To Keep Silent

Over the past several weeks I’ve been pondering on that side of the witches’ pyramid: silence. Not just as it applies to spells, but as it applies to other areas in my life. What does it mean to keep silent, and why should I?

A few days ago I kind of got a kick in the teeth that told me I should have kept silent about one thing, at least.

You recall I said I was going to open a witchcraft shop. Well, I was planning on doing so via Etsy — who has now decided to ban spellwork. Any of the products I was hoping to eventually sell would not be allowed under their new rules.

When I read this news, I reflected on the folly of announcing my plans before they’d come to fruition. There is evidence that talking out loud about our goals can mean we never fulfill them. It’s like asking the universe to punch you in the dick.

I’ve always had trouble with this because I’ve always been the sort of person who needs other people to be zir sounding boards. Hells, it’s why I started blogging in the first place. I don’t necessarily always need feedback — I just need to talk about things to people, and in the talking I eventually figure out what it is I want or need to do.

This is true with my writing and generally with all other aspects of my life. I genuinely wish it weren’t. I wish I were the type of person who could keep their own, silent counsel, not revealing things in the works until they’re done — but I’m not. I’m a talker, a sounder-outer. Always have been, always will be.

Especially when I get excited about something. And man, was I excited about my shop. Having a shop of my own that caters to at least one of my passions — witchcraft, books, video games, whatever — has been a dream of mine for a long time. Obviously, having a brick and mortar store is out of the question, at least unless I win the lottery or become a bestselling author who actually makes a living from their books. (Each equally likely.) But in this age of the internet and being able to sell your wares, your art, online? That didn’t matter. I could still live my dream, at least partially.

So I talked about it, and continued to make my plans, hoping I’d be starting work soon so I could actually put things into motion. (It takes money to open a shop, after all, even an online one.)

Well. I’m not working yet, and am worried about things on that front. And Etsy has banned the very things I wanted to sell.

I am not quite ready to accept defeat.

Right now I am searching for viable alternatives to Etsy. Yes, there is a petition to get them to reverse their decision, which I have signed, but even if they do listen — I don’t want to sell there anymore. It no longer feels like the right place for my goods or my energy. Why go where I am obviously not wanted? I am hopeful I can find another marketplace that meets my needs.

So yes, I am continuing silently with my plans, searching for alternatives, not lying down and accepting that I’ve lost quite yet.

I won’t be talking about the shop again until…well, until something is final — either it’s ready to open, or dead in the water. Whatever the case, I’ll announce it.

Until that point…mum’s the word.

-M

PS: I will still be posting here on other things, of course.