Open and operate a magickal cafe

...no, not “love,sweet love” but a business with a soul. After studying marketing for months in regards to my variety of home business interests, I’ve found that it’s near impossible for me to like any aspect of marketing or advertising. It’s all such bullshit and games and selling of empty concepts.

Even the alleged “soul-based business marketing” seems like the “ugly duckling” asking the “beautiful people” if she can be captain of the cheerleading squad. In the end, even if she’s allowed on the squad, there’s no victory because she’s part of a squad that stands for everything she’s against. THEY won because they reaffirmed their undeserved high status; even the “ugly” want to be like them.

Maybe I’m just annoyed today. I went to go have coffee with my mother like I do twice every month at a new-ish local coffee house. It’s close by, it’s comfy, it’s quiet and it gives a nice structured time and place for my visits with mother to end before I get completely frustrated with her band-wagon opinions. Well guess what, nice coffee house has closed it’s doors. Soon to be another frickin’ pizza place.

So all that’s left now is a new-ish Starbucks, which honestly, I’m not totally sold on, between the pretentiousness and the noise and the average-to-low quality coffee. As I’m sitting there staring out the window, drinking a very weak caramel macchiato, I notice how lifeless the strip mall businesses are. Not because they have no customers, but because they have no purpose, but we’ve been led to believe that they do. Beauty supply shops? Gyms? Learning centers? Low budget clothing? Cell phone accessories? Ugh.

I can’t see the people behind these businesses. I feel nothing, no rush of excitement upon what I may find, no welcoming atmosphere, no distinctive culture, no beauty, no passion. Just a big void for people to deposit their money.

So if and when I open my magickal cafe, I wonder if the vapid culture that currently surrounds us would allow it to survive for more than a week.

I think I’m going to have to approach anything I try to do with a more grass roots/guerilla warfare kind of plan instead of “marketing” to people who obviously cannot (or are afraid to) think for themselves. Let the games begin.

...but a cozy little cave of a place, dark and rich like the coffee. A place where nature-loving magickal types can relax and have sanctuary from the mundane world. A cafe with old, wise books and handcrafted items, magickal herbs and oils, beeswax candles and parchment paper. Exotic teas and coffees poured into handmade mugs, home-baked nibbles like almond moon cookies, powdered sugar stars, chocolate covered strawberries for Beltane and chocolate mint fudge for Yule.

I’d have a big kitchen to prepare, bake,and brew, and a few other private rooms: one for group rituals, an art studio, a healing room (I’m a massage therapist, remember) and a big greenhouse to grow herbs and teas.

Maybe this is my true calling. My dreams are so diverse: owner of a small cafe, college professor, archaeologist, writer, etc etc. How do I decide what to pursue? How do you give up one dream in favor of another?