The internet is a very different world than it was eleven years ago when I first created The Witch’s Corner. Myspace was thriving as a hopping busy social site full of people, their unique pages, and their fast and furious interactions. Ning had “free” websites to build, and the pagan community jumped on this bandwagon with a vengeance. I belonged to probably 20-25 pagan sites, most of which no longer exist. This was a unique way to get yourself out there, bring traffic to your websites, sell your magickal products, and bring in new tarot clients.
The internet felt busy and crowded and active and full of people interacting all over the place in rampant celebration of all the connections that could be made in this new world.
Today, the internet feels isolated, empty, abandoned, niched, controlled, cut off and cut down to size. The frenzied websites, pagan social sites, and interaction feels like a thing of the past. It’s as though some huge hand has come down and crushed it all. I don’t know if anyone else feels this or not, but this is my experience with the internet today. Take Youtube as an example. I remember a time before the algorithm, when tarot videos could easily bring in hundreds or thousands of viewers and glean satisfying feedback and interaction. We took it for granted that our work would be out there, accessible, and easy to find. It’s very different now, and this is one reason I’ve stopped posting tarot readings on this platform. I’ve scoured YouTube and discovered that there are a myriad of terrific readers producing wonderful and insightful tarot videos, yet they are almost invisible unless you take the time and considerable effort to hunt them down; while some very mediocre and even poor readers seem to go through the roof with tens of thousands of views and a very prolific place in the YouTube spotlight. They are popping up in my suggested feed spontaneously, almost like a virus.
I don’t understand how this can be, and I obviously don’t understand how this system works. Is it just me?
Over the past 3 years or so, I’ve pondered about what to do about all this, and my solutions ranged from deleting everything and withdrawing into the blissful world of anonymity, leaving the internet behind, to the attempted study and understanding of how this new virtual world and it’s connections really work and trying to find a way through the maze.
Fortunately, I took the less drastic path and have hung on to my websites and blogs, and started to look for ways to promote my presence on the web in my own way and on my own time. I looked for ways to do this that are free, mostly because of my own personal budget; ways that I could work with myself, because I’m not hiring anyone to do this for me, and ways that I could work on in my spare time, because like most professional witches and readers out there, I have a “real-world” job with real world hours and a lengthy commute thrown in.
I took the advice of an internet entrepreneur who recommended Landing Pages. He enthusiastically encouraged the idea of flooding the internet with lovely one-page websites, created on a variety of platforms, with a variety of web-hosts, filled with promotional blurbs and links to your actual websites and blogs.
I don’t know if this is working for me yet quite in the manner that he envisions, but since creating these landing pages, I have to say that I do notice a slight difference in increased traffic at some places. Whether this difference can be attributed strictly to the landing pages and all the effort in that area, I can’t say for sure.
Without further ado, I’m posting links to these pages here. The web-hosts I used to create these pages do allow a certain amount of space free, and I’ve actually enjoyed the creative process that goes along with this endeavor.
If you have a website or online business, I hope that I’ve given you a few ideas to work with, or at least some ideas to ponder on. Blessings!
You’ll find the name of the hosting companies included in the URLs.
http://amythystraine.simplesite.com/
http://lavendarmoon.simplesite.com/
http://amythyst1957.simplesite.com/
https://the-witchs-corner.my-free.website/
https://ladyamythyst.wixsite.com/thewitchscorner
https://thewitchscorner.weebly.com/
http://bristolwicks.blogspot.com/
http://thegoddessgrove.weebly.com/index.html
http://amythystraine.bravesites.com/
http://amythystraine.tumblr.com/
My Tumblr is not just a landing page, but it’s a popular site for the younger generations coming aboard this virtual world, and you can make an amazing number of connections here. It took me a while to appreciate it and build upon it.
Also, don’t underestimate the creation of Facebook Pages, but also remember that you are entering the world of algorithms and tight control that conditions what will be seen and what will not.
Good luck to all the entrepreneurs, pagan business people, and other individuals reading this who have something unique to say to the world. Get yourself out there!
Book Teaser!!… I’m still plugging away at the chapter on the Court Cards. How well do you really understand the Queen of Cups? Here’s a clip from my book:
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The Dark Side ~
The Queen of cups walks through life in a haze and fog of dreamy unawareness to the physical world, caught up in the ethereal, the unseen, the spirit side of existence. She can often tell you the innermost unspoken true feelings of someone she was conversing with but not remember what they were wearing. When she does plant her feet in the earth, she doesn’t connect with the physical world in the way most people do. She can hear voices within the wind in the trees; she can see the aura of plants; the wisps of magical beings in the garden; the thoughts and emotions of animals. To the mundane world, this Queen may often appear mentally fragile and on the edge. In reality, this is her reality, and sometimes her curse, she can see and hear and feel things that most people can’t.
Not many people will truly understand the Queen of cups, and some may even dislike her, though they may not understand why. There will be those who are disturbed at the nuances and unspoken connections often misunderstood by individuals who lack this sensitivity, and there will be those perhaps frightened by how easily she walks through the spiritual realm, so matter-of-factly, as though it were completely normal, when to most people it is not. She will always be the outsider, viewed with suspicion and sometimes disdain by the community around her, the clubs and cliques of society. At her most extreme, even the people who share her inner knowledge and experiences will find her bewildering, and her place at the outside edge of communal inclusion will be complete.
Her greatest downfall is the ability to lose herself, not being true to herself, in search of love and commitment. Relationships will be difficult for her. She will strive to connect with someone who can connect with her on a myriad of levels and meet her on her turf, as part of her inner world. Her search may prove futile, but it won’t be from lack of trying. She is artistic, creative, and wonderfully fluid, and she will use these abilities to try and transform herself to fit into the mold, to be what her suitor wants her to be, to fit into their life and their mind and their heart perfectly, in fairy tale fashion. In the midst of this hopelessly impossible endeavor, this Queen will often amputate the best parts of herself.
