How To Start Keeping A Tarot Journal: A Gentle Guide For Real Life
Steam rises from your cuppa tea, with maybe a flicker from a small candle. Your deck waits. Quiet, patient, and kind.
And now you have no idea what to do next.
I’ve been there before and been back there plenty of times since. Don’t worry, I’ve got you sorted.
If you’ve wanted a softer, more aligned, way to track your tarot journey, this is for you.
A journal can help you to place further trust your intuition, keep a record of spreads you try and the messages received, and reflect on them from a place of compassion and understanding, not pressure.
The thing is, it needs to work with you - to meet you where you’re at.
You’ll learn how to choose a format that fits your life, set a simple intention, and use clear prompts that you can rinse and repeat. No fuss, just grounded action.
So settle in, grab something to take some notes, with and be ready to turn your daily tarot (or oracle) card draws into real-life guidance you can use tomorrow morning.
Set Your Intention and Ritualise It The Easy Way
Keeping it simple is super important. The best tarot journal is the one you’ll actually use and continue to use despite what the universe throws your way. Our lives have cycles and rhythms. Your mind has its own timing and pace. Choose a format that sees this, honours it, and is excited to show up alongside you each day to journal.
When you journal your readings, you give your future self a map. Almost like leaving future-you a trail of breadcrumbs. It’s something direct and visceral that you can look at and follow.
You will spot patterns you missed at the time of journaling. Or where a card kept tapping you on the shoulder. You’ll learn your own personal meanings for the cards — not just the same, RWS-esque meanings you’re told. This is where the magic of tarot begins to show up in daily life.
When sitting down with your journal, set a small but very clear intention that you can repeat each time (intentions evolve over time, you won’t be saying that one line forever).
Find your intention and say it out loud or whispered inside. Treat it like you’re opening a door. Some intentions to try on for size:
- “I’m here to listen with honesty and curiosity.”
→ This intention invites presence without pressure— If you’re a beginner, this is a perfect place for you to start. - “Show me what I need to know about today’s energy.”
→ This is an ideal place to begin each day with your journal and cards. Asking for an easy to digest run down on the day’s energy is an intention I’ve kept with me for many years now and it never lets me down. - “Help me see with compassion and not just conclusions.”
→ A reminder to interpret your cards with openness, empathy, and soul-led understanding, while steering clear from snap judgments, over thinking, and the urge to “fix” instead of witness.
Now, ensure you have everything you need close by. Maybe even set them up in a way that looks just right to you. Journal on the right side, with a candle in the top left next to some crystals that hold meaning to you. Keep your cup of tea of coffee on the far right.
See what you’ve done? You’ve created a pocket-sized, yet super powerful, ritual that works for you. It works on a flat-out Thursday, where you only have a few minutes, and it works on a sleepy Sunday where time is your own.
End of day energy matters more than anything. If you only have five minutes, that’s enough. A few lines, one action, and a check-in at night can change how you move through the week.
Tiny action plan for tonight: pick your format, write one intention sentence, gather your pen and your favourite deck, and pile them together to prepare for tomorrow’s journal entry.
Paper or digital: choose what you will actually use, not just what Pinterest says
Paper supports slow, steady thought. It invites sketches, scribbles, and doodles. It feels cosy and tactile, and a plain notebook is all that’s needed. Digital journals win for speed and convenience.
In you’re still unsure, why not try a basic 7-day test before you commit either way. Ask yourself:
- How much time do I have each day?
- Do I travel often? This can help when deciding if paper or digital is the way to go.
- Where will I journal, and when?
- Do my thoughts flow better by hand, or on a screen?
Choose without guilt. There’s no right answer, only a good fit. You want to be comfortable with your method of journaling. If you’re comfortable then you’re going to be way more energetically aligned with your daily practice.
Supplies that invite you to write your way
Keep your journal supplies light for now. You can always add more later:
- A notebook that lies flat
- A pen you love
- Sticky tabs for quick finds
- Stickers that will be useful or just cute. You do you.
Optional supplies might be a roll of washi tape, a small date stamp. Comfort beats fancy. Practical beats on trend. Store your journal and supplies in the one spot, preferably close by to your decks. Keeping them together will help you to remember.
