Yes, You can go home again!

Yes, you can go home again!

The phrase, "You can't go home again" comes at the end of the story... when protagonist George Webber realizes, "You can't go back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of time and memory..."

“You can’t go home again” has entered our speech to mean that after you have left your backwater town for a sophisticated metropolis, you can’t return to the narrow confines of your previous way of life, and, more generally, attempts to relive the old days will always fail.

Wrong, George, you are mistaken.

Rewind to 1997. As a newly-minted Reiki Master I was blessed with a vibrant local practice which included teaching, a growing clientele,  a well-respected voice on several prestigeous Alternative and Integrative Medicine Boards, and a retail line of quality aromatherapy oils, salts, Feng Shui cures and hand crafted soy and coconut oil soaps that I offered to my clients at office visits. I was intuitive, helpful, and appreciated.

From this practice I entered the non-profit arena with the dream of doing really good work, I wrote grants, became a keynote speaker for hire, and founded a holistic wellness center for at-risk kids and their families. I networked with Juvenile Justice, Mental Health Providers, and the Health Education Network. I had the Midas Touch. I was careful to stay academic, scientific, using best-practice protocols, and results-oriented strategies yet creativity and abundance flowed. Life was good.

Then I had this recurring dream that I should offer my psychic services on ebay. First the dolphins came to me. Then my grandmother. Then Abraham Lincoln (I kid you not). But he got my attention. Working as a professional out-of-the-closet-psychic seemed to be too far of a stretch for this business woman working with kids, the courts, the MDs...

Too out there. But the dreams found their way into conversations, converstations into experiences, experiences into referrals, referrals into a full-time occupation. I was a professional psychic.  I knew there was a huge metaphysical marketplace on ebay. I put up a listing for a Motherpeace Tarot Reading. Just as Abe suggested. I was booked weeks out within the month.

I was incredibly busy, and profitable. I supported international relief organizations, funded sustainable living initiatives in third world countries, spent months studying with indigenous elders and working with dolphins. I saw fewer and fewer local clients, and instead offered distance healing modalities which could be purchased online. I added my oils, salts and soaps... textiles, enegeticaly-enhanced jewelry, channeled art. More readings, and courses of metaphysical study and private counseling. Oshun Spirit Dancing!

Life was very, very, good!

Fastforward to 2010. With several online storefronts, and a greatly expanded product line and scope of services, a dotcom, a dotnet, and a bead business... I spent my days tweeting, posting, optimizing, adding attributes, keywords, and all the while struggling to work around and finally troubleshoot the horrific functionality issues of a start-up venue I had invested way too much time and effort in... I wasn't living my dream any more.

I was compromising my ethics, my integrity, my Spirit. I was caught in a web. And, I wasn't having fun. So I packed up the tent and put the goods in the wagon. And I went home.

Home is a beautiful lakeside community tucked between Lake Winnipeasukee and Lake Wentworth and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I left the sophisticated metropolis of ecommerce and  analytics and the failed shipping profiles which I abandoned and left rusting at a ranch in the valley and went home to my Adirondak-style lodge on the lake. (Yes I walked through the valley and feared not the evil!)

I came home to the local non-profits, the programs for kids, family services, the conservation organizations, and the education network. I offered my experience, my creativity, my abundance... and the bead business.

I had some fun. I made some bracelets. I reconnected with my roots, and I raised thousands of dollars for my little backwater community in just a few weeks. I had fun. I shipped nothing... instead, reaching across the table I'd press a bracelet into a human hand, send a little spark of light, and whole-heartedly say, "thank you, wear it in good health and in happiness."

I remembered who I am. I remembered what I do. Oshun Spirit Dancing!

And I'm booked several weeks out.

May you be blessed!

visit http://www.wix.com/suberry/JourneyBeads

Oshun Spirit.com chooses Addoway.com as new venue host

oshunspirit.com has found a new home!

I know that you will really like shopping Oshun Spirit from our new "portal" on Addoway.com.  In addition to fast, easy, secure checkout, you'll be able to catch up on the Living Light blog for ideas and inspiration plus information about all workshop, program, and product news. You can also access Facebook right from the page to enjoy the more social side of Oshun and also access the Journey Beads storefront. And, the video capability will allow me to share a world of creativity, entertainment, and information with you in addition to the Oshun Spirit and Journey Beads videos. 

Our new Addoway storefront is sure to become your one-stop for all things Oshun, so be sure to bookmark it now! Addoway.com is a growing social ecommerce marketplace where you can find many of your favorite sellers from ebay, artfire, etsy, and bonanzle. If you are considering opening an online storefront, it's a wonderful platform to consider. It's also free to list, and there are no final value fees!

