Journal to get the most from a tarot reading

Introduction

I’ll put my hand up and admit that I have done personal readings that, apart from making me feel better at the time, didn’t lead to much because I did nothing with the information. Now there is nothing wrong with a tarot reading that just helps you to feel better about a situation. Some readings are specifically designed for that purpose. Though I don’t mean in a fluffy, everything is unicorns and magical genies granting your every wish kind of way.

I mean that a tarot reading can present a different viewpoint and then that new perspective changes how you feel about yourself, your situation, or someone else. As a result, this new understanding can make you feel better. Even if you discover that you’ve been acting a little less than favourably, it still tends to make you feel better.

But, what about a tarot reading focused on helping you to find a way forward? How do you ensure you do something with the information that comes to light. If you’ve read the post on the overcoming a fear-based block spread you’ll already know I’m a fan of planning a course of action that helps you move towards what you’re intending. So, I thought I’d share some suggestions for ways to do exactly that.

Actions you can take

Journal

In case you weren’t already aware, I am a huge fan of journaling. Although, more often than not, my approach is more tarot driven now. And so, since this is a post about how to get the most from a tarot reading, that is going to be my focus here. I’m going to break it down into two sections. Firstly, journaling a reading you’ve done for yourself and then secondly, journaling a reading someone else has done for you.

Journaling a personal tarot reading

I am an advocate for recording all your personal readings. Do I do it every time? No I don’t. Do I regret that sometimes? Yes I do. Do I think I would gain more benefit if I did? Yes. Why? Because when you write up a reading it slows down your thinking. You can’t just quickly scan the cards, get the gist, and then move on. It also stops you from attempting in depth readings when you don’t have the time to commit to them. Writing up readings takes time. It also forces/helps you to focus and to see connections.

How I write up my personal readings

I start by writing the date, the deck I am using, and the question. You can’t see that below though.

Then I draw the spread using symbols to fill in the cards. I use a very simple system which is quicker to show than explain. The image below is taken straight out of the journal I write up my spreads in. As you can see I differentiate the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are always written in Roman Numerals with a circle around them and each of the Minor Arcana cards are written with their number, or letter if a court card (P, Kn, Q or K), regardless of how the particular deck may name them, and a symbol. I find this way I can clearly see repeat numbers, dominant suits and how many Major Arcana cards are present. As you can see, I also note the crystal I worked with. Sometimes, as is the case below, I add in the astrological associations.

Then I get down to writing up the spread. I begin by jotting down anything that stands out to me in a list format. This might be anything from a dominant colour to a repeated motif or a note about a card that has appeared in many recent readings.

Next I start to unpack the cards via their spread positions and then I look at the way the cards link together and talk to each other. This isn’t a this-then-that process. It’s very fluid. I may look at the card in the “present” position and look straight for the “why” which in the Celtic Cross and my own General Spread is the card directly below. Generally that leads me to look at the “past” card and so on.

I write everything down. Often a “voice” takes over and provides additional information. All of this section I write in full sentences. I find that draws out the story for me. Obviously you can write however you like.

Finally I summarise the reading and jot down any additional information that comes to the fore from looking at diagonals etc. At this point I am no longer considering card positions such as past, present, block etc. I am focused on anything that comes through.

Now all of this doesn’t guarantee you will do anything with the information gleaned, but since it does encourage a deeper exploration I find it tends to facilitate some form of action. In my experience if I don’t do anything with the information I find it keeps presenting itself in different ways in subsequent readings. As I found years ago when I was following Julia Cameron’s guideline from The Artist’s Way to write morning pages, after a while you get sick of writing the same story and you realise it is either time to do something or to let whatever it is go.

Journaling a professional tarot reading

As soon as possible after receiving a professional reading I suggest writing up what you remember and how you feel about what you discovered. I also encourage you to think about something you can add and do to cement the information that you connected with. In other words, what steps can you take to maintain the positive focus? These don’t have to be big steps. Little steps are often better. If you want to start a business maybe write a list of the information you need to find out such as how to register your business name or whether your business name is available. I love a good to-do list. If applicable, I’d suggest adding a to-do list after at the end of your personal readings too.

Positive triggers

We hear a lot about triggers but unfortunately they are generally associated with negative experiences. Those negative triggers, linked to trauma, are not what I am referring to here. I am referring to positive triggers that we create intentionally. At the end of a face to face readings, my clients choose a tumbled crystal to take home with them. They don’t have to do anything with them; nor do they have to believe in the metaphysical properties of crystals. All I suggest is to see the crystal acting as a gentle reminder of the session they’ve just had.

They can consciously work with the crystal in sight or carry it with them when they deem it necessary, or they can put it away in a drawer or leave it in the bottom of their handbag. That is entirely up to them. My hope is that whenever they come across the crystal, even if by pure chance, they will be reminded of the insights they received in the reading.

I also suggest clients take a photo of any card they feel particularly drawn to during a reading for the same purpose. You can choose whatever you like to serve this purpose. Draw, play music, burn a particular incense. My daughter gave me a perfume that sits on my desk. Whenever I feel a lack of confidence I spray it to remind myself of the belief she has in me. I find positive triggers work especially if you write about what it is in particular you want them to remind you of.

Conscious intention

The final idea that comes to mind is to create what the creators of The Crystal Magic Tarot call a “Tarot Intention Spread”. Melanie Marquis, creator of the Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot calls them spells. Here I suggest using them to affirm what you would like to occur following your reading.

If you have a tarot deck, you simply go through your cards and select the ones that align with your intention. How you record or display them is up to you. Below are four cards I selected as my conscious intention. Feel free to share any guesses about what you believe my intention is.

If you don’t yet have a tarot deck, you could find a quote or an image that captures your intention. Or you could draw or photograph a collection of things that you can relate to. The beauty of this exercise is that it gets you to think about what it is you are wanting to achieve and what it actually looks like. For example, you may notice on my spread that writing is being done both inside and outside.

Conclusion

As you can see there are several things you can do to help internalise the insights you gain from a tarot reading. When I read for others my aim is to empower and so obviously I really want that feeling to last. These are some simple tools that you can use to encourage that. If you have any additional suggestions that you believe will benefit fellow tarot lovers, please share them in the comments.

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