Right now I’m in the process of taking my daily journaling to the next level with tarot cards. This article is a journaling guide to share the things I’m learning in the process to take a deep dive into Shadow Work Journaling and Inner Child Healing Journaling through tarot cards as a daily journaling tool. This article is also one of two tarot deck buyer’s guide articles I’ve written.
How To Use Tarot As A Daily Journaling Tool: Use tarot cards as a daily journaling tool to connect deeper with your subconscious and shadow self to understand why you think and make the decisions you do. Begin using the tarot as a daily journaling tool by drawing one tarot card. Look at the card’s imagery, colors, and symbols to ascertain what the card mean to you, your family or group, culture, or where you live and how you were raised. Reflect in your journal on it’s meaning, how it applies to your life, and what the card means to you. With this process, you don’t have to know the traditional meaning of the card or even use a guidebook, all you need is your eyes and life experiences to guide you.
What Is A Daily Tarot Journal?
Tarot Journals are an organized place to learn tarot, record, and journal your journey as you develop a relationship with your tarot deck. Keeping a tarot journal is a wonderfully rewarding and reflective tool to have in your life when times are tough mentally and emotionally. The tarot cards also teach us lessons on how to get through these hard moments in our lives.
A Tarot Journal is a special journal custom designed for you, by you! The best part about journaling is how customizable the practice is. If something isnโt working, no worries! There is an endless amount of blank pages just a page turn away for you to start again.
Tarot Journals are also a really great way to celebrate our lives and the milestones that we have achieved. Tarot cards tend to jog our minds and remind us to think back on those happy moments and to not forget about them. This is our chance to recall those memories and celebrate them if we didn’t get a chance to when they originally happened.
We all have something that nags at us that we want answers to. A tarot journal will help you tap into your subconscious and get some much needed answers. They can give us a new perspective on how we might approach the situation in our life.
Like close friends, tarot cards at times can be a disruptive and frustrating force in our lives that challenge us to think about things that we just donโt want to. Tarot cards can also be just like a close friend that encourages us to challenge our views to find peace and perspective.
Sometimes we don’t like to think about the struggles that we’re going through and the things that are making us angry, and frustrated. We just try to ignore them and completely step away from it.
Daily Tarot journaling is a really great tool to reveal feelings, emotions, and memories that we pushed to the backburner to bring more light to them.ย ย
Tarot & Psychology
Practicing Tarot all boils down to supporting you as you build new neural pathways that help get you out of your usual thought patterns and look at your life through a different lens. You will learn to discover different areas of your life that might not be top of mind or at the forefront of your conscious thoughts. Practicing Tarot Card Reading forces us to do some deep intention shadow work as we journal by sparking the internal dialogue with our inner most true self, spirit, inner child, and soul.
One of the things that I love about buying a tarot deck is the idea of a new card pulled during a daily draw that I havenโt seen before. Honestly, I have to keep myself from buying a new deck every quarter. The daily tarot draw is the simplest tarot practice and tarot card reading that you can perform. Drawing a single card each day is a beloved practice by many many tarot card readers.
You can do this one of two ways: A Morning Tarot Spread or An End Of Day Tarot Spread.
Every morning draw a tarot card to help guide your intention for the day. Or every evening draw a tarot card to help you reflect on the day.
Both are really great learning practices. However, the daily evening tarot draw is a bit more mysteriously & deliciously indulgent because the themes we reflect on can influence our dreams and help our subconscious process the day, similar to a bedtime tarot practice and a tarot spreads for sleep.
1. Choose A Morning Tarot Spread & End Of Day Tarot Spread.
2. Shuffle The Deck 3 Times, Or Whatever Feels Good.
3. Cut The Deck & Draw A Card.
4. Look At The Card Itself & Ponder Its Meaning.
Before you look at the card’s meaning in the guidebook or in the little pamphlet that comes with your deck, take time to look at the card itself. Now itโs time to get into the card reading and ask ourselves some questions. Look at the card imagery.
Are there any images, colors, or symbols within the artwork of the cards that jumps out at you?
What initial feelings, reactions, and emotions come up when you look at this card?
What do you think is the symbolic meaning behind this card?
What does this card mean to you?
5. Open Your Journal To A Fresh Page
Sketch out a rough box the size of your tarot card and write down any of your initial feelings, thoughts, reactions, and symbolic meaning to the card. You can reference the four questions above while journaling.
6. Consult The Tarot Guide Book & Journal About It
Now it’s time to grab the guide book that comes with the tarot deck. You can use a bigger guidebook with in depth explanations of the tarot card meanings that you can purchase at any book store. You can also find tarot guide books for beginners, free tarot guide books online, tarot reader apps, and tarot guide book apps. A lot of tarot decks now have official guide books that go along with them. There may also be a mini guide book in with your tarot deck box.
How To Wrangle An Elusive Tarot Card Reading
If you don’t have any answers, that’s ok. Take a little bit more time to look at the card and really get deep into the imagery and just enjoy the beauty of the card itself. Note any symbols or meanings that pop up at you while you’re looking into this card a little deeper. You can also try writing in your tarot journal:
Detailed description of the landscape, characters, symbols
What you think the characters in the card might be saying to each other
Major or Minor Arcana
Tarot suit
Related element (earth, water, fire, air, spirit)
A keyword cloud
The person this card reminds you of
A memory that this card reminds you of
Tarot Deck Guide Books
Your tarot deck may be tinnie tiny like the guide book that comes with the classic Rider Waite Tarot Deck, that is the same size as the deck. This guidebook fits right into the tarot deck box. There are also decks that are not only tarot decks, but playing cards as well. The Gypsy Witch Playing Card Deck comes with the meanings of the cards printed right on the card itself.ย
I think that The Gypsy Witch Playing Card Deck is a really cool way to get to know the tarot and the different meanings of the tarot cards. It’s really fun to play a card game with them and learn the meanings as the cards come up. It’s also fun to do a daily tarot draw with this deck as well because the imagery is a little bit more familiar because of the playing card nature. Your guidebook may be a physical book “book.” The Wild Unknown Tarot Guidebook has more in depth descriptions of the cards that go with this tarot deck. These cards harken back to the traditional meanings of tarot cards, major and minor arcana, and suits. They also go a little bit more in depth for the type of imagery that is used in this modern tarot deck.ย
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Tarot & Self-Reflection
Check out the meaning of the card you drew. Write down any initial thoughts, reactions, feelings, and what the card means to you and how it applies to your life right now. If there are any questions that pop up while you are reading this description, write those down too.
Now take some time to reflect on your initial impression of the card combined with what is going on with your life right now, and the meaning of the card according to the guide book.
7. Recreate The Tarot Card In Your Journal
While you recreate the tarot card in your journal with pens, pencils, paint, watercolor, sketch out the card, and enjoy the process of getting a little bit closer to the card you drew today.
After you have recreated the tarot card in your journal you can stop there.
or…
Choose to go further and answer any questions that came up in the guidebook or while you were reflecting. This is a good time to write down any specific things in your life that you are going through that are similar to the themes you are seeing in this tarot card.
It’s understandable if you feel overwhelmed when starting a daily tarot journal. There are countless examples out there of tarot journal templates, tarot journal ideas, prompts, layouts, tarot journal symbols, and even digital tarot journals. But there is a way forward.
This is one of my favorite daily practices in my bullet journal. Ever the artist and seeker, I like to take this practice further and indulge my creative side by recreating the tarot card in my journal. You can see what my bullet journal looks like here at the end of the month once I’ve filled in the cards for the day and wrote down any meanings.
As a medicinal plant herbalist and forager (I must have been a botanist in another life) I love sketching, drawing, and painting botanical flowers in my bullet journal which you can see above.
An art based tarot journal is a wonderful way to get a deeper more intimate view of your tarot cards because you are physically recreating the tarot card in your journal. Donโt worry if your lines are wobbly, or if your characters look wonky. This practice is just for you, no one else.
As you continue with your daily tarot journal practice your artistry and skills will strengthen as you learn the archetypes and symbolism each card embodies.
Recreating tarot cards in your daily tarot journal is a gateway that leads you far beyond conscious thought that goes deep into your psyche where your Shadow Self resides.
Remember, it doesnโt matter what your journal looks like. This daily tarot journal practice is just for you, no one else. You should be excited to draw a card every day, not intimidated by the vast options out there, or someone elseโs tarot journal.
Jenny Proczko, Owls&indigo How To Use Tarot As A Daily Journaling Tool
Starting a tarot journal is extremely easy. All you need is a pen or pencil, any kind of notebook, and a tarot deck. Thatโs it. I encourage you to go further and make daily tarot journal entries a mindful practice by intentionally selecting your supplies. Youโll need:
A notebook or journal that you love looking at and that you love holding in your hands, AND more importantly is aesthetically pleasing to you (not someone else). You can even use an old notebook that you have lying around waiting for some love.
