What are some topics of conversation Iād like to see more of in our community?
I do think that thereās a lack of intermediate to advanced content in the public eye. And I understand why, of course. Beginners find posts they donāt understand and ask a million basic questions: āHow do I raise energy?ā āShould I cast a circle first?ā āIf I donāt have this ingredient, what can I substitute? But I donāt have that either, what about this?ā
And if they donāt get answers, or if the wrong person finds a post that speaks just a little too authoritatively, they get pissed. Tumblrās hatemail game is, indeed, unreal. Itās hard sometimes to want to publish something personal or talk about something that the General Audience might disagree with or thatās more advanced than what can usually be found out there.
It would require beginners to recognize when something isnāt really for them (yet). It would also require people to give the benefit of the doubt and actually read a whole post before jumping to the replies or into the posterās ask box to complain about their wording or tone or āhow could you leave out such and such specific detailā or other annoying, disrespectful nonsense like that. Alas, this is the piss on the poor website.
What are my community needs?
My top priorities in a community are somewhere to ask questions, somewhere to have casual, low-stakes conversations, and somewhere to share and vet resources (books, PDFs, shops, materials, websites, blogs, etc.). I sometimes fall off the face of the earth and go hermit-mode for mental health reasons, so communities that require constant participation and look down on declining invitations are no-gos for me.
For the most part, I do think my community needs are being met! I wish I had an in-person place to go, hang out, buy or make things, and just exist as a witch without worrying about conforming to love-and-light ideals and/or cultural appropriation. Iāve been thinking about starting meet-ups at our local library, but the idea of no one showing isā¦ well, it sucks and is scary. So. Weāll see how that goes.
Where would I like to be held and supported?
In this space (Tumblr), the greatest supports are reblogs. Liking a post does little for me in terms of exposure and connection. A reblog spreads my work to new eyes while also showing me that yes, the thing Iāve written is useful in some way. Replies are also good, but reblogs are really where itās at.
Direct interaction with my work encourages me to write and publish more. I stopped putting up my research into digital divination (which has continued, by the way) because it wasnāt getting any notes. To me, that says that no oneās reading it. If no oneās reading it, I shouldnāt spend so much time cleaning up my notes for presentation, because thatās time I could use better elsewhere on work that will get attention and perhaps pay the bills.
Which kinda sucks! Research into theory and the history of these niche topics are very much passion projects of mine. Iāve got all sorts of notes dissecting Pick-A-Card tarot culture and clickbait tarot YouTube/TikTok videos that may never see the light of day, because it justā¦ doesnāt get noticed. No one cares. I care, obviously, and thatās why Iām still doing it for myself. Iād love to share it, butā¦ again, who cares, aside from me?
Basically, justā¦ interact with stuff, lmao. Tip if you can, still interact if you can't. If you enjoy someoneās work, reblog it. Likes do nothing for creators on this platform. And as someone who relies on this platform to spread my business, reblogs really do make all the difference. (PS: Everyone who has ever recommended my services to someone else, either here or elsewhere, is literally an angel. Word of mouth does more for small businesses than any amount of advertising I could possibly do. Youāve got no idea. Ily.)
Where do I feel like Iām not truly being seen by my community?
I get a lot of attention for my free tarot stuff that I do every Friday. And thatās fair. People love a freebie. Thereās a whole subculture of tarot readers here on Tumblr who just do different kinds of free readings for people, often for fun.
But again, the stuff Iām actually proud of tends to get less notes than the throwaway shitposts. Itās rough. I have a feeling that all the hours Iām sinking into writing out these questions and editing the posts will go to waste.
How can we help each other in removing the external peer pressure and grow in community?
Be the change you want to see. Here on Tumblr, thereās a sort of fear surrounding judgment. In the interest of never being judged, receiving hate, or otherwise being ācalled out,ā we avoid publishing work thatās anything close to controversial. Even if it isnāt controversy, if something isnāt being talked about, itās scary to be the first one to break into the topic. Because what if itās terrible to talk about?
When you see something you donāt understand or disagree with, donāt instantly jump into OPās replies or ask box with vitriol or basic questions. Try to find resources first. Check their tags; maybe theyāve talked about that topic before and have a more basic or detailed explanation on the topic somewhere.
Unless itās actively harmful (bigotry, appropriation, etc.), if you canāt respectfully interact with someoneās post, leave it alone. The important thing to remember is that we donāt need to (and perhaps shouldnāt) form opinions on absolutely everything we see. Some things arenāt for us, and thatās okay. I see things I disagree with and dislike all the time as I peruse the witchcraft tags. Just scroll.
The other part of this is acknowledging that some people just arenāt going to learn how to act right. They just arenāt. We, as a community, need to learn how to ignore those people. Thereās an age-old adage that I think we need to bring back into the public eye:
Donāt feed the trolls.
How can we, as a community, come together more with constructive criticism without it seeming shady/passive aggressive?
The absolute first step is to learn the difference between hatemail, constructive criticism, and being fucking rude. Tone can be hard for some folks, especially when written out, but itās critical that you either learn how to decipher it or find people who can help you do so if youāre not able to do it yourself before making assumptions about someoneās meaning.
Hatemail is direct nastiness written and designed to make someone feel bad about themselves, their work, their circle, their practice, or something else. The idea is to make the receiver uncomfortable. This would include attacks on someoneās character. This category includes sending people slurs, telling people theyāre stupid for believing something, demanding that someone prove their worth, and unsolicited and harsh criticisms of the work being put out.
