Michèle C. St. Amour sees magic in the world. She runs the Chakaura Studio in Hawkesbury, where she runs programs on self-development. The natural health centre and school is dedicated to teaching people about the “science behind spirituality.”

Writing gives St. Amour the venue to combine her passion for mysticism with her love of mystery and magic. She recently completed her first book, “Chakaura: Awakening the Muse,” which is now available for purchase online and at St. Amour’s naturopathy centre, the Chakaura Institute, which is located at 250 Main Street, in Hawkesbury. There will be a book launch at the Chakaura Institute on Thursday, December 8, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Refreshments and finger foods will be served and signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

St. Amour says that her book will help you to see the world as children do, full of magic and hope.

“It’s about the sacred journey of a modern day mystic. It’s about the spiritual journey we are all on. Her journey opens up a door to magic and mysticism. It’s a world we can all remember as children,” said St. Amour.

Writing “Chakaura: Awakening the Muse” took St. Amour three years to complete and she compares the process to giving birth to a child. She plans to make the novel into a trilogy and has already started penning the first chapter of the second book.

St. Amour says that her aboriginal heritage is present in the story, which is about self-discovery and adventure.

Most of the novel was written from St. Amour’s home in Harrington, which is perched on a mountaintop overlooking a lake. The solar-powered house is completely off the grid, with a large garden outside where St. Amour grows most of her own food and medicinal plants.

Locals may recognize St. Amour’s name from a column she ran for three years in the Main Street newspaper. Her monthly column was dedicated to natural health, spiritualism and Aboriginal medicine and she says it helped to spur her dream to finish a book of her own.

For more information, visit www.chakaura.ca.