Guidebooks are also extremely important for beginner tarot practitioners. I also have The Wild Unknown Guidebook that goes with the tarot deck I just mentioned. See more on guide books below.
You might have heard that you’re not supposed to buy your own deck, well let me dispel that rumor here and now. I promise you won’t be cursed if you buy your own tarot deck. I go into detail on buying a tarot deck on purpose with intention, what you need to think about when choosing a tarot deck, and How To Find a Tarot Deck That Speaks to You.
I find starting each day with a bit of creativity and reflection improves my mindfulness and builds my resilience in the face of the day’s stress. Building the habit of daily tarot draws can be a bit hard at first, but is extremely rewarding. Iโm sure that you will find with the first shuffle that you canโt wait to draw the next dayโs card to reveal the messages that it carries for you.
Like any new habit, especially a daily one, you’ll probably miss a day. Let me tell you right now, it’s ok. Don’t give up. Commit to journaling tomorrow. But there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of picking up the new habit:
1. Do it first thing in the morning.
If you do it first thing, nothing can get in the way, making it more likely you’ll get it done.
2. Prepare your journaling area the night before.
There’s nothing worse than getting ready to start a task and finding everything is in the way. This seems to happen to me when I want to cook, the entire kitchen is a mess and I end up ordering out. You can short-circuit this by preparing your journaling area and tool the night before. I like to keep my supplies in a little basket next to my chair or right on the table so I see it first thing in the morning.
3. Keep your journaling short…at first.
A new habit takes time and it’s easier to get started when we feel the task is easy to get done. A quick 5-10min sketch of your tarot draw is easy. Start there and add the journaling reflection in week 2 or 3 as you get more comfortable with the habit.
How To Get Back On Track When You Miss A Day In Your Journal
You might be wondering โWhat should I do if I missed a day in my tarot journal?โ There are months that I have missed multiple days in my tarot journal. In the past I used to feel really guilty about missing a daily draw. So much so that I felt like I should just give up. But you canโt.
You canโt give up.
Remember you started this tarot practice for you and no one else. We all need to practice showing up for ourselves and the dreams, goals and intentions we’ve set for ourselves, even if it’s as simple as drawing one tarot card every day.
When I miss a day in my tarot journal, I used to leave the box blank where the card would have been recreated in my journal. But seeing all of those empty boxes made me feel sad, and like a failure on the really hard mental health days.
Now if I miss a day in my tarot journal, I recreate the back of the tarot card the next time Iโm in my journal. This has transformed my relationship with my tarot journal. These missed days now look like unknown messages that await me in the future. Itโs so much more uplifting to look at a missed day in my tarot journal and see a tarot card back and wonder what messages it holds for me, instead of feeling guilt for missing a day and not having a โperfect bullet journal.โ
You might be wondering โbullet journal?โ My tarot journal is part of my monthly bullet journal set up! If you want tarot bullet journal spread ideas check out my instagram @owlsandindigo here.
You can keep your tarot journal private or pass it down in your family. These records are a beautiful family heirloom that give younger generations a peek into their familyโs past. Writing down your tarot readings in a tarot journal in this way creates a tangible source of reference material for your life, the lessons you have learned, should learn, and can still learn.
Each tarot card is filled with nuance that you will come to understand as your daily tarot journal practice develops. This record also shows you how the archetypes of the cards manifest themselves in the real world. Each tarot deck carries with it the story of the shared human experience, universal truths, and archetypes that we can all relate to no matter what season we are in or where we are in life.
Tarot cards are a very interesting way to reveal the subconscious feelings that we are having that we didn’t know we had. Tarot cards can also help us relate to everyday situations, discover unexpected meanings, develop a keen eye for recurring patterns in our lives, and reflect on what is happening in our lives and how we should move forward.
The Tarot is a meditative tool that helps us to stop stumbling through life, and guides us through introspection to reflect on our current station in life, navigate the jumble of our minds, see where we are today in the present, and steer us back to what feeds our soul.
Remember, tarot card’s can’t tell you your future. All they can do is act as a mirror to reflect back to you what you already know, that you canโt quite put into words.
JENNY PROCZKO, OWLS&INDIGO HOW TO USE TAROT AS A DAILY JOURNALING TOOL
I also read recently that the tarot is a barometer to show you where youโre at in life and the potential you possess. The tarot is a simple beautiful tool to put our conscious minds in touch with our subconscious, to uncover answers weโre seeking, that are already buried deep within our hearts and minds. Tarot cards act as a best friend who gently nudges you to say “hey you might want to think about this. Stop ignoring it, and give it some thought because you’re important too.”
Tarot Journal Resources & Related Topics
Below are some of my favorite Tarot Journaling Resources & Related Topics!
Choosing Your First Tarot Deck should be a fun and indulgent experience. Not an overwhelming one. The deck you choose should resonate with you on a deep soulful level, it should give you a buzz, and a chill when you think about the deck, it’s captivating images, and messages that await you. Otherwise what would have been an intentional tarot practice, will fail because you won’t reach for your tarot deck due to lack of connection and interest.
Before I bought my first tarot deck, I was fascinated by the ritual, symbolism, and mysticism that surrounded the cards. But the idea that the cards could tell me my future just didn’t sit well with me, it just didn’t feel right. And to be honest, it still doesn’t feel right to me. Which meant that I just didn’t know where to start and kept asking myself over and over again “what tarot cards should I buy?”
The most important thing when it comes to choosing your own tarot deck is to select the tarot deck that you feel drawn to and that you understand the most. Don’t choose a deck just because it’s popular, or just because you think you need to have it in your collection. Or because someone said to start with a particular deck. Don’t do that.
Why I Love Tarot Cards
Tarot cards can help us achieve a great many things. Tarot decks are learning tools, meditation tools, journaling tools, and show us the beauty of the shared human experience through the stories they tell in the themes embedded into each card’s imagery.
I love tarot cards and decks because I’m an artist. I love looking at the beautiful miniature works of art. Honestly, if I could fill my home with art set up like an art gallery that rotates artwork all the time, I would do it! This is a major reason why I love tarot cards so much, it’s all the beautiful imagery in these little teeny tiny miniature works of art. Another selling point for me on having multiple tarot decks in my collection is that they let me have many many works of art in my home on a much smaller scale.
Can You Buy Your Own Tarot Deck?
First I’d love to dispel the myth that you cannot purchase your own tarot cards… You should definitely go buy your own tarot deck, it is not bad luck to buy your own, and you won’t be cursed. Like many things in the world, tarot cards have no meaning unless you give them meaning. It’s you that gives an object, any object, its importance through the meaning that you attach to it.
When it comes to reading tarot cards, the most important thing is your connection to the cards, your interpretation, and the meaning you attach to the symbols and imagery of each card.
Quite frankly, the idea that you can’t buy your own tarot deck makes no logical sense. I think this cursed myth has been shared throughout the years to try and keep the mysticism around tarot cards, keeping them veiled. And to keep the purchases low so that not many people had them, therefore perpetuating that veiled mystic mythos surrounding tarot cards and tarot readings.
Take your first tarot deck into your own hands and make sure you buy one that you are drawn to and that resonates with you. Choosing a tarot deck should be a deeply personal experience that reflects it’s owner’s tastes, goals, dreams, and intentions. Which is why you should buy your own deck instead of waiting years on end for someone to gift you a deck, that you might end up not liking anyway, that is hard to use, or that you had to wait half a lifetime, or longer to receive.
When you choose your own tarot deck deliberately, you are selecting a deck that suits your personal tastes and cultural affinities. This creates an instantaneous & automatic connection that causes you to lean further in and explore why you have those tastes and affinities. This will help you forge a deeper bond with your identity, values, and what makes you, you.
Buy A Tarot Deck On Purpose
When buying your first tarot deck, consider your goals, intentions, the purpose of the deck, and how you’ll be using the deck. Not only should you consider the purpose of the deck, but you should also buy a tarot deck ON purpose. You can accomplish this by finishing the following statement:
“Primarily, I want a deck that will help me _______.”
By understanding, and more importantly defining, the reason why you are buying a given tarot deck and its purpose for you, well in advance of buying it will ensure that you have a goal in mind when shopping.
Level this up by turning this reason into a mantra while you are shopping for a new tarot deck. This mantra will enable you to weed out the tarot decks that donโt meet your criteria faster and with confidence.
“My Tarot Deck Helps Me _______.”
What do you need to think about when choosing a tarot deck?
