Shadow Work Journaling Prompts by Tarot Suit | Tarot Guru

Shadow work doesn't end when you put the cards away. The real integration happens when you write—not to perform insight, but to process what the cards revealed. Each suit in the tarot corresponds to a different dimension of shadow, and journaling by suit helps you go deeper into the specific patterns each one uncovers.

If you feel like you are not quite there yet you can always back up for a big picture view of the process in our What is shadow work tarot article.  Or dive in here and look for some supportive resources at he bottom.

Why Journaling Amplifies Shadow Work

Tarot shows you the pattern. Journaling helps you understand why it exists and how it operates in your life. The cards bypass your logical defenses—journaling catches what surfaces before your mind tries to reframe, minimize, or intellectualize it away.

Write immediately after pulling cards, before you've constructed a story about what they mean. Let the first draft be messy, contradictory, or raw. You're not writing for an audience—you're writing to see what you actually think once it's outside your head.

If you're new to shadow journaling, start with a dedicated notebook. Something that feels intentional but not precious. [This is where you'd reference your curated Bookshop.org list—maybe a line like: "Need a journal that can handle the work? Check out our curated list of shadow work journals designed for depth, not decoration."]

Cups: Emotional Wounds and Relational Patterns

Cups govern emotions, relationships, intuition, and how you give and receive love. In shadow work, Cups reveal where you've abandoned your own needs, where you're people-pleasing to avoid rejection, or where unprocessed grief is leaking into your present relationships.

Core Cups shadow themes:

• Codependency and emotional enmeshment
• Suppressed grief or unacknowledged loss
• Fear of being "too much" or "not enough"
• Using relationships to avoid being alone with yourself
• Giving endlessly while refusing to receive

Journaling Prompts for Cups Shadow Work

When you pull the Two of Cups (reversed or upright in shadow context):

• Where am I losing myself in relationships?
• What parts of me do I hide to keep the peace?
• Am I choosing connection or avoiding loneliness?

When you pull the Three of Cups:

• Do I perform joy to belong, or do I actually feel it?
• Where do I prioritize group harmony over my own truth?
• What friendships am I maintaining out of obligation?

When you pull the Four of Cups:

• What emotional need am I ignoring?
• Where am I numbing instead of feeling?
• What gift am I refusing to receive, and why?

When you pull the Five of Cups:

• What am I still grieving that I haven't named?
• Am I mourning what I lost or what I thought I'd have?
• What would change if I let this grief be finished?

When you pull the Six of Cups:

• Am I romanticizing the past to avoid the present?
• What childhood wound is still running my relationships?
• Where am I seeking the love I didn't get then, instead of building the love I need now?

When you pull the Seven of Cups:

• Am I fantasizing about change or actually changing?
• Where am I using daydreams to avoid decisions?
• Which "option" am I pretending to consider when I've already chosen avoidance?

When you pull the Eight of Cups:

• What am I walking away from that I should have left months ago?
• Why did I stay longer than I wanted to?
• What am I afraid I'll lose if I leave?

When you pull the Nine of Cups:

• Am I actually satisfied, or am I performing contentment?
• What do I have that I thought I wanted but doesn't actually fulfill me?
• Where am I settling and calling it gratitude?

When you pull the Ten of Cups:

• Am I chasing an idealized version of happiness that doesn't exist?
• Where am I pretending everything is fine when it's not?
• What would real fulfillment actually require of me?

Court Cards:

• Page of Cups: Where am I emotionally immature or afraid to be vulnerable?
• Knight of Cups: Am I offering grand gestures to avoid real intimacy?
• Queen of Cups: Where am I over-empathizing and losing my boundaries?
• King of Cups: Am I controlling my emotions to avoid being controlled by them?

Cups shadow work can bring up grief, longing, and relational pain. If you need structure for processing emotions, consider a journal with prompts built in. [Insert curated journal recommendation here.]

Wands: Suppressed Ambition and Ego Wounds

Wands represent action, creativity, ambition, and personal power. In shadow work, Wands reveal where you've dimmed yourself to stay safe, where your ego is wounded, or where you're performing confidence to hide insecurity.

Core Wands shadow themes:

• Fear of visibility or success
• Suppressed anger that leaks out sideways
• Burning out to prove your worth
• Competing when you want to collaborate
• Using busyness to avoid stillness

Journaling Prompts for Wands Shadow Work

When you pull the Ace of Wands:

• What creative impulse am I ignoring?
• Where am I waiting for permission to start?
• What would I do if I wasn't afraid of failing publicly?

