I have 3 areas of my life that are most important to me right now: Home, Career, and Spirituality. Home includes family, and career includes both my day job in publishing and my side hustle, which is also my biggest passion aside from my family -- this blog! All 3 are connected, and I'm working hard not to be perfect, but to find BALANCE and HARMONY between those 3 areas. And, as any of you stellar homemakers know, it is HARD! But card-reading and journaling help me -- here's how!
Journaling lets me explore my creative side. I use a Create 365 disc-bound planner for planning and some journaling, and my Willows East Intuitive Journal mainly for more extensive journaling. This post will focus on my planner, shown here. I start the week by putting in some random stickers: some from Create 365, some I've made myself. I pick quotes that inspire me and add "to-do list" stickers on days I know I'll have a lot to do.
I add any appointments, meetings, or significant events that I know are coming up. For example, we're going away for the weekend. So I used the snazzy "getaway" sticker! This is a great exercise in mindfulness, because I'm forced to focus on the big picture of the week before the chaos begins. Ha!
You may not see this on all my week spreads but, when I can, I like to take a moment to pull a card to represent the energy of the week. This week, I pulled the Wheel of Fortune. This card traditionally means, "success/change in luck." I also felt that it meant to let go this week and noted that in the "Notes" section below. I visualized the wheel rolling away from me, and I had to accept that there was only so much I could control. So, I was reminded to focus on the "here and now," and to "be present." I found some stickers that represented that theme and added them to my planner as a reminder.
I also like to pull 3 cards for the following day. Since I started on Sunday evening, I pulled 3 cards for Monday, asking, "What do I need to know about this day?" I got: The Knight of Pentacles, the 9 of Pentacles, and the Hanged Man. I jotted them down in my planner, using the symbol key (shown at the bottom of this post). I felt these cards meant that I would have the help I needed to get through the day. The Hanged Man is representative of a larger career shift going on in my life right now that I'll share about in the next few weeks.
If I miss a day: I just use the empty space for another spread, or I ask my cards, "What was the energy of this day?" It's always OK to ask about a previous day's energy. In fact, it's great practice, because you already know what transpired!
Generally, my to-do list items have bullets and my spreads are interspersed throughout the pages. This week, I asked how to make my Tarot business more successful. I pulled the Hierophant, 9 of Wands, and King of Cups. I summarized this to mean: "be an authority figure, create more, and lead with love." The phrase "Lead with Love" felt like it just popped out of my subconscious while looking at the King of Cups, so I added that quote across the Tues/Wed boxes.
How can I make this project more successful?
How can I let go of the anger/frustration I feel about this situation?
Who can I be in 3 months? / If positive, how do I get there? If negative, how do I change?
What will the energy be of this job/project/partnership over the next 3+ months?
How can I work more collaboratively with a person?
How can I bring more joy to my family this week?
What does my daughter need most right now?
What is the root cause of an argument or struggles within my family?
Why won't my daughter go to bed on time? Ha!
I am a HUGE fan of using both Tarot and Oracle decks together. This week, I was drawn to my Nature's Whispers deck. I'm reconnecting to my spiritual, creative self, and this deck seems like a good fit! I asked for some insight into both questions that I had asked my Tarot deck 1) what I need to know for Monday. I got the "Shift Your Energy" card. That fit perfectly with that Hanged Man energy and was a sweet validation! Then, 2) how to make my business more successful. I got the "Vulnerability" card. I had JUST listened to a Being Boss podcast with guest Jessica Lauren about vulnerability, and it fit in so well with that "Lead with Love" theme. It brought me so much joy to allow those energies to just sit with me for the time being, and I knew I was ready to bring them to my week!
As mentioned above, I use other journals to explore Tarot spreads in more detail, where I have more room to write. I also keep a notebook-style journal where I document my spiritual journey. In it I take notes about books I read and inspiration I find. On my reading list right now is: The Way of the Hedge Witch (free to read on Kindle Unlimited) and the website: The Traveling Witch.
Here is the symbol key I use for my planner/journal.