Keeping a Tarot Journal

kalliope said:

Evernote's search capabilities are fantastic! I have a stack of notebooks for astrology, tarot, geomancy, etc., but I use it for reference material and clipping helpful stuff or images from the web. And it's a lifesaver for saving recipes, if you cook. However, since it's always accessible from my computer and my phone, I don't put very personal musings there, since I'm a bit privacy paranoid. Otherwise, though, I love it to pieces.

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The paid version offers a PIN protection which I use from my phone. Of course, the desktop version always requires a password if you sign out. No worries there on my end. Plus, even if it is personal, would a snippet or reading really make sense to anyone else that caught a glimpse? I still prefer password protection over leaving a notebook or journal laying around.

1Eleven said:

The paid version offers a PIN protection which I use from my phone. Of course, the desktop version always requires a password if you sign out. No worries there on my end. Plus, even if it is personal, would a snippet or reading really make sense to anyone else that caught a glimpse? I still prefer password protection over leaving a notebook or journal laying around.

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I think my issue is that I have the bad habit of leaving my Evernote open all the time on my laptop, so anyone who happens across my computer could easily read any of my notebook entries. Granted, the only person usually around my computer this way is my husband, but I'm such a privacy freak I don't want *anyone* reading my private thoughts, even him!

So the paid version provides a PIN for your phone app? Good to know. That may push me to upgrade. Thanks!

At the moment, it's just one or two liners in my moleskine diary. I have problems jotting down extensive thoughts about readings. Argh, I have much to learn. But I did consider carrying pieces of pretty paper with me and then filing them up eventually. Prettiness does motivate me lol.

1Eleven said:

The paid version offers a PIN protection which I use from my phone. Of course, the desktop version always requires a password if you sign out. No worries there on my end. Plus, even if it is personal, would a snippet or reading really make sense to anyone else that caught a glimpse? I still prefer password protection over leaving a notebook or journal laying around.

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Very true about leaving stuff out. I hadn't thought of Evernote, but it sounds like it comes in handy... especially in instances where certain relatives think Satan's gotten a hold of you, lol.

I do like the idea of the Arc notebooks, too. I just bought one and I think it would be great to store more permanent things like spreads, articles, systems, etc. I'm not sure what else I could do with the notebook. I would need to experiment more.

VanillaLatte said:

At the moment, it's just one or two liners in my moleskine diary. I have problems jotting down extensive thoughts about readings. Argh, I have much to learn. But I did consider carrying pieces of pretty paper with me and then filing them up eventually. Prettiness does motivate me lol.

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Well, I never managed to dedicate more than one or two pages to a reading. I think the size does not matter - the quality of your notes does. And of course, the quality can only be judged by the journal owner/user. If your notes help you, that's what matters!

My dream is to have a Moleskin journal but a thick one here costs around R$60 (~US$30?). What are they thinking???

Honestly, I am starting to think that I better get myself a random, cheap softcover notebook and make that my journal. Maybe if I do that I'll manage to evolve beyond the 'preparing to use my perfect carefully-prepared-for-tarot notebook' and finally start, well, writing.

Marina said:

Well, I never managed to dedicate more than one or two pages to a reading. I think the size does not matter - the quality of your notes too. And of course, the quality can only be judged by the journal owner/user. If your notes help you, that's what matters!

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You're so right!

My dream is to have a Moleskin journal but a thick one here costs around R$60 (~US$30?). What are they thinking???

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That there's always someone out there to spend their $$$$$ on fancy notebooks!

Honestly, I am starting to think that I better get myself a random, cheap softcover notebook and make that my journal. Maybe if I do that I'll manage to evolve beyond the 'preparing to use my perfect carefully-prepared-for-tarot notebook' and finally start, well, writing.

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This sounds like an excellent way to begin journaling on a more regular basis. Get one that will fit easily in your shoulder bag, clip a cheap pen in the spiral and go!
This is actually what I use most often. Yep, I've got fancier ones, planners are one of my weaknesses, but the cardboard covered 8" x 5"(approx. size) are the notebooks I'm most likely to carry and use. Just write on one side of the page, and then if you want to take it out and move it to a 3 ring notebook for organization, it's easier to do.

A random, cheap softcover notebook and a random, cheap ballpoint is the way to go. You'll write your journal much more candidly and be much more carefree and just not care and let it all flow.

Pretty notebooks can be very paralysing.

BlueDragonfly said:

This sounds like an excellent way to begin journaling on a more regular basis. Get one that will fit easily in your shoulder bag, clip a cheap pen in the spiral and go!
This is actually what I use most often. Yep, I've got fancier ones, planners are one of my weaknesses, but the cardboard covered 8" x 5"(approx. size) are the notebooks I'm most likely to carry and use. Just write on one side of the page, and then if you want to take it out and move it to a 3 ring notebook for organization, it's easier to do.

Click to expand...

Le Fanu said:

A random, cheap softcover notebook and a random, cheap ballpoint is the way to go. You'll write your journal much more candidly and be much more carefree and just not care and let it all flow.

Pretty notebooks can be very paralysing.

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You are both right. I thought about this when I realized I kept 'preparing' my fancy notebook for a 'grand opening' that never happened. When the best thing for me (considering that my goal is to become more acquainted with the symbolism of the Grail Tarot and lessening my dependence on the companion book) would be to start writing right away.

I suppose that when I become more comfortable with the deck, the journal will become a bit superfluous too. So there's no point in working hard to have a perfect notebook with eternal notes fit to be passed to my grandchildren during a full moon initiation rite...

Well, contrary to my posting on this thread declaring that I do not and never have kept a tarot journal (!), since yesterday, when I found a new small spread to play with, I just had to pick up a pencil and sheet of paper and jot my draw and reading down. It seemed like the natural thing to do.
This is the draw that inspired me:-

Separate deck into Minors and Majors. Shuffle Minors, draw one card. This is the specific happening of the day. Shuffle and draw a Major card, this is the background influence acting through the Minor card.
I lay them side by side, Minor first then Major, and look at the way they interact.

So I scribbled it all down, tried to make sense of it, and then the next day wrote down if anything had happened that fitted the cards and if my reading made sense (or not). I found this more interesting than just a one card draw and not as complicated as a large spread which I'd get bored writing about.

I'm going to keep this going everyday. It should help me understand the cards more and also get more into the swing of interpreting cards together, not just single draws. I'm going to buy a notebook at the supermarket when I go, nothing fancy, just something to keep it all a bit tidier than bits of loose paper.

I think I'm going to like this tiny bit of journaling

I keep a tarot journal. Years ago, I learned from a professor that if I wanted to journalize, it would be better to write it down rather than type my notes in a computer or at that time, a typewrite (darn, suddenly I realize I'm getting real old).

I found writing in my journal quite helpful in that I seem to be able to think more deeply about the cards rather than typing them. However, I use the computer when I need to study a deck. I love using the Apple Pages program because it has templates where I put my notes per card. I am able to get some pictures and stick them in and the pages look like a book. I also use Evernote when I record readings done for my friends. There is something about journalizing - be it in handwritten form or computerized - that helps me concretize my thoughts so that I can better understand the whole picture once I have put in the details of the cards.