PonderEthereal

I make crafty stuff and I wanted to sell them. Having a physical storefront was out of the picture so I was relegated to the ranks of online sellers. Selling stuff online seemed really daunting. First, figuring out the site would be a pain. Then, I’d have to list the items all individually, then I’d have to figure out how to wrangle payment. Then there is the shipping debacle… supplies, packing it, getting it to the post office. But really, once I got it up and running, using etsy, paypal and the USPS, it was cake.

I am starting to post my art to ebay, vewy vewy slowly. This is my very first ebay auction.

… has been booming. I’ve been my own biggest supporter - with some of my personal community coming in at a close second. Although most of me knew that given complete license to do it my way, I would be a success, there was always the part of me that did the negative self talk - mimicking what negative people around me would say. So, to me, seeing success is kinda a ‘told you so’ moment. So I’d like to take this moment to waggle my tongue at them.

On the other hand, it’s really perspective shifting to finally be in a place where things are happening well. This year will hold SO much for me. I know that deep down. In a year from now, this will be a drop in the bucket. There is a sense of peace at finally being full steam ahead toward making those goals…

Although I would like to say that I’m more definition #3, alas.. it is not so. My philosophy with business has always been that what I lack in capital, I can make up in blood sweat and tears. I focus on the stuff I’m good at and only pay for what I absolutely cannot figure out or cannot do on my own. The end result is I can do a pretty bang up job with a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated stuff and I do it all. It’s easily 10 times the work - but without the cash, what’re ya gonna do.. ya know?

So, for the past few weeks, I’ve been doing lots of behind the scenes stuff that isn’t client related and I’ve felt like I’m spinning my wheels. Clients have been calling and emailing and they have fallen behind. My counseling/teaching site required a new website, my banking…

I flaked out on my students last Wednesday. I was horrified when my mistake was discovered. It was discovered by… oh my… he doesnt yet have a blog name. Blog, what should we call him? Thinkingthinkingthinking. Andrew. Andrew is a boy that I met when he took my Reiki I class a couple months ago. He called and informed me that I missed the class and so we rescheduled with everyone for Saturday but then he was the only one that showed. So instead of having class, we wound up just sitting and talking for hours and then went to Angelo’s and got onion rings.

I dig Andrew because he totally sees the 19 year old tomboy that I see in me and we relate on that level and we joke the same way and we’re queer the same way and it’s just effortless having a conversation. So we’re sitting…

I was driving to work this morning listening to Prairie Home Companion and I wondered if, after I’m gone, suddenly all of my work will make sense to someone. Like if you overlay it with the astrological chart of the world, my powders are made with the herbs of each planet and demonstrate a relationship between the Lewellen 2007 calender and the boiling point of water. And so surely, I must have been channeling god.

I noticed yesterday that when Gertrude is here, I’m not the only one that retreats to another room altogether. Other readers don’t even come out of their respective rooms. Like… all of them. Except two… which, ironically enough, have both had head trauma.

And I wondered if the Mayan calender stopped in 2012 because - well, what civilized human being would want to spend his or her life charting thousands of years ahead when surely people…

Today, I received two copies of my very first book from the printer! It was a rush to see it all gussied up in a real paperback binding with my name on the cover.

It’s the first edition and I rushed it to print so that I could get a copy to edit and a copy to give to my first student. I won’t publicize it till the second edition. The second edition will have a little more content, better cover graphics, graphics throughout and will have been thoroughly edited.

I’m just so damned proud of myself.

I have to admit that in the past, I have not been partial to small businesses. When I get my cup of coffee at Starbucks and consider the small coffee shop near work, I think to myself “It’s only $3.”

But when you’re a small business owner, those little $3 purchases MEAN something. You watch every one that happens and think “that’s $3 closer to that goal of X amount that I have for today, which adds up to my goal of X amount that I have for this week which will sink or float us for the month.”

That occurred to me today, one month into my new shop ownership experience while I was eating my spinach empanadas that only cost me $5 at the coffee shop in our building. Such a small 4% but the store manager will include the one I bought and the 2 I bought this week…

Working in the metaphysical community has it’s up sides and it’s down sides. The up sides are all wrapped around the idea that I am working in Spirit ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. The down side is witch wars. There are witchkin associated with other shops who think it is their duty to impede the progress of our shop by any means necessary. I know it sounds like silly business to worry with such things… but really… it’s happening.

I would just like to take a moment to say - that if you’re going to take the time to attempt to curse someone or some entity… like say… a new shop in the area because it’s sucking all of your customers away, you know… for instance. At least learn how to do a proper curse first. (I’m offering an advanced witchcraft course later this year that will cover such things if said…

Owning a witchy shop is definitely as great as it seems it would be. :) It has even come with an unexpected role shift for me. Suddenly, I am in a position to do things for others and make their lives better - and I am doing it! As a result, there are people… coming to ME… for … like… ADVICE.. and HELP. I know, I know.. you would think that signing up for a ’spiritual counselor role, that I would have seen that one coming, right? One would think, really. But this is me and I didn’t and I’m feeling a little like I got a really neat surprise.

There are hedge witches coming out of the woodwork that I am now honored to be acquainted with. There are witches in the community who need an outside opinion or who could use an understanding ear. There are spiritual people…