The Witch’s Corner Newsletter is out and live!
Welcome to November’s Newsletter!… click HERE
Included in this issue are the following articles~
1. Metal Magick
2. November’s Moon/Crafting Your Magick
3. Thoughts: Magick & Witchcraft; Writing & Literature; and Age
4. Candle Magick How-To
5. When the Dead Come Through
6. Candle Magick Videos from My Youtube Channel
7. Spell-a-Day: Monday-Friday
8. Bad Mojo: Is Someone Messing with You?
9. A Woman’s Life Transitions
10. Getting Ready for Some Ouija Board Fun
11. How Do You Detect the Presence of Spirits in Your House?
In the wee hours of Sunday night (or early Monday morning), some of my kids and I will be headed for the Omaha airport where we’re flying out to Arizona. There are connections there now that I feel will grow with the years. I’m going to take advantage of this trip to immerse myself in Sedona for a few days and then go on to the Grand Canyon. I’m such an incurable home-body that this is a step away from my usual existence, ensconced in my old house and the busy rooms, enjoying the woodsy wild back yard, and just being surrounded by and appreciating our multitude of pets (mostly cats, 6 of them black), and all of this in perfect contentment.
But destiny calls.
My Kitchen
I’ve been going through checklists of things to do, things to get, things to address, before leaving. The house-sitter is set with a loaded pantry and fridge and an abundance of pet supplies. Financial things are done, and strangely enough most of my monthly household bills have come in and been paid, so that’s one less thing to think about. I have to pack today (Saturday), and I have one more work-as-usual day coming up (Sunday). And then, we’re off!
I’ll be posting regular updates, photos, and video clips both at my Instagram and at my main Facebook page:
https://www.instagram.com/amythyst_raine/
https://www.facebook.com/amythystraine
I’ve managed to get a few last minute witchy business things done, which were also on my list, including my Samhain Special at The Witch’s Corner: follow this link and scroll down, it’s right there http://amythystraine.blogspot.com
I’ve put together a charming little bag to celebrate Samhain and draw in the spirits, spirits of the season and spirits we wish to communicate with. Samhain is traditionally a time to connect with our ancestors and especially loved ones who have passed.
Honor your ancestors, and honor the spirit of Samhain,
with these magickal items.
The Samhain Special:
a white spirit dollie,
a bottle of Black Cat Oil,
and a black votive candle
$24.99
*Note: The Black Cat Oil included in this offer
is safe for your skin, so feel free to wear it!
It’s my own recipe, and it
smells wonderful!
From The Tarot Parlour ~
Audio Readings
$25.00
With Samhain right around the corner, the end of the year coming, so many of us are questioning so many things about our lives. There’s relationships and the changes that come with them, the doubts, the questions, the mystery of it all. Some of us have reached pivotal points where jobs and careers are concerned.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is this it? Is this all there is to my life? Is this where I’m suppose to be?”… you’re more than ready for a reading to find some answers.
Follow this link and scroll down to order
an Audio Reading
http://tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com
If you visit The Tarot Parlour, you’ll notice that a lot of options for readings through several types of mediums are no longer available. I’ll only be offering Audio Readings (in a wide variety of spreads & prices), and Video readings ($85) for a 9 card spread. You’ll also find a video on this page that was taped for a client so that you get an idea of what a personal video reading is like. (It’s a lot like sitting across the table from me, but you’ll be watching it on Youtube.)
I think this is called “semi-retirement”. I want to share my gift by doing what I love, and I love taping audio readings for my clients in the privacy of my home, usually ensconced at one of my patio tables in my wild and woodsy back yard. This is the most profound way that I connect with the cards and the cards connect with me. It’s magickal.
The video below is a promotional video I created for The Tarot Parlour, and I must admit I had a hoot playing with the special effects. Have a magickal day, and if Spirit is calling to you, book a reading with me so that we can get a clearer picture.
Blessings,
Amythyst
A gentleman once handed me a citrine stone, telling me that it would ground me, calm me down, make the atmosphere feel more settled. I stood in open-mouthed disbelief as he plopped a beautiful polished citrine crystal in the palm of my hand. I wasn’t so surprised at his concern or his kindness, I was more in disbelief over his choice of a stone. For me, citrine is not something that has any of the properties that it was being praised for. I mostly use citrine to enhance my psychic abilities. If I want a stone that’s going to calm me down, I use rose quartz or blue lace agate. If I wanted a stone to ground me, I’d use smokey quart or hematite.
I opened my mouth automatically, ready to correct him, but in a split second, thankfully before any speech left my mouth, I thought better. This man was obviously talking from his own experience, and if he found citrine to be calming and relaxing, who the hell was I to tell him otherwise.
How often have we been told that we’re doing something “wrong”? How often have we told someone else that they’re doing something “wrong”?
Whether we’re talking about stones and crystals, magickal oils, spells and rituals, reading the cards, or any other magickal undertaking or creation, it’s just like telling a cook in their own kitchen that they’re cooking “Wrong”. Who has a right to do that? And if we’ve never done something the way another individual does, how do we know that it doesn’t work? Maybe it wouldn’t work for us, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for them.
Where does this attitude come from in the pagan world? Is it a hold-over from mainstream backgrounds that most of us have, the Judeo-Christian world of rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts?
The next time someone has the ballsy audacity to tell you you’re doing it wrong, how are you going to respond?
