Tarot Journalling?

heathwitch

Hi there,

I'm just getting back into reading after a break, and I'm wondering about tarot journals (by which I mean a notebook or similar where one keeps a note of any readings they've done). Do you keep one? Are they useful? What sort of thing do you record?

For those of you who read professionally, or read for friends/family, do you keep a record of your not-for-self readings? Why or why not?

Finally, does anyone have any advice about keeping a readings record of any form?

Curiously searching,

Heathwitch
 

ribbitcat

Hi Heathwitch :)

Corinne Kenner has a book on this topic, and is also a member of the Association to which you belong ;-)

As for recording readings ...I always record at least the date, deck, question, spread positions and cards drawn, for readings for myself. Readings for others via email, I keep a copy of the full reading - it's interesting to have the continuity. For in depth F2F readings, I write out and keep a copy of the full reading. The only time I don't is when reading at an event ... there isn't the time.

There is also a seller on eBay who sells reading record forms, I think they're in the form of a booklet, where one buys the relevant spread record and fills in the prompted blanks ...I guess one could easily customize this idea.

ribbitcat
 

blackroseivy

Hmm - I almost wonder if one could produce one's own in MSW or in Lotus, even?...
 

VGimlet

I keep a small journal that is just my daily draws, and I go back the next day, and re-write. This month I'm going to start going back to the draws I did a year ago, to see if there is more to look at. Someone else here who journals suggested it. :D

I also keep a larger journal that has my personal tarot reviews of my decks, spread ideas, and other tarot stuff.

When I read for others, I have them write it down (I think Umbrae suggested that one?) which I find helps us both - I have my querents keep it, and give me feedback.
 

willowfox

I think that it is a good idea to keep a record of readings that you have done, especially future orientated ones because then you can always refer back to see if you were correct or not and how exactly the cards worked out.
 

The crowned one

I used to keep records about readings in a form of short hand ca=cups ace c3= cup 3..you get the idea. I stopped as I found I did not reference it. I do keep a journal of spreads, new idea's and my thoughts on the symbolism of my favorite style of deck and even card meanings that I up date regularly. I also put in thoughts I have on the effects of 2 and 3 card combo's and their interaction in a given reading. Lots more stuff too but along the lines of my short post. I no longer journal readings, it is just extra unnecessary book work for me.
 

ilweran

I usually make a note of when, why and what cards came up, just in case but I've only ever gone back to an old reading once and that was runes not tarot.

(and it was a strange reading where I'd forgotten what order I was reading the stones in - rather important when you're looking at what the next year holds - it was indicating some sort of unexpected injury of illness but because of the mix up I didn't know when. So I guess it was still unexpected when it came. Not sure if I should :D or :( now!)
 

Seafra

i keep a journal of my readings for myself. I find it is best for me to actually write out the flow of the reading but I've been dealing with short-term memory loss for a few years so I can't say I would do this if circumstances were different. The notebook is very sturdy and the pens are multi-colored. Using my laptop seems to cramp my style but I'm trying work that way more and more.

I really enjoy reading tarot blogs when I have a stretch of down time. Many are set up like a tarot journal and you might like to check some out. I especially enjoy reading the process someone else goes through to get to the the most satisfactory meanings as this is often a problem for me due to the memory problems. Most that I find are Card of the Day type blogs, but they'd probably be very valuable to use as a tool to learn how to journal. Fabulous way to find quirky meanings others have attributed to cards in their deck.
 

missycab

I am not a "journal" person. I could never have a diary as a teen...

But when I got the Fey tarot, I decided to start one, so I could learn the deck. I bought a green notebook, smaller than A4 (it's the same size as the companion book), with hard covers. My method is to pick one, two or three cards every day, and write about it in the journal: describe the image, write meanings, the meanings of the book, if I agree with those meanings, etc. I numbered each page, and I put an index in the middle, where the first 78 pages end. In the rest of the journal (because it has 100 pages), I write down readings I do, now they are mostly "mystery person" readings, which are very useful because I learn more about the cards. So far, I've "studied" 49 cards.

I got the Thoth deck a couple of days ago. I'm going to do the same thing: keep a journal for this deck. But I'm going to buy a bigger notebook, with 200 pages, because the Thoth is... well, THE THOTH :)
 
What is reading? The Secret: Tarot & the New Thought Movement