Keeping a Tarot Journal

[ScaryFairy]

Originally Posted by Winterchild

Oh I used to love Paperchase!! Still love my Moleskines too, but my homemade journals I love the best!!

I am getting Evernot on my laptop... now running Mountain Lion

If I won the lottery I would spend an absolute fortune in Paperchase!

[Winterchild]

Thanks so much for Evernote...it really does rock!!!! Gota get it on my phone and see the magic happen.. I keep forgetting...

[dawntarot]

I am a total journal junkie... Every new thing gets its own journal. It's quite ridiculous. For the first couple of years with tarot I was a bit sporadic, so there is my very first attempt at meanings, then a binder for my first forays into intuitive reading, then my first "proper" journal with sections for meanings, spreads, resources and readings...

Now I keep a journal for my daily draw, one for readings for others, and one for the book I'm working through just now. I also keep spreadsheets to be sure of a permanent record of my readings (synced to Dropbox), which also lets me compare how often each card pops up... This system is working well for me at the moment.

I absolutely adore moleskines. I love writing on them, their paper is beautiful, they're handmade, and I've used up so many of them by now that I've lost the bunny-in-headlights-it's-too-pretty feeling about them (which I get for more glamorous, decorated books). Moleskines can really take a beating and prices on eBay are competitive...

I still harbour dreams of having a giant, leather-bound, cotton-paper, journal of journals, Book of Shadows for tarot-style journal to be cherished and passed down for generations... But somehow I doubt my knowledge of tarot will ever be complete enough to do this.

Dawn

[Ze Monsta's Haus]

Do you mind if I ask how you set up your spreadsheets? I've tried a few things in Excel but they weren't very successful...

[Nimbus]

My tarot journal has evolved over time. It is now a collection of prose and poetry. There are also some spreads/readings I have done for myself at 'crossroad' moments of my life.

One of the best ways for me to learn the meanings of the cards, based on what I was seeing when looking at the card, was to write a poem, haiku, or sonnet to encapsulate its meaning. By following a particular structure of an Italian or English sonnet, for example, it caused me to be very mindful of the words chosen to represent the card meaning. Evoking the essence of the card included a great deal of time researching various card meanings by different authors, looking at published spreads which showed the card under study in relation to other cards, etc., and looking at different versions of the same card by different artists.

This sort of exercise overall would take a great deal of time which was valuable for me as a writer; and even more valuable as a tarot reader. It helped me gain an understanding of the meaning of the card and meant I did not have to rely on memorizing anything.

It would be safe to say that by studying the cards in this manner I would paint my own tarot card with words. The process has taken years and I feel I am still learning. May it always be so.

[dawntarot]

Originally Posted by Ze Monsta's Haus

Do you mind if I ask how you set up your spreadsheets? I've tried a few things in Excel but they weren't very successful...

Sure! At the moment I have three separate sheets: one for readings for others, one for my daily draws, and one for my "count". The first two are quite straightforward: the date, who it was for, the subject of the reading, what spread I used, and what card came out.

The count is a little more complicated. Every time I pull a card, it gets recorded under "Others", "Draws" or "SelfReads" (readings I did for myself, there aren't many of those ). So say I go to that sheet having pulled a High Priestess in my daily draw and the count there is 3, I change it to 4. Then there is a column for the total, which adds all of them together. I don't think I'm explaining this at all well... it looks like this:

{CARD NAME}{OTHERS}{DRAWS}{SELF}{TOTAL}
MAGICIAN...........3............1.............0... ......4......

(Not actual numbers, just an example.)

Then further along I've set the beast up so that it automatically totals the number of Majors, Minors, Courts, and each of the suits... I don't know why it appeals to me to know this, it just does

Oh and also the "constellations", the numerology method I use, so Ones, Twos, Threes, up to Nine. This includes Majors and Minors, but not Courts, which I don't count in numerology...

I think you are probably thoroughly confused now, I certainly am

Dawn

[dawntarot]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

My tarot journal has evolved over time. It is now a collection of prose and poetry. There are also some spreads/readings I have done for myself at 'crossroad' moments of my life.

One of the best ways for me to learn the meanings of the cards, based on what I was seeing when looking at the card, was to write a poem, haiku, or sonnet to encapsulate its meaning. By following a particular structure of an Italian or English sonnet, for example, it caused me to be very mindful of the words chosen to represent the card meaning. Evoking the essence of the card included a great deal of time researching various card meanings by different authors, looking at published spreads which showed the card under study in relation to other cards, etc., and looking at different versions of the same card by different artists.

This sort of exercise overall would take a great deal of time which was valuable for me as a writer; and even more valuable as a tarot reader. It helped me gain an understanding of the meaning of the card and meant I did not have to rely on memorizing anything.

It would be safe to say that by studying the cards in this manner I would paint my own tarot card with words. The process has taken years and I feel I am still learning. May it always be so.

*bows down in respect*

[Nimbus]

*Nimbus blushes*

How amazing it would be for all of us in this thread to meet each other in real life and share our various journals with each other... like a browsing through a used book store (there are hardly more magical places within four walls!).

I imagine each journal as unique, made from the heart. Such an experience would give all of us inspiration and an opportunity to share what we have made with those who know and understand where we are coming from.

For now, this virtual community will have to suffice... I will be re-reading this thread and putting into place some of the many great ideas found within.

[Winterchild]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

My tarot journal has evolved over time. It is now a collection of prose and poetry. There are also some spreads/readings I have done for myself at 'crossroad' moments of my life.

One of the best ways for me to learn the meanings of the cards, based on what I was seeing when looking at the card, was to write a poem, haiku, or sonnet to encapsulate its meaning. By following a particular structure of an Italian or English sonnet, for example, it caused me to be very mindful of the words chosen to represent the card meaning. Evoking the essence of the card included a great deal of time researching various card meanings by different authors, looking at published spreads which showed the card under study in relation to other cards, etc., and looking at different versions of the same card by different artists.

This sort of exercise overall would take a great deal of time which was valuable for me as a writer; and even more valuable as a tarot reader. It helped me gain an understanding of the meaning of the card and meant I did not have to rely on memorizing anything.

It would be safe to say that by studying the cards in this manner I would paint my own tarot card with words. The process has taken years and I feel I am still learning. May it always be so.

Nimbus.... I am so excited to meet another haiku writer.... I have been using haiku for years and am totally addicted...... would you be keen on a thread for this?

[Nimbus]

Winterchild, this sounds like a great idea...

Would love to read tarot haiku... far more challenging than one might first think!

Not sure where it would best fit, so will leave that up to you!