Roanoke Witches & Pagans Round 2 - Arm Yourselves With Awareness

Several months ago, I posted a bit of a ranting vent about a start-up Witch and Pagan group in the Roanoke, Virginia area and the anti-child attitude I got side-blinded by. But what made it worse than basically being told I had no place in the local Pagan community as a single parent with a small child were all the little things about the exchange that were little red flags of a dysfunctional group.

So imagine my annoyance when I get an email from Meetup.com about a new group in the area with an eerily similar name. The snippet of the description was equally similar enough to set off warning flares. Are we sure this is a "new" group? I tried to withhold judgement and looked it up. Sure enough, it was different, but in a shortened and condensed (and less biographical) version of the previous group's description. (I was quite relieved to see the "18+ only" prominently displayed, letting me know not to waste my time. So at least there was that.)

Out of curiosity, I tried looking up the old group and it was gone. So it kind of gives me the idea that the old group did not pan out well &, sure to my previous prediction, the old organizer's pattern of failed attempts at getting groups running continued. But what bugged me out was checking my messages and seeing that the old organizer had deleted his profile.

Sketchy. Sketchy. Sketchy.

Since I have no interaction with this allegedly new group, anything I could comment would be purely speculative and that's just not helpful to anyone. Honestly, my suspicion is it's probably just people who had been part of the old group having an "I can do way better than that last guy" attitude and having only the best of intentions. In which case, I wish them all the best.

Whether or not I'm simply donning my usual rose-colored glasses, what irked me the most about seeing all these little things is the possibility of there being something legitimately sketchy about it. That's not saying you should avoid this particular group. It's more an acknowledgment of how easy it would be in this area for a dysfunctional or abusive group to sprout up in the Pagan community and no one really be fully aware of it.

The Pagan community here is very small and spaced out (especially compared to what I'm used to back in Colorado). Those who are "loud and proud" - or even just open - about their spirituality are noticeably rarer. For those seeking a group, there isn't much of any to choose from, those that are can be hard to find or get in touch with, and the chances of anyone around here having much experience with a Pagan-centered group outside of the internet world is slim.

So when I say ignorance of what to watch out for is high around here, I mean that in the "how can you possibly know?" sense. The odds are against anyone here who has never had experiences with larger Pagan communities.

In the post from months ago, I referenced the Issac Bonewit's method of evaluating cult danger with a group. But, let's face it, that may not be the best tool for everyone. So this time, I'm going to refer you to some great articles on this very subject of red flags and things to watch out for when joining a Pagan group or Witch coven.

Joining a Coven or Other Pagan Group -- Red Flags to Avoid

Bronwen Forbes goes into some details about what to watch out for - good and bad - in a potential group or coven. She touches on ritual, leadership, money, and even how to leave a group.

How to Spot a Terrible Coven

Thorn Mooney gives no-nonsense, straight-forward point-by-point steps to take when checking out and deciding on a coven. If you read nothing else on this subject, read these points and you will be all the better (and safer!) for it.

Warning Signs In Prospective Covens - Red Flags to Watch Out For

A favorite of mine, Patti Wigington touches on this subject very well. Again, if all you read are the 8 points she provides, you will avoid much heartache, pain, and potential danger. In addition to providing what to watch out for and how to avoid bad situations, this one also embeds tips for finding the right group/coven for you. 

So wherever you live, no matter your experience level, age, path, etc. be sure to know what to watch out for. Don't take someone else's word for it. Determine if a group is safe, healthy, and right for you for yourself. But do it armed with knowledge and awareness of what to watch out for. And, for your sake, make being aware and safe a higher priority than being part of a group.

Safe travels & happy gatherings,
Evy

Roanoke Witches & Pagans Anti-Children?

Normally I keep this kind of stuff to myself and only share it with people who know me outside of the internet, but having the privilege of living in and exposure to Pagan communities outside of this area, I can tell you right now, there's some serious red flags going up, and I'm not keeping quiet about that. For privacy reasons, I'm masking the details. But for those in the local area and community who may stumble upon this, it won't be hard to connect dots and you'll be able to decide for yourselves.

