Keeping a Tarot Diary
A Tarot journal is a must-have for anyone diving into the Arcana. It's a great way to keep track of your learning, jot down insights, record your discoveries, see your progress, and spot patterns that pop up over time.
Keeping a Tarot journal is super important for Readers who want to keep improving their card skills. Jotting down notes regularly can really help you get better and more accurate over time.
Here’s what you might include in your Tarot journal:
Personal and client readings
Insights from your daily experiences
Favorite spread variations
Interpretations and outcomes of your readings
Details about your deck collections and their features
Why Keep a Tarot Diary?
A Tarot diary is super versatile and can be personalized to fit your needs as a Reader. Here’s why it’s great:
Track your progress by comparing your recent notes with older ones.
Spot recurring themes in your card interpretations, readings, and life events.
Create your own personal Tarot manual or grimoire that documents your journey and experiences.
Keeping a diary brings all these benefits together to help you grow with the cards, offering daily insights into your evolving Tarot practice.
Choosing Your Journal
When picking a journal for your Tarot practice, go for a desk diary, notebook, or pad that matches your size, weight, and style preferences. Think about practicality, looks, and quality so it's something you’ll enjoy using regularly. With tons of options out there, some Readers like muted tones to avoid distractions, while others find vibrant colours more inspiring. The best choice is what gets you motivated to write freely and consistently.
You might also consider typing your diary on a computer if you prefer digital organization, though pen and paper let you add drawings and sketches.
Ultimately, the best journal is one that suits your personality and supports your Tarot journey. As you fill up your journals over time, they become a personal collection that reflects your growth and experiences.
Synchronicities
As you dive deeper into your Tarot practice, you'll probably start noticing more synchronicities—those meaningful coincidences that seem to happen more often.
Many practitioners think these experiences boost psychic phenomena. While this might be different for everyone, documenting these occurrences is super important for a few reasons:
Synchronicity confirms and strengthens our chosen path.
Keeping records helps us recognize and trust our intuition.
Being aware of synchronicity enriches our lives by making us more attentive to meaningful connections and messages.
Writing in Your Diary
What you write in your Tarot diary is totally up to you—every Reader has their own style. Generally, it's helpful to keep your notes short and sweet so it doesn’t feel like a chore. Sometimes you might keep your comments brief, while other times you’ll want to dive deeper and elaborate on your thoughts.
When you first start your Tarot diary, you might find these techniques helpful:
Card of the Day
In the morning, draw one card and jot down your first impressions. In the evening, add notes on how the card's meaning showed up during your day.
For example:
Morning: I drew the Eight of Wands, which I think of as fast-paced and hectic. Maybe today someone will be pushing me to get things done quickly, or I’ll have a lot on my plate.
Evening: My boss asked me to finish a task in three hours that normally takes three days. I did it, but I wasn’t happy with the rushed result. Should I now link this card to doing things superficially?
Keeping a Record of a Reading
Always include the date and time of the reading, the cards drawn, their orientation, interpretation notes, and any other significant observations.
For example:
Reading for: Me
Date: 26/11/2021 Time: 23:55
Spread: The Key
Deck: 78 Doors
Cards: The Lovers (reversed); Six Pentacles; Ace of Swords (reversed); Jack of Swords (reversed); Nine of Cups (Reversed)
First Impressions: The absence of Wands suggests a reluctance to act. The many reversed cards reflect my feelings of being in a negative situation. I laughed when I saw the labyrinth on the Ace of Swords, because yesterday I told my colleague Alex I felt like a mouse looking for cheese in a maze.
Next, note the possible interpretation for each card, followed by a summary of the overall message from the spread. Later, you can revisit your diary to evaluate your interpretations and gain deeper insights.
One Page for Every Card
Some Readers dedicate a page in their diary to each Tarot card, gradually filling up 78 pages with notes, interpretations, and impressions over time. This helps in learning new decks and techniques, and in deepening intuitive interpretations.
For example:
Nine of Pentacles
24 June 2021: I never noticed the snail on the Nine of Pentacles before. It makes me think of "Slow and steady wins the race."
15 September 2021: The grapes ripen in September, reminding me of Autumn. This card feels like stillness but also memories of good times as we prepare for Winter. The grapes make me think of wine, which connects to the Nine of Cups.
With these techniques and the habit of writing daily entries, you'll see your progress quickly. Use this to stay inspired if your motivation wanes. Seeing how far you’ve come will keep you excited about continuing your Tarot journey.