There are many reasons why a person may wish to start Tarot journaling and there are many ways to keep a Tarot journal (physical, digital, art journal etc). In a previous guide, we explored Tarot Journaling for beginners. Some start their Tarot journaling journey as soon as they pick up their first Tarot deck. That is something I highly recommend. Journaling your card of the day can be a very effective way of learning Tarot.
However, once you are a bit further along our Tarot journey, you may wish to keep a Tarot journal for more than just keeping track of the card of the day or learning card meanings. This is where Intentional Tarot Journaling comes in. It’s a complete spiritual practice that takes your Tarot Journaling to the next level.
What Is Intentional Tarot Journaling?
Intentional Tarot Journaling means relating your card of the day to a chosen topic over an extended period. This means dedicating a journal to a specific topic of occult or metaphysical study. For the duration of our study, we relate our daily draw to that topic to dive deeper. This then also becomes a way to allow for intuitive guidance, synchronicity and serendipity around the topic of choice.
While a devotee of a particular deity may wish to petition that deity to bless their tarot journal, you do not need to have faith in the gods to do Intentional Tarot Journaling. It’s perfectly fine to be a curious, agnostic explorer of metaphysical topics. Intentional Tarot Journaling is a spiritual practice rather than a religious one.
Typically, while keeping an Intentional Tarot Journal devoted to our topic, we also read, listen to audiobooks and/or watch YouTube videos about that topic. This can lead to many aha moments as the card of the day may provide deeper insights or push us to dig deeper with more research.
You may wish to choose an overarching theme to study for a longer period. Let’s say you are working with your Tarot year card energy in conscious awareness. For instance, I have The Hanged Man as my Year card this year. This could make lucid dreaming an ideal topic of study and I could dedicate a whole year to diving deep into it. In this instance, that would mean combining my Tarot Journal with my Dream Journal.
If you instead choose to let your card of the day flow with the lunar phases for in-depth gnosis about how the moon impacts you and your magick, combining your Tarot and Moon journals might be ideal.
The Academic Approach
Some may wish to take a more academic approach. You can then combine Intentional Tarot Journaling with taking notes and making annotations.
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
— Mary Oliver
Select a focused topic within esoteric studies that genuinely interests you. Every day, draw a Tarot card and contemplate how its symbolism and implications relate to your chosen subject. Write your insights and reflections, intuitively linking them to the academic literature you are using.
Supplement your daily card interpretations with rigorous study. As you immerse yourself in your academic resources resources, make detailed notes in your Tarot journal. Include references to authors, theories, and key concepts. This will create a rich tapestry of interconnected ideas, where the Tarot insights and academic learnings inform and enhance one another.
As you draw correlations between your card readings and academic content, use colours, symbols, or marginalia to denote recurring themes, questions, or epiphanies. Highlight passages in your research that resonate strongly with the messages of your cards.
This method will not only enrich your understanding of the Tarot about your chosen field of study but also actively engage you in a dialogue between the metaphysical and the academic. Over time, this practice forges a personalised compendium of knowledge that supports both spiritual growth and intellectual exploration.
Introducing Morning Pages to Your Journaling Practice
Morning Pages are a stream-of-consciousness writing practice introduced by Julia Cameron in her book “The Artist’s Way“. They involve writing three pages of longhand, free-form writing first thing in the morning. The purpose of Morning Pages is to clear one’s mind, uncover creativity, and overcome blocks. Morning Pages has no specific focus or subject matter. The only requirement is to write without censure or concern for grammar, punctuation, or style. It’s a raw, unfiltered outpouring of thoughts and feelings. This often leads to insights, ideas, and clarity in other areas of life. Julia Cameron describes it as ‘a priming of the pump.’
Morning Pages vs. Intentional Tarot Journaling
Morning Pages differ from Intentional Tarot Journaling in several key ways. For one, they allow for an unrestricted flow of consciousness. Intentional Tarot Journaling, as a spiritual practice, requires a narrower focus within the realms of esoteric, occult, or metaphysical studies. With Tarot journaling, the card of the day sets the topic of contemplation and reflection. This directs the journaling process toward a specific theme or question, connecting the symbolism of the cards and a concentrated subject.
“It’s by writing… by stepping back a bit from the real thing to look at it, that we are most present.”
— Alison Bechdel
Combining Morning Pages and Intentional Tarot Journaling
Combining Morning Pages with Intentional Tarot Journaling can be profoundly beneficial.
- Start with Morning Pages: Begin your day with the freedom of Morning Pages to clear your mind of clutter and anxiety. This practice sets the tone for creative freedom and helps uncover hidden creativity beneath the surface of everyday thinking.
- Move to Intentional Tarot Journaling: After completing your Morning Pages, transition to your Intentional Tarot Journaling. Draw a card and consider its relevance to your focused topic of study. Use the clarity gained from your Morning Pages to delve into a more structured and reflective writing process.
By first engaging in Morning Pages, you may find your mind to be more receptive and clear, ready for the discipline required by Intentional Tarot Journaling. The freewriting aspect helps to unload immediate concerns and wanderings of the mind. It’s a great way to create space for the structured exploration that follows with the Tarot.
Spiritual Practice Through Writing
Intentional Tarot Journaling not only serves as a medium through which one explores the intricate realms of occult and mystical knowledge, but it also stands as a robust spiritual practice. The process invites a deeper communion with the deep mind. Each card drawn becomes a mirror, reflecting internal landscapes and prompting an alignment with metaphysical insights.
The fusion of Intentional Tarot Journaling with an academic lens or Morning Pages facilitates a dynamic form of spiritual nourishment. Academically inclined individuals find in this method a sanctuary where intellect and intuition dance in harmony. It promotes a practice where the esoteric study is not only absorbed but felt and experienced. Similarly, when combined with the open stream of consciousness that Morning Pages permits, the focused reflections of Tarot Journaling are imbued with raw creativity and psychological depth, paving the way to unlocking profound layers of the self.
Each entry within an Intentional Tarot Journal, whether on its own or intertwined with scholarly discipline or Morning Pages, serves as an alchemical crucible. Here, the leaden weights of the unexplored psyche are transmuted into the gold of self-awareness and spiritual enlightenment. This form of soul alchemy transforms daily musings into a potent elixir for personal evolution and inner awakening. Intentional Tarot Journaling is a vital component for any seeker treading the path of self-discovery and metaphysical exploration.
If you enjoyed this post and want more tips for taking your Tarot journaling to the next level, you need to check out Tarot Scripting for Manifesting Your Dream Life!
