Tarot Journaling

I am terrible at keeping journals. I've moved a lot so I am always losing them or getting separated from them for a long time. I just got a tarot journal back after not having it for over 5 years. So I've resigned myself to keeping a tarot blog. I really enjoy handwriting but a blog is the perfect solution for me.

I can type so much faster than write so I'm able to get thoughts out a lot faster and I can write a lot more. I can also organize my thoughts on a reading to make it easier to digest.

I can easily acess my blog if I'm on the go and want to look at something. Easier than carrying an extra book everywhere.

I can't lose a blog during a move and it's all safe and saved on the internet. Worst that can happen is I get hacked but that's why I do backups.

I can make posts private if I feel the need to but I'm an oversharer

It helps me organize readings exactly how I want them.

I can use it to connect with people. So I don't use it just to record personal readings but as a way of sharing tarot related thoughts with others.

Now I do have a neat little book I keep on my alter that I thought I might keep some tarot and related things in. So far I just have a couple spreads. Its probably going to be more like a witchy art project more than anything.

This sounds like a really good idea. I keep intending to do something like this and never do. So. Maybe this general post will light a fire under my ass.

(Sorry, I've been a lurker for a while, nothing since my age old introduction post. But, hey. Here now)

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I have to say that since this thread I've been using my evernote app a lot more and I am loving it.

For Tarot, I use a regular notebook I do daily draws sometimes and write a few basic meanings, and at the end of the day I write feedback. I also write down spreads and my personal experience with cards.
And for Lenormand, I use this forum I have my own journal and I find it easier to type everything up. I can update the posts anytime I want and I tend to write a lot. It takes much less time than keeping a notebook.

I love this thread! I hadn't even considered Evernote/One Note until now, and I just created my "Book of Shadows" notebook!

I plan on having multiple different mediums for saving my work with Tarot. It's a bit messier, BUT sometimes I feel like I NEED to write stuff down and other times, especially with a ton on information, it's more practical to note it digitally.

Also, at the moment, I am without a proper notebook to put my notes. I am picky about where I keep the information that is important to me, so I'm really waiting to get myself a nice leather journal with the Tree of Life on the cover before I begin taking notes by hand.

And I keep a blog. This does SO many good things for me. First, it makes me feel more accountable to study daily, read cards daily, and to post regularly. As I (hopefully) grow in readership, the accountability will only increase! Also, doing this forces me to synthesize complex information in a way that makes the post easier to read and understand. When I have trickier spreads or a daily draw that just isn't resonating with me, often I will have the big revelation in the middle of writing my blog post about it. I would honestly recommend everyone new to tarot try out this method, even if only writing for yourself and not sharing it with the world. Not that I'm an expert - I'm new myself - but I can't imagine trying to decipher spreads without the added need to condense information and "tell a story" on my blog.

So I guess those are my main methods as of now, but I suspect this OneNote journal will quickly become the Grimoire of my dreams!

I'm really enjoying this thread and all the different ideas, etc.

Right now I'm waffling between digital journals and paper ones, and I can't really settle on which format I like best.

I have a couple OneNote notebooks and I do save tarot and spiritual things in there. I LOVE that I can post the link to a Youtube vid and it will actually embed the video into my page! I also love being able to add images and links. I like the ability to pull up a reading at work if I have a new insight during the day.

I would really love to just make my whole journaling set-up be online....but I'm having a hard time getting over having a computer sitting on the table while I read tarot.

I know that if I'm referencing a spread, I prefer to have a book or paper in front of me, not a screen. Maybe I can start a reading with some paper for notes, and once I've sat with it a while, then pull out the computer and start writing it up.

I have lots and lots of notebooks and journals... with only a couple pages filled in... Never really stuck with it.

But I do have some notebooks that have stuck:

- my "Book of Shadows" notebook, 10+ years old. Normal squared notebook, some flowers on the cover, has all "magical" info I need - runes, Tree of Life correspondences, Tarot, Armanen Runes, different alphabets, sabbaths...

- my dream journal, 5+ years old, Edgar Allan poe-themed. Don't record dreams often, just when they are really significant

- tarot readings journal - a nice Paperblank book, where I record my readings (and thus, spreads). One reading per page. I have been thinking to print out some of the cards from the readings/colour copy them, to paste them on the pages.

- small journal to work with Sandra Kunz's Messenger Cards. I copied the images in a tiny format, pasted them on the pages and write about the cards.

It's interesting that so many people use Evernote - I agree it is a great tool! There are basically three parts to my "system".

I always have a hardbound journal that I tend to carry with me. It is not for any specific purpose, and is used for everything from grocery lists to scheduling to journaling. I have it out when I do a reading (for myself; I've never read for another person), and I record the cards there, as well as my thoughts on what they mean. This is natural, maybe even necessary, for me to do to figure things out. However, while I do keep old journals and I like to look back through them sometimes, their primary purpose is not really long-term storage of information.

I have also been adding pictures of readings to Google Keep (also where I keep my primary to-do list and random notes on many things, including tarot), along with the date and notes about it and the conclusions I came to. This is meant to be a long-term record of readings I do, but I'm not 100% sure how long I'll stick with it.

And I recently made an Evernote notebook dedicated to tarot! This is a collection of general information I find, as well as my notes on each card. I don't actually have a complete collection of notes on cards yet, as I am doing it in a very piecemeal fashion. Some of them have a lot more information than others. Most are a mix of information I found and copied in, as well as my own thoughts and impressions. I like to add a picture of the card, and sometimes add color or styling to the text for emphasis, or even add other images and quotes related to that card's meaning. I am still internalizing the meanings of the cards, so I have this at hand (on my phone) when I am reading and it's the first place I check for each card. If I pull a card that I haven't added yet to Evernote, I will add it then. Also, if I stumble across something about a card that I just have to remember or think is very clever, I will make a note for that card.

Wow I never thought to use my OneNote. I use OneNote for my coursework and research but now I'm going to use it for Tarot!

I use this Mac App called, "DayOne", it's basically this journal app that let's you add photos and other things in your daily entries, it's very helpful!