The Witch Hunt Is On Again

state of origin 2020 Live

6 min readNov 18, 2020

Can we please understand Illumination and show some compassion for a change?

Witch hazel. Picture: Hans Braxmeier via Pixabay

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Dowe remember the stories of the old times about witch hunts and witches burning? In films, they are portrayed often. The angry villagers screaming for blood. The scared witches who just wanted to heal with what Mother Nature gave them.

And then the burning.

Some witches stood tall and took their fate with dignity. Knowing that they did nothing wrong. Looking directly into the eyes of the villagers and feeling compassion.

Forgiving is an act of self-preservation. And I remind myself of that often nowadays. I stand tall. Knowing that I do nothing wrong. I just try to bring humanness and diversity back into our world. Feminine kindness. How can that be a crime?

What is the direct action in my current life that I’m referring to here? It’s the witch hunt on Illumination writers and all publications that sprouted from Illumination creativity.

Suntonu Bhadra, the editor of Paper Poetry, wrote this story and it saddens my heart.

Editor’s Note from Paper Poetry

in regards to a latest update

medium.com

Why Witch Hunt?

A witch hunt starts when things are happening that people don’t understand. They become suspicious. They think it must be some evil doing the work. So they start lashing out. Finding excuses to make hatred seem like the only right course of action.

So how do we prevent witch hunts?

By explaining the perceived magic to everyone. And showing that it’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re welcome to join Illumination. Everyone is welcome to be part of the magic!

I know that until I found Illumination, I felt lonely on this platform. I didn’t know anyone and had the feeling that no one cared for my stories.

It’s different now. Illumination gives me friends. We reach out. We connect honestly and we care for each other. I like that.

So, I’d like to explain the magic to you.

There’s nothing to be afraid of. The core of Illumination is KINDNESS.

The Secrets of Illumination

Illumination was started by a generous man: Dr Mehmet Yildiz. He asked writers from very different backgrounds he admired to join him and off we went. Starting a big adventure. To see if we can make all generous writers in many different subjects successful with wisdom and knowledge.

No cutting corners, no hidden tricks. Just surfing the waves and changing the rules of the current economic game. We use the economic theories of abundance.

The four words Mehmet chose as a mantra are: diversity, synergy, fusion, and serendipity. The words are chosen carefully and they have a meaning. So, I’ll explain why they are at the core of our movement on Medium and elsewhere on the content creating spaces of the internet.

Diversity

We are a very inclusive group of people. We enjoy diversity. We reach out, honestly connect to others, and support them. We are civil in our words, try to look beyond our own perceptions and we laugh a lot.

So, why is this pissing people off?

The accusations are that we try to f*ck the system by clapping and linking randomly and as much as we can.

Well, this isn’t the case. We clap, yes. But only to show our support when a story is well written and we have enjoyed it. My own standards are that I don’t clap if a story is really poorly written. I give a bit more claps when I enjoyed the story and appreciate the efforts of the writer. And I clap 50 times if I really like it.

Most of the time it’s random for me because I just hold the clap button until it feels right. And yes, I clap for stories that hold a different view from my own. That’s embracing diversity. Social media keep me too much in my bubble anyway. So I like reading stories from people completely different from me.

I comment a lot too. Not just to show that I agree or disagree. I try to add something to a certain story. Adding value to what’s already written.

Synergy

Our current western society has a worldview of scarcity. We think we have to fight to be heard. And we think that we need to compete.

Well, our whole team of very experienced volunteering editors sees the wise advantages of synergy. If we embrace diversity, we can build our own happiness on the happiness of others. In the regenerative practices that I write about, I call it building value upon value upon value. And we are even reforming the economy with this principle!

How do we do that?

By collaborating and combining all social media.

Why does it piss people off?

They just see the links in our stories. But they are there for a reason. We only put them in when they are relevant to our stories. I’m often inspired by some story to write my own. Why would I not name that someone and her/his story and give them some credit for inspiring me?

We are very firm on crediting others. As editors, we are all the time on the look-out for plagiarists and we do not accept stories with incomplete picture credits.

The secret of our success is very simple. In Illumination, we are all convinced that we have to give first before we will receive. And the receiving doesn’t have to come from the same person I gave my attention to. That’s the law of attraction.

So, there’s no ulterior motive here. I like connecting honestly. As said, I’ve made friends. I switch between all kinds of publications. I am a writer in 30+ publications, including some big ones like The Startup, and P.S. I love You.

Fusion

Because we all love to connect, we do this on many platforms and we combine all of our own entrepreneurial strategies to include fusion.

There is a Slack channel where we talk. We created channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, Quora, Pinterest, YouTube, and whatever else someone suggests. Illumination has grown big by now. So, it’s never just Mehmet who has great ideas and executes the plan.

We all do. The editors are sometimes the ones initiating things, but there are as many writers who come up with great ideas and do it. Everyone is welcome to become active. And many new initiatives grow by people finding each other, liking each other, and then going out and creating new things together. I applaud them.

That’s also how Paper Poetry started. And many other publications inspired by Illumination. The movement grows. It changes all the time. It evolves.

Mehmet has seen it right from the beginning. We are like a human body where all the cells collaborate and no one is in charge. But when the body is attacked by cancers, we stand up and defend ourselves.

Serendipity

The law of attraction has long been a mystery to me. How can things just come into being without me working hard for it? Well, Illumination taught me a lot here.

It all starts with giving. That means reading, honestly connecting, supporting, and helping others become better writers. In all the very diverse field on Medium and elsewhere
Kindness is at the core. We all have different perceptions. And as long as we are aware of that we can embrace diversity and create our own valuable contributions to this world
No ulterior motives. We are not into some stupid get-rich-quick scheme. But yes, we are successful. With honest contributions to people’s lives and stories that matter and find a cheering audience out there

This is my ramble for today. To all haters I want to say: Try compassion for a change. It feels marvelous.

And to all lovers and contributors to Illumination, I want to say: Dear sister and fellow witches, keep standing tall. We are in this game for making it worth our while. Contributing to lives. Other people’s lives and our own. We are in this game to live our best lives and give our best gifts.

I support you all!

If you want to connect, you can find me in my food forest, admiring the pollinating bees. Or via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, ManyStories, Quora, Patreon, and my website.