Happy New Year From an Unorganized Witch

I usually don't participate in the New Year Resolution craze. Normally, I set goals to get fit and give up drinking. It lasts for a month tops, before I finally realize that I'm only about ten pounds away from looking like I only eat bread crust and having to buy all new clothes that don't hang off of me. Screw that. And life isn't as fun without alcohol. So screw that, too.

After a while, I quit bothering. I got into the habit of living on a "here and now" basis. If I notice something that I think I can improve or I want to start doing something new, BAM. I make the change right then and there. This is an awesome habit to have, but I've been noticing in the last couple of months or so that my organization and record keeping are starting to suffer, especially where my craft is concerned!

It all started when I couldn't seem to find the notes I had taken for a spell I created last month. I have a BoS of course, but I don't usually add my spells to it until they've been tested and tweaked a few times, so they're perfect to my standards and I have a finalized draft. The problem is, my notes and research are all spread out. I have a mini BoS that I keep in my purse, a few notebooks laying around the house, some loose leaf sheets in a pile on my apothecary shelves, some random kitchen witchery stuffed into recipe books in my pantry, and several digital magic journals. Each time I want to review my notes, I first have to figure out where exactly those notes are located.

So this year, I decided it was appropriate to jump back on the New Years Resolution bandwagon with one very simple goal for the year:

WRITE SHIT DOWN IN AN ORGANIZED FASHION.

That's it. I went through all my notebooks and consolidated my notes into one binder that I keep right next to my BoS on a shelf. I also reorganized my online journals, tagged everything, and installed the app on my phone so I can access that from everywhere. Then, I vowed to write stuff down every single day. Dreams, tarot, scrying, spellwork, everything I do on a regular basis gets recorded and tagged so I can refer to it later. No more 'mental notes' that something happened. That's lazy witchery and doesn't make for a very learned witch. Believe me, I've learned the hard way!

And look here, on day four it's even spilling over into my blog that I've been neglecting for months! Sometimes a reset of the date and a 1/1/.. on the calendar really does make it easier to flip a switch and make a big change.

What about you? Did you make any witchy new year resolutions?

Journaling

 Keeping journals is an important part of growing and learning in witchcraft. One of the first pieces of advice I was given when I started studying the craft was to write everything down! It helps to keep track of your experiences, and it will help you see the progress you've made over time. I've found that if I go back and re-read my notes after time has passed, there is often much to be learned that I missed the first time around.

Not only that, but keeping detailed notes about things like tarot or scrying sessions, and even dreams can be helpful later on. If you go back and read your notes, you might find that your tarot readings have proven true, or that messages you received in dreams were giving you hints about something that was going to happen.

The problem with me though, is just picking a method and sticking to it! I use my Book of Shadows for references like spells I've written, lists of correspondences, and notes on topics I've been researching. But I like to keep journal entries somewhere else.

Handwritten journals are the more obvious choice. I can get a notebook small enough to fit in my purse, and I can whip it out and create an entry anywhere I want. Small problems occur though, like the fact that my hand isn't fast enough for my brain, and that these can be easily discovered by those you might not want reading them. My biggest problem with this, though, is locating what I've written previously. I often find myself needing to refer back to an entry I wrote about a specific topic, but I can't remember when I wrote it. I end up skimming half of the journal before I find what I need. This led me to the next option.

Online journals are where it's at, in my opinion. Unlike writing by hand, I can type almost as fast as I can form the thought I'm trying to communicate. It's easy for me to be meticulous about my writing, since I can go back and edit the mistakes I made! Best of all, I can tag topics in each post so I can easily search for it later, if I ever need it (BTW I use Penzu, in case you're wondering). The problem with this is I can't always access my computer to write. I can use the app for my phone, but my phone's just too small and I can't type fast enough on that thing. Maybe I just need to give in and buy a damn tablet. Whatever.

I often switch back and forth between these two journaling methods. I have a handwritten journal that I use while I'm away from home and late at night when I don't feel like powering up my laptop. I keep detailed and organized notes in my online journal for meditation sessions, tarot readings, dreams, and other experiences in magic. Many of the entries in my handwritten journal end up being typed into my online journal, just for the sake of tagging topics to find it later.

What kind of methods do you like to use for journaling? I'd love to know!