Hey, Pagan readers,

I'm working on an article that looks at Pagan and Witchcraft books that are marketed specifically to teens. If you have any of these lying aroudn that I can peruse, drop me a comment. Also, if you just have some titles for me to consider, let me know. I'm looking specifically at stuff written for and marketed to teens. I know lots of us read Cunningham, etc., as teens, but the piece I'm doing is a little more focused. (Stuff marketed specifically to teen girls is of special interest.) I'm more interested in the "how to" type of books (Ravenwolf's <u>Teen Witch</u> and its ilk) than in witchy-themed novels, though I will also consider those, especially if they are written by Pagans who also publish the how-to stuff.

I'm on a tightish deadline, and doing my own research (of course),but thought I'd turn to my well-read Flist for some other resources.

Tarot readers and other oracular-types on my Flist....

I need a one-card (or whatever) draw, badly, today. Anyone willing to help me out? I'll reciprocate when I'm feeling a bit more centered.

You can either comment here or email me at dakotawitch @ gmail dot com

Anyone got a TV I can borrow for a few weeks? The one in the house belongs to Bun and she will take it when she clears out her stuff on Saturday. (I have made arrangements to NOT be in the house while she does this.) I will be able to purchase my own in a couple of weeks. Nothing fancy, and I have cable so the digital transition is not a problem. (My cable is rolled into my rent, and I don't have an option to opt out, so it is literally wasting $40 a month for me not to have a TV, otherwise I would not worry about it.) If you have one your'e wanting to sell cheap, let me know.

I know several of you here have your own craft business through Etsy, Ebay, etc. I'm wondering what advice you have to offer.

We're getting a lot of views at our Etsy site but not a lot of sales. I know part of this is the economy itself -- people don't have a lot of money to spend on luxuries. I also know that scented products are harder to sell in a venue where people can't, you know, sniff them. But I'm still looking for ideas about how to increase my sales. If you'd be willing to take a look at the site and give me feedback (either here or at dakotawitch at gmail dot com) about what you like and what you'd change, I'd appreciate it.

I have my first Ebay auction up here. I'm a newbie to selling on Ebay, so any tips you can provide are welcomed. (I know that entry itself could be drastically improved -- it was a sort of "throw it at the wall and see if it sticks" type thing.) Those you who have done a lot of Ebay selling of your own crafts and products, what advice do you have? What pitfalls are there?

I'm looking for other ways to advertise the shop as well. I'll be buying some ads on the local hippie/pagan/eclectic listserv later this week. I'm also participating in a "trunk show" here in DFW later in July, which should hopefully bring me some foot traffic and sales. What other venues do you find useful for getting exposure to your sites or listings?

I'm finding this work incredibly grounding, even as busymaking as it sometimes is, and really want to see it soar. I will have a website of my own up soon -- just waiting on fundage and design time -- which will likely help sales, but I still need to know how to get people to actually visit the site.

Further, if there are products you wish I carried but don't, let me know. We have a number of new things coming -- whole herb incenses, Tarot bags, Sabbat-themed soaps, chakra-themed soaps, salt and sugar scrubs, and more in our spa line, to name a few -- but we are always looking for suggestions.

Bun will be out of town from May 21-31. Although I've got work and projects, I'm also sure I'm going to be wanting company! So, fill my dance card! Let me know what's going on, make a coffee or beer date with me, or contact me if you're going to be in town during this period (if you're normally, you know, not in town.)

I will be without a car of my own, as the money for repairs just didn't happen and neither did fundage for a rental. However, I'm pretty capable with public transit and can get most places. Sundays are the only tough day -- no TRE into Dallas means I'm pretty well grounded here. You're of course welcome to come out here, if you'd like to drive, either to enjoy Irving and points west, or to kidnap me for the day.

I'm hoping to get to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while in addition to catching up on "me" time and finishing some projects.

madphd , your crew will be at the grande anime fest that weekend, yes? Perhaps a Farmer's Market trip and some cooking for that Sunday, if you're willing to make the hike out here to retrieve me?

Thought I'd turn to the Goddess Inspiration for a little guidance based on nyyki 's advice in my last post, and I got this....

I've had a lot of fun doing the one-card draw for people this week. Tarot has been my primary spiritual practice for many years, but I have neglected it over the last two years as I've tried to get my life under control. This week, as I've done readings, I've once again realized that every time I read for someone, I also read for myself in a way -- I get insight into my own situation. As a result, I want to start doing serious divination work again. Having a new deck that I love is also a major impetus.

So....

If I started another blog that was all divination-related, would you read it? I'm envisioning a space where I can review divination tools and methods, blog about my own Tarot and oracle practices, etc. One a week or every two weeks, I would put out an open thread with the tip jar and offer to do something like the one-card draw I did this week. But it might not be Tarot -- it might be Medicine Cards, Goddess Inspiration Cards, Ipod divination, runes, or any other tool I'm working with that week. I'd be doing this as much as a service and for practice with different tools and methods as for any financial benefit -- as with the post I did this week, I don't "charge" per se. (I am available for paid consultations, but that would be separate from the open threads.) I might branch into other forms of divination as I go, as this is a practice that really fires me up.

So?

Stolen from various. 

question. 1 chance. 1 honest answer.

That's all you get.

You get to ask me 1 question.

Any question, anything, no matter how crazy, dirty, or wrong it is.

But I dare you to repost this, and see what people ask you!*

All comments are screened!

Anyone on my Flist been to GoddessFest (http://www.texasspringfest.com)? If so, hit me with experiences, reactions, etc.

ETA: My awesome ILL librarian actually got ahold of a copy! And boy is it a piece of propaganda/crap! But I have it and can use it for my article, so it's all good.

