I’ve been keeping a tarot journal for about two years now. Before writing each entry, I trace the card’s image with my finger. Picked this up from a Zen practice that helps with focus.
My entries include the date, moon phase, how I’m feeling before pulling, and the question I asked. Then I sketch each card instead of just writing the name. After sketching, I jot down three words that pop into my head, note any physical sensations (tension, warmth, whatever), and write my interpretation, mixing traditional meanings with gut feelings.
I track whether cards were drawn, pulled, or flew out, plus their orientation and position in the spread. Different colored pens for different readings - blue for daily pulls, purple for full moon spreads, green for growth/healing stuff.
Sometimes I paste in dried herbs or flowers that match the reading’s energy. Kind of turns it into part journal, part grimoire. End of each month I check for patterns and note which cards showed up most.
My format goes: Date, Deck, Spread, Question, Card | Orientation | drawn/pulled/dropped, My impression, Card keywords, Final interpretation, Extra notes.
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Spoiler, I lose both just as often. If you’re going to start journaling for the first time (and I do think everyone should), then you can get Tarot journaling books that were made to make it easy.
You can always make this kind of thing yourself but I don’t think there’s really any kind of “magic system” to journaling. Having any kind of structure just makes it easy and automatic for you to use without having to work at it too much.
Does anyone cleanse their tarot journals? I smoke mine with cedar on new moons cause they seem to absorb a lot of energy over time. I’ve been experimenting with putting black tourmaline between sections, too. Not sure if it helps but figured it can’t hurt
Joseph Campbell once wrote, ‘The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.’
I love Japanese tarot journaling. It incorporates Shinto elements into their work and write on sacred rice paper, merging their cultural traditions with their spiritual experience.
That’s a nice system. I started doing something similar with a binder after getting annoyed at having deck meanings scattered everywhere. Mine has dividers for each suit plus the majors. I keep adding pages with interpretations from different sources ) standard Rider-Waite meanings, notes on the unique symbolism in my Italian decks from the 70s, whatever I find useful.
The leather-tooled cover is a good idea. Been wanting to do something special for my antique Marseille deck.
I keep the card meanings at the front of my journal, upright and reversed interpretations written by hand. The inside cover has my notes on numerology and how it works with the four suits.
My reading process is pretty straightforward:
Date and time, the question, which cards appeared and their positions in the spread
Possible meanings for each placement.
Then I write out how I think everything ties together.
If I’m doing a Celtic Cross or working with just the Major Arcana, I note that too.
The whole reading usually fills a page, front and back. I use a medium-sized journal, big enough to write comfortably but small enough to carry around.
If you’re starting with tarot journaling, give yourself some time. I took about six months to find a method that worked for me, and then I spent another year perfecting it. Developing a system isn’t quick.
I love that you’re into tracking moon phases as well! Some people don’t believe the moon’s cycle impacts readings, but I’ve found my most accurate interpretations usually happen during the full moon.
The cards just seem to be more expressive. I began tracking this after realizing some readings had a different energy, and now I arrange my bigger spreads around the lunar highs.
Lots of us still draw our cards by hand (I do it too), but digital journaling apps are getting popular. The main advantage seems to be how easy it is to look back at past readings and see connections. If you’re tech-savvy it might be worth trying. I’m still experimenting with both methods myself.
My journaling is such a mess these days lol. Used to spend forever making these pretty spreads but now I just write whatever comes to mind. Funny thing is, the readings make more sense when I’m not trying to make everything look perfect for photos.
When I first started, I did one card daily. Date at the top, draw the card, write down everything, the colors, symbols, what feelings came up, my gut interpretation.
Then I’d look up the traditional meaning and jot that down too.
I got into pairing cards with herbal teas based on their vibe. Chamomile for The Star, peppermint for The Magician, that kind of thing. Made a chart in front listing all 78 cards and which tea went with each. If I pull a repeat card, I skip the full description but still explore what it means for my current situation. Sometimes I switch up the tea pairing to get a different angle on it.
Now with bigger spreads, I keep the same basic system. Date first, then a numbered diagram of card positions. List each spot with its meaning and the card I drew. Note which tea I’m having during the reading. Then I write how the cards relate to each other and any other thoughts that come up. I press dried herbs between pages sometimes as bookmarks for readings that feel major.
I keep it simple - phone notes app or an old notepad.
Date, cards, basic interpretation if I’m feeling motivated. Only use RWS. Tried some oracle decks but meh. Don’t get me started on people who have spreadsheets and color-coded journals for their readings.
Got this weird habit where I knock on my journal three times before I open it. Like I’m asking if I can come in or something.
Also started painting watercolor backgrounds on the pages (pastels for spring entries, deep oranges and burgundy for autumn. When I flip through old entrie,s the colors show how the seasons changed. Probably spending too much time on it but whatever.
One thing I did early on was make a simple index at the front of my journal - card names and dates I pulled them.
You start noticing patterns fast this way. I’d be like ‘wait, I got the Three of Cups again?’ and then check back to see I’d pulled it multiple times before. Helps you remember what it meant in different contexts.
I totally respect the minimalist approach! Sometimes the most profound insights come when we’re not overthinking the process. What’s interesting is that I’ve found my shadow work revelations often emerge precisely in those quick, unfiltered phone notes - there’s something about not having time to prettify or organize that lets the raw truth come through.
But people who gravitate toward elaborate journaling systems are sometimes working through different aspects of their shadow. The need for control, order, or beauty in their journals can reveal just as much as the cards themselves. Both approaches serve their purpose.
If you’re going to start journaling for the first time (and I do think everyone should), then you can get Tarot journaling books that were made to make it easy.
