Quick Specs
- Material: Genuine leather
- Dimensions: 5″ x 7″
- Weight: 1.1 lb
- Closure: Latch
- Pages: Blank, unlined
- Cover Design: Tree of Life & Evil Eye
Where Protection Meets Growth
The eye on this journal’s cover carries a long memory. Amulets shaped like a watching eye turn up in the archaeological record as far back as ancient Mesopotamia, and by the time Greek and Anatolian artisans were shaping blue glass into eye beads, the belief behind it had already traveled the length of the Mediterranean. The Greeks called it mati. In Turkey it became nazar, from an Arabic word for attention or gaze. The idea underneath both names is the same: a look, even an admiring one, can carry unintended weight, and an eye that looks back is thought to send that weight elsewhere before it lands.
The tree stamped beside it belongs to no single tradition, which is part of why I like pairing it with the eye. Kabbalists map it as ten spheres joined by twenty-two paths. In Norse cosmology it’s Yggdrasil, the ash tree whose roots and branches hold nine realms together. Celtic knotwork renders it as branches and roots looping into one unbroken line, a shorthand for how the living and the dead stay connected. Different cultures, same instinct: growth, rootedness, and everything in between.
Practical Ritual Applications
I’d reach for this one as a Book of Shadows, a dream journal, or anywhere you want a little extra protection over what you’re writing down. Tarot readers use blank leather journals like this to log spreads and track how their interpretations change over time. Some people keep one strictly for gratitude or shadow work, since the latch gives a private practice an actual barrier between it and anyone else’s eyes. Whatever you fill it with, the blank pages inside don’t care what tradition you’re working in.
Getting Started With Your Journal
A blank book doesn’t come with instructions, but here’s how I’d break one in.
A blank book doesn’t come with instructions, but here’s how I’d break one in.
- Decide what it’s for
Before you write a single word, pick one purpose for this journal, whether that’s a Book of Shadows, a dream log, or a tarot journal. A dedicated journal tends to get used more than one that’s trying to hold everything at once. Committing to a single purpose early keeps entries consistent and makes the book easier to return to months later. It also helps you resist the urge to cram unrelated notes onto the same pages.
- Open with an intention
Use the first page to write down why you started this journal and what you want it to hold. It gives every entry after it something to circle back to, and it turns a blank book into a dedicated one from the very first page. This single page becomes a quiet anchor whenever you’re unsure what belongs inside and what doesn’t.
- Build a rhythm
Set a regular time to write, even a few lines, whether that’s after a reading, before bed, or on the new moon. The latch keeps it closed between sessions, but the habit is what keeps it useful. A short, consistent rhythm beats long entries that only happen once a month, since consistency is what actually builds a working record over time.
Tarot Fellow Standard
I don’t stock a journal because it looks good in a photo. I stock it because the leather holds up, the latch actually closes flush, and the pages take ink without bleeding through. This one earns its spot in the shop on craftsmanship first and symbolism second, which is the order I think it should go in.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Evil Eye is a protective symbol, an eye shape meant to turn an envious or ill-wishing glance back on itself. It has roots in ancient Mesopotamia and became especially associated with Greek and Turkish culture, where it’s called mati and nazar. The Tree of Life is a separate symbol found across many traditions, including Kabbalah, Norse mythology, and Celtic art, and it generally represents growth, connection, and continuity rather than protection specifically. This journal pairs the two rather than treating them as the same thing.
It depends on how you plan to use it. A 5 x 7 inch journal like this one is easy to carry to a reading or a ritual space, while a larger format gives you more room per entry if you’re writing at a desk. Most people are happier starting smaller and filling a second volume than starting too big and never filling the first one.
Yes, this is genuine leather, handcrafted rather than machine stamped, so expect the kind of small variation in grain and color that comes with a natural material rather than a printed one.
No, the pages are blank, which gives you room to write, sketch, or lay out spreads without fighting a ruled page.
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