Why--and How--To Keep a Readings Journal

The advice to keep a journal of your tarot readings is fairly common, and I think many people do this and find value in it. Your tarot journals can be an invaluable tool for learning and reflection and really help get your feet under you; the opportunity to reflect on those readings and your interpretations and the patterns you see can become an extremely useful resource later on. 

However, I don't think it's uncommon for new tarot readers to keep journals in ways that render them almost useless. I know I exhibited more than just a little a bit of obsessive weirdness in my early journal-keeping practices. I spent a few months initially attempting to record all my efforts with tarot  in calligraphy. (You can all stop giggling right about ... now.)

I also spent far too long pouring over my journal and managed to totally frustrate myself by re-interpreting readings I had done only a few days or weeks earlier. This was incredibly counter-productive and really only underscored my inability to trust my own instincts at that point in time. I was left pained and confused as a result. Another person I know carefully wrote down every card she ever pulled for any reason, and devoted pages and pages of interpretation from every source imaginable to each of those cards. At the end of her process, she had volumes of oftentimes-contradictory opinion for each card in her deck and knew everything anyone else ever thought any card could mean, but had no idea what the cards meant to her.

The primary difference between us was that I wrote far fewer and much shorter journal entries, since the calligraphy made my hand hurt after awhile and I was so adept at challenging my own interpretations, I didn't need additional reference materials to do the job. What we clearly shared was our persistent reluctance to trust our own ability to read and interpret our own cards, and the fact that our journals, no matter our intentions in keeping them, were basically useless.

The trick is to understand that keeping a readings journal is a practical exercise, not a mystical rite. Once I embraced this truth (and abandoned the calligraphy), things got much better. My focus changed to recording what I felt the cards were saying to me, then following up with observations and lessons from my life experiences, I was able to see patterns, learn interpretations specific to me, and develop a greater understanding of relationships between cards in my deck as I read them. My friend and I had both been worried about reading each card "right," when in reality there are general guidelines and impressions created by other readers throughout time, but there is no set "right" or "wrong" meaning for any card. The point of your journal and its use must be open reflection, not an academic search for the "right" answer.

I still try to keep a journal today, even though I am rather less consistent than I should be. If you are not yet keeping a journal and want to start out on the right foot, or if you suspect your journaling is not as useful as it could be, try these simple steps to ensure you are keeping--and using--your journal in a way that will enhance rather than inhibit your reading ability.

When journaling:

• Use a format that is unobtrusive and easy for you. It makes no difference whether you type out a card-by-card list, use an annotated photo, make a stream-of-consciousness voice recording, or jot notes on a sketch of the layout at hand. Keep practicality in mind!
• Don't use the act of journaling as an opportunity to question your interpretation. Write down what you feel is the appropriate meaning of the card in the current context. If you have uncertainties or questions, make note of them, but the most important element is capturing your first impression.There will be plenty of time for reflection later.
• Avoid censoring yourself, especially as a new reader. If you pull a card and have a first impression of what it might mean, make note of it. If you are still looking up card meanings in books or online, and you find other interpretations that consistently suggest the meaning is different from your first impression, pay attention to this, but don't just discard your first impression as "wrong." Instead, think of this as an opportunity to consider the context of your interpretation, and how your impression might actually mesh with, rather than be in opposition to, another more generally-accepted interpretation. 

When reviewing your journal:

• Remember that the tarot may not be on your personal timeline. If you've done a reading that suggests certain events in the future, don't decide your reading was 'wrong' if a week (or a month, or even a year) goes by and those events don't materialize. Remember too that people have free will, and our actions can change any outcome we might be trending toward at any time.
• Look for patterns, not "mistakes." Cards will oftentimes take on strong personal meanings for you that may not apply to anyone else or be shared by any other reader. My personal example is from Jim Wanless' Voyager Tarot. The 10 of Crystals is entitled "Delusion," and Wanless' own interpretation focuses on unrealistic expectations; however, for me that card is always about timing. It took a lot of readings and a lot of journaling before I figured that out and gave myself permission to just let that card have its own meaning for me, despite what the "experts" had to say.
• Keep an open mind; be kind to yourself! Your journal is an opportunity for you to learn, not keep score. If you note a reading that you now believe to be "way off," think about the context of the reading and your attitudes and feelings at the time--how might these things have influenced the way you saw the cards? This is where those side notes about questions and other impressions are handy.
• Consider the kinds of inquiries you are making. Refining the way you ask the question is just as important as refining the way you interpret the answer.
• Review, don't reinterpret. Accept that the readings you have written down were read that way for a reason. It may now be up to you to sort out that reason.

To sum up, a tarot journal can be a powerful tool to help you expand your abilities and develop a stronger personal understanding of how the tarot speaks to you. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced reader, if you focus on making your journal-keeping an honest record of your skills and approach, you'll get the most out of this practice and reap the rewards for years to come.