{"id":1196,"date":"2017-05-13T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T20:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/?p=1196"},"modified":"2018-01-24T13:30:54","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:30:54","slug":"first-year-patheos-pagan-blogiversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/2017\/05\/first-year-patheos-pagan-blogiversary.html","title":{"rendered":"My First Year Patheos Pagan Blogiversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The 13th of May, 2016. That\u2019s the date I published my first ever post here on Patheos Pagan.\u00a0 And today is the 13th of May (Aus time), which means\u2026 It\u2019s my first year blogiversary here at Patheos.\u00a0 Woohoo! So, prepare yourself for the blog version of a clip show.<\/p>\n

\"hwdu<\/p>\n

Most Popular Posts (so far)<\/h2>\n

Looking at my top posts from the past year they mostly seem to be of two types \u2013 ones about Hekate and ones that are a bit contentious in nature.\u00a0 Tauri Princess \u2013 The Human Origins of Hekate<\/a> is at number two for the most viewed posts of the last year, and no wonder \u2013 it\u2019s a great post that really delves into that myth about Hekate as a human princess.\u00a0 I love that post.\u00a0 But at the very top of my view list is the Basic Intro to Hekate<\/a>, from my 30 Days of Hekate series.\u00a0 Which I find a little annoying, to be honest, since it is so basic \u2013 why couldn\u2019t people be enjoying the festivals of Hekate or misconceptions about Hekate more than the basic intro? Sigh.<\/p>\n

Among the contentious ones, Pagan Misconceptions and Why I Hate Them<\/a> is at number three in analytics \u2013 where I rant about the misconceptions Pagans have about Paganism.\u00a0 After that we see a high number of views for things like Pagans Really are an Entitled Bunch<\/a> and Undoing the Hard Work of Pagan Pioneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The fact that the contentious posts have high views is both a good thing and bad thing in my opinion.\u00a0 On the one hand, it\u2019s great to get the discussions on such things going, it\u2019s necessary for fixing any problems we have within our communities.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also a sad indictment of our communities that we thrive so much on the dramatic posts that, even when no names are mentioned, are basically slinging mud at certain people within our communities.\u00a0 So, yeh, good and bad.<\/p>\n

My Favourite Posts<\/h2>\n

I can\u2019t give a least to most favourite list of my posts, I find that impossible when it comes to my own writing.\u00a0 But I can mention the ones that have stuck in my mind, that I enjoyed writing or researching.\u00a0 It is perhaps obvious that my favourites are every single one about Hekate<\/a>, so I actually cannot list all of them \u2013 there are so many.\u00a0 Tauri Princess<\/a> and Goddess of the Underworld<\/a>, both recent posts, are definitely at the top of the list though.\u00a0 A post that is only kind of related to Hekate, through it being based on the Covenant of Hekate, is also a favourite \u2013 the one about the virtue of temperance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I have done several posts about ritual forms in Hellenism<\/a> as well as several about animal sacrifice<\/a> and offerings<\/a>, and these ones are also among my favourites.\u00a0 The ritual ones aren\u2019t terribly exciting or anything, but I enjoy the ritual forms in Hellenism and enjoy writing about them, helping people learn about them.\u00a0 The animal sacrifice posts though are a bit more, trying to banish the misconceptions about animal sacrifice<\/a> has somehow become important to me.<\/p>\n

A couple other favourites \u2013 Embracing the Evil Witch<\/a>, where I discuss why I love the evil witch stereotype.\u00a0 The Monotheist God View<\/a>, a post about the way we automatically see things from a monotheistic viewpoint.\u00a0 What Will History Know of Us<\/a>, a post that discusses what we are leaving behind for future generations.<\/p>\n

Lessons I\u2019ve Learned<\/h2>\n

Find one or a few focus subjects, but don\u2019t get tied down by them.\u00a0 I have 4 main focal points for this blog \u2013 Hekate, Hellenism, Aussie Paganism<\/a> and, to a lesser degree, Pagan Parenting.\u00a0 If you look through my posts you will see these particular subjects pop up a lot. I feel it\u2019s important to have a focus, not to limit myself but to give me something to go to when I am feeling a bit lost for topics to write about.\u00a0 But yeh, it\u2019s important to not be limited by these focal points and to be sure to branch out into other subjects.\u00a0 I even branch into subjects that don\u2019t really matter to me personally, such as the eight sabbats.\u00a0 I don\u2019t celebrate these for the most part, but I do write about them sometimes, because I think some of my readers (especially parents and\/or Aussies) want to read about these things.<\/p>\n

Create rules and stick to them as much as possible.\u00a0 For me this comes down to things I, now, choose to not write about.\u00a0 Generally, this is my religiousy blog so I feel it\u2019s important to keep to religious subjects and not stray too much.\u00a0 More specifically though I have decided that I will now steer clear of things like politics except where it directly relates to Paganism and the related religions (for example witchcraft laws).\u00a0 I am not against the mix of politics and religion, but for me, it\u2019s not really relevant to my blog.\u00a0 Similarly I have chosen to leave out homeschooling except where it relates to Paganism directly.<\/p>\n

Create a backlog of posts, just in case you can\u2019t do any writing for a period of time, like when your laptop breaks down and you don\u2019t have access to one for several weeks.\u00a0 Yes, this is why I haven\u2019t posted for a while, and yes, that does mean I haven\u2019t followed this particular lesson.\u00a0 Though it\u2019s not from lack of trying, I just haven\u2019t been able to maintain a backlog of posts. I build them up, and then I get lazy and use them up when I shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Not What I Expected<\/h2>\n

Blogging here at Patheos is not really what I expected.\u00a0 Though to be honest, I don\u2019t know that I was really expecting anything specifically, it\u2019s more that there are things that have surprised me.\u00a0 The biggest thing, I think, is that I didn\u2019t realise how often I would doubt myself.\u00a0 Blogging in general you can have moments where you wonder, should I post this?\u00a0 Should I set myself up for possible attack, or embarrassment? But being here on Patheos, my view numbers went up a whole lot \u2013 being on a platform with a large readership means that I am under a lot more scrutiny than ever before.\u00a0 And that means I am doubting whether I should post things a whole lot more than ever before as well.<\/p>\n

This is difficult to deal with sometimes, trying to find the right balance between satisfying my desires as a writer, and satisfying the desires of my target audiences.\u00a0 Sometimes I err on the side of caution, sometimes I throw all caution to the wind.\u00a0 Sometimes I sit on a post for weeks, or more, before I can be brave enough to actually publish it.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s all worth it.\u00a0 I love writing here at Patheos \u2013 I love writing in general, and being at Patheos has given me accountability and made me write more frequently than I used to (barring the few brief hiatuses because of life getting in the way).\u00a0 It is also making me read more, read more Pagan and related blogs and books.\u00a0 It\u2019s making me interact with others more online, on a more long term basis than a random Facebook conversation gives you.\u00a0 It\u2019s also helping me to enhance my religious practices a bit more, for multiple reasons and in various ways.<\/p>\n

So, my first year at Patheos has been fun, has taught me things and has shown me some unexpected things.\u00a0 Here\u2019s to another, even better year ahead!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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