Aeclectic Tarot & The Role of Forums

[Joan Marie]

In the middle of the summer of 2017 the long running forum, Aeclectic Tarot, closed it's doors.
Aeclectic Tarot had been the central meeting point for the international community of Tarot enthusiasts for nearly 20 years.

This event however, in no way stopped or even slowed down the growth of the community or the proliferation of new decks, websites, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, symposia and conferences, online courses, metaphysical shops etc. etc., dedicated to the tarot arts.

In the months, almost 2 years, that have passed since the closure of Aeclectic, a legion of NEW practitioners have come to the Tarot filled with new energy, new ideas and some pretty sophisticated internet and social media skills.

This is a most exciting and astonishing times to be alive and to be part of all this.

As this forum, Cult of Tarot, approaches it's One Year Anniversary (May 25th - World Tarot Day) I would like to take a moment to acknowledge how Aeclectic Tarot served the community so well for so long and to welcome all the many many newcomers who may not have had the chance to participate there. And of course all the people who found this and/or other forums to be part of and help build from the ground up with your interests, skills, humour, and knowledge.

All of you are an integral part of creating the next chapter of tarot History.

I really do believe, and have constantly in mind as I curate this place, that Forums serve an important role as a kind of hub for all the activities of the Tarot community.

In addition to the lively discussions, the reading exchanges and learning opportunities, forums are places where all the myriad activities taking place in every corner of the world can be brought together, promoted and shared to reach the eyes and ears of the people most interested in them.

That is my greatest wish for this place, that it can serve the New Community of Tarot practitioners, students, teachers, collectors, and artists in an engaging and informative way for many years to come.

Your comments are most welcome.

[BlueStar]

Happy 1 year anniversary in advance:) Thanks for creating this forum space Joan Marie!

[inomminate]

The one I really miss is Tarot-L. Though it was a list and not a forum.

[HOLMES]

I was a member from 2002 to it closed,, sometimes I didn't visit there when something was going on in my life,, like I thik I went a month at least.. one time. during those times I would visit , see if anyone saw my posts, read for any posts that interest me.

you know sometimes you get tired of the same old questions ,, reversals or not,, how do begin as a beginner, but then you don't want a person to see sticky upon sticky when joining a site either. so I even stopped answering them figuring someone else would answer them.
one thing I liked doing if no one responded yet,, or maybe just one,, person was to answer new players, if they had a good introduction so there was something to respond to..
it was the same with your readings, if someone posted a good your readings and it spoke to me I would do an anwer now and then if I didn't want to offer a reading.

there was two things that aeclectic helped me out with..
the spirituality forum, it was like my second home, i was able to talk about reiki, channelling, and other topics.

and practicing readings ,, i did innerchild, pastlife, tarot and mediumship..
it was the catalyst for my growth.. so much that in 2008,, i was able to read at a pow wow in my local communtiy so it is nowmy yearly thing..
and without the confidence in my tarot readig,, i wouldn't have been able to do it..

tarot theory ,
though talk of the tarot,, it was able to explore some ideas.. one or two taht has formed the basis of my tarot readings..

when it went down,, i tried to stick to one board,, but that board due to inaction , was just me posting there for a whole month before deciding to leave to try to find anoher place so this was one of the places i found. it is one of the good ones.

[Joan Marie]

there was two things that aeclectic helped me out with..
the spirituality forum, it was like my second home, i was able to talk about reiki, channelling, and other topics.

We have that here as well but it isn't too active. I would love to see more posts about these topics. I bet a lot of people would.
Exploring the Spiritual Paths

and practicing readings ,, i did innerchild, pastlife, tarot and mediumship..

This would be good here too.

[katrinka]

I was at AT for awhile, but the behind-the-scenes politics and weird modding decisions ruined it for me.
(I purchased something from a member there, they didn't deliver, I tried contacting them and got a runaround. Finally I said something on-list about it and got banned for that. It took me six months to get my money back, I had to contact Sulis and she made the person refund it.)