So as Pagans and Witches, my son and I have had a hard time of it in Virginia. Lynchburg was, well, Lynchburg. Roanoke is far more accepting and we aren't getting visits and leaflets in our door on a weekly basis. There's definitely way more Pagans and like-minded folk in the area. But trying to find anyone close by to meet up with regularly and be family-friendly has been fruitless so far. Most of the groups are very upfront about this, specifically stating they are for adults only or the group guidelines and/or descriptions make it clear that the activities taking place are not conducive to the wild abandon and lack of attention span so prominent in two year olds.

So imagine my sheer joy when, very recently, a brand new MeetUp group formed, local, all Witches & Pagans, and described as a "social group" where "We can meet in public places for social interaction, study/discussion, and networking to build communities/covens/temples outside of this meetup." I don't know about you, but what I just heard was safe, family-friendly, and an opportunity to meet with the local religious and spiritual community with the sole intent of finding people of both like-mind and similar circumstances so that we can build our own group.

So.... I could meet wonderful local Pagans, interact with other Witches who are single parents, parents in general, or otherwise part of a family involving small children? We could totally branch off to form a group of Pagans and Witches who participate in family-friendly activities and rituals. This group is not only perfect for me as a full-time single parent, it's a much, much needed resource in this area. I signed up instantly.

Out of the 30+ members who joined in it's first weeks, I was member #3. (I may have actually been #2 as I can recall looking the group up and it was just the organizer, but after I was all signed up, there was at least one other.) When I signed up, I was very forthcoming about the fact that I have a toddler and would only be able to make meetings within specific time-frames and shared those times. I did not hide anything. When the first meetups were announced on July 12th, I went ahead and put in my RSVP with a plus one for my son for the first one that was within my needed time-frame (which is to be the group's second meeting).

That was three weeks ago. Fast-forward to today. I have been eagerly waiting for this get-together and to finally network with the local community who is so very quiet and hidden compared to what I was accustomed to back in Colorado. I've been looking at my calendar the past couple days, happy and excited like a kid knowing the Disneyland trip is coming up. I was ready! So at my lunch today, I see this (minus the whole "blocked" box at the time):

The full message reads:

Hi Evylyn!
I am looking forward to meeting you, and hope you can still attend this Saturday's meeting! 
I saw that you are bringing a plus one, and mentioned your son in your answer to the group questions. I just wanted to let you know in the case that your son is a minor we do discuss some adult topics. At the first meeting there were very frank discussions about sexuality, substance use, and practices involving darker entities or tools such as bones and blood. There was also a bit of swearing, not as drunken sailors, but as adults sometimes do when excited or making a powerful point. 
That being said, 90% of the adult topics were directly related to magic and the practice of those in the group. I am certainly not saying it is inappropriate to bring your child. I just wanted to let you know in advance rather than you finding yourself in a situation that you don't want him to experience. Every person has different maturity levels, and every parent different ideas of what they find acceptable for their children. I wanted you to be informed, as I would never want a minor corrupted by this meetup. So please use your discretion and do what you think is best. 
All of that being said, it is a great group of very diverse people, that all found at least something in common with the other. It promises to be a great resource for knowledge sharing and fellowship. So, I hope you will join us, and if you are comfortable, bring your son as well!
Blessings to you and yours!

I'd like to point out to you that, as the organizer clearly states, the meeting he is referring to was the group's very first ever meeting. Anyone who has ever participated in the first meeting of a startup group knows full well that you cannot base the group itself and all it's forthcoming meetings on the first, not well-attended meeting alone. Especially when you consider the organizer has made it a very special point to ensure I am fully aware that both my son and I are welcome so long as I feel comfortable as a parent in bringing him with me.

