How Can I Join?
This is the website of the mailing list, which probably won't make sense unless you join it!
Interview with Cerridwyn Morganne
By Cee from San Francisco
Cerr, hiya love I hope you have your feet up and a favorite beverage is within reach.
**sho' nuff! *grin* well more or less....
I was wondering how in the world did Witchgrove come to be? Was it an idea that just "came to you" in a flash of inspiration or was it something that you knew would fill a void and thus planned on its creation meticulously?
Witchgrove's birth was something of an emergency c-section if you will.....that was quite a day - see, many of us started together on another list which went down under *very* confusing circumstances. The listowner delisted 300 members without warning and then less than a week later sent the mods (including Chelle and myself) an email saying the list would be deleted, so long....so Chelle and I, being on the phone as this was happening, decided to try to keep everyone together because that list had truly meant something to us and I know to others as well....so Chelle tried to pull together email addy's so we could invite the members while I created Witchgrove.....It was that fast, truly, took maybe 20 minutes all told to get the Grove set up, addy's entered into the invite function....at a certain point both Chelle and I were in looking at addy's and clicked "Next" and got the message "this list does not exist"
*sigh*
It was devastating - we knew it was coming any minute but the reality of it was....erhm....what's the word......there isn't one, so I'll just say it again: devastating. So we sat huddled on the phone together and finally started letting out breath as people started to accept their invitations, Osran, Bella, Mab, etc joining in a steady stream of stunned "what the hell just happened???", but I tried to make it as clear as I could that I didn't want any bashing of the listowner or former list on Witchgrove, as that'd accomplish nothing - the important thing (keeping us together) was accomplished, and I felt like we could become something special if we stuck together - and we have!
Did you ever agonize over the decision to create the Witchgrove community?
You know, in a way I did, while creating the list itself was a split-second "gotta do this now or lose these people forever" sort of thing, the community in itself was quite another story....there were aspects of the old list I saw as necessary evils (copyright, no spam/jokes forwarded, etc) but others that I wanted to thoroughly encourage - things I had seen bashed down on other lists that I felt would be an integral part of this community, such as asking people to post their art and share what they do on list (hence our art gallery on the e-list page), post their e-lists that they own or moderate, post their websites, books they've published, music they've played, the works....I wanted people to know that I feel truly that the internet's a big enough place for us all and if we're alike enough to share this interest, chances are people will find interests in common with others and their lists.....the other biggie has been to help keep Pagan businesses IN business......after all, we've got to stick together ;)
The one promise I DID make that day is that I would never delete Witchgrove. I might leave eventually but I'd never delete it...I've asked people to think of what their world would be like without Witchgrove but didn't mean that the way it was taken *and for that I apologize profusely* but just simply wanted people to look at what Witchgrove means in their lives...and is this something they want to continue in their lives....keep in mind though this was during a time when I was getting a lot of off-lists slamming the Grove and me personally....so it was me saying "you don't like the Grove, you don't need to stay, but if it DOES mean something to you as it does to me, then stay by all means but show some respect not just to me but to the listmembers..."
Was this a one witchy woman operation for a while and if so, when did you decide to call for reinforcements?
No, it's never been a one witchy woman operation LOL re-inforcements were called in the moment Chelle and I realized what was going down - I asked Anna, Chelle and Cabochon to help moderate and when Chelle and Cabochon needed to step down from that, Mab, Georgia and Roxanne were asked to step up and they did with grace, dignity and so much patience with me *snort* I love all 6 of these people.....they have my thanks, my respect and my love always.....
Whom did you seek for advice and support during this time?
Everyone and anyone - first and foremost Chelle.....a fair bit Frenchie (who did an amazing job putting up with me walking into walls while in shock of it all), Mab because I've pretty much always looked to her for calling a spade a spade particularly when that spade is me LOL but Cabochon and Anna as well because between us, we really had to try to keep things on an even keel......there was a fair bit of confusion, madness, rage, etc. when Witchgrove was born, but together we managed to keep that to a dull roar while we tried to make the Grove into it's own entity....have it's own dynamic....be what it is rather than what the old list was, you know?
What were your initial expectations for the site?
Wasn't expectations so much as hopes...we just wanted people to be able to stay together and still network together, share information, and hopefully check their egos at the door so that it wouldn't be an "I've done this so I'm a better witch" sort of place but just a place where like-minded people could simply BE together -
Have they been met?
More or less.....there have been times when things have blown up, people have taken things personally not meant to be taken personally, but for the most part, people have understood the underlying intent of the list -
Looking back, if you dare, is there anything you would have done differently?
LMFAO if I dare, indeed......Not really, you know? Because if I had then Witchgrove wouldn't be the amazing place it is now -
Any regrets?
Yep....there are a few situations I'd have handled differently if I'd known how - I still don't know what I'd have done differently but....you know.....hindsight and all.....
What would you consider your biggest success?
That the Grove has taken off as it has, that it's a safe place for everyone on it and when that safety is in question we jump to taking care of whatever it is that takes that safety factor away and fix it as fast as we're able....
Can you think of and share with us a couple of major turning points that have occurred with this community?
The first would be when a former member left and then tried to come back using a different name, I outed her publicly because trust was a huge issue...I didn't feel it would be fair to the other members that she go and then come back using a different name but not saying WHO she was....it made clear to the list members that they WOULD be safe on list, that they would be respected and that as list owner and mods, if we found out about any shady things like this, we'd ensure that we'd stop it if we found it out.....a few people did leave because of that, but about 80% of the emails I'd got off that were off people who'd been on the old list, who knew this person and were grateful that we'd said who it was.....
The second big turning point was Mike's passing. We'd never lost a list member before to death, when he was in the coma, list members rallied...when he walked his talk into the Summerlands, we stood together and it was truly a time of learning for us all...but the time that followed was hard, rough for many of us on and off list, and it was a time of figuring out what was important - what was appreciated, particularly friendships made in the Grove.....
What within Witchgrove has taken you completely by surprise?
That we went from 60 members to over 200 was a pretty big shock, that it happened in the space of a few months an even bigger one LOL OH and that list traffic went from 400 messages in a month to between 3 and 5 THOUSAND....that took some getting used to.....
What is your favorite thing about Witchgrove?
The people - I love it when people learn from each other and are in complete awe and wonder of each other - sitting back and watching that happen just makes me grin...it's also about finding awe and wonder within, because so many of us don't realize that what we do is magical on a daily basis, but this list helps us see ourselves in others - and that's magic in itself.
What is your ultimate vision for Witchgrove?
Much of the same really, egos checked at the door, no-one vying for "me me me" attention, just a bunch of like-minded souls coming together learning from each other and making connections that meant the world to them - if even one person on this list has done this, then the list has served it's purpose....may that continue!
What is your ultimate vision for its members?
Love.
There's no bigger, deeper magic than love. On every level, that's what I wish for the members of Witchgrove.
Home Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8