Set clear, realistic goals you can track
Simple goals build trust within yourself:
- One card draw each morning
- Decide that this will be something that you enjoy - not a chore, not something to go on your to-do list
- Ten minutes max. Use a timer if needed. Increase that time as you find your flow.
- Life will be life and throw unknowns at you. It happens. If you miss a day, don’t worry. Commit to jump right back in the next day.
Define success as showing up, not writing long pages. It’s more important that you’re physically present in the ritual space you’ve created with the cards and your journal.
Create a Simple Tarot Journal You Will Actually Use
You don’t need long entries to prove to the journal goddess that you’re being present and open to learning all you can. Instead, opt to use a super easy, repeatable flow of prompts of what information you’ll store and record each time you journal.
Keep language more plain and personal. Focus on what you felt, what you saw, and one action you can take. Perfection is not the point. Clarity is.
Try a daily draw of the cards. Keep notes brief but with the right details, so they still make sense in six months. Track your own personal card meanings as they grow.
Daily draw template you can copy and use forever (because it’s practical and works)
Try these super easy and focused fields in your tarot journal or try a pre done journal page:
- Date/time:
- Card, upright or reversed:
- Deck used:
- Card’s meaning:
- Initial feeling upon seeing the card:
- Symbols, colours that stands out:
- What is this card telling me:
- One action to take:
- One line summary:
- Evening/PM reflection:
- (Optional: a photo or a sketch of the card)
Here’s a quick example:
- Date/time: 12 Oct 2025, 7.48am
- Card, upright or reversed: 9 of Pentacles, upright
- Deck used: Midnight Sky Tarot Deck
- Card’s meaning: being able to care for oneself (especially financially), working hard and having that work pay off via abundance and achievement of one’s own goals.
- Initial feeling upon seeing the card: relief, hard work paying off, keep manifesting.
- Symbols, colours that stands out: the stars on the hand look like a ladder to climb up to reach the end goal
- What is this card telling me: to keep on going, keep climbing, even though I’m mentally exhausted. It’s a reminder to keep going.
- One action to take: Take time for a small rest today, but then gently keep going as best as possible.
- One line summary: climb at your own pace but still climb.
- Evening/PM reflection: crossed two more boxes off in the projects to-do list. Paced myself and don’t feel depleted or anxious. Instead, I am feeling soulfully nourished and completed.
- Photo of card:
Keep Going: Make Tarot Journaling a Gentle Daily Habit
Consistency grows trust within yourself. Proving to yourself that you can, and will, show up. Small steps, on repeat, change how you hear yourself (its actually powerful enough to show changes in how one’s brain is wired - for the better. That’s for another blog post on another day).
Set some time over the weekend for a quick check-in to spot any patterns and wins you didn’t notice at the time. Let the moon and seasons set a natural rhythm for you and your daily practice. Protect your practice so it feels safe and sacred.
Your journal is a mirror. It will reflect your growth if you show up with care, even when time is tight and energy is low. Creating a sustainable tarot journal practice that works for you is the entire point.
Easy weekend journal review that boosts self-trust & self-reading confidence
Take just ten minutes from your daily journal time:
- Look over the week and highlight/circle/record repeated cards, look at how many of each suit shows up.
- Note wins, even the small ones
- Note misses without blame
Celebrate any streak, even if it’s three days. Remember: progress, not perfect.
A final note…
A tarot journal helps you see patterns and trends, lets you use and stretch your intuition, and assists you in growing self-trust by seeing yourself show up daily. Knowing you can rely on yourself to show up is the most important thing here.
Start small, start tonight. Pick one intention. Choose your format from the above list, then pull one card, and fill in the prompts.
Keep the tone kind and light. With practice your tarot journal entries will become a map for you to follow any time you need it.
always in your corner,
Rachael | MoonHaus Studio
▪️Helpful links:
Daily tarot and oracle journal pages
Rachael Jean is the spiritual af artist, fur mum, and tarot deck creator behind MoonHaus Studio. From her beachside home in Victoria, Australia, she hand-draws indie tarot & oracle decks and designs soul-led journals and printables for intuitive, slow-living women.