I (and my phone that was being a particular ass today with only minutes before the end of my lunch left) sent this response:

I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. One of the first things I noticed about the Pagan community here, aside from being hard to find, is that it's not kid friendly. I was immediately excited to see your group because it's the first I've come across that sounded even remotely family friendly.
Personally, I'd rather my son be exposed to the discussions. (And trust me, as the offspring of two Army vets, he'll pick up the adult language from his parents before anyone else can take credit for the blame.) So we'll still attend. It'll be right before his naptime, so chances are good that if anything gets out of hand, it'll be one of his tantrums, in which case I can always take him home. Worst case, the group won't be for us
But we'll at least started networking.

Even though I'm certain it's obvious that I was having issues with my phone and that last bit was meant to read "But we'll at least get to start networking" (plus more I could not get my phone to cooperate in sending at that moment), I planned to follow up this evening just to be sure. After all, this is someone just as excited to meet me as I am to meet him and the new group. None of them have met me and this was my first direct interaction.

But I wouldn't get to. Because this is what I received next:

Again, the full text reads:

You have been removed from [...]
The person who removed you said:
Hello again, Evylyn, I read your email and some concerns were raised. I consulted with my moderators and several founding members and we do not feel comfortable discussing our craft in front of such a young child. If it was a teenager we might be more comfortable, but to avoid legal trouble, and future potential members from joining with the intent of bringing minors, we are going to change our group to be 18+. We took a vote and are putting it into effect tonight. I am sorry that we are not the group for you, and hope you find others for fellowship.

If you find yourself saying "what" and pronouncing the silent "h," yes. I feel it, too.

So again, the brief history of this group: Started up a few weeks ago on MeetUp.com. This group, a "social group," has the sole purpose of linking like-minded individuals for the intention to network and build groups outside of this one. The group has approx. 30 members, a single organizer and no moderators. I was among the very first to join the group. No group discussions have taken place. What messages I received were from individuals who seemed to be excited about the group the same as me. No notice whatsoever was ever made or implied that there was any sort of team or council of moderators or "founding members." In the group's description it was (and still remains) worded as "I" which implies this group was founded, is run, and all decisions made by a single entity. (I admit this conclusion could be wrong, but it is the logical conclusion given the description of the group and the first message with the organizer.)

The organizer did, in fact, update the group. The description is entirely the same with brand new "Group Rules" to include #1:

Firstly, this group will discuss adult topics in a very frank manner. For legal purposes and the comfort of many members the group is 18+. Absolutely no minors are allowed to join, or be brought to a meeting as a +1 by any member. This will be a zero tolerance policy, and breaking this rule will result in expulsion from the group.

There's only one other rule which is long and drawn out but can be summarized as, don't miss more than 3 meetings and you best show up at least once within the first 6 weeks of joining. (Guess he had to get that one in before the group hit 6 weeks old and he starts removing members without notice...)

He follows these rules up with:

I apologize if these rules seem draconian, or unfair. This meetup is meant to be full of active members, and it is only fair that spaces remain free for those that attend meetings.

Apparently, he's only sorry about Rule #2. And why is there no mention of removing and blocking the single parent with no notice and immediately following a reassurance that we were totally welcome to stay?

I readily admit that I am venting right now. The anti-minor attitude is incredibly uncalled for (immaturity present? or just stereotyping?) and the mention of "legal problems" demonstrates ignorance at best. (Fun note: upcoming meetings involve the topics of crystals, plants, and divination. Oh, Gods! The "adult" conversations will kill our babies!) But that's also my perception.

What isn't perception are the observable facts mentioned above and the fact that a member was removed from the group without warning and blocked from all communications with the organizer and the group without any explanation. Consider this: given the initial correspondence, the next logical step (assuming concerns were in fact raised with real-but-unseen moderators and founding members) would have been to contact me, explain what happened, and then provide the option to either continue as a member of the group and not bring my child to meetups or leave the group.

Personally, the ultimatum wouldn't have set off red flags. Because, truthfully, the real issue here isn't that the group went from totally family-friendly to strictly 18+ in a matter of hours in its early days. This, however, does reek of unhealthy group dynamics. So much so, I ranked it as a 40 on the Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (ABCDEF). Out of 180 possible, that's low. So, dangerous? Most likely not. But given that the response to many of the 18 factors is a big "unknown" as someone who was booted out before having the opportunity to speak with and meet any of the group members and leaders in person, that's enough for me to be hesitant (especially considering that what factors I could rate, a couple of them scored as 10s). More likely, this "social group"—in all its one month of existence—is an example of poor planning, faulty communication, and failed team dynamics. We'll see.

