Tarot Journaling: Recording and Reflecting on Your Readings

What is Tarot Journalling?

Tarot Journalling is the art of recording your Tarot spreads and practices. Tarot Journalling is useful for developing your skills and knowledge as a Tarot practitioner, as well as for self-development purposes such as recognising patterns of thoughts/behaviour.

Tarot Journalling can be as simple as recording a small 1 card spread that you do daily or it can be as complicated as setting up your sacred space, cleansing the cards, lighting candles etc. The most important thing to remember when you are recording and learning Tarot is to make the process as enjoyable, pain free and simple as possible. This way you will want to repeat the process and you will actually do the work. If you make it too complicated, you will quit before you have even started.

What do you need before you start Tarot Journalling?

Before you even consider Tarot Journalling there are a few things you will need to do

1. Choose your Tarot deck: If you are a beginner, this is an important step. Firstly, you want a deck that is easy to read and which has many resources for interpreting the cards. Secondly, you want a deck that resonates with you. If you would like info on the best beginner Tarot decks, check out this blog post.
2. Choose your journal format: this can be a physical Tarot Journal such as
   
   a notebook, a specially designed Tarot and Oracle Journal like this one, a digital journal such as a word document etc. This step is important as it will allow you to easily record your Tarot journey in a way that resonates with you.
3. Choose your Tarot Spread: certain journals will have suggestions for spreads, however you can choose any spread that resonates with you and your question. Ensure that your Tarot Journal contains pages that are blank where you can draw your own spreads, or has the spreads laid out in them for easy visual recording.

So, how do you record your Tarot sessions:

Here are the steps:

1. Select your Tarot spread: this will depend upon personal preferences and the question.
2. Shuffle and deal your cards: lay them out in your desired spread format.
3. Document the details of the spread: write down the date, time, location, and any significant circumstances surrounding the reading i.e., are you reading for yourself or someone else.
4. Transcribe the cards: Write down the cards drawn and their positions in
   
   the spread- many journals will have a section where you can draw the cards in the layout that you have chosen for easy visual reference.
5. Analyse the spread: Glance over the entire spread and analyse and interpret the cards and their positions in relation to your question.
6. Record your initial impressions: after looking over the spread and analysing it in your own mind, record your initial impressions of the cards. Do this prior to consulting the guidebook/Tarot meanings book.
7. Record your answer: write down your interpretations in your journal, including any feelings/images or sensory information that may come about as a result of the reading. What is the overall answer given by the cards?

Remember, learning Tarot helps to open you up to receiving messages from spirit world, therefore some of the information coming your way may not make sense at the time, but may prove to be valuable information later on. This is one of the reasons you should record your sessions, so that you can look back on them at a later date.

A Tarot Journal can also be a powerful tool of self -discovery, enabling you to see patterns emerging in your own life. You may see the same cards popping up in relation to certain questions. This indicates a strong message about this area of your life. You may even notice that you tend to ask the same questions all the time, which could also be an indication of something you need to sort out. It may be something that is causing you a lot of stress and therefore you may be able to recognise that it is a problem and be able to make changes to stop it from interfering in your life and taking up valuable space in your brain! 

Key considerations with Tarot Journalling

As with all practices, there are some important considerations to take into account prior to journalling.

1. Privacy is key- as with all journalling, your Tarot Journal may contain private information. This information may be personal or may be in regard to someone else. If it is personal, make sure you keep your journal in a safe space so that your thoughts remain your own. If the Tarot spread is performed for another, firstly make sure that you have their permission to record the session and do not share their information without their consent. What may seem like sharing to you may be seen as a violation of trust by them.
2. Consistency is key. In the busy world that we live in, it can be difficult to find the time needed to sit down and write- journalling has become somewhat of a leisure activity. So how do you remain consistent? Keep it simple. If you want to maintain consistency, make sure you are not making your journalling too complicated. Try only doing simple spreads at the start- 1 and 3 card spreads, twice per week. Then as you build up a rapport with your Tarot deck and you find journalling is becoming easier, start to either incorporate more days or more difficult spreads. In this way, your Tarot journey will remain sustainable and will not feel as though it is a chore that is taking over your life!

Let us know if you have tried Tarot Journalling. Do you like it? Do you use any particular deck/journal? We'd love to hear your experiences!

If you are looking for Tarot & Oracle card journals, check them out here.

If you are looking for journals, you will find them here.

If you are looking for Tarot & Oracle cards, check them out here.