...but it worked last time, and I not only got the book, but I got fritterfae out of the deal, so it's worth a try...

Does anyone on my lovely Flist have a copy of the book The Uterine Crisis by Ilya Sandra Perlingieri that you'd be willing to let me babysit for a week or two? I'll send it back to you very quickly. I need it for an article I'm writing for a reproductive health encyclopedia, and I'm having a nightmare of a time finding it. I've put in an ILL request with my university, but she's also not finding it quickly anywhere.

So...anyone?

Any icon makers out there, I need an icon that communicates that this space is not a safe space.

Because apparently some have the idea that they're gonna find rainbows and unicorns and fluffy kittens here.

Help? I'm willing to credit.

If you're queer and voted for McCain...

Your candidate may have lost but, hey, the party you supported helped vote through at least four measures that deny the fundamental humanity of you and the people you purport to love, so that's kind of a victory, right?

Thanks on behalf of queers in California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas for doing your part to make our lives just a little harder.

I know, I know, it's only October, but those winter holidays will be on us before you know it!

In the next few weeks, I will be adding a number of new products to my Etsy site

This is my official call for special requests. What would you like to see for the winter holiday season?

New product updates to come in a day or two.

An articulate response to those who say Obama and McCain have the "same position" on gay marriage, from someone who's disillusioned with them both.

And another great story, a few years old, on the broader issue. "Tolerance" = acceptance, and voting as though they are synonymous will hurt us all.

And finally my sister's personal take on the issue, which is much like my own:

I have a couple of friends who lived through the 1980's in NYC and saw AIDS kill friend after friend after friend.  They talk about how the people who died owned businesses and property with their partners who then had to battle with (often hostile) family members to buy back the share in the business or property that automatically went to those family members due to inheritance laws.  The worst stories are those about people not being able to say goodbye to their partners, before or after their death. 
 
It's not all that different now.  I have a client, who recently married his partner in NJ.  They own a weekend house on the PA side of the PA/NJ border.  He recently became seriously ill while they were at the house, and an ambulance had to be called.  Luckily he was conscious, and was able to insist on being taken to a hospital on the NJ side of the border.  He knew that if he were unable to make medical decisions for himself, his partner would be able to make them on his behalf.
 
This is why it isn't about whether a candidate is willing to call it "marriage" or not.  It's about whether or not the candidate (and the party platform!) show a fundamental belief in equal rights for everyone.  Someone who will "tolerate" you and someone who will ensure that you are recognized by the government as deserving of having your rights protected do not have "the same view."

Come on, America, gay straight or inbetween....seriously, if you cannot see the difference between McCain and Obama's stance on this issue, how do you make the really hard decisions -- like deciding whether to wash your hair with Aveda or battery acid, or whether it's a better call to eat a burger or some dogfood...cuz it's all the same, right?

It's a broke week at the Stronghold, so I'm playing freezer and pantry Jenga and seeing what I can come up with. Fortunately, I have a lot of practice at what my father used to call "making meals out of empty cupboards," and last weekend The Girl's folks loaded us up with some groceries before we left Houston to return up here. So this is what I've got for the week, and I'm hoping that you culinary types can help me fill in the gaps. There is a small grocery fund to buy a few things, but insofar as it's possible, I'd like to work with what I have in the house.

( Time for dinner, now let's go eat! )

I'm working on a project proposal for the various and sundry postdocs I'm applying for this fall, and I need some resources. Of course, my first thought was to bug you guys.

All the postdocs are about women and religion. (Sorry, guys and those who identify somewhere inbetween -- know that I'm bringing you into my next project!) I'm looking at the construction of sexual identity within Paganism, something I've done prelim work on and gotten help from many of you on before. I want to expand this into a larger project.

So, I need your favorite resources (books, mag/journal articles, websites, etc.) on bisexuality, lesbianism, coming out stories, and the like. These do not have to relate direclty to Paganism -- in fact, resources that talk about women and sexuality in the context of other religions are especially needed for the point I'm trying to make. Do not be afraid you'll suggest something I already own or have read -- duplicate suggestions are better than omissions, and I want the largest possible body of work to draw from.

You can either comment here or email me at dakotawitch @ gmail dot com

Major points for discussion boards, blogs, or the like that I can not only use as resources, but can tap for interviewees/survey respondents. If you'd be willing to serve as an interviewee/survey respondent, let me know. (You do not have to identify as bi or lesbian to participate.)

Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

Does anyone on my lovely Flist know anything about the organization Earth Spirit Alliance or their gatherings? I got an announcement via Moonlady of an October gathering put on by this group. I looked at their website, and some of the names are familiar to me. I'm working on some new research, which may involve going to more gatherings, and so I'm looking into various possibilities. But I also like to know what I'm walking into.

Comments are screened so only you and I can see them, so please feel free to be as honest as you like.

 There's got to be someone on my Flist who can point me in the right direction.

 
ETA: Thanks so much, everyone, including those who are doing research and getting back to me. For the moment I'm going to try the EPO since I have some on hand -- I had been taking it along with flax and borage to lower my LDL, but when everything Hit The Fan I stopped taking my supplements (and doing most anything else that promoted my health). I have no idea if it had any effect on the girly stuff before since I was on the Pill, so I'm curious to see what happens. On a recommendation from aussieari I'll also be trying more exercise -- I haven't been to a yoga class in nearly 7 months, which has to change ASAP.

 Why can't I get HTML to work in my posts?

I grab the code directly from the site -- Photobucket, whatever.

I've tried <img src="insert site here">

I've got nothing but strings of code, no nice graphics.

Help?