Today we’d like to introduce you to Solinox Glantzberg.
Hi Solinox, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I came to Michigan from small-town Texas for practical reasons, leaving behind family and friends in the process. I didn’t expect to end up building a home and network here, to find myself a part of building the local community.
I’m a queer and disabled Pagan homeschooling parent, originally. I always missed the community feeling that I had growing up in churches. And even though that community back then had its own issues, it was the supportive structures that I longed for: children’s activities, family supports, people you could go to when times were tough or when you just needed community. And when I couldn’t find it for my family, I figured I would have to build it.
That grew into Weavers of the Web, the spiritual community, and Keys To Manifestation, the metaphysical store and teaching space that pays the bills. Together they function as a “third place” for Pagans and spiritually-adjacent folks in mid-Michigan. I opened Keys on my own credit, like a lot of small business owners do when there aren’t better options, and I’ve worked hard since to stabilize it. These days we have a thriving community with classes, rituals, community activities, and professional clergy (not just me!), and we are able to support local makers and spiritual providers, and just make spirituality practical and accessible for everyone.
The long-term goal is even bigger: A few years ago, Weavers of the Web purchased a couple of acres on the west side of town, and we aim to build a full Temple and community center out there to expand our services and space. I want to make it lasting, so Pagan community isn’t something we have to reinvent from scratch every few years.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! Starting over in a new state meant I had no support here, and I raised my six kids feeling very isolated and lonely. Having a large family and all of us “different” made it hard for me to find a place to belong anywhere. Then I took on the project of starting the church once the opportunity came my way, on top of all that!
The biggest struggle was and still is sustainable funding. I opened Keys on my personal credit because I didn’t have some magickal pile of startup money waiting to fund the shop and community space that my family NEEDED. I had no retail experience myself, and no experience running a business bigger than my family and maybe an occasional vending table. I’ve had to learn cash flow, inventory, and business operations the hard way, while still showing up for the spiritual community every week. Balancing the need to pay the bills with the consistency and care the community needs is a constant work-in-progress.
And it is real work, building the kind of community I want, the kind that would have held and accepted me when I needed it. Lots of people carry religious trauma, distrust of institutions and organized anything. They don’t just start showing up every week; they come and go for months or years first. That makes consistency hard; building trust takes time, structure, and follow-through.
Keeping up with all of this while being disabled myself has required me to get very serious about my own self-care, pacing, accessibility, not running on burnout. On the positive side, that gives me a lot of tools to teach from, and forces me to build things into my systems here that make it all more grounded and sustainable.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Keys To Manifestation is a metaphysical store and teaching space in Lansing, and it’s partnered with Weavers of the Web, ATC, a local Pagan spiritual community. Together, we provide a “third space” for Pagans and spiritually-adjacent folks in mid-Michigan to find rituals, training classes, and supportive and accessible community activities and events.
We’re known for professional clergy who provide support for practical spirituality. The store sells a wide range of tools, and is staffed by folks who have been seminary-trained and have been practicing for years. We prioritize consent, accessibility, and follow-through. For us, community support and mutual aid are part of our core identity.
What sets us apart is consistency and care. Many similar spaces are either primarily for retail or only for community; we intentionally built both, because the commercial side is what pays the rent and keeps the lights on for the spiritual work. We’re queer-led and disabled-led, so we design our events and systems around real-life capacity; we want people to show up as they are and keep coming back (so we can watch them grow!).
What I am most proud of is that we’ve built something stable and growing (despite the financial everything), a place that so many people like me (and like who I used to be) count on to be there for learning, connection, and support. I’m proud every time I see someone who has been coming to our circles for years show a newcomer around, and every time I see a new face for the second time, and every time I get to watch a new student run their first event.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Start smaller than you think you need to, and make sure you have rock-solid systems in place before you scale up and grow. And whether you’re starting something like a nonprofit or a full retail operation, you need to learn marketing and advertising more than you think you do, yes even if the word “capitalism” makes you itch. If they don’t know about you, they can’t come to you.
Chase consistency, not perfection or being bigger. Set a schedule you know you can show up for, sick or not, whether or not you have help. Communicate clearly, and be open to failure (because you WILL fail, lots). You will never create a stronger bond than when you accept failure, own up to it, and make amends going forward, in a way that your community can see.
Set it up so you could do it alone if you have to … but don’t. Find collaborators, mentors, and peers you can be honest with, people you can vent to, people who have already walked the path you seek, if you can.
Pricing:
- $25+ Intuitive/Spiritual Services
- $49+ Spiritual Training Classes
- $101+ One-on-One Coaching
- $49-$333 Personal Rituals/Ceremonies
- $15+ General Workshops
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.manifestlansing.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManifestLansing
