How to Journal

I wanted to find a way to fit the journal pages I am proud of somewhere on this blog. So this post is going to be my explanation of how I journal.

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One thing I have noticed, since the end of 2020, was a constant urge within me to journal. I think the reason I have been able to express this urge so well is because I dropped my preconceived notion of perfection. In other words, I had no rules for the journaling. I was allowed to rip out or cover anything I didn’t like, but I have felt less inclined to do so without my expectations of perfection. I can choose to only draw for weeks or only write, for example, which helps me decide what the best way of expressing myself in that moment may be. There is no structure to the journal. This is exactly why I enjoy the structure of my blog posts, because with my ASCENDENT in VIRGO, I need at least a little structure somewhere close.

I wanted to share what my journal has looked like since I let go of my expectations of my self-expression. I viewed everything I shared from the perspective of: I just feel what I feel. Shame is a powerful experience that humans face, but when we share ourselves honestly to the world without fear, shame can be removed from us entirely. Whenever I’ve journaled in my life, I have daydreamed of those who would see my journals in the future. I would imagine my children reading them, of course, which I assume would embarrass them. But I also imagine them being collected and kept beside my other mediums in museums. I imagine that they might be printed and distributed. To be fair, my NORTH NODE is in LEO.

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2020 Journaling Timeline

I started off my journal based self-expression with a series of self-portraits. At the time, I was feeling unlike myself and wanted to capture the way I was perceiving myself on a weekly basis. Reviewing these self-portraits helped me understand what I was feeling beneath the distractions of my life.

Eventually I was tired of the self-portraits. When I began meditating more, observing my own boundaries, and creating balanced routines, I found myself creating more collages. By taking many different items and creating one artistic piece with them, I began understanding experiences of unpredictability. I viewed my life as a collage where I could place or take away any piece that would fit my life. Belief systems are profoundly similar to aesthetics, if you think about it.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Collages don’t always look amazing or magazine worthy. Remember that this is more about how you feel than how you create. This doesn’t define you as an artist. It’s just some fun drafts. Here are two collages that don’t seem worthy of sharing, but they really are emotionally significant to me.

The last focus of my 2020 journaling was simple drawings. Either all ballpoint pens or all oil based markers, each of these drawings shared deep and truthful things I was experiencing internally. Drawing is especially one of those art forms that requires a lack of perfectionism. The line will move where it will move, there’s no certainty of leaving ink exactly where we want it. I think we only develop style when we let go of accuracy. This is one thing I love about my Featured Artist of the Month, Sawyer; he draws with style because he is not afraid of the perception of the emotions he’s creating. A lot of the drawings you’re about to see were inspired by Sawyer’s distinct style. You can find links to his social media below.

If you take anything away from this journaling guide, take this: Accepting what happens during the creative process is just as important as the act of creating itself.

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Your Next Journal Page… Reading for the Signs

You can pretend that you hate homework, but we all know you just hated the kind of homework they gave us in school. This right here is the best homework you’ll ever get. I’m going to do a reading for your birth chart placements. Pick whichever ones apply. Say, for example, love is driving you crazy… check your VENUS sign! Do what feels right for you. I will interpret each reading into what kind of journal page you should do next.

Readings apply to Sun, Moon, Rising, Mercury, Mars, and Venus.

ARIES ♈︎

Six of Wands

Make a time capsule focused around solitude. Tape receipts from meals you ate alone, draw yourself sitting on that bench, write down the playlist you play when it’s just you in your car. When the collage is done, take some permanent markers and draw hearts and your zodiac symbols all over the page, as though you have a crush on yourself. Do not worry about perfect lines or straight edges. Create it as if this project is due at midnight.

TAURUS ♉︎

The Magician

Create a drawing out of many different mediums. Don’t be afraid to pull out anything available to you, even if it’s expo markers, glitter, or old family photos. The keyword for this drawing is to translate. Turn whatever you’re feeling right now into something else. A still life of oranges, maybe, or an intersection you have to drive through on a daily basis. Start with one medium, then do another, then another… layer the drawing with as many layers as lies within you. Understand the complexity of your emotions by pulling them apart and putting them back together. Can’t think of anything to draw? Self-portrait.

GEMINI ♊︎

Death

Paint the person you love the most. I know, trust me, I know Geminis are not big fans of painting. And even if you paint all the time, that doesn’t mean you like it. Your passion for fine lines and measured realism makes the slippery, confusing medium of paint an intense experience. That’s exactly why you need to paint, but also why you need to paint the person you love. Someone who brings you great joy in a medium that you have no control over? That’s basically free therapy. When the painting is finished, show it to them if you’d like to. Self-expression can mean a lot to others, especially when all we normalize is the use of words. Give yourself infinite self-expression choices.