Let’s dive deeper into how to choose the right tarot deck for you. There are so many different types of tarot cards out there in today’s modern internet age. Including new age tarot decks that you may not have heard of like, angel card readings, mystic moon tarot, lotus tarot cards, etc.
There is an immense amount of free online tarot reading tools and tarot decks that act more like instant tarot readings. You’ll also find free oracle card readings, free lotus tarot, llewellyn free tarot readings and tools online. There are free tarot readings for the popular spreads like the Celtic Cross tarot spread online too. But more on the different tarot card spreads another day.
The search for the perfect tarot deck can be a bit daunting. So let me help you narrow down your choices through getting intentional about the tarot deck you purchase.
When you’re choosing your first tarot deck or a new tarot deck to add to your collection, there are a few things you’ll want to consider and take time to mull over in your search: Inspiration, Emotion, & Physical Feeling.
Is the deck in question visually appealing and inspiring?
Do you have a strong emotional reaction to the tarot deckโs imagery and messaging?
Does the tarot deck feel good in your hands?
But it’s not as simple as that. Let’s dive deeper into understanding why you are being called to practice tarot, why you want a tarot deck in the first place, and how to make this an intentional purchase that will keep you engaged in its mysteries well into your later years.
The tarot deck that you choose should have an abundance of inspiring qualities within its imagery, messaging, and tone of voice. When you find a tarot deck that is visually appealing and visually inspiring you will find yourself reaching for it more and developing your practice in an engaged, deeper, and more meaningful way. You wonโt be able to stop thinking about the tarot cards and might find yourself daydreaming about them constantly.
How To Find a Tarot Deck That Speaks to You
Well that’s the most loftiest advice Iโve ever heard…Donโt you agree?
Let me explain what it means to find a tarot deck that โspeaksโ to you. Have you ever had a song stuck in your head for days on end? This happens to me all of the time, and it happens with tarot card decks. Sometimes I will dream about a tarot deck or have themes and images from the cards stuck in my head for days on end.
Honestly, it can be a little distracting sometimes. But I take this as a sign that my subconscious is trying to turn things over and bring them up to the surface of my conscious mind so that I can tackle them.
But how does this help you find the perfect tarot deck? The answer is to find a tarot deck that speaks to you, which means choosing a tarot deck that you’re drawn to or that you can’t get out of your head.
Choose A Tarot Deck That You Canโt Get Out Of Your Head
When this happens, I always go straight to that deck in question if it’s in my collection. However if it’s not on my shelf, and it’s been stuck in my head drawing me closer and closer to it for over a month, then I purchase the deck (if monies allow) or do a thorough google image search of all of the cards in the deck to see if it’s really a tarot deck that I need in my collection.
Allow yourself to dive into the rabbit hole and preview all of the cards in the deck if you can find them! Explore online reviews, apps and artist websites to find previews of all the cards. You’d be surprised at what a quick google search can do… you’ll almost certainly be able to instantly determine whether or not you’ve got a connection with the cards. If you do, you’ll feel it immediately in your bones and soul.
After some googling, this is sometimes the point when I discover that I already have a deck in my collection that serves the purpose of the deck in question. Other times I discover that the deck isn’t right for me after looking at the imagery of each card in the deck.
It’s really important to go with your gut and trust your instincts when you’re looking at the tarot card imagery. When a tarot deck speaks to you, the artistic style of the cards will guide you deeper into a place within yourself, where the answers to your questions lie.
You will intuitively understand the symbolism embedded in the imagery, and the themes will resonate with you. Look for this personal intuitive connection with the cards, if it’s not there, then it’s not the right deck for you.
If you are feeling that immediate pull to a particular deck pay attention to the visual aesthetics! Go deeper beyond the surface and ask yourself the following questions…
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Ask Yourself: What Inspiring Qualities Do The Tarot Cards Have?
What is your first reaction to the tarot cards in this deck?ย
What captures your attention about this tarot deck?ย
Is It visually inspiring?
What is bringing you back to this tarot deck over and over again?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a tarot deck must be worth a million.
For me, imagery is the most important aspect of a tarot deck. As an artist I’m such a visual person, and tarot is firstly, a visual tool, so if I can’t connect with the pictures on the cards, I won’t use the deck because it’s too difficult to interpret their meanings.
The best tarot artwork is balanced, easy to scan, understand, and identify with immediately. If the user doesnโt understand the imagery in a card then they wonโt use the tarot deck.
Pay attention to the Media & Colors of the deck.
Are you drawn to simple modern lines, striking gilded imagery, holographic elements, colorful or dark and brooding shades? Are you inspired by detailed drawings, contemporary or vintage designs? Do patterns appeal to you?
After you’ve found a deck with imagery that calls to you consider this:
Can you look at the imagery of the tarot card and begin to understand its potential meaning?ย
Does this card mean something to you specifically?
Make sure that you look at all of the cards in a tarot deck, this includes the backs of the cards since you will see those while you shuffle the tarot deck.
Have you seen a tarot deck with images that resonate with your personality? This might be the deck for you.
As much as I love only looking at the artwork on each tarot card in my collection, Iโm here to tell you that theyโre more than just pretty pictures. Artwork moves us in various ways through the emotional reactions we experience when deciphering itโs imagery.
This is where the Art Historian in me comes out in full regalia ready to spend hours exploring a painting and every brush stroke, but instead I most frequently find myself with the 78 little miniature works of art found in a tarot deck.
As an Art Historian, when I am exploring a painting, I am looking for certain qualities to better understand the story behind the artwork and what the artist is trying to convey to me, and with tarot cards and tarot decks this exploration is no different. This search for connection to the creator of a piece is what gets me to fall in love with an artwork and feel pulled to visit it time and time again, every chance I get. With tarot cards, I donโt have to wait until I am in the city where it resides to visit the artwork (see my favorite piece of art here!).
When choosing your first tarot deck itโs important to ask yourself: Do I have an emotional reaction to this tarot deck? If you do then look deeper into yourself and reflect on the emotional qualities that are important to you when youโre looking at any type of artwork. The messages, advice, and tone of the artwork will evoke very specific visceral reactions from you.
If the tarot cards in a given deck move you to have an emotional reaction to the artwork, then the artist and creator of the deck has done their job. This might be the deck for you to keep you pouring over itโs artwork into the long hours of the night.
What kind of advice do you want the cards to give you?
With so many decks out there, there are different decks that are good for different things. Once you know the type of voice you’re looking for and understand the voice of a given tarot deck, you can zero in on how to pick a tarot deck that’s right for you.
When choosing a โvoiceโ that you want your tarot cards to have, consider the tone of voice and tone of the messaging written in the guide book (more on guidebooks in a bit!).
I reach for a spirit animal deck when I am looking to embody the characteristics of an animal, learn from them, and try to embed some of their wisdom into my life. I like to reach for oracle decks when I want to feel inspired and uplifted. More on the difference between oracle decks and tarot decks another day. I love pulling out traditional tarot decks to view their imagery.
But most of all, I love modern decks because they tend to blend all of these things together. They have a little bit of oracle decks, a little bit of traditional tarot decks, and they usually have animal imagery in them as well. All of these themes and types of decks rolled up into one works really nicely for my tarot journaling practice.
What Tone of Voice Should My Tarot Cards Have?
Do you want your tarot deck to have an authoritative voice when you read the description of the cards and when you interpret them?ย
Should the cards have a reassuring and comforting voice in its messaging?ย
Are you looking for whimsy in the writing?ย
The inspiring simplified messages of The Universe Has Your Back oracle deck?ย
Silliness like in the Lisa Frank Tarot Deck?ย
Messages of embodying power like Spirit Animal and Medicine Card Decks?
Consider the type of feeling that you want the cards to give you. Think about what type of emotions and what type of imagery that you’d like to see from your tarot deck when you’re trying to decide which tarot deck to choose.
Since there are so many different tarot decks to choose from, all equally steeped in mystery until we get to know the cards. Each tarot deck has their own artwork, symbolism, meanings, themes, stories, archetypes, and curiously enough, their own unique energy to the deck itself. I like to think of this as more of the vibe I get or feeling I get when using the cards. This energy and vibe heavily influences the feelings that are evoked and experiences I have when reading the tarot cards.
What Feeling Should My Tarot Cards Give Me?
Do you want to experience a calming reading that is more zen like?ย
Do you want to connect with your inner goddess?ย
Are you looking for botanical decks to get to know the energy of different plants and flowers?
What vibe do I want my tarot deck to give me for each reading?
Once you have an idea on the type of feeling you want to obtain from a tarot card reading and your tarot deck you will be able to tap into the themes that you should be searching for when buying your first deck. More on themes and types of tarot decks below.
