how do people organise their journals

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Dec 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

shadowdancer	16 Dec 2004
Sorry if this has been answered before but I have not read through as many posts as I could as yet. I was curious as to what people include, and how they they are arranged. I have an arch lever folder with 240 sheets of heavily typed A4 paper enclosed! My sections are: My personal tarot creation (text only as I have no art skills but it is being looked at) Index of spreads I can use. (86 in total) The spreads in chronological order. The interpretation precis of each card. However I tend to use my own now I have done some work on my own creation. Print outs of readings I have done for an internet site including feedback from those who received the readings. My rune interpretations. (I also read rune stones) I am amazed at how large this has become, and is slowly growing. Do others use something similar? It would be lovely to see how we cherish our thoughts in this format. Davina

Majecot	16 Dec 2004
Organize? Your supposed to organize them?? Haha maybe thats why I can never find anything....lol Seriously, when I do journal, and I am probably the worlds worst journaler, I have separate books for decks that I study, and I have one that is for readings, that some how became a hodge podge of notes and ramblings. Sometimes I find loose pieces of paper with notes on my desk, or in my work bag. I am actually better at it on computer. But I really don't have the discipline for it.. maybe when I retire....

Scion	16 Dec 2004
Hmmm.. 26 separate Word docs on my computer for the cards (22 for Majors, and 4 for suits) for observations or recurring patterns. One MASSIVE file where I put in notes about individual spreads/readings. Since I'm always on my computer for writing anyway, it's my go-to tool. :) Scion

Sulis	16 Dec 2004
I'm afraid I don't organise my journal either. It's more like a diary really. I have spreads in the back (when I finish one journal I transfer the spreads I use most into my next one). I usually make spreads up to fit the question so I only have a few spreads in there. I just write my readings in it, my daily card draws and any thoughts I have about particular cards. No organisation though but then I'm not very organised :) Love Sulis xx

tatsi	16 Dec 2004
Majecot wrote: Organize? Your supposed to organize them?? Haha maybe thats why I can never find anything....lol Seriously, when I do journal, and I am probably the worlds worst journaler, I have separate books for decks that I study, and I have one that is for readings, that some how became a hodge podge of notes and ramblings. Sometimes I find loose pieces of paper with notes on my desk, or in my work bag. I am actually better at it on computer. But I really don't have the discipline for it.. maybe when I retire.... I'd have to second Majeoct. I wish my notes and stuff were half as organized as yours is shadowdancer (Davina). tatsi

ambermoon	16 Dec 2004
I'm not terribly structured, but I enjoy my journalling. I have a small bound journal, divided into three sections. The first section has a page for each card, where I paste pictures, draw, and write notes. The next section is a true melange of notes, diverse and sundry. Here is my list of decks, spreads, first readings with new decks, exercises from books of study groups, and notes on readings done for others. The final section is my personal readings, whether they are daily draws or more elaborate readings. I paste in copies of various cards into this section, just to relieve the tedium of my handwriting. Once this journal is full, I'll just start another one, probably a different size and style. I won't make an index, because the way I remember things is very visual, and I will recall the size of the page, the binding, and probably some of the colors or layout of the page, and can flip through to find it. It's interesting to see how different people approach their journals.

WolfyJames	16 Dec 2004
I took the time to keep all notes taken from websites and put them all in a word doc, one after the other, and printed it. It was the worst thing I could do. When I wanted to get informations on a card, I had to look at many different places to find them. I decided to use a notes application with a tree structure I found on the net and created an entry for each cards. I simply copied-pasted all in it at the right places. Now I have all the informations on one card at the same place. I often add more when I read interesting posts here. I plan at some point to reprint it more intelligently than the first time, with little tabs indicating each sections devoted to each cards, so I would just have to print the new pages in the section, like The Fool, instead of reprinting everything. I have done the same things with my runes's meanings, Petit LeNormand, my Book of Shadows, putting them in this software. I admit though I've never thought of doing the same thing with all the spreads I have, thanks for the idea, it will be easier to find particular spreads on certain subjects. I also have a small journal that came with the Tarot Nova, or should I say the Tarot Nova came with it. I plan to make a resume on each cards and put them all in it and to add my favorites spreads as well, so like that I could bring it with me more easily than the 8 1/2 X 11 big binder where I put the printed informations mentionned above.

Scion	16 Dec 2004
WolfyJames wrote: I decided to use a notes application with a tree structure I found on the net and created an entry for each cards. . Hey Wolfy, What software are you talking about here? I'm always looking to upgrade my schema... Scion

WolfyJames	16 Dec 2004
I've been using a french software. The problem is that it's impossible to put images in it. It's been a major suggestion on the creator's forum but the app hasn't been updated in two years. I didn't care at first but now there are many images I would like to put along many notes. I've been forced to search for another software. I found TreeDBNotes Free that is free, is really nice with tons of features and you can put as many images as you want along with the text. It's only in English though. There is also a paying pro version but I think the free version is just perfect. I will soon copy all my notes in that software and add all the images I wanted to see along them.