When you pull the Two of Wands:

• Am I planning as a form of procrastination?
• What decision am I avoiding by keeping all options open?
• Where am I choosing safety over the life I actually want?

When you pull the Three of Wands:

• Am I waiting for the "right time" that will never come?
• What am I outsourcing that I should be doing myself?
• Where am I standing still and calling it patience?

When you pull the Four of Wands:

• Am I celebrating milestones or performing success?
• Where am I building stability that feels like a cage?
• What achievement did I reach that didn't fulfill me the way I expected?

When you pull the Five of Wands:

• Where am I creating conflict to feel alive?
• Am I competing when I should be collaborating?
• What internal battle am I projecting outward?

When you pull the Six of Wands:

• Am I addicted to external validation?
• Where am I performing success instead of living it?
• What would change if no one was watching?

When you pull the Seven of Wands:

• What am I defending that doesn't need defending?
• Where am I fighting battles I've already won?
• Am I protecting my boundaries or isolating myself?

When you pull the Eight of Wands:

• Am I moving fast to avoid feeling?
• Where is my momentum actually just avoidance?
• What would slow down if I stopped running?

When you pull the Nine of Wands:

• Where am I staying in defense mode when the threat is over?
• What wound am I protecting by never fully trusting again?
• Am I guarding my heart or imprisoning it?

When you pull the Ten of Wands:

• What am I carrying that isn't mine to carry?
• Where am I martyring myself to prove my value?
• What would I put down if I believed I was enough without it?

Court Cards:

• Page of Wands: Where am I performing enthusiasm to avoid commitment?
• Knight of Wands: Am I chasing novelty to avoid depth?
• Queen of Wands: Where am I using charisma to deflect intimacy?
• King of Wands: Am I leading or controlling? Inspiring or dominating?

Wands shadow work often surfaces anger, frustration, and ambition you've been taught to suppress. A journal designed for bold expression can help. [Insert curated journal recommendation here.]

Swords: Mental Patterns and Self-Criticism

Swords govern thoughts, communication, truth, and mental clarity. In shadow work, Swords reveal where you're trapped in rumination, where you use intellect to avoid emotion, or where self-criticism has become your default setting.

Core Swords shadow themes:

• Overthinking as a form of control
• Using logic to dismiss your feelings
• Self-criticism disguised as self-awareness
• Cut-off communication that creates distance
• Anxiety as a smoke screen for deeper fears

Journaling Prompts for Swords Shadow Work

When you pull the Ace of Swords:

• What truth am I avoiding by overcomplicating things?
• Where am I using clarity as a weapon instead of a tool?
• What do I already know that I'm pretending I don't?

When you pull the Two of Swords:

• What decision am I avoiding by staying "neutral"?
• Where am I pretending both options are equal when one clearly feels right?
• What am I afraid will happen if I choose?

When you pull the Three of Swords:

• What heartbreak am I still carrying as identity?
• Where am I reopening old wounds instead of letting them scar?
• Am I grieving the loss or the story I told myself about it?

When you pull the Four of Swords:

• Am I resting or avoiding?
• Where am I using "self-care" to escape responsibility?
• What would real restoration actually require?

When you pull the Five of Swords:

• Where am I "winning" arguments but losing relationships?
• Am I defending my position or my ego?
• What battle did I win that left me emptier than before?

When you pull the Six of Swords:

• What am I leaving behind that I keep mentally returning to?
• Where am I physically moving forward but emotionally staying stuck?
• What transition have I made that I haven't actually processed?

When you pull the Seven of Swords:

• Where am I lying to myself?
• What am I sneaking away from instead of addressing directly?
• Where am I being strategic when I should be honest?

When you pull the Eight of Swords:

• What mental prison am I maintaining?
• Where am I blaming circumstances for choices I'm making?
• What would I do if I believed I actually had options?

When you pull the Nine of Swords:

• What am I catastrophizing to avoid taking action?
• Where is my anxiety protecting me from something scarier than the anxiety itself?
• What's the worst-case scenario I'm not naming?

When you pull the Ten of Swords:

• Where am I performing victimhood?
• What ending am I dramatizing to avoid moving on?
• Am I actually devastated, or am I addicted to the story of devastation?

Court Cards:

• Page of Swords: Where am I gathering information to delay decisions?
• Knight of Swords: Am I speaking truth or wielding it like a weapon?
• Queen of Swords: Where am I using detachment to avoid vulnerability?
• King of Swords: Am I leading with clarity or control?