Physical Tactile Qualities of Tarot Cards
The perfect tarot deck for you will feel good in your hands. This is an instance where size is important, if your deck is too small then you wonโt be able to read the imagery in each tarot card. If it’s too big or a weird shape then you might have a hard time shuffling the tarot deck.
The physical qualities of a tarot deck are deal breakers for a lot of tarot practitioners. This is because of how personal, private, and unique, the practice of reading tarot cards is. No two card readers will have the same preferences when it comes to how the deck feels in their hands.
What is the perfect sized tarot deck?
Donโt forgo thinking about shape, size, and practicality when choosing your first tarot deck. Most tarot decks are printed 2.75โ (70mm) by 4.75โ (120 mm), which is a smidge larger than a common pack of playing cards.
Mini cards can be hard to read and shuffle.
Be sure to take the size into consideration. Will you be able to read the cards and decipher the imagery on the cards? This happens to be the only type of tarot deck that I have regretted and passed on to someone else. The deck that I had was too hard for me to read because of how detailed and delicate the imagery was. It would have worked better as a regular sized deck. My current favorite mini cards are Celtic Totem Animals: Working With Shamanic Helpers
Round Tarot Decks and Oversized decks can be difficult to shuffle and hold in your hand.
But don’t let that stop you if you really love a deck and have a strong connection to it. I had a hard time shuffling these types of decks at first, but I was pretty quick to find alternative ways of shuffling that worked well for me, and I know you will too. My favorite round deck is The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck & Guidebook.
Should Tarot Cards Feel Crisp & Stiff Or Worn In?
I have always preferred tarot cards and playing cards that are worn in. They have a used feel that is easier to shuffle, handle, and have a well loved vibe about them that I can’t get enough of. My favorite playing cards are my Dad’s from the 1990’s if not the mid to late 1980’s. My tarot decks haven’t reached this level of use yet, but after 10+ years, my first ever tarot deck is starting to shuffle easier and get that worn in feeling in my hands that I’m looking for.
If you like the worn in feeling of cards
Then I suggest opting for a thinner card stock in your tarot deck selection. This also means to not be afraid of reviews that say the cards are too thin. My favorite thin card stock tarot deck right now is the The Antique Anatomy Tarot Kit: Deck & Guidebook for the Modern Reader.
If you like stiff feeling cards
Then make SURE to read the reviews and watch as many demo or review videos as you can of the cards being shuffled. Thicker cardstock tarot cards will generally have a louder, harsher, snap sound when you shuffle the cards. Due to their stiff rigid nature of the card. A softer sounding shuffle usually is an indicator of a worn in deck. My favorite stiff feeling tarot deck is The Illuminated Tarot: 53 Cards for Divination & Gameplay.
Shop around and consider the size and quality of the card stock in your tarot deck. This is really important when you are choosing your very first deck. There are a lot of options too.
What Physical Tactile Qualities Should My Tarot Cards Have?
Does the Tarot Deck Feel Good In Your Hands?
Do you want a small tiny travel deck that can fit in your bag?ย
Playing card size?ย
The classic size, a smidge bigger than playing cards?ย
Still feeling overwhelmed by all of the tarot deck choices out there?
Donโt let the abundance of choice and all of the questions to consider when buying your first tarot deck discourage you. If youโre still not sure which tarot deck to buy check out my go to tarot deck for beginners below while you mull over the inspirational, emotional, and physical tactile qualities you want your first tarot deck to have.
My Go To Tarot Deck For Beginners
What is the best beginner tarot deck? Consider your experience level, if you’re a beginner, I highly recommend that you try out a spirit animal deck (which is not a tarot deck). Spirit Animal decks are really easy to get into and more relatable.
This is because we can see the characteristics of the animals reflected back to us from the cards, through the personification that our cultures have put onto animals in our stories, folklore, fairy tales, and traditions. So it’s a very easy type of deck to identify with.
Think about it, you probably already know what a dog or wolf, a horse, and bird means. Their personifications are pretty universal in the human experience.
What is the most common tarot deck?
Alternatively if you’re a beginner and you really want to start from, well, the beginning, try out a more traditional deck, like the well-known Rider Tarot Deck. The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck is widely referenced in tarot books, which means there’s a lot of information on this deck out there.
If you’re looking for something that has a wealth of information attached to it, try the Rider Tarot Deck. If you’re an intermediate tarot lover try the Marseille Tarot Deck. If you’re a more advanced or experienced tarot reader, you should try out a tarot deck that is more conceptual that has more complex meanings and symbolism like Thoth Tarot from the Golden Dawn.
When first starting out with tarot or when learning a new deck, it’s very helpful to have a companion book next to you for each reading if you don’t have a friend to guide you through the reading. The guidebooks are really nice to have to validate your interpretation of each card so you can learn each card in a meaningful way.
The Rider Deck has the same foundational structure that many other decks that came after it are built from. Learning to interpret these other decks comes faster since they are so similar to the Rider Deck, it’s almost like learning a new dialect instead of a whole new language, which is really helpful if you are a beginner.
The Rider Tarot Deck has many guidebooks and interpretation books that have different explanations on how to use this deck and what the card meanings are. This deck is also most commonly used in tarot reading instructional books across the board as image examples to convey the concepts of the different types of cards in the 78 tarot card structural system.
Which Tarot Deck Should I Buy?
Click on a deck below and check out some of my favorites!
Remember to choose your first tarot deck or a new tarot deck to add to your collection in a meaningful and intentional way that fosters: Inspiration, Emotion, & Feels Good In Your Hands.
Reach for a tarot deck, oracle deck, or spirit animal deck that you are drawn to and that you feel a connection or a pull to. Reach for a tarot deck with beautiful imagery that is in your taste. Reach for a tarot deck that you feel an intuitive connection to.
Reach for the tarot deck that you’re feeling on a given day. I have a collection of tarot decks and always reach for the ones that are calling to me that day. Sometimes there are specific reasons that lead me to choose a tarot deck, but largely I like to choose the one that calls to me.
What matters most is your unique connection to the cards.
So go forth and choose the tarot deck that speaks to you.
Today I wanted to share with you how I set up this moon themed bullet journal goal-setting spread AND how I set my goals on every new moon for the lunar month. I do goal-setting in alignment with the moon. Every new moon is when I set my goals and intentions for that lunar cycle. These goals always relate back to my overarching goals for the entire year.
If you want to see how I created this layout click here. So grab a cup of tea and your favorite pen, and let’s set our monthly goals together!
Watch my companion youtube video to see how I created these watercolor backgrounds for my journal so you can make them in your own journal too!
First I’m setting up my New Moon Beginnings spread. This is the first fold out of the New Moon goal-setting spread. Here I have room for the New Moon Beginnings prompts. These white cards are going to be spaces where I write my journaling prompts, tarot card prompts, and my mantras that I create for myself this month. I absolutely love these little stamps that I made! I actually have a video on them if you’d like to see how I made these mood phase stamps. I like how imperfect they are, they feel hand-drawn to me, and I absolutely love them.
On every new moon I always pull two or three tarot cards. This time I’m pulling two cards that represent what I should have and what I should do. I’m using the classic Rider-Waite deck for this entire year for these New Moon Beginnings Tarot journaling prompts. I like to write in the classic Rider-Waite definition of the cards and my own interpretation of them below, in addition to my own sketch of the tarot card. These sketches aren’t miniature recreations like my daily tarot draws, to see those head over here.
The Rider Tarot Deck is a classic tarot deck to have in your collection. This deck comes with a mini guide book and will give you all the mystical mamma feels when you use it. Because this deck is so well known, there are a lot of additional companion books and resources.
Some links in this article are affiliate links, this means I earn a small commission if you use them! Affiliate Links are one way I am able to provide videos, articles, and resources for free. Other links go straight to the Owls & Indigo Shop where you can support me directly.
I like to start by shuffling the deck 3 times, or whatever feels good, and then I cut the deck. I also like to write down any notes that jump out at me from the guidebooks as I journal. This month for my journaling prompts Iโll be focusing on:
to have to do
to have
The Eight of Wands, according to the deck, representing swiftness, great hope, speed towards an end which promises assured felicity, on the move, love. My interpretation of the card, onwards and upwards, you are on the move to prosperity, but whose it is?
to do
The Four of Wands, according to the deck, harmony, prosperity, peace. My interpretation of the card, balance, harmony, peace and hopefully prosperity are on the way, if and only if you can keep the balance.
After I pull these first two tarot cards, I move over to the opposite side of this spread to the mantra maker. Out of these themes, I create my mantras for this month with my Mantra Maker.
This monthโs lunar theme is:
“relax into your intention and watch its first roots & shoots form.”
The theme this month is relax into your intention and watch its first roots & shoots form. As your goals begin to take hold you begin to feel the first footholds below each step towards your dreams, goals, and intentions. Keep moving forward and upwards out of the soil as your dreams begin to break the surface and grow.