And it seemed like the focus was deck sales above all else. There's useful content there, too, of course, but it didn't seem to be a priority. I know people like Andy Boroveshengra have had many, many of their posts deleted. Andy was trying to teach traditional Lenormand and he's very good - most agree that his book is the best on the subject - but they weren't having it. A lot of the best posters ended up leaving or getting banned for some silly infraction.

And the rules were weird, stifling. "No meta discussion", IIRC, things like that. You couldn't have a normal, relaxed conversation, you had to keep your guard up. A little thread drift is natural. As long as it doesn't completely veer into something else entirely, there's no reason for people to log on and have a warning in the PM box and posts removed.

Kvetching over. As far as forum function, I see it as twofold:

1. Socializing. The lighter stuff, and the OT stuff: "What is the mailman bringing?" "Should I cut my hair?", games, etc.

2. Pooling knowledge and resources: Links to useful blogs and sites, books, videos, etc. Helping people with spreads. Getting input on various ideas about cartomancy.

Not in that order.

I'm getting a good vibe here. Things are pretty good as they stand.
For more traffic, maybe sweeten the pot in one of the games? Participants could take turns donating decks or something.

All the forums are slow these days because facebook is sucking up everybody's time. But there are advantages to a forum - it's organized. If you want to find a post from three years ago where somebody shared some particularly good insights, it's fairly easy to do so. People are less spied-on at forums. And forums work better - the pages load faster, you don't have to worry about where you park your cursor lest it auto-click to someplace you don't want to go.

[Myperception]

I didn't join AT as i felt that site was too politic and i saw some post someone asked or said things wrongly, was hit by a group of members with very negative words. I think it can be done in private message instead of publicly. That's the main reason i viewed once and didn't join. If i need to learn stuff, a harmony and relax atmosphere is a must. It could be a good site for many people, but not for me.

Thanks Joan for created COT platform for us. I like here alot ! i enjoyed reading posts here, many things and informations are still very new to me. Of course the reading circles/your reading/skill swaps are where i get to practise alot.

[Joan Marie]

you know sometimes you get tired of the same old questions ,, reversals or not,, how do begin as a beginner, but then you don't want a person to see sticky upon sticky when joining a site either.

I confess I don't know what "sticky upon sticky" means, but I want to comment on the first part of that sentence. I've been thinking about it since I read it.

I agree entirely, and I think most people do. And at the beginning of this forum I actively discouraged this kind of thing, "revived threads" that had seen their day elsewhere, although I realised later that on occasion I was taking the sentiment too far.

But I understand why people start those kind of threads, it's a way of kicking up some activity. Because those threads have been known in the past to engender responses, people who are genuinely trying to help jump-start the forum, will trot out these old chestnuts.

What always surprises me around here is how from time to time I will see someone post a question or idea and I think to myself, "well, that's not going to go anywhere" and then BOOM, I am so wrong, and the topic just takes off. You really never know.

I hope that people here feel confident to ask the random question or raise the obscure point or idea (always tarot related of course - this ain't facebook) and just be willing to see what happens. Be controversial. Be curious. Be challenging. (never rude though please) Come at topics from strange directions and share things you find that make you wonder.

We are all always looking for something new and that is what makes a Tarot forum even possible. The fact is that tarot is something that is always being discovered new, always being seen with new eyes. Doors, upon doors upon doors...

[BlueStar]

you know sometimes you get tired of the same old questions ,, reversals or not,, how do begin as a beginner, but then you don't want a person to see sticky upon sticky when joining a site either.

I confess I don't know what "sticky upon sticky" means, but I want to comment on the first part of that sentence. I've been thinking about it since I read it.

I agree entirely, and I think most people do. And at the beginning of this forum I actively discouraged this kind of thing, "revived threads" that had seen their day elsewhere, although I realised later that on occasion I was taking the sentiment too far.

