What Is Tarot Journaling?

My favorite thing about using tarot cards is that they act as a tool for self reflection and personal growth, especially when combined with journaling. Using tarot cards as a jumping point for a journaling entry allows us to really dig into what’s below the surface of our thoughts by providing a place for introspection – and we end up getting a lot of insight into what’s going on in our subconscious and gain clarity about our emotions, relationships, and other situations that we find ourselves in through life.

Exploring Tarot Cards and Journaling

As you know from this blog post, tarot is a deck of 78 cards, typically used for divination, self-reflection, and guidance. Each card has symbolic meanings, and readings are often interpreted to gain insights into the past, present, or future.

Tarot cards help us gain insights into one’s life, uncover subconscious thoughts and emotions, give guidance on specific issues, and foster self-reflection. It can help us make informed decisions, navigate challenges, and provide a sense of clarity or validation. It’s a perfect match for journaling!

Getting Started

I like to begin my tarot journaling sessions by setting an intention for the work I’m about to do – because it is work! My typical intention is “I intend to use this time journaling to notice what it is I’m missing about this situation, and I know that what I will notice will be for my best and highest good.”

I choose to add that last part about best and highest good so that I’m already setting a positive intention to see where I can grow rather than focus on where I am stuck. It allows me to find opportunity rather than going into a victim mentality where I feel that I don’t have any control.

Once I’ve determined my intention, I randomly choose a card and open up my journal and start writing. I allow myself to write stream of consciousness rather than editing and trying to write for someone else to read. This is my private writing and I don’t intend to share it with anyone else, so it doesn’t need to be perfect in any way.

If you’re like me, you tend to have a perfectionist attitude that can get in the way of actually taking action. So I remind myself that in order to have a perfect stream of consciousness journaling entry, it doesn’t need to follow any sort of grammar rules or even feel like there is a specific flow or outcome. This allows me to bullet point, just note down phrases, and even jump around in what I’m writing about without judging myself.

And, I totally tricked myself into doing it without seeking perfection, because the lack of perfection IS perfection in this case. Oh, my trickiness makes me laugh at myself! And maybe its making you laugh at me, too. That’s ok, because its what I’ve found works for me!

Which leads me to the most important part of tarot journaling: you will find your way of doing it that feels right for you. Feel free to try different ways of doing it – you’ll find your method, I promise.

Journaling with Tarot Cards

1. Set your intention
2. Draw a card any way you choose. Perhaps the one on the top? Or the bottom? Or you smoosh them around on the table and choose one that pops out to you? Or you shuffle and allow one to fly out?
3. Open your journal and date your page. This is great if you come back later to look at your journal entries.
4. Look at your card. What do you notice? Write down anything that sticks out to you. You can write about:
   • Symbols you notice and what they “mean” to you
   • Emotions you feel when you look at the card
   • What the card makes you think about
   • How you think this card relates to what’s going on in your life right now
5. Now that you’re done, what have you learned from your journaling? Write about that, too! You may find you’ve found questions or connections that you’d like to explore more in further journaling sessions. 

There’s no right way and no wrong way to do it. I encourage you to write for at least 15 minutes so you can allow your thinking mind to get out of the way and allow your intuitive side to kick in and write for awhile.

Benefits and Outcomes

I’ve found that the more I use tarot cards as a tool to jump start my journaling, the more clarity I have into my own emotions and intentions. I’m able to uncover patterns easier when I actually write, than if I’m just “marinating” in the ideas that swirl. Basically, the introspection and self-reflection truly allows me to feel more empowered about how I choose to respond to the things going on in my life AND acknowledge what’s really going on in me. I feel more aligned with myself – I’m more authentically me and showing up in life the way I WANT to show up.

Who doesn’t want that? There’s so much in our lives that we cannot control, but to be reminded that we can control how we respond to what’s uncontrollable gives us that sense of control we seek. Choice is a powerful part of living joyfully.

Tips for Success

First, have an open mind. Maybe tarot cards aren’t your thing – that’s aok! I’m not into using them for divination, but I do use them to try to find out what I’m missing. When I see a card and I’m noticing things that seem random, I use my open mindedness to try to figure out how I can apply that my life. It’s very similar to opening a random book to a random page, pointing at a sentence and trying to apply it your life. Be open to what the Universe puts in your path – maybe it’s something you’d have never considered before and could possibly be exactly what you need to hear right now.

Second, trust your intuition. If you’ve got a thought or emotion coming up, trust it. You’ve got a really incredibly intelligent and intuitive piece of you that would love to be heard. That means that if you resonate with the card, trust it; if you pull the card and your intuition tells you it doesn’t make sense, trust it. When you’re ready to hear the message, it will be there and you will get the message. If you’re not ready to get the message, it will go on by you. I believe that anything meant for you will not pass you by. If you miss it because you’re not ready on some level, it will come back when you are.

Finally, be kind to yourself. Be kind in the words you write, be kind in trusting your intuition, and be kind to yourself about any advice that you feel comes through from your higher self. Self compassion, self kindness, and self love are extremely important parts of living an authentically joyful and empowered life. We have enough times in our lives that our inner critic tears us down – allow your tarot journaling to be a place where your inner critic can take a rest and your kind and loving self can shine through.

If you’re looking to try tarot journaling, I encourage you to just jump right in. I’ll be posting “Journal With Me” videos that you can journal along with me, but you don’t need to wait for them to get started.

If you don’t have a tarot deck, and you don’t want to buy one, find a free one card reading site on the internet and pick a card there. You don’t need to know what the cards “mean” to find value in journaling on the symbols you see and the feelings and ideas that it evokes in you.

If you do take on tarot journaling, or if you tarot journal often, I’d love to hear what your experiences are and how you do it, so leave a comment below!