig, Persephone, who arrived in a baby carriage and performed mind-reading tricks. Some guests bathed with von Buhler or shucked their clothes and swam naked in the lake with actors portraying mermaids.

“It was very intense, and we became very close with each other because of the storylines,” von Buhler, who is vegan, says. “Part of the point of it was to make people have an emotional reaction to the plight of these animals. Some people said it was the best night of their lives, that’s the kind of night it was, but there was also a message involved about animals and human nature written into the storyline. So it wasn’t just having fun. There were so many different levels to it, and I’ve even had people tell me that they became vegan after going to the show and that was really amazing.”

While The Illuminati Ball took its last bow around the time Covid-19 struck the United States, there are ways for those who missed it to experience at least a version of it. A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel by von Buhler based on the show is currently available on Amazon and in bookstores.

And she continues to pitch a The Illuminati Ball reality series, which would put contestants through a series of morality tests much as the show’s guests were. But no matter whether the television program materializes or not, The Illuminati Ball remains a singular theatrical event that pushed boundaries as much as buttons and was, von Buhler concludes happily, “really special for everyone who was involved.”

Connect with Cynthia on Twitter @cynthvonbuhler or Instagram/Facebook at @cynthiavonbuhler.