Where do you go for hippie/spiritual discussion?

November 1, 2021 11:49 AM

If you're a pagan/hippie/spiritual person, where do you hang out online that isn't social media to discuss topics?

I am trying to figure out where's a good online location (NOT Facebook or anywhere social media-y) to discuss hippie/spiritual issues and situations, like "weird things that happened to me that I can't explain." I don't think Ask Metafilter is a great place for hippie stuff, unfortunately, since most of the audience isn't woo-y. I had something weird and unusual happen to me a few weeks ago and I'm just trying to figure out who I can talk to about that that would have good insight. If anyone knows of any good discussion boards that are still active and the population is fairly reasonable, I'd love to hear of them.

posted by jenfullmoon to Religion & Philosophy (11 answers total)

I've been part of the astrology and magic communities for a number of years now, and unfortunately, a great many independent discussion boards died with the advent of Facebook, which provides a significantly inferior experience. I hope someone else will have other suggestions, but as someone involved in the community, I'm not aware of any public-facing discussions options that are not social media, so if you don't get many suggestions, it's not that people are hiding the answers from you. I'll watch the answers with interest, for sure.
posted by Atrahasis at 12:10 PM on November 1, 2021

I think it depends on the experience - meditation is Dharma overground but their interface is so ehhhhhh…. And there is a zoom discussion group for Loch Kelly / expansive oneness experiences. I found my groups on FB (sorry) and from there met my smaller groups where we have regular zoom chats. There are also interpersonal integration coaches you can talk to to integrate interesting experiences including plant-based journeys. Try your local hippie store and ask around? You can also message me if that helps! I skew Buddhist. Good luck.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:24 PM on November 1, 2021

I'm not religious, but I like visiting abbeys or dharma centers. I would try to find a good group of social circles with astrology or tarot readers.

Honestly, I would never share my interests online (but you can! caution advised) People don't understand it's possible to hold mostly scientific or materialist viewpoints, but still enjoy the social aspect or narrative of alternate views (and actually be willing to give attention or money) There are also dicks preying on the attention (or dollar) of others, aside the psych or social value of playing with tarot.
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:17 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

Private servers on Discord - start in the public ones and get invites to better, more curated groups
posted by lloquat at 2:31 PM on November 1, 2021 [7 favorites]

Definitely not Ask Metafilter.

It's hard to advise without knowing what your specific experience was but...

This place is quite good as the topics discussed are quite broad:

https://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/

I recommend trying Reddit too:

https://www.reddit.com/r/spirituality/

https://www.reddit.com/r/occult/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Psychic/

Pagan (not really for discussing experiences but more a cosy safe space):

https://www.reddit.com/r/WitchesVsPatriarchy/
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 4:07 PM on November 1, 2021 [2 favorites]

Previously :)
posted by heatherlogan at 5:51 PM on November 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

I hang out on (and am staff these days) on The Cauldron, which has been around for 20+ years. (Wide range of paths and perspectives, a culture focused more on discussion than fellowship/support, but that happens too.) There's also a Discord. The page that link takes you to should give you a decent sense of the range and focus. (Like most old-school forums, it's a lot quieter than it used to be, but there's a steady trickle of discussion.)

Other than that, a number of groups are somewhat more private, either on Facebook or Mighty Network, some on Discord. Some of them are "have you done stuff with the person who runs it" (newsletter, course, bought their stuff. backed on Patreon) but some of the resulting communities are really good conversations, it turns out, if you aim for the people whose stuff you find really useful.

(If you want to PM me with more of what you're looking for, I might have more specific suggestions: there are a couple of possibilites I don't know if they'd be a fit, and while they're open to new, I don't know how much they want to be advertised on the open Net. Same goes for anyone reading this looking for spaces.)
posted by jenettsilver at 8:05 PM on November 1, 2021 [3 favorites]

I wanted to add, if you know what the acronym BTW means, and are potentially interested in a BTW seekers & initiates Discord, PM me and I'll send you a link. The discussion there is quite good.
posted by heatherlogan at 8:19 PM on November 1, 2021

I agree with jenettsilver.
posted by slidell at 1:56 AM on November 2, 2021

If you lean atheist or agnostic the Atheopagan Discord server is a great option. Please feel free to DM me for a link.

Most folks there would be more than willing to chat about unidentified things that go bump in the night, me included.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 3:29 PM on November 2, 2021

Totally agree that MetaFilter is not a friendly venue for this kind of discussion as I've learned the hard way.

I know you're trying to avoid social media, but I really like the vibe at https://www.reddit.com/r/SASSWitches/

SASS = "Skeptical, Agnostic, Atheist, and generally Science-Seeking". It's a nice balance of "yup there's mysterious and unexplainable phenomena in the world, but also if you're feeling inexplicably weird at home make sure to check your carbon monoxide detector too."
posted by mostly vowels at 5:46 PM on November 5, 2021