I first picked up a pack of Tarot cards about 22 years ago, when I had just turned 18. For many years I did readings for myself, family and friends, but didn ' t ever think about doing it for a living until many years later. I bounced from casual job to casual job with little focus, as had failed to find anything I truly enjoyed doing. I was interested in Tarot, Runes and Astrology but it never occured to me to do these things for a living. It wasn ' t until after the sudden death of my Father in 2004 that I considered trying my hand at the Tarot on a professional level. The drastic change in my life after his loss had prompted a lot of soul-searching and I decided it was high time I tried to make a career for myself doing something I knew I liked and was pretty good at. And so I put a website together- www. theenchantedland. com, then not long after this, I noticed Ebay had quite a few people selling readings on there. I decided to give it a go, and began getting orders instantly. It was basically " pocket money " for the first year or so, but then things really began to take off! Within the space of a few years, I was the top-selling Tarot reader on there, earning a full time living and really enjoying my " time in the sun ". All this was to change, however, in the most unexpected way....
In August 2012, Ebay announced shocking plans to prohibit sales of various esoteric services as of September that same year. In the space of a few short weeks, dozens of spiritual businesses around the world offering psychic readings, spell castings, distant healings and spelled objects were destroyed with little warning, while thousands of regular customers were left wondering where to go to find such services in a similar online venue. This completely unexpected turn of events was a complete disaster for me, effectively ruining my main business overnight. At the time the news was released, I had gained over 4, 000 positive feedback ratings for my services as a Tarot reader there. I had a thriving business, earned a steady income. What was I going to do? What were all my fellow metaphysical sellers going to do? Sure, many of us had our own websites but for a lot of us, myself included, Ebay was the main portal for sales.
After the shock and anger I was feeling began to abate, I started brainstorming ideas for new ways to get myself " out there " as a reader. One night, something significant occured to me: there was not yet one single site like Ebay that was dedicated to sales of metaphysical products and services. All the other auction sites had categories for these types of things, but dozens of other categories for nonrelated things. I thought it would be a fantastic idea to create a venue that operated just like Ebay, but where the things for sale there were ONLY related to the metaphysical niche. And so the idea for " Mystic Emporia " was borne. I put aside all funds earned from my last few weeks on ebay, hired a web designer and got to work at creating www. mysticemporia. com. After a lot of hard work, the site launched mid November. I manage the site myself and at present there are no sponsors or large advertising campaigns as the project is being funded entirely out of my own pocket, so the site relies heavily on word of mouth at the moment to gain interest.
As the site is still very new, it is going to take time to gain attention. So far though, there have been around 900 people signing up to become members and quite a lot of people who used to sell on Ebay can now be found there. In addition, the Facebook page has attracted over 7,000 likes, so clearly there is a lot of interest in a venue like this.
Visitors to the site can browse listings in categories which include Astrology reports, clairvoyant readings, distant healing, dream analysis, magick and spells, pagan and wiccan products, occult collectables, life coaching, Numerology, divination decks and tools, spiritual jewellry, arts and crafts and more. Joining the site as a buyer or seller is free, and as a thank you to all new sign-ups, members can claim 3 emailed Astrology reports free of charge. Sellers can place listings on the site for free, with the option to enhance their listings with upgrades for tiny amounts. As the site is international, it welcomes buyers and sellers from all around the world.
Looking back at what happened with Ebay, it now feels like it was the exact change that was needed in my life. For many years I had been complacent, relying mostly on traffic there to find work, and not really pushing myself to try my hand at new projects or kick start various other ideas I had been mulling over for quite a long time. The journey since " losing my job " on Ebay has been a challenging one, but such a rewarding one at the same time. I do hope you will pop along to
Mystic Emporia; Each and every new member helps us to build a stronger, more stable metaphysical buying and selling community, so that we can all benefit. Namaste, Victoria
www. cheekyangelsmagazine. webs. com MAY / JUNE 2013 65