Breaking Free from Marketing Spells: The Gandhi Principle

Breaking Free from Marketing Spells

The Difference Between Manipulation and Connection

 

This week, I had a powerful conversation with a friend that got me thinking about the marketing emails flooding our inboxes. You know the ones—perfectly crafted pain points, strategically placed emojis, bullet points that speak directly to your fears...

And if I were honest, they work. There's a reason these formulas exist.

But here's what my friend said that really stuck with me:

"I'm glad I got out of her spell. I was buying everything from her. Now that I'm on the other side of it, it feels like a relief."

That word—spell—it's exactly right, isn't it?

The best marketers cast spells. They make us click, subscribe, and buy. Sometimes, the product delivers, and sometimes, it doesn't. Other times, we see the true colors of the person who sold us. 

But what if there's a different marketing way that doesn't feel like casting spells? What if we could create offers that connect instead of capture?

Don't we need real, honest wisdom right now, not more boring stuff that all sounds the same. I've seen skilled healers and teachers stop doing what they love because they feel they can't promote themselves in ways that don’t match their true values. The problem is huge—not just for them, but for all the people who will never get to enjoy their special skills and gifts.

 

 

My mentor, Lauren Zander, introduced me to the Gandhi Principle, a concept that has changed how I view my business and my personal and parenting life, for that matter.

 

Here's how it works:

Dr. David Hawkins created a chart with Gandhi at the top (vibrating at 500) and the worst of humanity at the bottom (vibrating at 50). By age 25, most of us get locked into our vibration—not because we can't change, but because our thoughts keep looping.

According to Hawkins, we typically only move 3% up or down from where we're locked in—creating a 6% range we tend to stay and play within.

 

Why? Because:

• Our thoughts create our actions
• Our actions create our feelings
• Our feelings reinforce our thoughts
• And the loop continues...

 

The marketing world often operates in this 6% loop. The same tactics, the same pain points, the same "proven" formulas—creating an endless cycle where consumers feel manipulated and creators feel inauthentic.

So, what will we do differently to break free from this loop?

 

 

 

Inside Tabernacle Creative Residency, we're doing something different. Yes, we learn marketing principles—they're valuable tools! But we focus first on human connection.

I literally get my hands dirty in YOUR designs:

• I personally review and redesign your content, giving them a professional polish while maintaining YOUR unique energy
• We do live work critiques where I'll share my screen and transform your visuals in real-time
• I teach you the principles of visual hierarchy and layout that make professional designs work, not just generic templates
• I'll help you create your brand board with fonts, colors, and visual elements that genuinely represent YOUR essence
• You get actual done-with-you design collaboration (not just theory or templates) 

 

left to right  1) Offering Carousel    2) Jill's Before + After Design Tweeks   3) From 20 to 400+ views (today it was 1k!)  during the Visibility Challenge   4) Sivan's Brand Reveal   5) Make your Wisdom Visual   6) Why Visual Frameworks are more effective than Verbal 

 

Just last week, I spent over seven hours redesigning Resident's content and sharing it on social media—moving elements, adjusting colors, fixing alignments, and creating cohesive visual stories. The before-and-afters are dramatic (we both screeched with delight!), but more importantly, it still felt like THEIR work, not mine.

As you can see, I'm working on YOUR business, not just my own. One of my Residents recently told me:

You are actually there with us, doing one on ones, doing calls every Friday. I don’t feel like a lot of coaches do that. I think that is such a major selling point for what you do that you don’t talk about. I think that is a big deal. 

-Stephanie P., Tabernacle Alumni

 

That's the difference between casting spells and creating space—one captures attention, and the other nurtures growth.

 

I could teach you all the marketing formulas in the world, but without an authentic connection to your own self-expression and your deep understanding of your audience, they will never feel quite right. They will always feel like someone else's voice coming through your mouth.

 

Likewise, your visuals should feel like YOU—not a cookie-cutter template everyone else uses.

 

---

Here is an excerpt from a discovery call with a potential Tabernacle Resident considering joining us:

"I really struggle with maintaining Instagram and social media... But I do enjoy expressing myself, sharing my message, creating content that's not as visually stimulated as it is in-depth and resonant with quotes or ideas... I'm really interested in human touch and human connection and in-person community."

Many spiritual solopreneurs feel this! You have a profound message, yet you find marketing too disconnected and hard to deal with. You don't lack skill or hard work; you just aim to create content that resonates deeply. 

That's why in Tabernacle, we're focused on "turning it into something manageable and easy and streamlined and elegant" while "giving you the space and capacity to organically create, connect to people, and expand your work" - just as this potential Resident described.

 

What I'm loving:

The conversations that happen before someone even joins Tabernacle. When someone told me yesterday, "The fact that you've taken the time to actually respond with so much depth and insight is a testament to the people I want to work with," I felt that deep in my soul.

In a world of automated responses like 'ManyChat' and cookie-cutter marketing, simply taking the time for real human connection stands out dramatically. 

 

What I'm celebrating:

Two Tabernacle Residents launched offerings this week that are completely, authentically theirs—no cookie-cutter formulas, no manipulative tactics. And guess what? People are responding!

It's proof that authenticity doesn't have to come at the cost of effectiveness.