Create a Tarot Fellowship

There is a growing world-wide community of tarot enthusiasts who connect with each other using internet social media. They also use the internet to create local tarot clubs, study groups and fellowships that meet in person, as well as to organize and promote international tarot conferences and symposia worldwide.

The value of tarot fellowship, both online and in person, is immeasurable. Our tarot friends speak our language, share our interests, and support our growth. Whether we are tarot professionals sharing resources, tarot students sharing knowledge, or tarot hobbyists sharing a common interest, fellowship is vital to our growth.

If you are interested in finding local tarot fellowship in your area, search the internet, visit sites such as Meetup.com, Facebook and Yahoo Groups and look for tarot groups.

But what if you discover that there is not a tarot group in your area that meets your needs?

The only answer is to start one!

There are many resources to help you do that available from the American Tarot Association, the Tarot Guild, The Tarot School, Aeclectic Tarot, Tarosophy Tarot Town, and other tarot organizations and websites. Resources can include websites and newsletters to announce your events and find new members, as well as tarot exercises and discussion topics for your meetings, and accounts of what other groups are doing.

Tarot groups, clubs, circles and associations can be structured in a variety of ways, and can serve a number of purposes. Some are centered on the study and appreciation of a particular tarot deck. Some have guest speakers to present on a variety of topics. Some meet for food, fellowship and casual readings. Others are led by teachers who present workshops and encourage professional and spiritual development. Some value service to the community and use their skills to perform acts of charity. Some have a creative goal, such as tarot poetry, collage or journaling. Your tarot group can meet as often as you want, and can serve any purpose you want, including fun, study, development, service or creativity.

Make Your Plan

Decide what your goals are for a tarot group.  Do you want to share and evaluate new tarot decks? Do you want to study a specific deck? Do you want to read for each other, or for the public? Do you want to do potlucks, or cocktail hours? 

Decide what skills you personally offer the group. You do not need to be a tarot expert to organize a tarot group. You do need to be able to organize and promote the group, or find someone who will.

Decide what you would like to call your group. Some names are straightforward, like “South Florida Tarot Association.” Others are more fanciful, like “Daughters of Divination” or “All Hands on Deck.”

Decide where you would like to meet. Private living rooms, book stores, restaurants, cafes and new age shops are all possibilities. Libraries and hospitals generally have meeting rooms available. Some churches, such as Unity Church and UU, are often open to tarot groups.

Decide what you would like to do at your first meeting.  Some good ideas include sharing food, discussing favorite decks, discussing specific cards, trading readings, storytelling exercises, sharing favorite spreads, discussing tarot ethics, sharing favorite tarot books, trying spreads and exercises from your favorite tarot books.

Decide if you will charge for the meeting, or dues for membership.

Decide on a date, time, place and agenda for your first meeting!

Promote Your Meeting

Make a flyer to tell people about your meeting. Give it to friends, and post it on bulletin boards.

Start by telling everyone you know. Every tarot person has to start somewhere, so include your friends who haven’t discovered tarot yet. Encourage your friends to tell their friends. 

Develop an on-line presence for your group. Promote your group on more than one website. You can have your own blog or website, and promote it using social media. There are many tarot websites that will allow you to post your event. Simply search on “tarot events” and “tarot calendar” and see what comes up!   As you find on-line tarot calendars you will see listings for podcasts, teleclasses and meetings. Some may interest you, and some may give you ideas for what to do with your group. Local event websites will allow you to post events of any kind. You can organize your group on Meetup.com for a small fee, and even upload pictures from events for your members to see. Facebook will allow you to create events and invite your Facebook friends. Your group can even have a Facebook page. Yahoo Groups will allow easy communication between group members. Twitter will allow your members to receive quick updates. Explore what’s available and see what work best for you. Even if you are not technically confident, most blog sites, groups, nings and social media sites are designed to be used by everyone. If you are smart enough to read tarot, you are certainly smart enough to promote your group on-line!

Write a press release. If you don’t know how to do this, find a how-to guide online. Then, find websites for local papers, and look for links that say “submit a news story” or “community calendar.” They may accept your release as it is, or you may have to cut and paste into an on-line form. Make one release to say the group is forming, and a shorter calendar listing for each meeting.

At your first meeting, welcome each person, and ask them about their vision for a tarot group. Have enough activities planned to keep people interested, but leave time for conversation and fellowship. Be prepared for a group of any size, large or small. Set the date of the next meeting, and ask each person to help you promote it.

Plan for the Future

Your group can plan big events, such as a tarot conference, a charity event, a dinner or a party. You can enjoy low-key evenings of fun and fellowship. You can dedicate your group to a creative process, such as writing, or creating a tarot deck. 

As you go forward, think about this:

Do you have any tarot authors, artists, or experts living near you? Most tarot professionals will be happy to share their skills with your group.

Check with your local library to see what books on tarot they have on their shelves; they might be helpful in group study, or for your beginners.

Check with local shops and adult education programs to see what tarot classes are available for those who want to take a formal class. Connect with the teachers, invite them to your group, and ask them to tell their students about your group as well.

Discover which places around town have bulletin boards, and which would be most effective for you. Bookstores, music stores, coffee shops and natural food stores tend to work well.

Most tarot groups will welcome brand new beginners along with professionals and experienced students. Think about ways everyone can learn from each other, and help each other. When each one teaches one, everyone benefits.