A Tarot Journal is a personal journal that contains your own notes about each Tarot card, readings you may have done, and spreads you have used or created yourself. It is basically a personal collection of all things Tarot which helps you to study and develop your Tarot skills.The benefits of such a journal are enormous. Not only are you learning from texts and other standard resources throughout the course of your Tarot study and journal writing, but you are also applying your own personal experience to the study of Tarot. Relating your own experience to the Tarot increases your ability to develop the breadth and depth of understanding the Tarot. This is priceless since the Tarot is a very personal tool that taps into our conscious and subconscious. A true understanding of the Tarot cards will not stem from simply reading numerous texts, rather it will stem from gut instincts and personal intuition.
Not only will a Tarot Journal help your ability to read the Tarot, but it will also aid in your spiritual development. Each card holds a personal message that can be used for daily meditation. Each card can be seen as vital on any given day and can truly help us in finding out who we are and what our purpose is. In fact, understanding the Tarot can inspire us and take us to new levels if we allow it.
Of course, you will need to begin buy purchasing a Tarot Journal. It is up to you as to whether you opt for a cheap notebook, or an elaborate expensive journal. There are a number of people selling some beautiful designs on the Internet and in New Age shops, or might even like to make your own. Find whatever suits you and whatever you have time for.In addition to your journal, you may wish to buy a small notebook to carry around with you, should you have any sudden Tarot insights. It can be terribly frustrating when you have a wonderful idea at the bus station or wherever, and by the time you have gotten home, you have forgotten it!
You might also want to purchase a special pen for your journal. Be sure it is one that won't fade over the years, as it would be terrible to lose all that important information!
As mentioned previously, you can use your Tarot Journal for the Tarot cards, readings you have done, or spreads you have used or created.When you write about the Tarot cards, there are a number of ways you can do it. You may like to draw a card each morning, reflect on it throughout the day, and write an entry on it during the evening. It doesn't have to be a new card every day - it could be each three days, each week, etc. Alternatively, you may wish to look at each card in order. For example, begin with the first card of the Major Arcana and move through until you reach the end. It is completely up to you, depending on your tastes and time available.
There are a number of aspects you can write upon when looking at the cards. Here are just a few:
- Your first impression of the card - how you feel when you see it, which images stand out to you.
- A detailed description of the characters, symbols, and landscape. Perhaps there are a number of important aspects of the card that you missed in your first glance. How do these change your view of the card?
- Specific details of the card such as corresponding astrological sign, Major or Minor Arcana, suit, numerological significance, and related element.
- A collection of interpretations and keywords from books you have read in the past.
- An experience or a person you know who reminds you of the card you are studying.
Throughout your day or your time spent studying that card, try to relate a number of different situations to the card you are studying. You may even want to try being the card. For example, you may be studying the Six of Pentacles. Perhaps you can donate money to charity or help a needy friend. Write down how this made you feel afterwards and if you noticed anything you would not normally associate with the activity.
Some other ideas for actually 'being' the card is to write a letter to the character in the card, try a visualisation where you walk into the card, or write down some affirmations that may stem from the card selected.
If you are recording a reading you have done, be sure to write down the positions used in the spread and which card you drew. If you own a number of decks, don't forget to write down the deck you used. Recording a reading will help you reflect later on the reading. It can be especially useful to look at it a couple of months later and see where you went right and where you went wrong. Think about how you would re-interpret the cards to better suit the situation. Perhaps you will want to use this renewed interpretation in your next readings. In the shorter-term, looking over the reading after just a couple of days may help you attain some extra insight that you hadn't thought of at the time.
If you are writing about new spreads you have created, you may want to write about what influenced you when you arrived a this spread. You may also want to adapt and re-work previous spreads you have created.
It is best to keep regular entries in your journal in order to maintain your interest and your studies. Of course, this is dependent on your time available and the strength of your interest in Tarot. Every day may be ideal for one person, while every week may be ideal for another.Don't wait for the 'perfect' place to write your journal. As mentioned earlier, carry around a small notebook so you can write whenever an idea enters your head. If you are constantly waiting for the perfect time to write, you may be waiting quite a while and a lot of ideas will be missed!!
Anyone! Beginners through to advanced Tarot readers can gain huge benefit from a Tarot Journal. For beginners, it is an excellent tool to begin grasping the basic meanings of the Tarot. For more advanced readers, the Journal can open new doors and perspectives that the reader may have never been aware of. There is always something new to learn in the Tarot!