Keep your Spiritual Community Flourishing
Like many of us, you probably turn to Facebook and Instagram to relax; to catch up with friends and family; and to connect with like-minded people who are passionate about the same things you are. You probably also follow some amazing astrologers, women in the Divine Feminine movement, or tarot readers (among many other practitioners) who inform and inspire you. I know I certainly do! And I know that many of my clients and Alumni are active in Facebook and Insta, too. Unfortunately, I learned some news this week that's likely to impact your access to these spiritual practitioners on social media. Facebook and Instagram have just announced that interests like astrology, numerology, tarot, Wicca, and horoscopes will not be supported in ads from 17 March onwards. And if something as big as the astrological community is being deleted, then no doubt other modalities like EFT, Reiki, Sound Healing, and Akashic Records Reading will be impacted, as well. From what I've seen online, other aspects of these social media services may be impacted, as well (e.g. tagging).
To be clear, our spiritual community is not being specifically targeted. Niches as wide and varied as ceramics and nutrition are feeling this shake up, as well. Gotta admit, I was relieved to learn that! Images of witches burning at the stake did flash through my mind, I'll be honest. But. (Ugh, the dreaded BUT.) While our spiritual communities are not actively being censored or banned from these platforms, this announcement will impact those Soulpreneurs that you love to follow . . . those wonderful practitioners who offer their free content and spiritual services via these social media platforms. (Maybe you're one of them?) And this means that you're less likely to see their offerings and posts in your feed in the future. This is potentially a big deal for our spiritual community at large, but also for our individual Soulpreneurs. If they lose their livelihoods because they're no longer able to connect with people like you (due to these new restrictions), they may not be able to sustain their small businesses. And then we all lose.
So, how do we keep our spiritual community flourishing, if the social media giants are able to pull the rug out from under us so easily? What can you do? Here are a couple of suggestions to build community and support our Soulpreneurs. I'm all ears if you have other ideas, too!
One: I invite you to connect directly with the beautiful people you follow on Facebook and Insta. Visit their websites. Become one of their patrons on Patreon. Subscribe to their email lists. Stay actively in touch with them and their offerings. Keep engaged. And spread the word that this is happening, so that others can do so, too. Feel free to share this article!
Two: I'd also encourage word-of-mouth referrals. If you've been working with an insightful Akashic Records practitioner; had an amazing Reiki or kinesiology session; or you loved your astrology or numerology consultation, let other people know. Spread the word! This is how we can all help to keep our spiritual community vibrant and viable.
In fact, I'm in the process of adding a Shout-Out page to my website, as we speak. I started this project a couple of weeks ago, but now it feels super important to complete. On the Shout-Out page, I want to share the details of some amazing Soulpreneurs that I've had the pleasure of working with. If YOU have a website, I'd encourage you to do the same. Let's cross-pollinate our services, to ensure the health and longevity of our community!
(Update: It's live! Click here to visit my Shout-Out page. There are a couple of other Soulpreneurs I'd like to add, yet.)
Three: Get real! Attend events in real life, like local Mind, Body, Spirit fairs, or the Awaken festival that's happening in Victoria on 2 - 3 April this year. You could also join a local psychic development circle, or a New Moon/Full Moon circle. Join (or host!) a meditation or kirtan group. Actively engage your local spiritual community in its many, exciting forms!
Four: If you're a practitioner (of any modality), I'd encourage you to become a member of whatever professional organisation there is for your field. For the astrological community, for example, there's the Organisation for Professional Astrologers (OPA), or the Federation of Australian Astrologers. (I know I personally reached out to OPA today to seek their guidance on all that's unfolding with Facebook and Instagram. They were totally aware of the situation, and said they'll come back to me once they've decided the best way to support and advise the astrological community. I'm grateful I'm not in this alone!)
Five: Consider subscribing to magazines that provide a voice for our spiritual teachers and practitioners. And if you're a practitioner, consider submitting your work to be published! Having said that, I'm not aware of many magazines . . . are you?? We lost a lot of these with the advent of social media. (No, the irony is not lost on me.) I know of the Mountain Astrologer magazine (for astrologers), and perhaps the WellBeing magazine? But that's about it. If you know of any others, please let me know! I can pass these details on, and can include them in this blog post.
Now, hopefully, some creative people will quickly find ways to work around these new limitations on social media! Having said that, no matter how this immediate situation plays out, this has been a powerful reminder of just how tenuous our connection to each other is, via the social media platforms; and just how quickly the tech giants can remove us, should they choose to.
It's a strong reminder to support and celebrate those practitioners that you love, and to actively participate in those communities that you value. Let's bond together to ensure that we thrive and flourish over the long-term. Something to ponder . . . Please feel free to share this article with anyone who may be interested. And I'd love to hear your thoughts for building and nurturing our community! As always, thank you for journeying with me. You know I'm so grateful for your company. 🙏 Peace Juliette xo