The Magick of Junk Journaling

Every witch knows that magick lives in the liminal, those spaces between intention and action, word and world. A junk journal is one of those portals. It’s messy, tactile, and utterly unique, born from the scraps of your life: ticket stubs, tea-stained paper, pressed flowers, or a torn corner of an old book.

When you begin a junk journal,  you have the opportunity to weave magickal energy into form. Each layer of glue, ink, and collage bit is a part of a spell of remembrance, reclamation, and rebirth. You’re giving the discarded a new purpose, transforming what was once forgotten into something alive again.

Junk Journaling is Alchemy in Action

Junk journaling is everyday alchemy. Think of it as turning paper into energetic gold. The process grounds you in the physical act of creation, cutting, gluing, layering, while simultaneously raising energetic vibration through intention.

The cool thing is you can create a focused, intentional junk journal to build your magick. You might create:

• A lunar journal with pages tied to moon phases, recording rituals or intuitive hits.
• A shadow work grimoire, collaged with dark florals, found poetry, and words you’re reclaiming.
• A gratitude spellbook, each page a love letter to what you already have.

When you create with mindfulness, your hands become conduits for your spirit. That’s magick…embodied, sensory, real.

The Energetics of Imperfection

Unlike pristine bullet journals or digital planners, junk journals are gloriously imperfect. The ripped edges, crooked stitches, and uneven ink are reminders that creation itself is messy and divine.

This imperfection holds energy. It tells your nervous system, “It’s safe to be real.” It invites your inner child and your inner witch to play together: no rules, no performance, just creation as a form of self-transformation.

And if you’re working through any sort of transition, junk journaling becomes a gentle act of restoration. Every glued page whispers, You’re allowed to begin again.

Tools, But Make Them Sacred

Even the most mundane tools become magickal when used with intention.

• Scissors – represent cutting cords, boundaries, and precision.
• Glue or tape – binds and seals intentions.
• Paper scraps – symbols of what’s been released, now reborn.
• Ink or pen – the wand that channels your will into written form.
• Envelopes and pockets – hidden spells, secret wishes, or sigils tucked away for the future.
• Pressed flowers and foraged leaves – integrate a beautiful natural element to your junk journaling magick.

You don’t need fancy materials to start magickally junk journaling, and your junk drawer is probably more enchanted than you think. (You do have a junk drawer, right? It’s not just me?)

Ritualizing the Practice of Junk Journaling

Before you begin, light a candle or incense, center yourself, and speak an intention aloud, such as:

“Through this act of creation, I reclaim my voice, my magick, and my memories.”

As you journal, let intuition lead. Don’t plan anything too much. Just follow color, texture, or whatever image calls to you. Let synchronicity unfold: the word torn from an old book might become your next spell phrase; a magazine clipping may reveal an archetype you’re embodying.

When you finish a page, close your journal and place your hand over it. Feel its energy as you fuel it with intention and your personal magick.

The Everyday Spellbook

Over time, your junk journal becomes more than an art project. It’s a mirror of your journey, and a spellbook of your life. It reminds you that magick isn’t only in ritual circles and moonlit altars, it’s also in scissors and glue, in torn edges and tender beginnings.

Happy journaling, witches!
Megan W.