HANDMAIDEN MI	17 Dec 2004
I don't know what to say about the creative mind in recording the occult experiece. I have many hand written journals... about specific things.. being a writer.. I don't know anymore. I can hardly read my own writing damn it. I am making myself evolve... to this format.. so incredibly well defined, and I shall have the mans information before me in the previous thread!! I shall have it and grow and be and I am determined... as you should be.. to make sense of ourselves! Jeesh.... I have folders of Tarot readings that spoke some kind of perceptive truth when we lost all our money in the stock market.. the truth be told there! I had THE WRONG INTREPRETATIONS!!. Yikes!! Lose that kind of stuff and you really are the fool! I have documents!!! Before me in my scribbly hand written journals! What are we to do? Be perfect secretaries to ourselves or WHAT??????? O.K. I'm inspired and perfectly calm.... yes. My messy art and lost in folder Tarot Readings.... I promise my brethren, I promise... I shall do better! Ms. Ae

shadowdancer	17 Dec 2004
wow...sounds like some of us have loads of notes and information being kept. I do so agree with a comment made about how in time the cards make so much sense to us looking back - it was our interpretation that wasn't quite right. I may have come across as a paranoid control freak. (all typed, specific sections etc) but I am not...honest! :) My handwriting is awful. It would have taken forever to hand write everything, besides which all the net readings are typed straight onto the forum, so cut and paste was the easiest option. Besides which I can type at around 60 wpm. I think it has shown one thing though. The tarot is not just a divination tool but a passion and natural aspect of life for a lot of people. It is also how I see my crystals/gemstones. I had flu recently and it was natural for me to just pick up the required quartzes before getting to work on myself. I suspect tarot is also a natural part of life for those who have been 'friends' with it for so many years. Hope that made sense! Thanks for the replies though. It was good so see how we all go about doing the same task. Davina

SunChariot	17 Dec 2004
I find this question fascinating. I love to organize everything sI'm working on so it is easy to find later. I only read for myself as a means of inner learning and growth and I definitely do read over my old readings and I learn a lot for them. I have my Tarot readings in 1" binders. I am on my 4th now since I started in May/04. When I finish one I print up a sticker to stick to the outside saying which "Volume" it is and the date I started it and ended it. The first two pages are charts I have printed of the Majors divided into 2 and 3 groups...You know what I mean, so I can remember what comes below and is related to what. Then the index, which which I tend to write out by hand. It is numbered and contains the issue being looked at, the questions I asked, the date of the reading, the deck used, and any other relevant issues. I tend to put a sticker next to any very important readings that teach me life lessons that I feel I will need to remember forever. I type up my readings. Then I number the pages by hand, and I include the page each reading starts on in my journal to make it easier to look up. Like a real book. :-) I also add in the index anything that happened in my life at that time, that is Tarot-related, like getting a new deck. I note the date.... My journal contains more than readings, I have other relevant articles, such as an article on how to crochet a Tarot bag... As for the readings, I tend to organize them into parts. First I write out all the questions I asked and put in a diagram of any spreads I used (that I make in "Paint"). The next section of a reading is "Thoughts before starting". I add in what led me to do the reading, any thoughts or feelings I have before starting, what I expect to find...And as I am working the reading anything that happens in my real life that mirrors the cards I am getting. Any synchronicities, and horoscopes that say exactly the same thign as my reading, I add them in too. The next section is the actual reading(s). Usually, I ask more than one question. My readings are done in 3 secitons. First I write out my reactions to the card(s) what I feel it means, then section 2, I type in any relevant info from the book meanings. In the last seciton, I combine the two into the final answer. I have one more section after the reading section. I call it "Afterthoughts". It contains anything I learnt in that particular reading and additional info. E.g. for a reading lately that was on inner child work, I added in about 5 internet articles on learning to understand your inner child...On the current reading on the "masks" we wear, I added in some internet articles about masks, where they come from and what purpose they serve. Anything I think will help me learn the lesson of the reading goes in..LOL Poetry, artwork, images... anything that inspires me to feel what I need to learn the lesson of the reading. Now that you all know how obsessed I am, LOL, I will finish this letter and wish you all a very Happy Holidays!!! Bar

