I have been watching a lot of videos by Jessica and the Moon on YouTube lately. She has a ton of videos about Bullet Journaling your Grimoire. She also has a lot of art witchiness in her journals. I could tell you that her videos have completely changed how I work in my journals, but that’s not entirely true. I have other journals that tell other tales.
HOWEVER, Jessica has given me some amazing ideas. I had already been planning to start working in an art journal grimoire fashion before I stumbled across her videos.
I’ve actually been subscribed to her for a while, but I have been consciously going through and watching playlist after playlist of hers…and even if that is not how she is currently working in her journals, it has been inspiring to me.
After watching this video:
I sat down and made a list of different things I might want to add to a journal of my own.
I watched a few more of her videos, adding things to my list.
I looked in my older BuJos, old planners, old art journals, old whatever I was able to reach and flip through…and added a few more things to my list.
Then I went to my bookcase where I have a stack of random empty A5 dot-grid notebooks. I grabbed an Archer and Olive notebook that I happen to have two of the same type and went to gather up a few tools.
I didn’t stop to think about what I wanted to add to my journal where. I started cutting pages down to different sizes. Roughly thirty spreads were cut down to various varied sizes. Some I left taller, shorter, wider, or thinner. There was no rhyme nor reason to what I did or how I did it.
Once I did that, I took a whole bunch of random washi tape and taped up every side of every page. I also added washi to the nameplate page and the inside front cover of the book.
Next, with my list beside me, I added sticky notes of what I wanted on what page all the way through…and even past where I had stopped cutting pages to random sizes.
I did not include an index for this book. In the past few notebooks I have made sure to include an index I used during the initial set-up and then ignored it completely. I figured I would skip that part and move into the actual using of the journal.
Now, all of the cut pages have been used to some degree. I still have a lot to fill out. Some of what I am including is pre-planning. A lot of it is inspiration to remind me where I am beginning in 2024 and why I am starting that way.
I have also added a lot of tip-in pages from previous planners that I decorated with stickers and whatever else, but then stopped using the planner, but I still wanted to keep/use/see the decorated pages.
Now, this is not a collections journal. I am not calling it that.
This for me is more of a resource journal.
The first page is a vision board. I follow this with an inspirational quote.
The next two pages is my Word Of The Year Spread. I’ve known my word of the year for a few weeks now. I wrote the word (which I will discuss in a later post, closer to January 1) on one side and then what it means to and for me on the other page.
Another double-page spread follows. This time it is my Samhain Tarot and oracle readings. I put my Tarot reading on one side and my Oracle card reading on the other.
Yet another double-page spread comes after that: my “level 10” life. On the left I have the eight dimensions of wellness and on the right, I have the eleven areas of life I want to rate and work on throughout the coming year.
Next page: goals. After that: wishcrafting.
Another double-page spread: quarterly goals breakdown. On each page, there are three areas where I want to add clear goals, once I decide what they should be.
Next page: quarterly themes. After that: monthly themes.
Another double-page spread. It’s basically a to-be-read sort of spread.
Technically, the next six pages are part of a ‘makes to make’ type of spread, broken down by craft: crochet, knitting, sewing, art, bookmaking, and so on.
Basically, the next is a four-page spread. Two pages are for updates to the current house. The next two pages are planning bigger renovations and ideas for a new house.
A two-page spread is next. A Tarot reading for goal setting.
Next page: Goddess Focus of 2024.
Next page: Guiding Animal Spirit of 2024.
Next page: affirmations.
Next page: another inspirational quote.
A double-page spread dedicated to gratitude.
The next is also a two-page spread dedicated to content creation.
Next page: challenges to participate in in 2024.
Next page: challenges to create in 2024.
A two-page spread for the Lunar cycle. I have twelve boxes marked out, one for each calendar month.
Another double-page spread: an Ancestral Tarot spread.
Another two-page spread: Self-Care To-Dos To Remember
Next page: spiritual goals.
Next page: health goals.
Next four-page spread: planner/notebook content list. This is basically what spreads I want to put in my planners and notebooks, as well as which spreads go where.
Next page: snacks to make.
Next page: meals to try.
Next two-page spread: Yoga Focus 2024.
Another double-page spread: (Taken directly from Jessica, actually; thank you, Jessica, for this.) What I want to cultivate this year.
The next double-page spread is about my blog, Shadows and Thorns.
The next two-page spread is for a review of what I have already written, and a basic brain dump for anything else. This one is not yet writ in stone as it is just two blank pages with a sticky note at the moment.
Then I get into some of my upcoming project planning that I am not ready to reveal or talk about as yet.
Next is a two-page spread I did nothing but glue random bits and pieces of book pages all over. No sticky note. No writing on the pages. Nothing else yet.
I still have quite a bit to fill out of what I have already told you. It’s truly cathartic, as well as edifying to be able to flip through this chaotic but also organized and clear notebook.
I didn’t tell you where I stuck in all the tip-in pages. There are quite a few. That many pages into this journal and already the book is chunky and blooming merrily along. I love that.
Let me know what you think of this idea, this notebook of mine, in the comments below.
Tabitha Low 