Make sure to keep in mind the theme of the Moon. Then create mantras for yourself that are customized based on the tarot cards that you just drew and any insights that the cards may have given you into the direction you want to head in for your goals for the month. Make sure that they also relate back to the overarching yearly goals. I like to use the mantra maker prompts:
I amโฆ I willโฆ I’ve set these goals toโฆ
Here are my mantras for this first moon:
I am swift and moving forwards.
I am prosperous.
I am full of great hope and faith in myself.
I will remain balanced in times of chaos.
I will move swiftly as I need to and balanced as I need to.
Then I like to wrap up those individual mantras into one big overarching mission statement for my goals and intentions for the month.
My mission statement for this cycle is:
I’ve set these goals to remain balanced in times of chaos, move swiftly when I need to, seek balance as I need to. I am full of great hope and faith in myself. The prosperity is mine. AND, I embody yoga in its various forms.
JENNY PROCZKO, FROM OWLSANDINDIGO NEW MOON MANTRA 2020
After I’ve written out my mantras for the month I put aside those tarot cards. I don’t actually reference them at all anymore. I just use tarot cards as a journaling prompt and as away to get my mind thinking about any insights that could pop up based on what I want to achieve. I don’t use the Tarot as a forecasting or future telling tool. I just use it as a tool to get to know myself better and as a tool to spur me to think about certain things and different archetypes that the cards bring up and how it affects my current life situation.
Next I re-write my mission statement mantra for the month in the upper hand corner of the inside of this spread next to my moon wheel.
I’m going to be writing in a feeling based intention on every moon phase as the lunar month goes on. I will be sharing my feeling based intention in a secondโฆ I like to write it in at the end of my goal setting and planning session. So, onward to the goals!
โฉโฝโฆSetting Goals In Alignment With The Moonโฆโพโฉ
Now that I have this layout all set up, I can go ahead and move into the action phase of this goal-setting practice that I do every single month. This next section is my Action Steps and How I’m Going To Do It! 1 2 3!
The one-two-three method as a way of prioritizing my tasks when I feel super overwhelmed, I feel like I just don’t know where to start, or some days for when I just don’t have motivation to do anything. Sometimes I need to just say “okay if you get through this one list of 1-2-3 items then you’re done.” Click here for more information on the 1-2-3 Method for G.S.D.ing & G.Y.S.T.ing. I like to use the method for my mental health as well.
Now that I have all of my intentions and goals written down I’m going to break those 8 things down into 3 actionable steps. For each moon phase I have one intention to either finish or to work on. Check out my intentions for this moon and the 1-2-3 Method Steps that I am going to do to achieve these goals and intention for this moon below in my video:
After I have set all of these goals and broken them down into the actionable steps on how I can achieve them within one month, I go over to my feeling based intention and I write my intention for this lunar phase. I do this on every single moon phase either by the moon or in the morning of each new lunar phase, so you’ll see as the month goes on that this moon wheel will fill up with my own little mantras for every phase. My feeling based intention for today on the new moon is:
โI’ve set these goals to further my spiritual knowledge of yoga and reignite my practice, and feed & feel the shakti within. I feel my goal in my core.“
JENNY PROCZKO, from OWLSANDINDIGO NEW MOON INTENTION
Then at the beginning of each moon phase for this cycle I will come back to this spread and write a new positive feeling based intention. Iโll be posting these little mini moon updates over on Instagram, so be sure to follow me there so you donโt miss them! The only place you can find them is on instagram.
After I’ve recorded my feeling based intention I go over to my little tracker and mark off that I said my mantras and reviewed my goals for the day. There will be days where I don’t come to this spread and I don’t review my intentions for the month. But hopefully by breaking these down, setting all of these milestones for myself and giving myself dates and deadlines, I will come back to this every day. And even if I don’t I will still easily be able to get back on track because of all of the planning and prepping I’ve just done!
As the lunar month goes on….
I always check in with my goals. This is NOT a set it and forget it practice. You can’t hold and to hope and just ask the universe for something and not put in any work. So, to keep myself on track with my goals and to work towards them I check in with these goals twice a month for a more indepth review on my progress to see how its going or if I need to shift and pivot my goals and intentions to achieve them by the end of the moon.
On the Full Moon I do a mid month check in. First I ask myself, what have I succeeded in? and what can I improve?
This journaling and goal setting practice is something that I do the night before every new moon or the morning of every new moon. This practice of short term, achievable goal setting via the lunar cycle, has grown really dear to my heart. Itโs something that I canโt imagine not doing.
So what goals have you set for this month? Are they similar to mine or are they totally different? I can’t wait to see your goals are, make sure you leave me a comment down below.
What progress did you make on your goals this month? I’m pretty surprised with the progress that I made. I was super ambitious with 8 intentions…. and I think I ended up with a 85% ish success rate this month! Read on to see what I accomplished and what I let fall away that I realized just wasn’t important to me anymore.
Today it’s time for my Balsamic Moon End of the Month Goals Review. I really enjoyed creating this Bullet Journal Moon Wheel Calendar featured in my spreads. If you want to see how I set these goals click here. So grab a cup of tea and your favorite pen, and let’s review our monthly goals together!
I like to set goals via the moon and use the eight moon phases to check in with my goals to track my progress. This helps me see if I need to add anything or take away anything to help me achieve the goal that I’ve set at the beginning of the lunar month at the new moon.
this month’s theme is:
“plant the seeds of your intentions“
The theme this month is plant the seeds of your intentions. The first moon of the year is the perfect time to set new intentions, goals, and resolutions. Now is the time to dream big and begin planting the seeds that will start your journey to your end goal! I have talked a lot about the power of starting and why you should start here on Owls&Indigo. See my best advice for starting below:
“I’ve set these goals to hone my craft and skillset to be loving and kind to myself and others in moments of imperfection and mistakes. I am loyal to my intentions.”
I feel like this mantra is working really well for me this month. I am really proud of myself for getting ahead in accomplishing some of the action steps that are supporting my 8 goals for this month. I am seriously surprised that I have made it this far with the overabundance of goals and intentions that i set for myself this month. I was very ambitious and it seems like that ambition and drive is working out well for me this month. I am truly grateful for that. See the other mantras that I made this month here!
By the end of the month I realized that it was super important to focus on “be loving and kind to myself and others in moments of imperfection and mistakes.” I failed a little bit on that one… but that is always a work in progress in the human existence. I think when I failed was being overwhelmed immensely and getting sick twice right there at the end of the lunar month. Any patience I had, just left me. This is something that I really need to work on.
There’s always things that we can improve on whether we’re actually on top of our goals and have gotten everything done. There’s definitely little things along the way that we could have done better. To see what my goals are for this lunar month check out my article here. On the Balsamic Moon, I always ask myself the same questions: What worked? What didn’t? What can I improve?
what worked this lunar month?
What worked for me this lunar month was reading samples of my books on kindle before I bought them. I really enjoyed doing this because it gave me a chance to test out the book to see if it was the right one for me before I made the full commitment. The samples that I got were really long too! I think one of the samples was 100 ish pages.
what didn’t?
What didn’t work for me this lunar month was making time for new recipes. I was traveling for a family wedding on Lupercalia and ended up getting food poisoning after returning home from late night pizza…. Days later and I still don’t feel quite right. So I decided to let this one go… in the end, trying new recipes just wasn’t important to me as the month went on.
what can I improve?
I will improve by taking on less and resting more this next moon.
my lunar leftovers:
Lunar leftovers are the things that I didn’t get to that I want to carry over to the next month or things that I still want to work on even if I accomplished the goal that I set for them at the beginning of the new moon. I signify this lunar leftover with an arrow or greater than carrot symbol on the edge of my page. Sometimes, I level this up with a highlighter or stamp markers so I don’t miss it for my next goal setting session.
This month I have one lunar left over. I didn’t end up getting to all of the books that I wanted to read, so I will be carrying over the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I am still reading Hatha Yoga Pradipika, this version has explanations of the verses with it written for the modern reader…. which I am super thankful for, because I would have had no idea what the essence of the sanskrit was getting at.
Some links in this article are affiliate links, this means I earn a small commission if you use them! Affiliate Links are one way I am able to provide videos, articles, and resources for free. Other links go straight to the Owls & Indigo Shop where you can support me directly.
My feeling based intention for this balsamic moon is: โI give thanks for this lunar cycle and my new habits. I rest. I restore.โ Then I finish off my balsamic moon goal setting review by drawing in a little symbol on my little tracker.
