How to use a Tarot Journal

Keeping a Journal of your tarot readings is an invaluable practice that enhances your skills, deepens your connection with the cards, and provides a rich resource for self-reflection over time. Here’s a detailed guide on how and why to record your tarot readings.

Why Record Your Tarot Readings?

• Skill Development: As you continue to practice tarot reading, your interpretations and intuition will evolve. By recording your readings, you can look back and see how your understanding of the cards has deepened, and how your reading style has matured over time.

• Recurrent Cards: Some cards may appear frequently in your readings, indicating recurring themes or messages. Recording your readings helps you spot these patterns, providing insights into ongoing situations in your life or persistent energies that you need to address.
• Life Patterns: Over time, you may notice patterns in how the readings correlate with actual events in your life, offering a greater understanding of how the cards reflect your journey.

Reflect and Revisit:

• Reinterpretation: A reading that didn’t make sense at the time may become clearer with hindsight. By revisiting past readings, you can reinterpret the cards with the knowledge you’ve gained since the original reading, offering new insights or confirmation of the cards' messages.
• Personal Growth: Reviewing old readings allows you to reflect on your personal growth, seeing how far you’ve come and what lessons you’ve learned.

• Developing Intuition: Writing down your initial thoughts and feelings about a card, even if they deviate from traditional meanings, helps strengthen your intuition. Over time, this practice will make you a more confident and intuitive reader.

How to Record Your Tarot Readings

• Physical Journal: A dedicated notebook or journal is a traditional and tactile way to record your readings. This allows you to personalize your journal with drawings, stickers, or even pressed flowers, making it a creative outlet as well.
• Digital Journal: If you prefer typing, consider using a digital platform like a Word document, Google Docs, or a specialized app like Evernote. Digital journals offer the advantage of easy searching, editing, and adding images or links.

• Date and Time: Start by noting the date and time of the reading. This helps in identifying patterns over specific periods and understanding how astrological events or phases of the moon may have influenced the reading.
• Question or Intent: Clearly state the question you asked or the intention behind the reading. This provides context for the cards drawn and helps you stay focused on the reading’s purpose.
• Cards Pulled: Write down the names of the cards in the order they were drawn. If you’re using a spread, note the position of each card and what that position represents (e.g., past, present, future).
• Initial Impressions: Before consulting any guidebooks, jot down your first thoughts and feelings about each card. What imagery stands out? How do you feel when you see the card? This practice sharpens your intuition.
• Card Meanings: After recording your initial impressions, you can refer to a tarot guidebook or your own notes to add more detailed meanings of the cards.
• Overall Interpretation: Summarize the reading as a whole. How do the cards interact with each other? What story do they tell? What advice or insight do you take from the reading?
• Outcome or Follow-Up: If applicable, make a note of how the reading played out in real life. Did the prediction come true? Did you take the advice given, and what was the result? You can also add follow-up readings to the same entry to see how a situation has progressed.

• Creative Touches: Add sketches of the cards, symbols, or even doodles that relate to the reading. This not only makes your journal more personal but can also help you remember specific readings more vividly.
• Affirmations or Mantras: If the reading suggests a course of action or a mindset shift, write down an affirmation or mantra that aligns with the advice. This can serve as a reminder of the reading’s guidance.
• Photos: If you’re using a digital journal, consider photographing the spread and including the image in your entry. This visual reference can be helpful when revisiting the reading.

• Monthly or Quarterly Reviews: Set aside time to review your journal regularly. This practice can reveal patterns, track your progress, and give you a broader perspective on your spiritual journey.

Conclusion

Recording your tarot readings is more than just a way to keep track of your practice; it’s a powerful tool for self-discovery and spiritual growth. Whether you prefer a handwritten journal or a digital log, the key is consistency and reflection. Over time, your tarot journal will become a cherished record of your journey with the cards, offering insights and wisdom long after the reading is complete.