The Mystic Cup just celebrated in May its 8th anniversary, this inspired me to re-think the blog and to do something completely different—I will get to that in a second. But first…a little story. Being the technical wiz, I am, I decided to take on the task of re-doing the blog all by myself. For techies, this would be a walk in the park. For me it meant transferring a domain, selecting a design and transferring the content. Ok, so a few things went amiss and I ended up ahem…deleting the blog and having to re-build it.
This thought me that I am a better Olosha than Blog Designer. But I am working on the second one!
It also reminded me of how persistent and tenacious I am. When I realized that all was floating somewhere in the Cloud, I felt like crying, but the practical side of me said, “if you cry, you won’t be able to see the screen and therefore, you won’t be able to move forward.”
This thought me a second lesson, tears don’t fix things. Actions do.
A New Direction
The Mystic Cup was originally a place where to share knowledge about Santería and other spiritual paths. Over the past 8 years it grew to a readership well over 2 million people. Producing content for a site like this is time consuming and intense, particularly when it is done on spare time after long hours at work and taking care of a family.
I pondered about closing The Mystic Cup, which I upkeep without any help financially or from techie know-it-all web savvy friends. But emails seeking help, even after I had stop writing for nearly a year kept pouring in. Finally, one email convinced me to keep up The Mystic Cup. I promise to write that story soon.
The Orisha Academy
Under the Orisha Academy, people who are legitimately initiated into Santería (yes, they will need to have a direct elder of their lineage vouch for them) will be able to further their studies with specialized content. There will also be content developed specially for Iyawós and for those who are on the path of initiation and are serious enough to prepare before knocking at the igbodu’s door. The content will be under different paid membership categories.
Likewise, those who seek to supplement their learning of Palo Mayombe (and can prove that they are initiated), will find that The Mystic Cup is a reputable source of content.
Additional content will be developed for Hoodoo, Spiritism and Magic. None of those areas require proof of initiation as those do not have the same structure as Santería and Palo Mayombe do.
Why the departure from providing all content free of charge after 8 years? Easy, the blog costs money to run. Furthermore, my knowledge and status in the Santería and Palo communities has not come free of expense. It has cost literally blood, sweat and tears to earn my rank and to become proficient, not to mention the material resources allocated to get there.
I have invested myself fully into my practices: materially, physically and spiritually. I have come to learn that those who are not that committed and who are not willing to put skin in the game do not truly appreciate the content that others have struggled to amass.
Finally, there are enough unscrupulous people learning what they can to scam others. The contents of this blog have even been stolen in the past and peddled on a bótanica site in Houston, Texas! Yes, down to my personal biography, could you believe that? There are two Omimellis alive? As if the planet did not have enough with one of me!! In any case, I had to fight hard to get the owner of said bótanica (glad to share the name with anyone who asks in private) to delete the stolen materials from her Facebook page. I did save the screen shots of the thievery to remind me of how greed can hurt our community.
I hope that many more continue to benefit from what I have to offer. I believe in the spirit of collaboration and I want to see Santería and Palo continue to thrive for decades to come. I will do my part to support this growth and to help raise respectful and devoted generations of Oloshas and Paleros.
Welcome to The New Mystic Cup.
Omimelli, Oní Yemayá Achagbá