So on that note, I'll end with one last quote. The group's description begins:

I have tried to set up a few meetups over the years with varying success in different occult spheres. In the past the meetups were too specific to build a community of a reasonable size...

I see the trend continues.

In a mood,
Evy

Reading Fun for the Week of September 14th through 20th 2015

Wow. Talk about a major hiccup there. This post should have gone out yesterday morning, but I guess the alignment of some random thing or another just didn't let it happen (or I screwed up. I do that sometimes). Sorry for the delay. Here's this week's reading.

We're starting off with the Celestial Tarot deck again. This is a simple one-card reading for what Bewitching Momma readers this week need to know.

King of Cups

Emotions are front and center this week. Do your best to stand firm as what you send out will be taken at face value. Inside, you may want to scream and holler, but what the people and situations around you need right now is a level head; someone who can navigate them through these emotional waters. You may need to seek guidance to help you do this. Just be sure to look for someone or something that will help you keep control of your emotions. Follow the example that keeps you calm and successful and you will become that example for those around you.

Did you do a reading for this week? What results did you get? Have a different interpretation? Be sure to check back and let us know how your week goes!


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Reading Fun for the Week of August 10th through 16th 2015

We're doing The Psychic Tarot deck again this week and changing it up a bit before it gets too repetitive. It'll be a 3 card spread, but with a focus on the general energy, relationships, and finances.

General Energy for the Week: Mental Conflict
Relationships for the Week: Memories of Love
Finances for the Week: Rejoice in Celebration (reversed)*

You may find this week a bit tough, but it's all in perception. We start off with some confusion. For some of us, it's a matter of having to choose between goals or who we want to be as things are in flux and these decisions (no matter how small) will play a big role later on.

The same applies to the rest of us, but this card is speaking of the fuzzy or wild thinking that's going on inside our heads. Thoughts are competing for priority and we may find ourselves overwhelmed if we don't find a creative way to keep them all organized right now.

If you do get overwhelmed, use the other energies this week to your advantage.

You may find yourself drifting off to revisit cherished memories (of loved ones, of course). Or those memories may be forcing their way into your mind via spiritual 2x4 (nothing jogs those kinds of memories like a big whack to the head, right?). Find calmness as you look back. Not all memories are happy, but there's something to them that will help soothe the fires going on in our brains this week. If you don't see the happy right away, dive into the waters and go searching for it.

Years ago, I had a woman tell me something very important. Finances weren't great, she was struggling to pay bills, and she worked her butt off. So I was confused when she took her family out for steak dinner. Looking at this card today, her words come to mind. "It may not be smart and it may seem irrational, but sometimes you just have to do something nice like this or you'll go crazy." (Okay, so I paraphrased big time. This was from like 13 years ago.)

Get together with loved ones. Hang out with friends. Do something fun. There's no telling if your financial dreams will come true (not this week, anyway), but you need to relax to give them a chance. Sometimes you just have to go into party-mode and unwind.

If you spend all day every day too focused on the future, you'll drive yourself bat-shit-crazy and that won't get you anywhere. So let loose at least once this week, Be kind to yourself and those around you. It'll work out. But only if you stop getting in your way with all that clogged thinking.

As usual, it's your turn. Did you do a reading for the week you want to share? Did I just jog any of those memories you needed this week? Stop on by throughout the week and let us know how it went!


*I don't put much weight into whether or not a card is reversed. I include that information for those who are doing their own interpretations.

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The Number One Mistake to Ruin Search Rankings

Number of search impressions took a dip after drastically changing URLs.

I've run my website, Messages in the Moonlight (MIM), since 2003. In all that time, I've made a lot of stupid mistakes in terms of SEO and networking. I've fallen into time-suckers (think Facebook) and I've applied tips that took a lot of work to implement (and dropped off the radar while I did them) only to find out after the fact that search engines penalize against them. I'll be putting a list together of good advice to help with boosting your website's popularity. In the meantime, though, I want to make sure you don't do the one ridiculously stupid thing I did.