โI give thanks for this lunar cycle and my new habits. I rest. I restore.โ
Jenny Proczko, Balsamic Moon End of Month Goal Setting Review Mantra & Intention
I want to make sure that I’m being real with you and showing that no one’s perfect. Like me… Sometimes I don’t review this goal setting spread for weeks. But I don’t allow myself to use that absence as an excuse to fall off the bandwagon. My goals, intentions and spiritual practices are important to me, important enough to not give up on.
How about you? Were you able to accomplish your goals this month? Let me know in the comments down below if you are having a hard time accomplishing your goals right now too.
ALSO!!!!
What progress have you made on your goals this month?
Did you have to retool your goals and intentions for the month?
Performing a year ahead tarot spread is an incredibly insightful journaling tool to help you plan out your coming year and get an idea of the common obstacles that you might face. Tarot readings can’t really tell you your future. Tarot cards are only a mirror to what you already know about yourself and the shared life experiences and themes we all go through.
A year ahead tarot card reading can be done at any time of year and consists of one card that describes the overarching theme for the year and 12 additional cards that describe each month laid out in a circle in a clockwise order with the yearly theme card in the center of the circle.
Like I said, tarot cards can’t tell you your future; rather they are binoculars or a magnifying glass that allows you to view a situation through a different lens. Because we are so set in our ways of living, thinking, and doing things, we might not realize this point of view / perspective is available to us. OR you might discover that you are subconsciously avoiding looking from this P.O.V.
Then draw one card as your overall theme for the year. Now draw one card for each month and lay them out in a circle with the yearly theme card in the center of the circle and the monthly cards forming the circle. My layout is clockwise starting with the noon position in my moon themed bullet journal. You can see this in the image below.
Step 3: Reflect & Record
Next record the layout of the cards and meaning of each card, plus any images or symbols that stand out to you or mean something to you on a personal level.
Themes To Look For In Your Tarot Card Spread
The other things I pay special attention to when doing a year ahead tarot spread are the suits and any animals or plants that have popped up in the cards.
My spread this year was very balanced with 3 of each of the minor arcana cards (wands, cups, swords, pentacles) and one major arcana card. Animals and plants are very important to my life because I grew up on a farm and still seek to have that connection to the land and my local ecosystem. I also have a medicinal herb practice that spills over into my health and cooking. These themes and symbols are important items that serve as a signal for me to look deeper into what the card means to me specifically, which might be very different than the book meaning of the tarot card.
Step 4: Monthly Reflections
As the year goes on look back to this year ahead tarot spread and use the theme of each monthly card as a signal to look out for these types of situations in your life that month. You can also use this as a journaling tool to reflect on the themes of the month, how you have delt with them in the past and how you can learn to better yourself in those areas.
At the end of each month record your findings and feelings in your journal on the next few pages to see if the card you drew for that month made an impact as all. Sometimes itโs enough to be reminded of a certain life theme that pops up in the tarot cards, so that when we are faced with it, we are better equipped to handle it or sometimes be able to avoid it all together in a healthy manner.
Remember, tarot is a personal reflection tool. This tarot card spread isn’t able to tell you your future. It’s only able to act as a magnifying glass for the life themes that you should focus on for the time being to better yourself.
How To Analyze A Tarot Card Spread
I use the tarot cards as a way to prompt my intuition to come forward and tell me what I already know about myself or a situation. This allows me to think about things that I already know the answer to, that I may have forgotten, or that I may be ignoring on purpose. Can you relate?
Overall, I don’t think that this is a bad tarot spread. There are a lot of life lessons and things that we all go through every single year. By doing this year ahead tarot card spread, it gives me and idea of things to keep in mind that are part of the shared human experience as I go through the year. There are different themes that could pop up during each month and each season, and this spread helps me keep those things in mind by highlighting the themes and archetypes that we all experience at various points in our life.
Tarot Card Yearly & Monthly Themes
Yearly Theme: The Five of Wands
“Scattered, Lack of Focus, Lost. This is a card of conflict. You may find yourself tending to nothing and everything. Find ways to bring calm and focus to your mind or these troubles will only increase.”
Animals & Plants
Horse
Deer
Snake
Owl
Earthworm
Rose
Fox
Spider
Monthly Themes:
January, 8 of Wands, sudden movement or change. February, 5 of Cups, grief, disappointment. Horse. March, Son of Pentacles, loyal, quiet, dedicated. Deer. April, 9 of Cups, bliss, harmony. May, Father of Wands, charismatic, creative. Snake. June, Death, closure, transformation. Bird Skeleton. July, Mother of Swords, sharp, perceptive. Owl. August, 9 of Swords, dark visions, anguish. Earth Worm. September, 5 of Pentacles, sadness, worry, illness. Rose. October, 7 of Swords, secrecy, self-interest. Fox. November, 8 of Pentacles, craftsmanship, skill. Spider. December, 8 of Cups, stagnation, ill health.
What It Means When You Draw The Death Tarot Card For Your Birthday
For June, my birthday month, I drew the Death tarot card, which represents closure and transformation. The fact that this card popped up in my birthday month doesn’t bother me. The Death card doesn’t represent anything bad to me, it never has. This card is just a sign of transformation which is a really really good thing to have for your birthday month in my opinion!
I would definitely be wanting closure and transformation in the future. I would love to transform every year on my birthday, or at least feel like I’ve made progress in my life each year. So I’m actually quite excited about having the Death cardโฆ this one doesn’t bother me at all.
For October I drew the Seven of swords, which has a little fox peeking from behind it’s tail, it represents secrecy and self-interest. This is a good card to have for October since that is when we start the descent into our Shadow Selves at that time of year. It is a time of year that is full of introspection and getting to know the child self and inner most true self no matter how easy or difficult that may be.
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook (Official Keepsake Box Set), by Kim Krans is a really great introduction into tarot cards that feel more approachable than the classic Rider Waite deck for those who are just starting their tarot journey. I love just looking at the artwork and tucking the cards into my mirror so I can see them every morning.
Some links in this article are affiliate links, this means I earn a small commission if you use them! Affiliate Links are one way I am able to provide videos, articles, and resources for free. Other links go straight to the Owls & Indigo Shop where you can support me directly.
BONUS: End Of The Month Tarot Card Review For January
For January I drew the Eight of Wands from The Wild Unknown deck. This card represents sudden movement or change. The card is mostly black with a rainbow lightning strike coming down from the top of the card to the center. There are also seven other wands pointed at it into the middle.
SOโฆ “sudden movement or change” for Januaryโฆ I thought this was fitting when I originally drew the card back at the beginning of the month when I did my year ahead spread. The Eight of Wands is a really good card for new beginnings, new phases, and being at the start of something, like a new year!
I thought it was a really nice way to kick off the year with the Eight of Wands. I definitely experienced a lot of sudden movement and change in January. I had to hit the ground running, just as everyone does in January (there is that shared human experience I was talking about) after the holidays and get back into work and back into the swing of things. I felt like the jump back into the new year and work was a little more jarring this yearโฆ I don’t know whyโฆ but for some reason, it did. There’s also been a lot of change in my personal life this past January – but it’s all been good and has all been positive.
So final verdict! I do think that The Eight of Wands definitely reflected back to me what my January ended up being.
Are you trying to get back on track with your goals? Thankfully I have found a way forward this month! I’ve been able to accomplish my goals consistently and step closer to the end of this lunar month to the finish line.
Today it’s time for my Full Moon Mid-Month Goal-Setting Check In. I really enjoyed creating this Bullet Journal Moon Wheel Calendar. If you want to see how I set these goals click here. So grab a cup of tea and your favorite pen, and let’s check in on our monthly goals together!
I like to set goals via the moon and use the eight moon phases to check in with my goals to track my progress. This helps me see if I need to add anything or take away anything to help me achieve the goal that I’ve set at the beginning of the lunar month at the new moon.
this month’s theme is:
“plant the seeds of your intentions“
The theme this month is plant the seeds of your intentions. The first new moon of the year is the perfect time to set new intentions, goals, and resolutions. Now is the time to dream big and begin planting the seeds that will start your journey to your end goal! I have talked a lot about the power of starting and why you should start here on Owls&Indigo. See my best advice for starting below:
“I’ve set these goals to hone my craft and skillset to be loving and kind to myself and others in moments of imperfection and mistakes. I am loyal to me intentions.”
I feel like this mantra is working really well for me this month. I am really proud of myself for getting ahead in accomplishing some of the action steps that are supporting my 8 goals for this month. I am seriously surprised that I have made it this far with the overabundance of goals and intentions that i set for myself this month. I was very ambitious and it seems like that ambition and drive is working out well for me this month. I am truly grateful for that. See the other mantras that I made this month here!