Constructive criticism is intended to improve the content youāre seeing. Thatās what makes it constructive. Itās respectful to ask the OP if theyāre open to receiving constructive criticism before sending it. This category includes helpful notes on content, correcting misinformation, pointing out problems in the language used, and structure of the post in question. For example, Iāve received constructive criticism that my posts tend to be very long-winded. And, I mean, yeah ā thatās a fair criticism. But I like writing long posts, so thatās unlikely to change. However, I can include shorter posts in the mix to diversify and appeal to different audiences.
The prime example of someone being plain fucking rude is adding inane, off-topic, judgy comments in a reblog of an innocuous post or send unsolicited, long-winded trauma dumps to someoneās inbox. This could also apply to giving unsolicited advice or speaking in a condescending manner. For example, assuming someone knows less than you and handing out āadviceā as though itās gospel without checking to see whether they would or wouldnāt know that information/practice differently than you. This category refers to the people who arenāt (purposely) sending hate, but their words absolutely come off that way. I find rudeness comes from a lack of self-awareness and consideration for other people. These are the folks that when you tell them to fuck off, they get very offended and donāt understand why youāre reacting badly.
The key is reading comprehension, critical thinking, and compassion.
Before you send an ask, reply/reblog, or DM them, try to see where the OP is coming from. Whatās their culture, whatās their background, how new are they to their path, why are they posting about the thing theyāre posting, etc.? Have you read their post correctly? Are you projecting any kind of expectations or assumptions onto the OP or their post that arenāt actually being stated there?
Will what you say hurt their feelings? Has the OP stated that theyāre open to feedback? If not, should you ask them first? Will the OP suffer in some way or cause harm if you donāt reach out to them about the thing you want to tell them? Are you reaching out simply to have something to say, or are you actually adding to the conversation?
If more folks come into conversations with kindness and genuine curiosity, leaving their egos, assumptions, and impulses to be āon the same levelā or ābetter thanā other practitioners aside, better interactions happen. Justā¦ donāt be an asshole. Think before you speak. Consider the consequences of what you say before hitting send. So on and so forth.
Consider a class or guide on providing constructive criticism. Creative writing or other literary courses and guides go over this kind of thing extensively.
How can we, as a community, do better when we do receive criticism/feedback?
Remember that, in general, even unsolicited criticism is rarely about you as a person. It is sometimes, but even that can be useful. The only times I would say you ought to throw out criticism entirely is when it veers into hatemail territory. You donāt owe hateful bitches anything, least of all your time.
But in the case of actual feedback, even if itās not worded the best or if it arrives out of the blue, itās important to at least read it and take it into consideration.
Take a step back. Take a breath. The knee-jerk reaction to defend yourself is a powerful one. Let the sting of criticism sink in, and do whatever you need to do to soothe it.
Then, read it again. Parse what the person is actually saying. No matter how theyāre saying it, what is their actual problem? Is it something you can change? Is it something youāre willing to change? Even if not, is it something you can take into account for the future?
Constructive criticism, when given and received in a positive way, can create some really beautiful moments of understanding and growth. Consider, again, a class or guide on constructive criticism. When they talk about giving it, they also talk about receiving and using it. It really is a life-changing sort of lesson.
As for dealing with hatemail, fuck āem. Delete that shit, block the asshole, and donāt look back.
Who are some community members I look up to that are reliable resources and aspirations?
Ohohohohoho, spotlight time!
It isnāt something I can really direct people toward, since itās a private Discord server, but Iām part of a group of practitioners who are constantly supporting each other. We ask questions, give advice, chat about projects, and just generally lift each other up all the time. That server is, by far, the greatest resource Iāve got right now. Itās a very small community of friends whose passions are diverse and incredibly interesting. The amount of learning and collaboration that goes onā¦ man. I really do love it. (If youāre in that server, and you read this: Hi, I appreciate you! (: )
Now, letās tag some people (going down my following list):
@elminx ā Minx is amazing. The recipe experiments, the astrology insights, the clever techniquesā¦ Sheās got something for everybody.
@fernthewhimsical ā Two words: rainbowmancy and hopepunk. Seriously, go to Fernās blog and go through the witchcraft tag. So much good stuff.
@jasper-pagan-witch ā Our very own TBR and Blogs Georg. I very much recommend checking out their sideblog @jasper-book-stash for brief book reviews.
@coinandcandle ā Click through Coinās pinned post for all sorts of goodies, including deep dives on deities.
@breelandwalker ā Tumblrās resident witchstorian! Check out her podcast, Hex Positive, for beginner-friendly, funny, informative content that ranges from spell techniques to the history of witchcraft.
@windvexer ā Chicken answers questions of all sorts! We share the gift (curse?) of verbosity. Their answers are detailed and informative, and I aspire to that level of coherency in my rambling.
@stagkingswife ā Silly! Hat! Theory! Stagās views on spirit work literally changed my whole mind about godspousing and what makes a deity a deity. Legitimately.
@asksecularwitch ā Spells Georg. THE secular witch. An icon whose gumption I respect above all others.
Andā¦ Iām so sure there are others Iām forgetting about. [gestures] All of my mutuals are lovely, follow them and throw money at their respective Ko-Fi and Patreon pages. (:
Off of Tumblr, I tend toward YouTubeās witch ecosystem. A few people I follow there are The Green Witch, the Witch of Wonderlust, Mint Faery, and Hearth Witch. Again, there are more, but these are the channels I follow most closely for their content!
This was fun to put together! I wonāt directly tag anyone to respond with their own answers, becauseā¦ well, this has been a beast of a project thatās taken several days to type out and more to edit. But if youāre a witchy content creator here on Tumblr, please feel free to check out the list of questions and post your own answers!
Replies, reblogs, and asks on any or all of the topics covered in this post series are very much welcome.
This is the final part of a series! Click here to view the masterpost to see all #OcculTea posts in this series. Replies, reblogs, and asks on any or all of the topics covered in this post series are very much welcome.