Don't change your URLs!

I'll say it again so it sticks. Once your website is set up and you continue adding pages, don't change your URLs.

For the first 5 years, MIM went through changes all the time. I often rearranged the navigation. But I always kept the URLs the same. This wasn't intentional at the time. I just didn't consider changing them. The site slowly, but surely, gained popularity.

When Geocities announced closing it's doors, I hadn't considered the impact the changes in URLs would do. When I moved the site to a custom domain (www.moonlightmessages.com), I kept most of the page file names the same. It also helped that I made the switch ahead of time, allowing me to set up a big ol' "We've moved!" notice on the old URL redirecting them to the new domain.

From then on, I continued moving things around, but always keeping the URLs constant. The site wasn't the most popular in the sense that people hung out at the forums and were active (social media boom killed that), but the site was often recommended. It showed up in search results regularly, even if it wasn't always at the top.

But then I was stupid in 2013. I wanted to give the site a much needed makeover. While I was at it, I wanted to take a lesson from newer, more successful websites. Instead of my typical rearranging but keeping the files the way they were, I got all those pages nice and organized. I was so proud of myself! Then I started to drop off the radar. I even made sure to hunt down sites that were linking to the old URLs and letting them know of the changes. But MIM just seemed to get less and less popular (and not in a changing of trends kind of way).

After my son was born, I decided to switch to a host that allowed me to cut back on the time-consuming HTML and CSS and switched over to Google Sites. I thought I was so smart implementing descriptive URLs (because search engines like those). I was so certain it was going to be the greatest thing for MIM. It would up its ranking in search results, people would find it easier, and it would be awesome.

Cue devastatingly low stats, very few pages showing in search, and crushingly low ranking.

MIM wasn't the most popular website out there, but there's a massive difference between stats in 2013 before drastically changing URLs and today. What improvements can be seen are so minimal they're insignificant. Multiple factors play a role, but the URL changes have had the most impact on search results.

What the heck? Where the hell did all my loyal visitors go? Well, they got lost and thought it was me who disappeared.

Then I discovered just how important it is to never change your URLs. Now, if you can do a long-term redirect you're great. If you can avoid 404 errors by keeping the old pages in place and set them up to link to the newer version, great. But if you can't, just keep the old URLs.

Here's What Happens When You Change URLs:

• All that networking you did with the old URLs just went down the drain
• All those awesome fans who recommended pages think the page is gone forever
• Outdated sites linking to your site will only reinforce the idea that your site is gone
• People take advantage that they think your site is gone and pass its content off as their own (and because your new URL is younger, you get the penalty for duplicate content)
• Search engines treat you like a brand new site (never mind that you've been around for over a decade)
• Crawlers get confused with all the 404 errors, often taking forever to stop looking at cached versions despite removal requests
• New URLs may be penalized or take much longer than expected to appear in search results

Now don't get me wrong, there are ways to beat this. Changing one URL isn't the end of the world. And redirects, if you have the option, will do you wonders.

One of the fortunate things about hosting at Google Sites is that clicking on old URLs will take you to a Page Not Found page on MIM, so at least visitors make it to the site. That said, not everyone is like me and willing to go searching for what I was looking for in the first place, so you may as well assume 404 page visitors will bounce and ignore any other links to your site.

Bottom line: If you change your URLs - especially in drastic ways - be prepared to loose years of hard work. I made other silly, easily correctable mistakes around the same time, but this is the one that hurts the most and took MIM back to square one in terms of search ranking.

Have you ever made this mistake? What impact, if any, did changing URLs have on your site rankings? Do search rankings even impact your fanbase? What did you do to fix it?

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Why I'm Done Doing What Everyone Else Says I Should [MOVED]

This article has relocated. To read this post follow the link below.

Article is now at https://www.evylynrose.com/blog/old-blog-posts/done-doing-what-others-say