But I understand why people start those kind of threads, it's a way of kicking up some activity. Because those threads have been known in the past to engender responses, people who are genuinely trying to help jump-start the forum, will trot out these old chestnuts.

What's 'old chestnuts' for some will be brand spanking new for others. I can see for the veterans of forums that some of these old questions get tiring but there will always be those that are new to the tarot world and don't know these things, and are genuinely trying to find out because perhaps they are confused by whatever previous information they have come across (or...perhaps they just haven't looked yet and want a quick answer).

Unless you have a forum that's just for the advanced tarot reader, then these kind of questions are to be expected. It will naturally attract readers of different abilities and knowledge.We all have the choice not to reply to those posts:). One way round it would be rather than spend time answering the question just post a stock reply with links to information which will answer their questions or provide a starting point for their research, perhaps like a FAQ page/thread, or links to sites which have the relevant information. Or I guess a sticky...they can be useful.

[Joan Marie]

What's 'old chestnuts' for some will be brand spanking new for others.

That's true of course.

I guess for me it is a question of balance.

We need to see more fresh topics raised. Even old topics can be put into fresh perspectives.

Think of all the new tarot books still being published, all the blogs and podcasts there are out there.

There is plenty to talk about and discuss in new ways. Tarot is not static. It lends to creative ideas and points of view.

That is what will make this forum standout, the efforts of members who want to continue discovering new things and new ideas about the tarot and use this place as a way to do that, as one of many good available resources. If I learn something interesting over there, I'd like to bounce it off all of you here. This can apply to any topic.

This is an engaging dynamic approach, one that our subject matter and the forum format is perfectly suited to.

And as for people new to tarot, they can find the answer to those questions about reversals etc. all over the internet. That's not to say we shouldn't have it here too, but it isn't what's going to bring them here and get them to participate. Lively conversations and debates will. New information about new things will. That's what people are looking for in forums. Engagement. And that takes effort.

Think of it like this, which party do you want to go to, the one where everyone is talking about the weather and the traffic (found in seconds on the internet), or the one where the conversation is sparkling and dynamic and full of ideas?

One of those parties is going to require you to bring some game. And I know people here got game.

[BlueStar]

We need to see more fresh topics raised. Even old topics can be put into fresh perspectives...
There is plenty to talk about and discuss in new ways. Tarot is not static. It lends to creative ideas and points of view.

...And as for people new to tarot, they can find the answer to those questions about reversals etc. all over the internet. That's not to say we shouldn't have it here too, but it isn't what's going to bring them here and get them to participate. Lively conversations and debates will. New information about new things will. That's what people are looking for in forums. Engagement. And that takes effort.

I understand what you are saying and I do agree.I think it's a great goal. Of course there are many resources on the web where one can find answers to these common questions , but what I was thinking about is, and what was behind my comments, is that it would be easy to invoke an atmosphere of not being for the new and curious because they ask 'stupid' or 'basic' questions, and I think that would be a shame as it would not make people feel welcome and inspired to engage in the forum. It's easy for things to go that way and generate a feeling of snobbery by the more advanced, I'm sure we've all come across forums like that at some time or other (or groups in the real world). We were all new once and had the regular 'newbie' questions, but what would be better, for them to look here for answers or go elsewhere and not come back because they are made to feel silly or unwelcome? Please don't misunderstand me though, I'm not for a minute saying that you have cultivate that vibe at all! It would just make me very sad if it ever did go that way. I think this forum is great

[katrinka]

I don't know of any forum that discourages new people from asking the usual questions. I'm not sure how a person would even do that - snark at them? Reply with a lmgtfy link? I don't think that's what Joan Marie meant.

Rather, I think she means to encourage participation with conversations and information that people can't get at the other places. That way this place isn't just "New to Tarot, help me with my spread" type threads.

[Joan Marie]

... what was behind my comments, is that it would be easy to invoke an atmosphere of not being for the new and curious because they ask 'stupid' or 'basic' questions, and I think that would be a shame as it would not make people feel welcome and inspired to engage in the forum.

