4. Witchy Goal Setting in Your Bullet Journal: A Practical, Magical Approach

This post is part 4 of a Series on Witchy Bullet Journalling. 

Here are links to the rest of the posts in this series:

How to use a Bullet Journal as your Book of Shadows

How to Start a Witchy Bullet Journal (even if you’re not arty or organised)

Witchy Bullet Journal Spread Ideas for Beginners: Simple Pages to Start With

Witchy Goal Setting in Your Bullet Journal: A Practical, Magical Approach

Witchy Trackers, Planners & Collections: How to Use Your Bullet Journal Without Burning Out

Preparing Your Bullet Journal as a Sacred Book of Shadows: Creating Space for Your Magic

There’s also a FREE Printable Guide to Using a Bullet Journal as Your Book of Shadows, more details at the end of this post.

Some people think goal setting has no place in a spiritual practice. They see it as purely mundane — the stuff of planners, not grimoires or spellbooks.

But for me?

Setting goals is part of living an intentional, magical life.

It’s a way to honour the truth that we are co-creators of our reality. A way to choose the kind of energy we want to weave into our days — and who we’re becoming along the way.

Yes, goal setting can tip into toxic productivity. But it doesn’t have to.

When we bring magic and ritual to the process — when we anchor it in the wider cycles of nature and our own intuition — it becomes something else entirely.

This post will walk you through how I set goals as part of my magical journaling practice — not just once a year, but throughout the year, in ways that are alive, aligned, and sustainable.

✦ Why Set Goals, Magically?

We’re not here to hustle ourselves into burnout. But we’re also not here to drift, disconnected, through a life we didn’t choose.

We are here to create.

To participate in the becoming of our own lives.

To move in rhythm with the seasons, the moon, and our own needs.

When done with presence, goal setting becomes spellcraft:

• A way to name your desires

• To call in support (from goddess, the universe, your guides)

• And to return to what matters, again and again

You can do this:

• Annually (a big-picture vision)

• Monthly (with the moon or calendar)

• Seasonally (working in 90-day or sabbat-aligned cycles)

• Or even weekly (a simple check-in spread)

There is no one right cadence. Your bullet journal can hold all of it.

 

✦ My Magical Goal Setting Process

Here’s the flow I often return to — but remember, this isn’t a rulebook.

You’re not following my method — you’re discovering yours.

✧ 1. Begin with Reflection

Whether you’re setting goals for the year or the month, start by looking back.

Ask yourself:

• What’s shifted lately?

• What felt nourishing, and what felt heavy?

• What did I love?

• What do I want more of?

• What needs closing, clearing, or composting?

You can:

• Scroll through photos (this is a surprisingly powerful mirror)

• Flip through old journal pages or spreads

• Pull tarot or oracle cards for insight

• Or simply sit with a candle and ask: What am I carrying into this next chapter?

 

✧ 2. Create a Wild, Honest Wish List

Before you refine anything, let it all out.

I recommend a brain-dump style list:

• Places to visit

• Things to make or learn

• Habits you long for

• Ways of feeling, being, becoming

• Projects, practices, or play

Don’t overthink, or judge, or get into the weeds about how you're actually going to do any of this stuff. Let your heart speak.

 

✧ 3. Reframe the “Shoulds”

Once the list is out, step away. Come back a few days later — with curiosity.

Now, read through each item. Notice:

• Which ones feel exciting?

• Which feel heavy or obligatory?

• Which are someone else’s voice?

Cross out what’s not truly yours. Reframe the rest with intention.

Instead of:

“I should exercise more”

Try:

“I want to feel strong and energised in my body”

“I’m calling in more vitality this season”

Or just scratch it altogether if it's not actually something you care about.

This is where the magic begins. You’re choosing how you want to feel, not just what you want to do.

 

✧ 4. Sort & Soften

Once you’ve refined your goals, you can (gently) group them. I often use loose categories like:

• Spiritual / magical (e.g. deepen your moon practice, daily draws)

• Creative / vocational (e.g. write, teach, share)

• Home / family / relationships

• Body / wellbeing

• Community / nature / place

You can also mark which ones are:

• One-time goals (e.g. visit Glastonbury, create a new altar)

• Ongoing rhythms or habits (e.g. journal with each new moon, walk daily)

This helps you be kind to yourself when something doesn’t have a “tick” — not because you failed, but because it’s a process.

 

✧ 5. Make It a Ritual

This is where you get to infuse the practical with the magical.

Try:

• Writing your goals on a dedicated journal spread, and blessing them

• Creating a sigil or symbol to hold your intention

• Pulling a tarot or oracle card for each goal

• Writing a letter to your future self

• Pairing your goals with your Word of the Year or Goddess of the Year

You can also do this seasonally — I’ve been working with 90-day goals more recently and love how it invites a rhythm of check-in, reset, and renewal.

Think of it like gardening. Not everything blooms at once. But with a bit of tending, and the right timing, your seeds can grow.

✧ 6. Tending Your Goals

This is where your bullet journal really shines.

You might want to:

• Create a monthly check-in page

• Add your goals into a moon cycle spread (e.g. set an intention at the new moon, reflect at the full moon)

• Use trackers or field notes to observe your progress

• Add a section to celebrate completions or shifts in direction

And remember — if something isn’t working, you can let it go.

That’s not failure. That’s flow.

 

✦ Your Goals Are Sacred (and So Are You)

Whether you’re dreaming up a year, a season, or just the next week, your goals are sacred intentions. They’re how you choose to participate in your life. To co-create with whatever you believe in — goddess, universe, spirit, or simply your own knowing.

You don’t need to share them.

You don’t need to explain them.

You just need to feel them.

And if you want more guidance, I created:

• Vision Your Year, a workbook to walk you through a full annual goal-setting (and tracking) process

• MoonWise, my membership where we journal with the moon and revisit our intentions each cycle

(I'm low-key obsessed with goal planning but in a way that is healthy and embedded in the energetic flow of the universe, so you'll find much of what I create and share relates to this).

✦ A Final Blessing for Your Goal Setting

May your goals feel like spells you cast in trust.

May they carry your longing with grace.

May they hold space for the mystery.

And may they always lead you back to yourself.

 

✦ Are You Starting Your Own Witchy Bullet Journal?

I’ve created a beautiful, practical guide to help you begin — whether you’re brand new to bullet journaling or looking to weave more magic into your pages.

Using a Bullet Journal for Your Book of Shadows is a free printable resource that walks you through the basics and gives you a little bundle of cut-and-stick elements to help you get started.

It’s gentle, non-prescriptive, and rooted in real practice — just like your magic.

You can download it for free here. https://www.jessicaandthemoon.com/products/using-a-bullet-journal-for-your-book-of-shadows-a-free-printable-guide-to-begin-your-witchy-journaling-journey

Warmest Blessings on your path

Jessica