CANCER ♋︎

Page of Pentacles

Vent about that person. An ex-friend, ex-significant other, ex-lover, what’s the difference? You loved them, they hurt you. There is no wrong way to express this feeling. I imagine a collage followed by a red marker being drawn all over it. As if to say, I spent all this time creating this and you ruined it. What I think you’ll really find at the end of this experience is a bit more humor about the situation. Personally, nothing is funnier than seeing how intensely something can be felt, but when the feeling subdues it doesn’t seem so big after all. Life keeps moving and pages fill your journal after this one.

LEO ♌︎

The Empress

Drawing a painting using your tears. I’m only kind of kidding. Clearly you’re sad about something. You might have lost something or someone, stepped away from an opportunity, or just lost motivation. A storm has gotten in the way of your sun and you’re not sure how to respond. Well this is exactly what you need. Write a list of everything that sucks. This will be the background for your self portrait. Take your favorite color markers and draw yourself over the list of suck. See? You’re still there. You’ll always be there and you’ll always be ready, my friend.

VIRGO ♍︎

Queen of Wands

Make the first draft of your business proposal. Whether this is something that has already started, or just a daydream you have during your actual job, pretend that you have a meeting with investors. I’m talking about a fifth grade PowerPoint presentation level journal entry. Use markers, stickers, paint, pictures. You’re not committing to anything by expressing this. But okay, yeah, maybe you’re manifesting. What’s so wrong with that? Just take a minute and act like anything you write or draw will become a reality. Anything you want. You have no idea what this will inspire from within you.

LIBRA ♎︎

Eight of Cups

Write down the way they hurt you, followed by the reason you love them. One of the most important aspects of journaling is being able to witness your own patterns. Make this list however you want. Paint a scene beneath it and write it in Sharpie. Create it out of magazine letters and demand your own honesty. When you’re done, you can draw over it if you choose, but make sure that you really read it. In another perspective, it is a love letter to your future self.

SCORPIO ♏︎

Ten of Swords

Draw what you see right in front of you. If you don’t like what you see, then move. Draw it as accurately as you would like or match it to your own perception of it. Use whatever medium feels the same way the air you’re breathing feels. Use colors that align with the smell in the air. Leave out anything that doesn’t feel real in the scene, or draw those spots more boldly. The thing is, Scorpio, you rarely find moments of stillness recently. One of the most beautiful parts of keeping a journal is the way it allows us to be present. Slowly moving the tip of the pen along the page. Thinking, for a moment, about what we truly feel and how we can word it. When you are present, joy is inevitable for you.

SAGITTARIUS ♐︎

The Chariot

Draw a timeline of moments during 2020 when you were proud of yourself. When you are listing these achievements, do not think of whether anyone else was proud of you, just you. You might have to had to make decisions recently that are not approved of by significant people, whether it is your family, friends, coworkers, or others. Find the core within you that knows only your desires in this life. In every moment where you aligned with your true self, draw a small sketch of yourself smiling. Make it messy, pages filled to the brim, hard to read. You should be proud of yourself, after all.

CAPRICORN ♑︎

The Hermit

Draw anything that comes to mind. Seriously, Capricorn, there are no rules here. The reason why I’ve decided this for you is because your intuition is very strong right now and it has something to say. The moment you let go, focus on your breath and the natural movement of your hand, you will say exactly what you need to hear. The realization you will find yourself creating will relate to your health, whether it is physical, mental, or spiritual. You will crack the code of an issue you’ve been facing for a while now. I know this may seem like a daunting task, but facing the past pattern is much harder, I promise.

AQUARIUS ♒︎

Page of Cups

Write a code of conduct and the sign it. You know that you are putting the work in and success is coming soon. Draw the outline of a scroll and then write on it. What do you promise to be like as a leader? What is the goal of your dreams? How will you help others? Hold your future self accountable. Journals are manifestations of the future. The more you express yourself, the more your self becomes real and manifested.

PISCES ♓︎

Two of Pentacles

Write down a list of your goals, from smallest to largest. Then write the list again, reorganizing by what you want to get done soonest to latest. Group the goals together by categories. Look inside your own mind. Do not worry if the pages get ripped, if your pen bleeds, or if you spell anything wrong. I know you like to submit the first draft of yourself, Pisces, but some things take time. Manifest the future you want by understanding why you want it. You are the only one who can understand what needs to be done; you are the only one who can do it. If you can, journal every day. And I know you can.

BOOK ME FOR A PERSONAL READING

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