There’s always things that we can improve on whether we’re actually on top of our goals and have gotten everything done. There’s definitely little things along the way that we could have done better. To see what my goals are for this lunar month check out my article here. On the Full Moon, I always ask myself the same questions: What did I succeed in? What can I improve?
what have I succeeded in this lunar month?
I’ve succeeded in finding a yoga book that I like. Getting ahead in my goals and intentions. Making my yearly manifesto! Listening to my manifesto 8 times already!
what can I improve?
I’ll improve on trying more low carb recipes. I’ll improve my yoga practice in its various forms. I’ll improve by getting out and talking to people more. I’ll improve my patience & kindness.
My feeling based intention for this full moon is: โ I celebrate my progress and keep moving forward! I feel the habits sticking and I see the changes happening! โ Then I finish off my full moon goal setting check in by drawing in a little symbol on my little tracker.
I want to make sure that I’m being real with you and showing that no one’s perfect. Like me… Sometimes I don’t review this goal setting spread for weeks. But I don’t allow myself to use that absence as an excuse to fall off the bandwagon. My goals, intentions and spiritual practices are important to me, important enough to not give up on.
Check Out my video below to see whatโs on my mind, what Iโm up to and what Iโve got going on for this month!
Were you able to accomplish your goals so far this month? Let me know in the comments down below if you are having a hard time accomplishing your goals right now too.
ALSO!!!!
What progress have you made on your goals this month?
Are you on track for the Balsamic (Last Crescent) Moon or did you have to retool your goals and intentions for the month?
Today I wanted to share with you how I set up this moon themed bullet journal goal-setting spread AND how I set my goals on every new moon for the lunar month. I do goal-setting in alignment with the moon. Every new moon is when I set my goals and intentions for that lunar cycle. These goals always relate back to my overarching goals for the entire year. We finally have the very first new moon of the year, so let’s go ahead and see how I set my goals!
Watch my companion youtube video to see how I created these watercolor backgrounds for my journal so you can make them in your own journal too!
First I’m setting up my New Moon Beginnings spread. This is the first fold out of the New Moon goal-setting spread. Here I have room for the New Moon Beginnings prompts. These white cards are going to be spaces where I write my journaling prompts, tarot card prompts, and my mantras that I create for myself this month. I absolutely love these little stamps that I made! I actually have a video on them if you’d like to see how I made these mood phase stamps. I like how imperfect they are, they feel hand-drawn to me, and I absolutely love them.
On every new moon I always pull two or three tarot cards. This time I’m pulling two cards that represent what I should have and what I should do. I’m using the classic Rider-Waite deck for this entire year for these New Moon Beginnings Tarot journaling prompts. I like to write in the classic Rider-Waite definition of the cards and my own interpretation of them below, in addition to my own sketch of the tarot card. These sketches aren’t miniature recreations like my daily tarot draws, to see those head over here.
The Rider Tarot Deck is a classic tarot deck to have in your collection. This deck comes with a mini guide book and will give you all the mystical mamma feels when you use it. Because this deck is so well known, there are a lot of additional companion books and resources.
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I like to start by shuffling the deck 3 times, or whatever feels good, and then I cut the deck. I also like to write down any notes that jump out at me from the guidebooks as I journal. This month for my journaling prompts Iโll be focusing on:
to have to do
to have
The nine of cups reversed. Reversed this card means truth loyalty, liberty, mistakes, imperfections, and satisfaction for whom the consultation is made. My interpretation of this card was: Choice. Will you find truth and loyalty? How will you handle mistakes and imperfections?
to do
The eight of pentacles. This card means work, employment, commission, craftsmanship, skill and craft, and business. My interpretation of this card is: what skills in work and craftsmanship can you improve on? Is your work streamlined enough or scattered? Where’s your next commission hiding?
After I pull these first two tarot cards, I move over to the opposite side of this spread to the mantra maker. Out of these themes, I create my mantras for this month with my Mantra Maker.
This monthโs lunar theme is:
“plant the seeds of your intentions”
Make sure to keep in mind the theme of the Moon. Then create mantras for yourself that are customized based on the tarot cards that you just drew and any insights that the cards may have given you into the direction you want to head in for your goals for the month. Make sure that they also relate back to the overarching yearly goals. I like to use the mantra maker prompts:
I amโฆ I willโฆ I’ve set these goals toโฆ
Here are my mantras for this first moon:
I am loyal to my goals and my intentions.
I am loving and kind in moments of imperfections and mistakes.
I will hone my craft and keep improving my trade.
I will find satisfaction.
Then I like to wrap up those individual mantras into one big overarching mantra that is kind of like a mission statement for my goals and intentions for the month.
My mantra for this cycle is:
I’ve set these goals to hone my craft and skill set and be loving and kind to myself and others in moments of imperfections and mistakes. I am loyal to my intentions.
JENNY PROCZKO, FROM OWLSANDINDIGO 1st NEW MOON MANTRA 2020
After I’ve written out my mantras for the month I put aside those tarot cards. I don’t actually reference them at all anymore. I just use tarot cards as a journaling prompt and as away to get my mind thinking about any insights that could pop up based on what I want to achieve. I don’t use the Tarot as a forecasting or future telling tool. I just use it as a tool to get to know myself better and as a tool to spur me to think about certain things and different archetypes that the cards bring up and how it affects my current life situation.
Next I re-write my mission statement mantra for the month in the upper hand corner of the inside of this spread next to my moon wheel.
This moon wheel may look a little sparse, and that is because it’s not filled in! I’m going to be writing in a feeling based intention on every moon phase as the lunar month goes on. I will be sharing my feeling based intention in a secondโฆ I like to write it in at the end of my goal setting and planning session. So, onward to the goals!
Setting Goals In Alignment With The Moon
Now that I have this layout all set up, I can go ahead and move into the action phase of this goal-setting practice that I do every single month. This next section is my Action Steps and How I’m Going To Do It! 1 2 3!
The one-two-three method as a way of prioritizing my tasks when I feel super overwhelmed, I feel like I just don’t know where to start, or some days for when I just don’t have motivation to do anything. Sometimes I need to just say “okay if you get through this one list of 1-2-3 items then you’re done.” Click here for more information on the 1-2-3 Method for G.S.D.ing & G.Y.S.T.ing. I like to use the method for my mental health as well.
Now that I have all of my intentions and goals written down I’m going to break those 8 things down into 3 actionable steps. For each moon phase I have one intention to either finish or to work on. Check out my 8 intentions for this moon and the 1-2-3 Method Steps that I am going to do to achieve these goals and intention for this moon below in my video:
After I have set all of these goals and broken them down into the actionable steps on how I can achieve them within one month, I go over to my feeling based intention and I write my intention for this lunar phase. I do this on every single moon phase either by the moon or in the morning of each new lunar phase, so you’ll see as the month goes on that this moon wheel will fill up with my own little mantras for every phase. My feeling based intention for today on the new moon is:
โI’ve set these goals to hone and craft my skill set to be kind to myself and to others. I plant the seeds of my intentions. I feel my goal in my bones.”
JENNY PROCZKO, from OWLSANDINDIGO 1st MOON 2020, NEW MOON INTENTION
Then at the beginning of each moon phase for this cycle I will come back to this spread and write a new positive feeling based intention. Iโll be posting these little mini moon updates over on Instagram, so be sure to follow me there so you donโt miss them! The only place you can find them is on instagram.
After I’ve recorded my feeling based intention I go over to my little tracker and mark off that I said my mantras and reviewed my goals for the day. There will be days where I don’t come to this spread and I don’t review my intentions for the month. But hopefully by breaking these down, setting all of these milestones for myself and giving myself dates and deadlines, I will come back to this every day. And even if I don’t I will still easily be able to get back on track because of all of the planning and prepping I’ve just done!
As the lunar month goes on….
I always check in with my goals. This is NOT a set it and forget it practice. You can’t hold and to hope and just ask the universe for something and not put in any work. So, to keep myself on track with my goals and to work towards them I check in with these goals twice a month for a more indepth review on my progress to see how its going or if I need to shift and pivot my goals and intentions to achieve them by the end of the moon.
On the Full Moon I do a mid month check in. First I ask myself, what have I succeeded in? and what can I improve?
This journaling and goal setting practice is something that I do the night before every new moon or the morning of every new moon. This practice of short term, achievable goal setting via the lunar cycle, has grown really dear to my heart. Itโs something that I canโt imagine not doing.
So what goals have you set for this month? Are they similar to mine or are they totally different? I can’t wait to see your goals are, make sure you leave me a comment down below.
How are you connecting to your spirituality?
Iโm so grateful that you chose to spend your time here with me today Iโll see you in the next one ????
Today itโs time for the Balsamic Moon Review. We’ve reached the end of another lunar month and it’s now time to check in on our goals that we set back at the New Moon at the beginning of this lunar month and see how we did. It’s also time to see what worked, what didn’t, and what we can improve next month. Weโre also looking to see if we fell behind or if there are any moments that we get to celebrate!