I want to thank you all for your patience as I worked (however unsuccessfully) to help troubleshoot the functionality issues we experienced with our previous .com venue host. I am certain that you will have a much better buying experience here at Addoway. I know that online shopping is all about trust and convenience, and no one does that better than Addoway!

I'll be adding new products and services here over the next weeks and months so stop by often and check  on the progress. Meanwhile, Oshun Spirit Earth Friendly Goods is stocked with all of your Oshun Spirit favorites, and Journey Beads will also continue to participate in the Christmas in July promotion. Enter coupon code SAVE15 at either storefront and take 15% off your purchases through July.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions and special requests. And I thank you for your years of patronage and friendship. At Oshun Spirit and at Addoway, the best is yet to come!


Today, may you also be blessed with exciting new beginnings!

image credit: http://www.arielcollage.com

Bonanzle.com launches two new games today!

Always the innovative alternative, Bonanzle.com announced two new games on it's social ecommerce site today. The first one, "Merch Match" is designed for sellers (and maybe gamershoppers from "out there") to play with each other, earning points for the correct response as they go. According to Bonanzle founder Bill Harding, "It has two purposes: (1) to entertain (2) to provide useful data about our 3.5m items."

Presumably "someday" that data will translate into sales for the 33,280 storefronts (called booths), and the merchants of Bonanzle who are hoping that  the "someday" comes prior to this holiday shopping season.

And, presumably "someday" those points will be worth something on the site. ( The game within the game... what are the points for?) There already exists a Roundtable Question and Answer Forum where you can ask questions about merchandise, and have the best answer voted on by the community, earning "Reputation Points."

I don't have any points from either the Roundtable or the MerchMatch game.

If I have time to play a game it's going to be golf, OK? Hopefully my reputation speaks for itself from the quality services and products I provide to my customer-friends.  But if I really need extraneous points to be a successful ecommerce merchant, I'll add up my scores from every round of golf I play this season. We can use those. I play a lot of golf for charity. So it's a good circle.

So,  speaking of customer-friends... the second game is for you! Actually it is a scientific experiment that sure feels like a game. Its an A/B split test. On 50% of my Bonanzle listings the buttons have been redesigned so ‘add to cart’ is super-easy to see. Of course Bonanzle's international shipping scripting is still full of glitches so you may not actually be able to check out without several rounds of emails with me. But, if you DO navigate the process yourself you may be lucky enough not to be charged any shipping. It's not that I'm super generous to my international customers, it's just that the platform is unstable. But if it goes thru FREE, that's not your problem. Don't worry. It's part of the game: you MIGHT get free shipping without me knowing it. How's that for fun?

Also, on 50% of my listings the Bonanzle designers made a sad empty shopping cart for more fun.  The cart wants you to shop. (Assuming you want the cart to be happy, my sales will increase.) The object of this game is to control your spending habits via the sad face. Are you having fun yet?

I'm so sorry. And somewhat embarrassed.

I have put all of my listings at my Bonanzle storefront on hold until the shipping, offer, and checkout  issues are fixed. The Bonanzle Christmas in July coupon code SAVE15 which takes 15% off  will be honored at our website, http://www.oshunspirit.net.  Our JourneyBeads storefront on Bonanzle has not been affected by the errors and remains open, fully stocked, and the coupon code is in fine working order.
 
I appreciate you all and I know that your time is precious and that you don't have time to play games. I know that you want to see a good picture, read an accurate description of the product or service, and make your purchase securely and easily. Online shopping is all about convenience. Please accept my sincere apologies for your inconvenience. 


image credit: http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/video-game.jpg

Announcing Oshun Spirit at Addoway.com

I'm pleased to announce our newest storefront at Addoway.com  I'm really liking the vibe at this new marketplace, I think they call it  "Know and Trust."

The premise is that because you probably don't like shopping from strangers with an unknown reputation,  Addoway has created a unique fusion of social media and ecommerce, where buyers can connect with sellers they already know,  their friends, and the people they know online and who embrace the concepts of openness and transparency in their business model. 

"Know and Trust." In the Addoway marketplace, you are able  to discover great people to "buy, sell, bargain and trade with", because links to all of their selling sites, blogs, social media ids, feedback from other marketplaces, etc. are right there for you to explore before you make your buying decision.

The feature that I really like is "Display testimonials from Friends."

The feature prompts me (the seller) to... "Ask your real friends on Facebook to give you a testimonial and show buyers how much your friends trust you. Display testimonials from your real Facebook friends on your Addoway profile, giving buyers more confidence that they are dealing with a trustworthy seller with real friends who are willing to endorse them."

