“I hope and trust you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams.” Ann VB
Mission Accomplished. The Oracle of Initiation Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to print a more affordable version is now complete, coming in at 82% of its goal. Although it did not reach its targeted $8,888 funding, it fulfilled my core intentions, succeeding beyond my wildest dreams.
The quote above from Ann VB was how the campaign ended, offered one minute after it closed, at midnight on the longest night of the year. Ann is a new friend gained through crowdsourcing’s mysterious connectivity, a sign of the treasures offered during fascinating experience.
The images in this post are all from the Solstice gathering the night the campaign ended. Friends and I built an altar of gratitude for all of the blessings in the campaign in Suzy’s magic alder grove.
Ann’s quote was the bookend to a campaign filled with wonderful support from sources known and unknown. The words of encouragement that kicked it all off arrived through my WordPress blog comments the day of the campaign’s launch. This other perviously unknown woman, connected again through cyberspace decided to reach out and offer some love to this major undertaking:
“Don’t know you Mellissae…just happened to stumble upon you through Facebook ironically…just saw that today is your big Launch Date…I just said a Prayer for You…that You would Be Filled with Peace and Light and Infectious Vibration today, and the right people would be present and compelled to step up and play kick ball* with you…God IS Working it All Out Divinely. Blessings to You on Your Adventurous and Courageous Journey.” Lacey R
That may be as close to a direct message from the Angels as anyone is ever going to get. Wow. And that is what I am left with. The unbelievable outpouring of support, love and respect for the Oracle’s deep, wild beauty.
My other goal, along with the desire to gather more of the Oracle’s tribe to bring it more widely into the world was to also put myself out there on a grader scale. I have harbored such mixed feelings about being seen and the cost of being more “successful.” Having a glorious mix of an extroverted Leo with my introverted mystic, I have been more comfortable dreaming in the rainbow covered caves. There has been an incredible amount of art created in said caves, and at some point each of our offerings are actually gifts to the collective. So the happy hermit with a brilliant sun needed to come to terms with this reality. And that I did, brilliantly.
I am exhausted right now, but also deeply satisfied. I showed up in ways I never have, and I was seen, met, and held. And that was what I really desired. In the next few weeks I shall share more of an analysis of my campaign, but for right now, I am sending out waves and waves of gratitude for all of the beauty offered on this campaign. Thank you all, it has been a joyful team effort.
*This is from the 6th installment of this series, about the ball on the playground:
This campaign is my next level of exposure, and I am once again being called to find enormous trust, faith, and the ability to receive by welcoming others into my creation. One of the best articles I have read on crowdsourcing is “The Spiritual Aspects of Crowdfunding” by Britta Reque-Dragicevic. She offers that crowdfunding is an energetic exchange between the creator and the supporters. And that by sharing your work through crowdfunding, you are actually inviting the crowd into the DNA of your project…The article brings home the need for being emotionally, and energetically ready to meet this new economy, beyond the practical aspects of setting the campaign up. This is so brilliant, and true. This is an offering of oneself in the most authentic, surrendered way. “I am a child on the playground with a ball, the project of my heart, and am wondering if anyone else wants to play with me, and if so, will be fun for both of us.
You came, and played your little hearts out. Thank you beyond words. And now what is our next adventure? Building a hidden fort out of logs on the beach, a road trip down railroad tracks with little bandanna knapsacks on sticks, and/or canoeing out to that little island in the bay and having a weenie roast? See you there!
Update to the campaign contributors from Indiegogo the day after it closed:
This was a campaign of magic numbers. 82% of $8888 was raised in 33 days, with 95 funders. Eight of each of these perks was chosen: Wild Beauty books, Deluxe deck sets, and Oracle readings. Four WordSwag divinations and Mystery coolness surprises were also chosen. 57 new Tarot-sized, nicely priced, travel-ready Oracle decks were procured to come later this year (with 24 Deluxe books added to those new decks), and one each of the 7×7″ & 12×12″ Psychedelic Farmlands books shall have a happy new home. Two slots in the October Dark Mother workshop in Seattle, WA are filled, and more people keep popping up having missed yesterdays deadline.
This campaign was created with magic numbers, and those digits are floating in my head like little sugar-plum fairies. The 57 decks does not have an immediate connection, but it will reveal itself. Maybe I counted wrong, stranger things have happened.
Crowdsourcing is a fascinating journey. There are no formulas, with a wide range of approaches to the task, and you never really know why it turns out like it does. I do not believe in coincidences, so I figure there is something for me to learn or teach in all of this, and I will share those insights as they emerge. I am satisfied, proud, and tired. I gave this my all, and showed up publicly on a level I have never, ever done. That is the true success to me. Almost 2,300 people viewed the campaign, so over time as I share more of my work, the recognition will grow. This is simply one of many ways to get yourself out there, and I shall plug along with many other approaches into the future. Watch for super cool, arty videos with the deck and divination in the coming year.
I am so profoundly great-full to each and every one of you for stepping up and supporting this project. I could not have done it without you, and I have been awed by the outpouring of appreciation and love for the Oracle. And I especially want to give MK a shout out, I could not have don it without all of her tech support setting up the campaign, videos, and my gorgeous new websites. I shall send out batches of perks this week, and a thoughtful blog post in the Anatomy of a Crowdfunding Campaign series is on its way. Happy Solstice, and to all of our lights beaming together. ML
Mellissae Lucia 