J is for Journaling

For the Pagan Bog Project.

"The Record is both chart and log to the bold Sea-Captains of The Voyage Marvellous." - Aleister Crowley

If there's one thing I would say you need to do in order to practice magic, regardless of whether it's high or low, that thing would be this: you need to keep a magical diary.


Why keep a journal logging your magical practice? What's the difference between that and a Book of Shadows or a grimoire? What format works best for your diary, and what exactly should you be recording? 


Fuck, you ask a lot of questions.


A magical journal is an important tool for the would-be magician, as it is the best way with which to keep track of your workings. It's the easiest way there is to monitor successes and failures, and if you are diligent in recording all that you do it makes analysing the failures much easier. If you preform a ritual and the intended goal is not reached, you can look back through your diary and see if you can substitute one element for another, then try again and record those results. 


You can gauge your improvements easier when they're written in black and white, and over time a magical journal will reveal your 'high points' - times when your energy soars and your work comes easier.  This is good to know, since then for important workings you can better time them to coincide with these periods.


A magical diary is not, in my opinion, quite the same as a Book of Shadows or grimoire - the latter two are more like instruction manuals than anything else, while a diary is a personal collection of notes. Your diary can certainly provide material for your B.O.S. in the form of spells that have been successful. Those you can copy into a notebook or add to a scrapbook or however you want to do it.


Speaking of formats... Although I am a fan of online journals (obviously) I do feel that just plain old pen and paper works best for magic diary keeping. For me personally, even if a journal entry is set to 'private' on a blog, I find that I still write as though someone else is going to read it. I can be more honest and raw in a physical book. 


As an added advantage, a notebook can go almost anywhere... even a graveyard at midnight in the middle of Buttfuck, Nowhere. My laptop's not that durable, and my phone sucks balls. If I'm staked out somewhere weird, a pen and a flashlight will work better for my needs.


Now, as for what you should record? The answer to that is simple: everything. No, really. Everything you can think of, anyway. And if you can't think of anything, well, you're shit out of luck.


Except not, since here's a list to get you started. You're welcome.


Time
Date
Moon Phase
Planetary Phases (if you know them)
Place
Ingredients
Tools
Emotional state before, during and after the working
Any occurring phenomena


Once you're done your spell, you should also be careful to record any potential results. This could be months later, so you can see why settling into the habit of keeping your journal regularly is important. Record good results and shitty ones, or the fact that there were none at all.


Keeping a magical journal helps prevent you from making the same mistakes over and over. It also gives you a rich personal history of your practice. Whether you're working in a group tradition or entirely on your own, it's exhilarating to look back on your early rituals and see exactly how far you've come. Hindsight also reveals many synchronicities and unusual events that at the time were overlooked because you were too busy trying to keep your head above the water. 

In short, a magical journal is truly one of the most important tools to keep in your arsenal.