I know that in the six years that I've been selling online, it is referrals from you, my customer friends, which mean the most to new clients. Your good word  helps me to extend the scope of my services, and your feedback is the inspiration in expanding my product line in meaningful and practical ways. Thank you, so very much!

One more cool thing about Addoway: Because it is free for me to list and does not charge a fee on sold items like most marketplaces, I can use the venue to offer special values,  product lines for less, and blow-out clearance sales.  I'll be offering some super deals in the next few days so be sure to stop by and visit while I'm filling up the store. 

And while you're around, I ask you to take a moment  and please leave a product or service specific testimonial by clicking on the link provided (Connect with Facebook). Share your shopping experiences at Oshun Spirit, or leave a remark about metaphysical or healing services you have enjoyed. In doing so, you'll be helping others make informed choices based on real experience, from a real person. 

 "Know,  Trust, and be Well!"

Once again, I thank you for your continued patronage and support.  I'll see you at Addoway!
http://www.addoway.com/oshunspirit

Bonanzle and Ebay as Spiritual Teachers

Zen Masters, Dolphins, Wise Elders, and Tomatoes. Its a blog post that I wrote recently about finding wisdom in unexpected places. Like a tomato garden... and upon further reflection, an e-commerce venue or two.

Tomorrow marks my one year anniversary selling on Bonanzle. I arrived on the shores of Bonanzle with a boatload of other refugees from ebay, huddled masses seeking a new marketplace in which to set up our shops. Bonanzle whispered to us...

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

On February 1, I posted the following blog entry:

"As many of you know, I have a new storefront on Bonanzle.com Bonanzle is a brand new e-commerce and social marketing site that reached a million listings in 6 months, and was recently voted the best ebay alternative according to Examiner.com. It's a grassroots effort, championed by a growing base of forward-thinking veteran sellers, who share a community-centric, cooperative spirit. Management is responsive, accountable, hands-on, and creative. There's team spirit at Bonanzle, a refreshing change for sellers migrating from ebay who have felt that they had become more like spectators watching their on-line marketplace storefronts being managed more and more by the venue and less and less by themselves. While Bonanzle expects business owners manage their own businesses, they simply provide the venue, albeit a venue that listens, really listens, to the wants and needs of the sellers who are setting up shop there."

I went on to announce a line of Bonanzle bath and body products I had developed to fund-raise for the fledgling site, giving 20% of the sales to the venue on top of the $24 voluntary monthly membership fee I happily paid for the privilege. (You can read it in its entirety if you are so inclined, here.) It was an exciting time, everyone had their sleeves rolled up, generosity in all of its magnificent forms flowed freely! And, of course Bonanzle flourished!

Bonanzle has really grown in the past year, with now over 2 million listings on its books! Many features have been added and tweaked for the better, and yet some key elements are still left wanting creating real barriers to sales. There are a lot of bells and whistles to play with, and the new syndicated selling and affiliate programs promise to drive traffic to the site. Although I no longer keep a memebership there, and so I no longer sell BonanzleSudzle, I maintain a storefront at Bonanzle, and I do believe that the venue has the potential to take off. In my heart of hearts, I hope the huddled masses will find the promised land.

All in all, my experience at Bonanzle has been extremely positive: I have made great –lifelong– friends through the forums and I have learned e-commerce marketing skills that are transferable to my own website and beyond. I have witnessed the beautiful spirit of community and cooperation soar to the stars! And, although there have been some ugly moments that left me scratching my head, all in all it has been a wonderful learning curve and a fertile field for personal growth. And so, this Sunday morning I raise a Mimosa to my fellow Bonanzlers, in gratitude and celebration!

Cheers!

It is my regular Sunday morning habit to write, so I took a moment of reflection and focused on the past year and my adventures in e-commerce. I'll call it my Bonanzle Awakening as it was the event of my journey beyond ebay and my anniversary there that has inspired me. I think it's a celebration of personal growth that can be translated beyond its application to my e-commerce businesses and marketing plans. And so I'll share...

Awakening... at some point you realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for fulfillment, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you and in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You affirm that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen, is different from working toward making it happen. You focus and get going!

You awaken to the fact that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected. You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say. You decide to be true to your truth and to take care of yourself and in the process a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for. You remember that it is truly in giving that we receive and that there is powerful joy in creating and contributing. You stand firm in your conviction that principles such as honesty and integrity are not outdated ideals but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build your business, and life.

You humble yourself to the truth that you don't know everything; that it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

And, then you learn about love.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn about trust.

You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. You take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful.

In my Awakening I vow to take responsibility for myself, and I make myself a promise to never betray myself and to never ever settle for less than my heart's desire. I promise to keep my chin up, boobies out, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

I am thankful.

May you be blessed!