How to find like minded individuals

[Bhavana]

Too bad the Tarot/New Age/Wiccan/Taoism/Buddhism aisle in my local bookstore is directly across from a whole aisle of Christian books. I never see fellow Tarot enthusiasts; I think they grab and run. When I open books in that section, I sometimes find religious tracts. One time I was looking at decks and two ladies started spouting nosense about the evils of witchcraft (turning to look at the Tarot decks and then at me) and what happens to those that practice it.

I think I will stick to my AT buddies

You know, I believe my bookstore also has the christian section close by! I usually get a coffee and plop my stuff down right on the floor in front of the shelves and spend and hour or so reading and going thru whatever books interest me. So far, no problems, I have met a few cool people here and there, but nothing came from it except for a half hour or so of good conversation. If anyone started saying anything about evil and all that, I'd reach for the creepiest, darkest book on the shelf - or something like the Idiots Guide to Summoning Demons - and make sure they could see what I was reading..maybe make a real show of it by taking notes, mumbling to myself the whole time. That ought to get rid of them.

 

[KMilliron]

You know, I believe my bookstore also has the christian section close by! I usually get a coffee and plop my stuff down right on the floor in front of the shelves and spend and hour or so reading and going thru whatever books interest me. So far, no problems, I have met a few cool people here and there, but nothing came from it except for a half hour or so of good conversation. If anyone started saying anything about evil and all that, I'd reach for the creepiest, darkest book on the shelf - or something like the Idiots Guide to Summoning Demons - and make sure they could see what I was reading..maybe make a real show of it by taking notes, mumbling to myself the whole time. That ought to get rid of them.

Do what me and my friend do (granted we do it with milk at walmart) argue with yourself.

"Pick up the book. I ain't picking it up. C'mon he needs us to grab it. Then why can't he do it? JUST PICK UP THE BOOK? If you're so concerned YOU pick it up."

Again we do this with milk at Walmart, but with a satanistic book? Should be just as fun.

 

[vee]

My husband is into tarot, although not AS much I am.

And I go to art school, most people are somewhat interested if I mention it. I know that in my hometown in rural Illinois it would be harder, though we do have a new age bookstore, so I'd probably ask around there.

 

[Jes]

that is why i came to AT I think I have made some friends here... maybe lol


I wish that our one bookstore in our town had more tarot related items, I check everytime I go there ... there is usually a rider waite deck and MAYBE 1 book... and lots of doreen virture...

I like AT for people of like mindedness... its the only place i 'know' people who like tarot....

thats sad really lol isnt it..

 

[Anna]

People around me have inadvertently become interested over the years; I bought both my mother and sister a deck, so that they could do their own readings, and my sister's best friend became interested after seeing my sister's deck. Husband also wants a deck of his own now.

I've also been lucky to meet up with a few people from here.

 

[Kosjitov]

I figured I'd find some people at Borders. Nope. I was perusing the spirituality section. The one girl I saw who came to shop tarot cards looked at me, grabbed a deck, and ran. Not even a second to say "Oh, you like X deck too?" Think the Road Runner and the poof cloud of his hasty exit after a short "meep meep!"

Of course, the tarot decks were in a case at the back of an alcove of christian literature. A woman was shopping near me and I was holding one of the decks and looking at it. Her daughter wandered near me and I was talking to her while the mom was busily looking at the little kids religious material. Of course, once she saw the tarot deck in my hand, momma quickly ushered herself and her baby a bit closer to the bibles...

To date, aside from occasional contact with two long distance pagan friends and another person I'm currently trying to get into tarot... nope. Nada. Nothing. AT is pretty much it.

You would think with so many of us in the world, we'd have some sort of code for finding one another, a piece of jewelry like a bracelet or a ring or something. One of those jelly bracelets with "I <3 Tarot" on it or something- like the kind they give away for walks for causes and the like.