Honestly when I sat down to do this review, I was kind of dreading it because I felt like I didn’t accomplish anything, due to an incredibly hard month for my mental health. Which Iโm sure you can guess, made it really hard to just get through the days and things that came up, that would have otherwise been normal. This was all because I’m changing my antidepressant medication with doctor supervision. Iโll be sharing my story soon about the side effects I experienced when I changed antidepressants. Make sure you subscribe so you donโt miss it. That way you’ll be in the know and will have some insight into what someone you know might be facing.
Since I was feeling kind of down about my progress this month, I decided to take a look back at the mantras that I made for myself at the New Moon. I also took a look at the tarot cards that I pulled to see how they applied to my life this month. Did I carry any of their lessons with me throughout the month? Or did they just not apply to my life this month.
I definitely made progress on all of my mantras this month. Head over here to see what my mantras were for the month. I totally delivered on all of those mantras for myself. I definitely feel like I was able to do all of those things. So that was really awesome when I checked in and saw that I actually had accomplished my goals. I felt a lot better and actually picked up this review to put me in a much happier place.
My mantra for this month was, “I’ve set these goals to feed my soul and my intentions, I will fill my cup first because I know from the past it works, I am turning inward and will remain open for others when I am needed.”
I definitely did all of this. It was hard at times. I stumbled at times. But I was intentionally making sure that I was keeping myself open for others and still approachable; even though I was doing a lot of internal work, shadow work, and working really hard on myself. If you’re curious about what shadow work I was doing check out my video and my article here.
At the beginning of every New Moon, I pull tarot cards to jog my brain, give me some ideas, and inspiration on the type of things that I want to work on that tie back to my yearly goals. You can see my full moon practice here. This helps me set goals for a month time span.
Looking backย I feel like these cards are actually representative of the month I had, which is really interesting.
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During my Balsamic Crescent Moon Review, I ask myself three questions: what worked? what didn’t? and what to improve?
what worked?
what didnโt?
what can I improve?
Normally on a End of the Month Review like this I check off any of the things that I’ve accomplished. Then I make little notes of the things that I want to migrate over to the next month. I also take this time to celebrate my accomplishments and milestones that occurred this month.
This lunar month, I only checked in with my bullet journal on the New Moon, Full Moon, Last Quarter Moon, and today on the Crescent Moon. BUT, that’s okay, Things ebb and flow in life. That is actually the theme for this month, “seek comfort in your ebb.”
“seek comfort in your ebb.”
I definitely had an up-and-down, back-and-forth month. There was a lot of good. There was a lot of bad. There was a lot of meh. AND there was a lot of just plain ol’ normalcy.
So…
I’m pretty happy with the way that this month went for my spiritual goals and my monthly goal-setting practice. It was really interesting that I was dreading doing this end of the month review. It started off in such a negative place for me because I felt like I just didn’t get anything done and that I completely failed. I felt guilty, but I’m human. We’re all human and have lives that can get crazy. Sometimes we’re able to check in with our goals and sometimes we’re not, and that is okay.
I am very happy that it turns out subconsciously, I was actually working on all these things the entire month even though I had really bad mental health days and a depression relapse. Through all of that, I was still taking steps and making decision to accomplish my goals. When I looked back and reviewed this month I discovered just how much I was actually doing, even though I didn’t realize it.
That makes me incredibly proud of myself and grateful for the progress that I’ve been able to make on my mental health and make on my goals.
I would love to hear how your month went over on instagram. Email and @owlsandindigo on instagram is the fastest was to get a hold of me.
I’m so grateful that I actually was able to achieve some of my goals this month, even though I thought that I didn’t. I thought that I failed but realized in the end that I hadn’t. So don’t be so hard on yourself before you reflect on the past. This was such an amazing gift to give myself, unexpectedly, which is awesome.
Today’s feeling based intention for the Balsamic Crescent Moon is, “I reflect with thanks. I rest. I restore.”
Were you able to finish your goals for this lunar month? Did you do a little better than me? I can’t wait to see your answers in the comments down below.
Today it’s time for my 11th Full Moon Lunar Goal-Setting Check-In. I really enjoyed creating the my November Plan With Me featured in my spreads. If you want to see how I set these goals click here. So grab a cup of tea and your favorite pen, and lets check in on our monthly goals together!
I like to set goals via the moon and use the eight moon phases to check in with my goals to track my progress. This helps me see if I need to add anything or take away anything to help me achieve the goal that I’ve set at the beginning of the lunar month at the new moon.
So… I got to be honest with you… I totally have not checked in with this spread daily like I was supposed to. I haven’t looked at my goals since the new moon. So I had no idea where I was on my goals, and even forgot what my specific goal was for the month. But I tie these monthly goals back to my yearly goals, so I had a sense of what I wanted to accomplish this entire year. Let’s just go ahead and get into my journal, and see where I’m at on my goal setting.
My mantra for this month is:
I’ve set these goals to feed my soul and my intentions. I will fill my cup first because I know from the past it works. I am turning inward and I will remain open for others when I am needed.
I definitely feel like I have stayed in touch with my mantra for this month, even though I haven’t looked at it since the new moon. I remained open even though I’ve been doing some more internal working, more introspection, and a lot of thinking and pondering. I’ve been trying to problem solve some of the goals and issues that have come up in my life. Not bad problems, just the things that come up in a normal life. And luckily I haven’t been doing it alone, so that has been most helpful to have a friend on this journey.
As for filling my cup first because I know it works… I have kind of been doing this. I’ve definitely been hitting the ground running when it comes to work and meetings, you know… work life. I’ve definitely been hustling, but I do feel like I’ve balance it enough with me time.
I’ve had to wedge and carve out me time here and there. It hasn’t been very much lately, but I feel like it has been a sufficient amount. I haven’t felt stressed to the point where I felt like I haven’t been able to do what I wanted to do. I’ve definitely been filling my cup up before it’s completely bone dry and not letting myself get stressed out to the max. I’m very proud of myself for doing that, because it has been really really hard for me to do so in the past.
The theme this month is seek comfort in your ebb. On every full moon check in, I always ask myself two things: what have I succeeded in this lunar month? And what can I improve?
“seek comfort in your ebb“
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we have had our first snow that has stuck and its everywhere. Lots and lots of snow. I am not about to go outside on the deck every morning to drink my coffee in the snow. So I unfortunately had to nix this goal for the month, but I am still reading.
I also wanted to foster my spiritual yoga practice by meditating in bed when I wake up and get a couple of books and follow a particular channel online. I haven’t gotten the books yet. There have been a lot of shifts in my life since the new moon. Over the past couple of weeks I just haven’t really had time to focus on yoga. BUT it’s been on my mind.
โฉโฝโฆย Full Moon Check Inย โฆโพโฉ
There’s always things that we can improve on whether we’re actually on top of our goals and have gotten everything done. There’s definitely little things along the way that we could have done better. I always ask myself the same questions: What did I succeed in? What can I improve?
what have I succeeded in this lunar month?
what can I improve?
I’ve been unplugging more and fostering my spiritual practices with writing. The interesting thing about writing is that this wasn’t actually a monthly goal, but it does tie back to my larger yearly goal. So I’m super happy with that and really grateful that I’ve had the time to write again. All of October I was only creating videos and I didn’t have the time to write. And honestly it felt like my soul was aching a little bit to get those thoughts out of my head and to reconnect with you.
I have a couple of things I’m going to be improving on… Like I said, I have not checked in with my goals this month since the new moon. So I am going to be improving by having my journal open to this goal setting spread at the end of the day, ready for me to see first thing the next morning. This will help me keep my goals and intentions in my brain, top of mind and also in my subconscious as I go about my day.
I think this is going to be a really easy shift for me to actually start getting my butt to the yoga mat. Obviously isn’t the spiritual side of yoga. I am actually using this as part of a mini habit to get me used to getting back to the mat again single day. I think it’s really going to work for me, I do really good with habit stacking and mini habits that are built into my existing routines.
I want to make sure that I’m being real with you and showing that no one’s perfect. Like me… I haven’t touched my goal setting spread for weeks. But I didn’t allow myself to use that absence as an excuse to fall off the bandwagon. My goals, intentions and spiritual practices are important to me, important enough to not give up on.
How about you? Were you able to accomplish your goals so far this month, or did you fall short like I did? But I know I can’t be alone in that. Let me know in the comments down below if you are having a hard time accomplishing your goals right now too.
ALSO!!!! What progress have you made on your goals this month? Are you on track for the Balsamic moon or did you have to retool your goals and intentions for the month?
