TarotL is large discussion group hosted at Yahoo Groups. Dedicated to all levels of study and all uses of the Tarot, the group has the honor of being one of the eldest extant Tarot spaces on the Internet.
Today, the TarotL discussion group and mailing list has over 1400 members, and hosts discussions that cover the wide range of Tarot topics including Tarot history, divination, its relation with the occult sciences, with the Qabalah, with spirituality and religion, with gaming and a very long etcetera.
Even with a strong tradition for in-depth discussion and scholarly rigor, all levels of discussion are encouraged on the group. Given our diverse membership, which includes some recognized Tarot personalities, and the extensive resources accumulated over the years (the group has been active since 1996), TarotL is *the* place to ask questions and get answers that are nowhere else to be found. Newbies and experienced Tarot users alike are welcome and encouraged to participate.
Note: you can read another original article on TarotL's history here.
TarotL was born around the Spring of 1996. It was a small attempt to create a space for Tarot discussion away from the chaotic waters of the alt.tarot newsgroup (which was almost the only place on the Internet dedicated to Tarot back then). It began as an informal mailing list... coordinated using every member's personal email program (i.e. everyone CC'ed each message to all members).
As the group grew, it became apparent that a more formal approach was needed (coordination of new memberships and removals was unmanageable), so a listserv-type service was sought and set up. Unfortunately, this first attempt was unsuccessful, and a new server was sought and found.
Thanks to Barak Moshe from techunix.technion.ac.il, the group found a new and more durable home. Complete control was possible in this new listserv, and the list grew and became a leading voice on the Internet Tarot community. To many of the elder members of our group, this period is like a golden age, where many of the foundations of today TarotL's strengths were laid out.
By early 2000, though, TarotL had grown beyond the possibilities of the techunix server. With an intense message traffic, and a constantly growing membership, the list was moved to one of the new providers of "group" functionality on the web. This was OneList, who would shortly be acquired by eGroups, later to become part of the Yahoo! empire as Yahoo Groups.
In this period, our group gained most of it's scholarly nature, and matured into a more public space, open to all inhabitants of the Internet. By now, we were not alone. Other groups like Comparative Tarot and All Things Tarot grew and became popular, as the web itself became a part of the daily lives of many around the world.
Today, nine years after, we are proud to continue to use, discuss, research and develop the Tarot on our "home on the Internet".
You are welcome to join us and participate. To do so, visit our Yahoo space at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TarotL/ or use the form below.
Thank you!
Last update: Feb. 27, 2005