Swords shadow work can spiral into rumination. A structured journal helps keep you focused. [Insert curated journal recommendation here.]

Pentacles: Scarcity, Worth, and Physical Reality

Pentacles govern material security, physical health, work, and your relationship with resources. In shadow work, Pentacles reveal where scarcity mindset runs your decisions, where you're overworking to prove worth, or where you've conflated your value with your productivity.

Core Pentacles shadow themes:

• Scarcity mindset and resource hoarding
• Tying self-worth to productivity or wealth
• Ignoring physical needs to appear "spiritual"
• Fear of being seen as "too much" or "not enough"
• Using control over money/body/resources to feel safe

Journaling Prompts for Pentacles Shadow Work

When you pull the Ace of Pentacles:

• What opportunity am I not taking because I don't feel "ready"?
• Where am I waiting for perfect conditions that will never come?
• What would I start if I trusted I could figure it out along the way?

When you pull the Two of Pentacles:

• Where am I juggling to avoid committing?
• Am I actually balancing or just staying busy enough to avoid deciding?
• What would simplify if I stopped trying to do everything?

When you pull the Three of Pentacles:

• Where am I overworking to prove I belong?
• Am I collaborating or performing competence?
• What would change if I believed my presence was enough?

When you pull the Four of Pentacles:

• What am I hoarding because I'm afraid there won't be enough?
• Where am I controlling resources instead of trusting flow?
• What would I give if I believed more would come?

When you pull the Five of Pentacles:

• Where am I performing struggle?
• Am I actually lacking resources, or am I refusing to ask for help?
• What door am I standing outside of that I could just walk through?

When you pull the Six of Pentacles:

• Am I giving to control or giving to connect?
• Where am I staying in the "helper" role to avoid receiving?
• What would change if I let people give to me?

When you pull the Seven of Pentacles:

• Where am I waiting for results to validate my worth?
• Am I actually patient, or am I paralyzed?
• What would I do next if I stopped measuring progress?

When you pull the Eight of Pentacles:

• Am I mastering my craft or hiding in perfectionism?
• Where am I using "not ready yet" to avoid visibility?
• What would change if I shared the work before it was perfect?

When you pull the Nine of Pentacles:

• Am I actually independent, or am I isolated?
• Where am I performing self-sufficiency to avoid intimacy?
• What would I ask for if I believed needing help wasn't weakness?

When you pull the Ten of Pentacles:

• What legacy am I building that isn't actually mine?
• Where am I maintaining tradition out of obligation?
• What inheritance—literal or emotional—am I carrying that I don't want?

Court Cards:

• Page of Pentacles: Where am I studying instead of starting?
• Knight of Pentacles: Am I being steady or stuck?
• Queen of Pentacles: Where am I nurturing others while neglecting myself?
• King of Pentacles: Am I building security or building a cage?

Pentacles shadow work can surface shame around money, body, and worth. A grounded journal helps.

How to Use These Prompts Without Spiraling

Shadow journaling can become compulsive. Here's how to keep it productive:

One suit at a time. Don't try to work through all four suits in one sitting. Let each suit's insights settle before moving to the next.

Write without editing. Don't reread as you go. Don't cross things out. Let the first draft be the whole draft. You're not crafting an essay—you're excavating.

Set a timer. Give yourself 10-15 minutes per prompt. If you're still writing after that, you're probably ruminating, not processing.

Don't perform insight. If your journaling sounds like content you'd post, you've left shadow work and entered performance. Go back to messy, honest writing.

Notice when you're retraumatizing yourself. If journaling leaves you feeling worse for days, not hours, stop. Shadow work through writing has limits. Some processing requires support beyond a notebook.

Read our guide to when shadow work isn't enough to understand the difference between productive discomfort and harm.

Curated Journals for Shadow Work

Not all journals work for shadow work. You need pages that can handle intensity without feeling too precious to ruin, structure that guides without restricting, and design that feels intentional without being performative.

We've curated a collection of journals designed specifically for depth work—no toxic positivity, no cutesy prompts, just space to process what the cards reveal. 

These prompts bring clarity to what each suit is revealing. Let them guide your next reading.

A Note on Shadow Work & Mental Health

Tarot is a tool for self-reflection, not a replacement for therapy. If shadow work brings up emotions that feel unmanageable, consider reaching out to:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text)
• NAMI Support Groups (peer-led, free)
• Psychology Today Therapist Directory (find licensed support)
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (substance use & mental health)