Keeping a Journal

The most valuable magickal tool I have is my journal. I have kept dozens of journals throughout my life and they have proven incredibly valuable at every stage of my magickal journey. Sometimes, I don’t really know how I feel about things until I’ve journaled about it. Knowing yourself is the most important thing to know as a witch.

What Do You Write in Your Journal

First, write whatever you want. Journals are excellent tools for self-discovery, affirmation and digesting new information. Sit down with your journal for ten minutes twice a day and see what happens.

In the morning, I like to do a bullet-journal style to-do list, prioritize my tasks, and write my daily affirmations. In the evening, I make a list of the things I learned today, those things I am grateful for, and any mistakes I made that I will have to address. This may result in a longer, more thorough journaling session or it might not. Finally, I review my list and repeat my affirmations. But that is just the beginning.

I keep my journal by my bed so that I can write any dreams I have when I first wake up, before I am fully awake and my dreams have faded. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I write it down then.

I keep my journal nearby when I meditate so that I can write down my meditation experience. If something is interfering with the process or if I had any insights, I write it down.

When I am going to cast a spell, I write down my plan in my journal beforehand and then write down how it went afterward.

When I do divination, I am fond of the pendulum and the Tarot, I like to write it down. Doing a daily reading or a single card draw is a great way to get to know your preferred divination method and writing it down is a very important part of the learning process. And how will you know you were right if you forget?

I also write down more mundane things. I sketch out garden layouts, plant IDs and new recipes I am trying.

Each entry should, of course, be dated. You may also wish to write down what the weather is like, the moon phase and notes about your general health and mood. If you menstruate, you should keep track of that in your journal too.

You may decide you need more than one journal. One for the bedroom, one for the kitchen, one to keep in your bag. Even more? Or you may decide it is more efficient to keep one journal at a time and carry it with you.

What to do When Your Journal is Full

When your journal is full, you’ll need to get a new one. But don’t abandon the old one just yet. Go back through it. Check your experiments (recipes, spells, meditations, etc.) anything you feel is worth remembering for magical purposes can go in your Book of Shadows.

You should have a place to store your old journals for as long as you feel you need them. I have a pile of them stored inside the enclosed bottom part of one of my bookshelves. If you don’t like the clutter, you may wish to ceremonially dispose of them. There are many ceremonies tied to cycles of the year that involve letting go of the past that are ideal for this. For example, when I do my New Year ceremony, I burn symbols of past to make way for new blessings.

What Type of Book is Best?

Whatever book you like. I like a simple composition book. It is easy to write in, lightweight, lays flat and costs very little. If I want to burn it, the cardboard cover isn’t going to give off nasty fumes. I do often receive gifts of more attractive journals the I also use, but when buying for myself, I stock up on $2 cardboard school composition books during the back-to-school sales.

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