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Solar Eclipse – March 8/9th

Eclipses are game changers

“This family of eclipses is concerned with the endings or separations. Thus when it affects a chart individuals will find themselves dealing with a parting…..”

From Predictive Astrology, The eagle and the lark by Bernadette Brady

This reminds me of the Death card in the tarot, an ending that might be important but isn’t easy, but in doing so, we are able to create space for new opportunities…but death, even metaphorically is hard for us and it requires us to let go, and go through a grieving process. Pisces recognizes we are all ONE, and therefore, we never ever really die, so this might help us in this process.

This is a great eclipse for healers, mediums, psychics, and spiritual people in general, Chiron the wounded healer is involved in this eclipse, and it’s also a south node eclipse, so the theme is about healing the past.

If you are a holistic or occultpreneur, use this energy to tune in and find out what your paths is, and what do you need to heal to move forward in life and your business. You might find that others coming to you in the next few months are seeking the same answers, suffering the loss of something that creates a void, this needs to be turned into a space for the new opportunities to be welcomed in.

So if you’re looking for a ritual, I would suggest that you set an intention to heal or release any issues that blocking your spiritual development, ask where you need to be going, what is your direction.

Eclipses are game changers, be ready to change

Last SE of this Saro series March 1997, next is 2033.

Some good Eclipse articles for further reading:

The lovely Leah has a full March round up
http://www.leahwhitehorse.com/2016/02/28/march-2016-astrology-forecast/
If you know your astrology chart, this site lets you know what to expect if the SE aspects a planets
http://www.thedarkpixieastrology.com/the-new–full-moons.html
April Kent knows her eclipses, so always worth a read and you don’t need to know astrology:
http://www.bigskyastrology.com/whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-eclipse/
If you prefer videos:
Pam Gregory is always very clear, and you don’t need to know astrology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY0TVgQoQ0w
Barbara Goldsmith is lively, always giving you an astrology lesson through her forecasts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzS6ub-QX6w

 

 

Are the words you hate, limiting your audience?

Here is a good article which outlines the pitfalls of ignoring words because we dislike them, but they are the words our target market will use. This case study involved client who offered psychic services but didn’t want to use the word “psychic” and wanted to use an alternative, suffice to say the person was shooting themselves in the foot, because their target audience used this word to search for services.

My client committed SEO suicide by refusing to adapt or modify her existing keywords and content, to reflect and support said keywords. The end result: her business failed. No one searched for her terms, and her site was never found. Why? Because she didn’t consider which keywords her target market would use. Instead of accepting suggestions that would have brought her traffic, she crippled all efforts put forth to make website optimization a success. She couldn’t get past her vision of how she wanted to label her services.

https://www.seo.com/blog/selecting-the-right-keywords-to-capture-your-target-market/

When I started working with Amy Beeson who is a freelance Brand Consultant and Coach she had a similar problem with me, many words currently for the services I provide I detested. I had a strong reaction to many words such as:

Psychic

Intuitive

Soul

Spiritual

Well you get the picture, when I started the business I wanted to steer away from all the clichés but I soon learnt that you need to focus on your audience, how are your customers going to find you?

This was a mindset change I had to make, and it sounds simple but it was a process which took time for me to get my head round. You have to remember that you’re not defining your work this way, but using the right keywords enables you to reach more people, and therefore spread your message and services wider, that is the end goal…..even if you initially balk at it, if you don’t use these words you limit yourself.

 

So are you limiting yourself and your business?

 

If you want to work with Amy Beeson, contact her here

 

 

 

Viral scares me shitless

Go visible, or go home!

Backroom, or front of house?

A comment on a group I created popped into my head this morning, how starting a business is hard for us ‘backroom’ people. Now I have no problem meeting people, I can network with the best of them, have been in customer facing positions for years, but this isn’t really the same thing when you are starting your business. Visibility takes on a new meaning nowadays, it’s about being seen online, being ‘outthere’, having a social media presence isn’t just about what you write, but people want to see you, they want to know what you look like.

Personality is what people need to see, they aren’t so much buying your expertise, but the experience which you can give them, and they are looking for someone they can relate to, someone they feel inspired by.

Are you my muse?

game over guru
game over guru!

Years ago people were looking for a guru, looking for someone who was going to tell them how to live their life, they wanted a structure, to be told what to do, a god-like figure to save them. Now people are more focused on finding someone who they can be inspired by, not just the persons business but them as a person.

It’s not just about what they do, people are wanting to buy a lifestyle

People want to join a tribe, they want to be part of something, not just following a person, feeling like they are part of a team, changing together, evolving together.

Perfection isn’t what people want.

People are no longer looking for the person who is impeccable, people are looking for someone that is pure in intention but are happy to see their flaws, to see they are still a work in process, they may lead the tribe but they are by no means above them, looking down.

I am a sociable person, happy to talk to anyone, always the centre of a party, I am also very private about my personal life. so my main issue with being visible isn’t that I have to talk , I have way too much Leo in my chart to not like being on centre stage, the main issue I have is that you have no control online, once it’s out there it can be distorted, and at worse made viral.

Viral content is the holy grail for many, many ‘personalities’ want this to make their name because they need it, and it’s not always backed up with any substance.

Viral scares me shitless
Going viral scares me shitless

Nowadays even small deeds , good or bad can be recorded and posted, even if you are not posting it yourself, a good Samaritan takes a picture or a film and puts it out there. This can have its own legs, it can become a monster, I am not just talking about the negative side, positive deeds also don’t go unpunished, and lives can be put under a microscope by a well-meaning person who posts it.

I don’t like that microscope, maybe it’s in part an issue with control which might be the reason for the zombie dream (see that post here). Many people would love a moment of fame, me I prefer not to, I don’t mind being a big fish in a little pond, a party, an event, but out of the worldwide web….that’s another story, a scary story. It puts me off some small good deeds, lest someone has a smart phone and I find myself on the 5 o’clock news on a slow news day.

The issue is, to make the changes I want in the world, I have to come out, I have to be seen, I have to share the knowledge.

So here lies the dilemma.

To be a game changer, to effect real change in the sphere I am passionate about (relationships & Mediumship), I need to bite the bullet, to suck it up.

So I am going to have to put myself out there, driven by the desire to share my knowledge, to help others, leaving a positive footprint in the world. So again, another mindset change….

So this is my new challenge, and yes I will bring you along.

Whats Your Vision?

Everything seems to be moving thick and fast, over the past few months I had many ideas, but I found that they didn’t feel 100% finished, still needing that last piece of the puzzle.

What a difference a few days makes, I am enthused about the projects, that feeling when you KNOW that its now the right time to knuckle down and get things done, the inspiration has given me the motivation to make things happen.

When I have an idea its documented on paper and electronically, the abstract thoughts slowly over time get added to and amended, finally finding its own shape. I couldn’t have envisioned the end product that its turned into, its morphed and expanded into something much better then the original ideas.

One step I always do before I create an implementation plan.

I create a vision statement

A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s objectives, ideally based on economic foresight, intended to guide its internal decision-making.

Now this sounds very grand, but in reality it’s just the aim of the project or strategy, its part of the creative process which also serves a mystical purpose too, when you create a vision you are also manifesting. I don’t use the word goal anymore, i love the feel of the word vision more, it feels less clinical, more mystical, more inspiring.

The statement can be a few lines, or a few pages, the length depends on how detailed it needs to be. It’s not something I write in one sitting, I will often write and then re-write the statement over a period of time, sometimes days, weeks or even months.

Writing is part of the process

The process is the important part, not so much the statement itself, this is why I do it the old fashioned way, I write it down because there is something that is more physical then typing, deeper in some way. So I sit, writing from the perspective of what end result I am looking for, everything I write includes how it will fill into my life, my lifestyle now, and in the future.

This is something many people forget when making changes in their life, wanting a new job, lover, business, or simply wanting to make changes.

Don’t just make changes, design a lifestyle.

Making changes in isolation can have a knock on effect in other areas of your life, sometimes unbalancing you in the process. Say you are looking for a new job, but you aspirations of starting a side business, this needs to be factored in, so if you get a job that requires additional hours as standard, perhaps even out of hours support, when will you have time to start working on your business?

What if you are starting a business but are looking for love too, you need to make sure you leave room for not only socialising and dating, but also for the partner you’re looking for. You also need to keep in mind what type of relationship you’re looking for, how much time are you willing to commit to the relationship, how do you fit that into your life? It’s easy to fill spaces in your life, especially when you are starting a business, its time consuming, but if we don’t leave space for ourselves, how will we fit someone into it?

When I find someone, I will clear space for them?

People say this, but in reality it doesn’t work that way, structures put in place, routines get set over time, so adding something new into the mix can upset the apple cart. Some plans are easier to change then others, commits you make, financial or otherwise can put a spanner in the works of any budding relationship/business/ or other changes you want to make, you won’t have the time.

Look at your life holistically.

So whilst this is a small project for me, I follow the same process, I write it into my life. so that’s what I will be doing for the rest of this week, writing it, re-writing it, in between other tasks, until I feel its finished. When I start writing, I find the process draws out many issues that I need to think about further, so its often left whilst I go off on my tangent.

Once its written to my satisfaction I pop it in an envelope, sealed with a label, and the date it was written. Why don’t I keep it where I can see it? because I don’t need to, by the time its put away In the envelope I will already have it memorised, its imprinted in my brain, the act of writing helps us keep it in our conscious awareness, it also lets the universe/spirit/guides etc what you are looking to create.

Latte, Cappuccino, or Tarot reading?

Is your list of tarot services, losing you customers?

Latte-tarotreading

Hot or cold?

A latte, cappuccino, or flat white?

Ohh I think I want one of those Gingerbread lattes thingies…Ohhh actually that new Salted Carmel cappuccino sounds fab, oh no, that spiced pumpkin latte looks special!

Ok, Salted caramel cappuccino it is

What size do I want? hmmm

Take out?

Do I want cream on top? YES

Think about the last time you went to coffee chain, the list of options is huge, and the list of questions we are asked are endless. We want a coffee, but it’s no longer a question of black or white, it’s a complicated process that often leaves you breathless and in a great need of caffeine.

Working with a tarotpreneur today on their business I was reminded of a big mistake many readers make is their choice of products that they offer, the readings services often only make sense to other readers or people who have an interest in tarot (we all know that fellow tarot readers can often make the worst clients). Keep in mind that the general public,  when looking for a reading don’t care how many cards, or what spread you use, or which deck you prefer, all these options can confuse a potential customer and the transaction fails to be completed, a sale lost.

A customer wants a questions answered, how this is done is usually of no consequences, as long as the question is answered as expected. Don’t narrow the field of potential customers, especially in a saturated market, if it’s overly complicated people will simply go elsewhere.

Keeping your services menu simple and clear will appeal to a wider audience, focus on the customer experience, not the number of cards, spreads, or decks used.

Isn’t it time you reviewed your services menu?

For coaching for your business, contact me here