Tarot journaling has become a popular method for personal growth and self-discovery. I find it to be an eye opening activity, where I use tarot cards to reflect on different parts of my life. The tarot decks show the hidden parts of my experiences and emotions. This reflection leads to personal transformation, as I become more aware of who I am and what I want to become. It doesn't mean journaling needs to be boring, though. Here are the things I have in my Tarot journaling toolkit.
In my tarot journaling practice, I often start with a question or a theme I'm thinking about. As I shuffle the tarot cards, I focus on my question, following my subconscious to other questions I might have. Once the cards are laid out, I lookat the pictures and symbols. I write about each thought and feeling for each card. Then I write these things down to help get more clarity for each question.
For me, the way I get the best results is reading my cards and writing them down consistently. This way, I get to go back and look at all the progress I have made on specific things. When it's hard to do a full reading, just pulling one card will help you on your journey.
Setting the Foundation – Your Daily Tarot Journaling Toolkit
In my journey with daily tarot journaling, I’ve found some of my favorite things to journal with. Even when I am doing serious work in my journal, I still like it to look pretty.
First Thing to Include: Your Tarot Deck
My tarot deck is obviously the first thing you need in your tarot journaling toolkit. The deck has 78 cards, each with its own imagery, symbolism, and story. The suits in the deck – Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles – are a clue to what the cards mean. For example, Cups indicate emotions and creativity. Having a deck I connect with deeply makes my readings more intuitive. My favorite deck is the DruidCraft tarot deck. This also helps my journal writing to be more reflective of my personal journey.
Tarot Journaling Essentials: A Dedicated Journal
I use a dedicated journal for my tarot journaling. It's where I write my thoughts and interpretations from each reading. A sturdy notebook or even a digital tarot journaling app work well. I love to use journals from Archer & Olive. The paper is so thick, nothing bleeds through to the other side of the page. I also use my favorite pens, the Papermate Inkjoy gel pens. There are tons of colors to choose from. To start with, I write the date, the tarot spread used, the cards drawn, and my interpretations. Organizing my thoughts this way makes it easier to look back and reflect on my tarot journey.
A Collection of Tarot Books and Guide Books
I have a bunch of Tarot books and guidebooks I reference from time to time. Sometimes when I am not sure what a card is trying to say, I pull out a book and try to figure out the meaning that way. Plus, the books always have a little bit of a different slant to them, so I continue to learn about the cards. If you are a beginner, it's okay to use the guidebooks. Once you have gotten comfortable with your deck, try not to rely on the books too much. You want to practice using your intuition as much as possible. This is where you will make the most growth as a tarot reader.
The Heart of Your Practice – Daily Tarot Draw and Reflection
Adding a daily tarot draw into my routine helps me connect with my intuition. I use this practice to get to know myself better as well as to to set my intentions for the day.
Starting with a Daily Tarot Draw
Every morning, I begin by focusing my thoughts and shuffling my tarot cards. I ask a simple question like “What should I be aware of today?” Then, I draw one card. This daily tarot card offers insight into what themes I might run into that day. It's always good to get a heads up about my daily life.
Reflection Questions and Inspiring Affirmations
After drawing my tarot card, I reflect on it by thinking about different questions. I think about what the symbols on the card might be telling me and how the themes could relate to what's happening in my life. I also create an affirmation related to the card to help me during the day.
Questions to ask myself:
- What does this symbol suggest? For example, how does the infinity symbol on the Magician card fit into my day?
- How does this theme relate to my life right now?
- Affirmation: What is something positive I could say to myself during the day?
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Recording Card Meanings and Personal Interpretations
In my tarot journal, I write down the card's meaning and my personal interpretation of the card. This helps me connect to my intuition. This is where I also write down if a card has shown up repeatedly in my readings. When that happens, it's a clue to really pay attention to the message of that card. I take into consideration the card's traditional meaning but also pay attention to my instincts and feelings about it.
- What to include in your Journal Entries:
- Card Meaning: Traditional Interpretation
- Personal Insight: My Intuitive Understanding
Joining my Facebook group is another resource to learn more about tarot and manifesting.
Enhancing Your Tarot Journaling Experience
Once you have gotten into the routine of reading cards, there are some other things you can add to your practice. These are other ways to add to your tarot journaling toolkit.