 

[gregory]

I figured I'd find some people at Borders. Nope. I was perusing the spirituality section. The one girl I saw who came to shop tarot cards looked at me, grabbed a deck, and ran. Not even a second to say "Oh, you like X deck too?" Think the Road Runner and the poof cloud of his hasty exit after a short "meep meep!"

Of course, the tarot decks were in a case at the back of an alcove of christian literature. A woman was shopping near me and I was holding one of the decks and looking at it. Her daughter wandered near me and I was talking to her while the mom was busily looking at the little kids religious material. Of course, once she saw the tarot deck in my hand, momma quickly ushered herself and her baby a bit closer to the bibles...

To date, aside from occasional contact with two long distance pagan friends and another person I'm currently trying to get into tarot... nope. Nada. Nothing. AT is pretty much it.

You would think with so many of us in the world, we'd have some sort of code for finding one another, a piece of jewelry like a bracelet or a ring or something. One of those jelly bracelets with "I <3 Tarot" on it or something- like the kind they give away for walks for causes and the like.

YEAH - let's make BADGES.....

How odd though. I was in Indigo recently and doing the shelves (I was actually looking for a book that their computer SAID was in stock; they lost themselves a sale there, if they put it somewhere weird ) and I got into a really nice discussion with a nice woman and we shared opinions. I told her to sign up here and post. Last I saw she was considering Shadowscapes.

HEY - lady from Yorkdale Indigo - did you make it here ???

 

[Kosjitov]

YEAH - let's make BADGES.....

Happy Squirrel Badge- awareded for being nucking futs. I'd totally sew it on my carry bag too. It worked for girl/boy scouts

 

[pacificwaters]

Gregory's mention of badges reminded me of the LIVESTRONG bands

Anyways talking about finding like minded individuals....well in my country (India) Tarot aint very popular as there are many other commonly practised techniques such as palmistry and reading horoscopes. Tarot is here a bit of novelty. So finding a like minded individual with whom you can share your individuals is very very tough.

That said, the fear that others experience when they see you flipping through Tarot is not as much here, though some might have that feeling (the apt word might be "very few"). Most of the people dont go to Tarot sections, rather sections for it almost do not exist. Tarot material in bookstores takes up just one row of a big shelf. And if by chance in a good bookshelf or at any other place if someone sees you flipping through the books, then they would be rather in awe of you...Ohh he reads Tarot!!!

Not just this, for getting good Tarot books, the best way here is go online. You would be disappointed definitely if you searched for books or a deck by personally going to stores....

That said, the only like minded inidviduals I know is on AT.....which probably explains why I spend more time here reading than on Facebook..

 

[celticnoodle]

Mind Body Spirit I believe. The section my stepfather refers to as "That hippie sh**"... though I'm not sure when he was in a bookstore last.

I love this post! I laughed so hard when I read it, Kmilliron.

I do hang out in the MBS portion of the bookstore myself, and have met some people as a result there. I also now am working in a New Age shop as a tarot card reader, and meet LOADS of people there, naturally. including other readers. I seek readers out, (I have a hard time reading for myself) to swap readings with and then of course, I was raised in a family of psychics who read everything, (or at least so I thought till I joined AT here and realize that there are some really cool things people 'read').

I never really embraced my own abilities until working in a jewelry store, and I often opened up the shop with the Manager-so we were the first two in the store. He opened the store one day and remarked to me, "Wait till you meet the dingbat I just hired! she thinks she is a psychic and a healer, and during the interview, she tried to heal me!"

I never worked weekends till then, because she was hired for the weekends and I couldn't WAIT to meet her, so asked the manager to schedule me to work w/her asap. she is still to this day, 16yrs later, one of my best friends and the one who encouraged me from the day I did meet her (and work with her) that I needed to develop my abilities.

interestingly enough, I seem to attract like minded people to me. I walked into a shop a few years ago for the first time, and the owner began to talk to me and all of a sudden she stopped and looked at me, (I had yet to even say a word) and said, "are you a psychic? I am one, and I get such a strong vibe from you that you are too." COOL.
we are now very good friends too. For some reason, I seem to attract like people to me.