SunChariot	17 Dec 2004
shadowdancer wrote: wow...sounds like some of us have loads of notes and information being kept. I do so agree with a comment made about how in time the cards make so much sense to us looking back - it was our interpretation that wasn't quite right. I may have come across as a paranoid control freak. (all typed, specific sections etc) but I am not...honest! :) My handwriting is awful. It would have taken forever to hand write everything, besides which all the net readings are typed straight onto the forum, so cut and paste was the easiest option. Besides which I can type at around 60 wpm. I think it has shown one thing though. The tarot is not just a divination tool but a passion and natural aspect of life for a lot of people. It is also how I see my crystals/gemstones. I had flu recently and it was natural for me to just pick up the required quartzes before getting to work on myself. I suspect tarot is also a natural part of life for those who have been 'friends' with it for so many years. Hope that made sense! Thanks for the replies though. It was good so see how we all go about doing the same task. Davina Don't worry, if you are a paranoid control freak, I am worse. LOL Just joking. I feel a lot of what you said too, it is a passion. I am learning so so much from it, so much self-improvement going on (things I would never have even known I needed to learn before Tarot), I want to remember it all, and find it, and keep growing and becoming more enlightened. It's been such a joyous experience, I am always at it and I do reread my readings often and I learn so much from them. Another thing I agree on, LOL, my handwritting is impossible to read, even for me. That is why I type it all up. LOL Very true, I only started in May, but it feels totally natural to me. I guess that is my preferred method of understanding and solving problems now, and what has been most effective in my life in these areas. Again, Happy Holidays! Bar

Emily	18 Dec 2004
I'm terrible at journaling - I wish I could be more organised. I buy pretty notesbooks then never seem to have the time to get it all organised. Maybe I should make a New Year resolution to get all of my notes in some kind of order? I do have various notebooks with my daily readings and notes on cards but no particular order. The closest I have ever come was when I handwrote nearly a hundred spreads - some copied from here, some from other sites - it took me ages but I ended up with a very usable spread book. When I studied the I Ching the notebook I used for that was very disciplined - Yes I think my New Years Resolution is to get all my tarot notes in one place and to start and keep to a journal. :) (Wouldn't it be easier if you could buy specially made tarot journals lol :D )

Asher	18 Dec 2004
I have been studying the Tarot for 12 or so years and have _never_ kept a journal. Even though every book and teacher said it's the best way to learn. Not for me - I hate writing, I like reading & doing! So that's what I did: read voraciously and worked and played with the cards, and never wrote down a single word about them. I began attending a Tarot Circle 7 years ago, and did keep some written notes of spreads we worked with (usually, if there was a handout provided). Now that I have been gifted with the co-leadership of the circle (for nearly 2 years), the only things I have written (in my computer) are various spreads I have been collecting and creating over the years. I also have some ritual notes which I use at holiday time. My .02, Asher

bladeraven	18 Dec 2004
I carry a dayplanner and have been exploring ways I can utilize the dayplanner to carry copies of spreads to use as reference, tarot notes (journals) for when I do readings for myself or others, and tarot card meanings for quick references... Anyone have any ideas how I can go about this or done this themselves...would love to start a small "tarot dayplanner community" if needed so we can exchange forms...Lol I use the Franklin Covey dayplanner for everything...I'm a single mom, so if I didn't I would go crazy.

WolfSpirit	18 Dec 2004
When I started learning tarot seriously I took a loose-leaf binder to write down the card meanings. I started with meanings taken from my favourite tarot books and decks; comments from Aeclectic members; and when I became more confident, my own conclusions. As I can add leaves to every card, this is all organized. My journal, however, is more "free form". I note down what spread I used and what cards came up and my interpretation, long or short depending on my mood, but also other stuff that caught my interest. If I have something of particular interest, I highlight it to write it down later in a more organized journal that I want to keep as a reference book. And I also have a spreadsheet in Excel where I can keep track of what cards came up (interesting to see statistics over a period) but I must admit I have neglected it a bit lately...

dadsnook2000	18 Dec 2004
Wolfy, I downloaded TreeDBnotes and set up a basic journal structure. It looks great, and I'll adopt it over my written journal as it makes it easy to cut and paste infor'n. The only thing that is awkward is the pasting of photos into the pages -- there is no resizing tool so you thumbnail them or decrease their size. That can be done in any photo editor, so its not a big problem, just the one convenience feature that seems to be missing. I like it. Thanks for sharing. Dave.

WolfyJames	19 Dec 2004
dadsnook2000 wrote: Wolfy, I downloaded TreeDBnotes and set up a basic journal structure. It looks great, and I'll adopt it over my written journal as it makes it easy to cut and paste infor'n. The only thing that is awkward is the pasting of photos into the pages -- there is no resizing tool so you thumbnail them or decrease their size. That can be done in any photo editor, so its not a big problem, just the one convenience feature that seems to be missing. I like it. Thanks for sharing. Dave. I'm glad to have made your life a bit simplier and more practical. ;) I just finished tranferring all my informations on Petite LeNormand into it and it's really neat, with the scans of the decks I own in it. It's going to take more time with my tarot notes though.

The how do people organise their journals thread was originally posted on 16 Dec 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.