I understand and appreciate what you mean. I don't want to discourage any discussions at all, just encourage more of them. And I don't think anyone here would be unkind to anyone else asking a question.

You raise a good point though about beginners feeling welcome here, because I know for a fact there are tons of new people coming to Tarot every day and I would love to know what we could do here to make them interested in joining this forum and participating.

I know they have a lot to bring to discussions with their fresh eyes and open minds.

I opened a "Beginners" sub forum. But that hasn't been such a draw, but it might be if we get it fleshed out some. Maybe we need to find out what else newcomers are into. Is it witchy stuff for example? Crystals ?

To my mind though, what forums bring that no other internet resource can is lively, well organised, conversation and interaction.

BTW- don't hesitate to revive old threads. There have been a lot of good ones started at times when activity was slow and they fell by the wayside as a result.

[katrinka]

Maybe look at some other angles, too - people have to find this place, first off! So it's good if we recommend it, put a link on our blogs, etc. And there's search engine optimization, too. I googled "tarot forum" and this was the fifth result (and the links before it only included one active forum, the others were AT links), but that might be because I've been visiting a lot. So I tried using Duck Duck Go (they don't store your information) and got the same result, with the difference being that there were two active forums ahead of this one. I'm curious as to whether others get the same results?

As for what else newcomers are into, it could be totally unrelated - music, pets, cooking, crafts, literally anything. Who knows? Why not put an OT/What You're Into Besides Reading section in the Catch-All subforum and get a feel for that?

[Charlie Brown]

5th place, 4 aeclectic links. Tarot, Tea, and Me's new URL is actually thetarotforum.com, so they're in the best position for SEO.

[katrinka]

Thanks, Charlie.
Yes, and there's another one with a tarot.com addy. The forum section is just a small part of it, though, and looks like it's mostly people asking for free readings, and people promoting themselves. The rest of it is mostly scripts and paid reports, probably also computer generated. "Can your soulmate find you?", that kind of thing. I don't think we want to go in that direction.

[Joan Marie]

As for what else newcomers are into, it could be totally unrelated - music, pets, cooking, crafts, literally anything. Who knows? Why not put an OT/What You're Into Besides Reading section in the Catch-All subforum and get a feel for that?

I'm working the SEO all the time. What's interesting is if you google a specific tarot or esoteric topic or deck or person and see where we come up.
Those are more likely searches people might make rather than "tarot forum".

For example if you google "masters of tarot" which is the big conference coming up this summer, we come right up because of the interview I did with Mary K Greer and Rachel Pollack about it.

Also google "spirit keeper's tarot" (Benebell Wen's current deck) and we rate high on that too, again because of several posts made about it, one in particular from Nemia I think.

Staying current is a real key.

Google likes subject lines. If the name of a deck or person or topic, whatever is in the subject line, it's more likely to show up in a search.

But seriously, the real trick is grabbing people once they are here with the interesting and current content. That's what gets them join. That's what inspires them to contribute.

I am loath to start "general" open sub-forums that are not related directly to esoteric topics. I feel strongly about this because even though it might generate activity, I really feel it has an over all negative effect. It dilutes the purpose and tone of the forum. Those conversations have a way of spilling into other areas of forums and the next thing you know you have cliques and inside-y stuff between certain small groups and it's a big turn-off to many people. I'm willing to take the hit in activity to not see that happen. AT could get away with some of that kind of thing because it was so big, but on a small forum it can be annoying as hell to people who come here to talk about tarot.

I think the real deal is the content. Deck and book reviews, (put on your writer hat! it's good practice) interesting topics, controversy, ideas. What's new, decks, conferences, people, the tarot news. We don't need any tricks or gimmicks.

This forum is a resource and a creative outlet for everyone who is inspired to use it that way. And when we do that, we create an interesting place people want to be.

[Joan Marie]

5th place, 4 aeclectic links. Tarot, Tea, and Me's new URL is actually thetarotforum.com, so they're in the best position for SEO.

thetarotforum.com.

