This week I've been thinking a lot about the slow consumption movement and bespoke spell casting. There is a lot of pressure for businesses to function like Amazon and offer fast shipping and very low prices. I find that there's that pressure on me as well, even though I'm a very small business. I figure this comes in part from a culture of convenience that we're all quite used to now - with our purchases coming to us super fast in the mail with everything sold at a cost that doesn't allow the makers/workers a living wage (I know we're not all aware of this, or always able to buy the more expensive option). But nonetheless, most of the world is run on the principle of capitalist consumption - and that means fast, throw-away consumption.
The slow consumption movement is defined as ".. a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail's pace. It's about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting."
Read more here.
Spellwork and magic don't fit into a fast style of consuming at all. Throwing more money at a spellcaster doesn't fix a problem nor make a spell more likely to succeed. Neither is a witch merely a service provider who gives you your "monies worth" or not. Witches are arguably spiritual guides first and foremost. But when a person is in distress, and in great need, like people so often are when coming to a witch for assistance, AND are unconsciously affected by capitalism, they can bring a sense of "Now! Now! Help me now! What's the cost?! What's the price to fix my problems?!" to getting a spell or reading.
Sometimes things are dire and we rightly need to proclaim our distress, but! can you sense the way distress and a fast consumption world can make people view even spiritual development and old-world magic with a lense of, "will this ship in 3 business days or less?"
I'm here to say magic can't be rushed. It must be done well, not fast. Even when a protection spell needs to be done asap, I don't rush it. All the levels of the spell must be laid down with care and thought. When I do need help fast, I do basic candle spells powered by a few good ingredients and my great need. But this is never the same as expecting my spell or Matron deity to service me with the brutal "efficiency" of a conglomerate.
These thoughts have naturally lead me to decide to label myself as a slow consumption small business. All my work is handcrafted, my spells are bespoke and made for the individual (down to the herbs that are selected for you). I select the appropriate tarot spreads for each person's situation and unique context so that the messages can be as accurate and relevant as possible. I work one-on-one with each of you and I love it. This is how I always want to run my business, with personal care and deep attention taken.
This is a good time to say:
Spells take 1-3 weeks from the time of payment to getting the final report.
Tarot takes 1-2 weeks from the time of payment being made to getting your reading via a YouTube link (which totally private and unlisted).
There will be times when people value getting a fast reading over a slower service that goes deeper and has a very personal touch. But this issue isn't just about me, it's about not wanting to see witchcraft sped up and commercialized any more than it has. We witches and pagans go to the gravesites and crossroads to do the "scary" stuff on your behalf and as part of our worship of arcane spirits and deities. It's not meant to be cute or easy even when it's beautiful.
Witchcraft is sacred but never untouchable - it is peasant magic (a lot of the time), and "getting a service" with a witch is as much about this as it is us walking beside you as we work together to improve your circumstances.
I hope these musings on the Slow Movement were interesting and accessible, and will make sense of the changes you'll be seeing to my branding and how I talk about my business in the near future.
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