Exploring Tarot Spreads
I love using with tarot spreads to see which patterns get me the best reading. Here's a basic comparison to help you choose:
- One-Card Draw: For a quick insight.
- Three-Card Spread: Past, present, and future. This will give you a little more insight into your question.
- Celtic Cross: A detailed ten-card spread for complex insights. This takes a while because there is so much involved. If you decide to try the Celtic Cross, make sure you give yourself at least an hour to go through it all. I usually spend a little longer than that.
Using different spreads helps keep things interesting in your journaling practice. You can be more creative and it allows you to see things from different angles.
Quick review of the Major and Minor Arcana
As a Tarot reader, probably one of the first things you learned about your Tarot deck is there is a Major and a Minor arcana. In case you haven't, now you know!
- Major Arcana: These 22 cards symbolize the major themes and lessons in life.
- Minor Arcana: The 56 cards reflect day-to-day events. Each suit—Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands—connects to a different aspect of life.
Personal Practice and Professional Insights
My tarot journal isn't just a record of readings—it's a space where my personal experience intersects with collective wisdom from the tarot community. I often include:
- Meditation: Before starting a reading, a brief meditation helps me clear my mind.
- Emotions: I jot down how each reading makes me feel because that is how I process everything. By writing about the feelings I am having,
- Tarot Community: Interacting with others in the tarot community through forums or local groups provides new insights and deepens my understanding.
Joining my Facebook group is another resource to learn more about tarot and manifesting.
Expanding Your Tarot Journaling Toolkit
One of the most fun things I do in my Tarot practice is buy new decks. I do have a fair amount, but I know people who own way more than I do. Some of them I have used, and some who are still waiting patiently for me to get to them.
Using Different Decks for Variety
When I started with tarot, I discovered that using different tarot decks added a different layer to my readings. Each tarot deck has its own personality, with art that brings different aspects of the cards to life. For instance, one deck might show the suit of cups in a romantic way, with lots of emotion, while another deck will have a darker way about them.
Comparisons of Two Popular Decks:
| Rider-Waite Tarot Deck | Thoth Tarot Deck |
|---|---|
| Clear, straightforward imagery | Dense with esoteric symbols |
| Ideal for beginners to understand basic tarot meanings | Better suited for advanced tarot study |
| Focus on traditional interpretations of tarot cards | Incorporates astrology and kabbalah elements |
By making notes in my tarot journal about how each tarot deck makes me feel or what I've learned, learn more about the different nuances of each card meaning. Sometimes I stray away from my favorite deck to try something different, trying to spice up my Tarot life, 😉
Incorporating Other Divination Practices
Beyond tarot cards, I use astrology to understand how the planets might influence the energy around a tarot reading. The connection between astrology and Tarot is fascinating to me. Each tarot card has a corresponding planet or a numerology connection. They're all so interconnected.
Divination Extras in My Bullet Journal:
- Astrological Correspondences: Jotting down which tarot cards are linked to which astrological signs or planets.
- Numerology: Keeping track of the numerological significance of tarot cards and how numbers in the reading provide additional meanings.
Adding Astrology and Numerology to my practice gives me a more rounded meaning. I am able to notice patterns and connections more quickly.I find that these practices not only add depth to my tarot readings but also allow me to see patterns and connections I might have missed.
Reflecting on Your Journey – From Daily Prompt to Personal Growth
Next we are going to look at reflecting on our journey using our journal as a guide.
Reviewing Your Progress
When I review my tarot journal, I start by looking for patterns and themes that I notice from my daily prompts. I find it's so important to notice how I react to the cards and reading and what kind of growth I have made. Or perhaps it's something I am noticing at that moment. Now I have time to look at what I can work on next.
Progress tracking table:
| Date | Card Drawn | Mood | Insight Gained | Personal Growth Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/23/2024 | The Fool | Hopeful | Embracing new beginnings | Learned to trust my journey |
| … | … | … | … | … |
A table like this can easily show growth over time without looking through every journal entry. Spreadsheets and data are my love language. It just takes a couple of extra minutes to record something like this, but it will be so helpful to you after you have it filled out for a few weeks. I also like this table for goal setting and tracking progress.
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