I cannot tell you how jealous I was of her for thinking of that.

For those who don't know, AT's was tarotforum.com, so getting thetarotforum directly in the wake of AT's demise was just genius.

[katrinka]

As for what else newcomers are into, it could be totally unrelated - music, pets, cooking, crafts, literally anything. Who knows? Why not put an OT/What You're Into Besides Reading section in the Catch-All subforum and get a feel for that?

I'm working the SEO all the time. What's interesting is if you google a specific tarot or esoteric topic or deck or person and see where we come up.
Those are more likely searches people might make rather than "tarot forum".

Hmmm, I tried to think like a complete beginner and googled "best Tarot deck". We didn't even show up. I think I'll start a thread.

Staying current is a real key.

Google likes subject lines. If the name of a deck or person or topic, whatever is in the subject line, it's more likely to show up in a search.

Yes!

I am loath to start "general" open sub-forums that are not related directly to esoteric topics. I feel strongly about this because even though it might generate activity, I really feel it has an over all negative effect. It dilutes the purpose and tone of the forum. Those conversations have a way of spilling into other areas of forums and the next thing you know you have cliques and inside-y stuff between certain small groups and it's a big turn-off to many people. I'm willing to take the hit in activity to not see that happen. AT could get away with some of that kind of thing because it was so big, but on a small forum it can be annoying as hell to people who come here to talk about tarot.

True. The last place where I was hanging out had a lot of that: How was your day? Happy things and bright moments. Get it off your chest. Last person to post wins. Etc. Everything was organized into a "general discussion" subforum, but there was a LOT of it.

I think the real deal is the content. Deck and book reviews, (put on your writer hat! it's good practice) interesting topics, controversy, ideas. What's new, decks, conferences, people, the tarot news. We don't need any tricks or gimmicks.

Good, solid content is all too rare these days! I totally agree - it's what makes a place stand out.

[qndynes]

Oh Aeclectic closing really hurt me, I know it sounds silly but I was able to exchange and share and participate and engage with others in a very welcome environment. I joined several FB communities after the closing but I don't like to be on FB often and it was more annoying than enriching in the long run. It has only been this year, that I've been actively looking for Tarot forums, and feel good and hopeful about joining this one. It has a similar Aeclectic vibe but revamped.

I've heard several people say that forums are dying because of places like FB and other social media sites, but whether that is happening or not, I could never compare being part of a FB and being part of a forum community. It is different, there are parameters in a forum community that keep the discussion lively, interesting, and enriching. So, thank you for creating this space, I look forward to many more years of growing, learning and sharing.

[Diana]

I've heard several people say that forums are dying because of places like FB and other social media sites, but whether that is happening or not, I could never compare being part of a FB and being part of a forum community. It is different, there are parameters in a forum community that keep the discussion lively, interesting, and enriching. So, thank you for creating this space, I look forward to many more years of growing, learning and sharing.

To build up a new home after the debacle of Aelectic will take some time. People are scattered now and a new community takes time to grow. I truly believe that this one, the Cult of Tarot, is worth hanging on for and sticking around to see how it grows. It will end up by attracting the attention of people who're searching for a new home. There's a lot of quality here. The quantity will follow.

Facebook will always hold an attraction for some people. But there are many who do not like Facebook or who are tiring of it.

[katrinka]

It doesn't even have to be either/or. I visit here, That Other Tarot Forum , and facebook, as well as some other places that have no card content.

This place, because Joan Marie keeps the focus on cards. Facebook for news, politics, and keeping up with people I might lose touch with otherwise: family, German readers (vital for Lenormand and Kippers!), hometown friends (I left in the 1980's!), my dog's breeder, musician friends, etc.

I don't really like facebook, but everybody is there. The software is horrible, tends to load as slowly as Myspace ca. 2009 and full of trackers, spyware, etc. It's the one-stop WalMart of the internet and I hope that a viable alternative appears soon and everyone makes the transition. I may be hoping in vain, though. Because the internet is like this, but not nearly so well executed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ0ur5GKC0w

[HOLMES]

somehow my reponse didn't go through ,, so let me paraphrase.

1.the sticky was a thread that would be locked to the beginning of a section of the tarot,,
some defunct forums long ago had lots of stickies so you had to scroll down a lot. it become frustrating, and not pleasing to the eye.

2. forums come and go,,
it is sad to see,, it remember some old forums i belong to for mystical.spiritual reasons that disappeard over the past, one was full of action (posts ) then all the sudden not there anymore. i remember my old friend diana telling me in 2003, i best index my channellings as the forum won't be there forever. i didn't believe here then.

3.websites come and go,,
remember wicce tarot,, and tarot passages ?
they were full of reviews,,
and one spiel about how i had my own tarot reading website one year and one link has changed to porn,, luckily someone pm me to tell me at the time.

4. i prefer forums over fb groups
forums are easier to follow , find my reading threads,,
fb groups are fast,, hard to find posts ,
conversley i said that younger generaiton may find fb groups perfect,, and forums slow.

5. rules and political correctness can ruin a group,, or forum,
every now and then in many groups i can see a disgruntled member complain about rudeness, rules, or politcss before commens are turned off or worse. that said it is hard to moderate groups, and forums eh.. ,
one time i tried to tell a person asking for help about the forum rules instead of offering aid,, long ago that was..

6. my advice.
is to follow the idea of source thread, one sticky thread that has the index of all the posts they need in the respective forums,, you don't need it now.. but in 10 years you will..
atf had the source thread for spreads ,, that had everything linked in it , and was organized by groupings. that was needed after many posts eh.
and i saw a poker forum had it to for beginners , organized for postions,, bet sized etc.

7. you don't need it yet..
the first thing someone sees when they come here, is the reading circles,
which is unique, i didn't sign up for one for i dislike having people read for me,, ,
and the beginnner stuff is halfway down.

[Nemia]

I loved AT and it was an important part of my tarot growth. Yes, it was tightly controlled and I didn't understand most of the bans. Yes, there was a strong emphasis on buy and sell and enabling, and since I'm extreeeemely susceptible to that (blame the Sun in Taurus when I when I was born), it lead me to buy some decks which hm, maybe I shouldn't have bought? (but now that I have them, why not learn from them?)

I was aware of AT from the outset of my tarot journey on the Internet. My tarot journey started years before I knew the Internet, and the first thing I ever wrote in a search engine (was it Metacrawler?) was actually - tarot. There were a number of sites I remember from that time, and I read AT for years before I dared register there. Wow, people there were so knowledgeable and esoteric and well-read while I didn't know my Etteilla from my Court de Gebelin, my Hod from my Kether and my Dodal from my Conver.

But once I dared to write there, not only read, I found a lot, a lot of inspiration, knowledge, ideas, and also encouragement. I met some of the people there in person, and I felt very happy there. When I understood that AT would close down, I was pretty devastated. I participated in the Titanic thread that was cut down when the forum closed.

I'm glad today that it closed down when it did. I think it was probably too dominant. It's still an excellent archive and a source of information about decks and everything else. But I prefer smaller-sized forums. Each has a profile of its own, the threshold of embarrassment before opening one's mouth much lower, and I love this variety. I'm mostly active here but there are two or three other forums where I visit regularly. There is simply so much knowledge.

I prefer to remember AT for its positive sides and I'm grateful for the mods who must have put in so much time to keep the ship afloat.

One thing I never told anyone: I was approached some years ago by the mod team and asked whether I wanted to mod the Thoth section. I didn't have enough time so in the end Zephyros did it. Where might he be now? so many wonderful people there. Whenever I see a name I remember from AT, I'm happy.

[HOLMES]

Hehe i was approached in 2003/4 to be a mod i turned it down for i knew i would too much a stickler for the rules.