- Title: 2026 Gratitude Diary and Daily Planner
- Author and Illustrator: Melanie Spears and Mellissa Williams
- Article Contributors: Jandamarra Cadd, Gemma-Lee Harvey, Sadhu Astro, Rama Raphael and Kaliana Rose, Dr. Kerry Howells, and Jen McCarty.
- Publisher: Rockpool Publishing Australia.
- Date of Publication: Jul/25 (AU/NZ), Jul/25 (US), Jul/25 (UK).
- Recommended Retail Price: AUD $39.99
- ISBN: 9781923208605
- Format: Paperback, soft-cover, 460 pages.
- Review by: Kim Goldsmith, Cosmic Snail Tarot, @cosmicsnailtarot
Rockpool’s 2026 Gratitude Diary and Planner landed on my doorstep for review and I am already itching to start using it! Author Melanie Spears self-published gratitude journals for 15 years before collaborating with Rockpool Publishing for this edition. The aim of Melanie’s journals, retreats and workshops are to help people recognise what gratitude is and how it can transform your life.
Flicking through the planner and reading the headings “Give thanks every day” and “Thank you, existence, for…” above each blank page, I started to feel a bit nervous and overwhelmed. How can I possibly fill 365 pages with gratitude? What does gratitude mean, anyway? If you look at the Cambridge Dictionary definition of gratitude it is ‘the feeling or quality of being grateful’, and being grateful is defined as ‘showing or expressing thanks, especially to another person’. The overarching theme for this planner is ‘unity consciousness’. Various interpretations of what this means are included in the last article “A Panel of Unified Souls: A Conversation about Unity Consciousness” (pp. 429 – 433), but the author states “it’s a feeling, and a reality that all people matter. Everyone” (p.429). In the context of this theme, I believe the author is encouraging us to use the journal to appreciate our individual lives, but also, consider how we can show empathy for other people in our broader community.
Many of the articles in this diary provide useful perspectives on the definition and purpose of gratitude. Dr. Jandamarra Cadd is an Archibald prize winning artist and writer of Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja descent. His article “Unity Consciousness: A Conversation with Jandamurra” (pp. 61 – 65) explains that in his Australian Aboriginal culture there is no word for gratitude because “when you are living in such a sacred, reverent way you don’t create words that denote such things” (p. 61). Gratitude, therefore, is not just a word but a lived experience of a community that values what they have in each moment. Dr. Kerry Howells article “Untangling you: How can I feel grateful when I feel so resentful?” (pp. 133- 136) considers gratitude as more than a word to describe nice things in your life. She implies it is a state of being, achieved by acknowledging and overcoming blocks caused by resentment – like jealousy towards a colleague. Gratitude journaling is a tool to assist in this process. In contrast, other articles, like Rama Raphael’s “The Ancient Father Circle” (pp. 169 – 171), are abstract and the content lacks any substantial or practical advice to assist with journaling. However, most of the articles offer a broad range of topics to get your writing flowing, with approaches from Vedic Astrology to Holistic Counselling that tackle themes like Body Dysmorphia and Avoidant/Attachment syndrome.
The exquisite illustrations and design elements by Mellissa Williams make this journal incredibly appealing to handle and use. Melissa’s website Misprint describes her style as “Fusing the digital and the organic, the spiritual and the daydream. The cosmic and mystical, the botanical and the oceanic.” Trained in graphic and textile design, Melissa combines hand drawing, watercolour, and digital illustration to create delicately veiled images that take the imagination into far away places. My particular favourite artwork is of a whale floating in the air with bees and a garden growing on its back. This image refers to author Melanie Spears’ story of how gratitude journaling changed her career and life trajectory after a turbulent time in her life.
The colour scheme of the planner is autumnal soft and earthy, with burgundy, orange, lilac and yellow pages. The square softcover format is thick but not cumbersome so you can pop it into your day bag. Two ribbons are attached to mark important days and an elastic strap keeps it closed. The pages only lay flat once you get to the middle of the book, which may be a drawback for some people. There is detailed information at the start of the planner about all the lunar phases. Each diary page has moon symbols, and key lunar events have a description of the impact this phase may have on you. I appreciate the generous sized pages and the attractive overall design aesthetic.
I am new to gratitude journaling and as such, I would have benefited from a methodology or a few questions sprinkled through the daily pages to kickstart ideas for writing. To overcome writer’s block, I recommend reading the quotes throughout the journal, or referring to the questions in the lunar cycle pages for inspiration. Seasoned gratitude journallers will have no problem using this book. Tarot or oracle card readers could pull a card for morning, afternoon and evening and then use the deck guidebook or intuition to write about gratitude. Try a simple spread centered on the question “How can I integrate gratitude into my day?” and see what hints the cards give you.
I am not sure that I would call this a planner, despite there being monthly calendars and dated pages. If this was your only diary it would be hard to squeeze in your gratitude notes, shopping lists, birthdays, meetings or appointments. A second diary may be needed for more practical purposes, particularly for people who have a busy daily schedule. I am most likely going to use mine just for daily gratitude entries plus recording my oracle card of the day reflections.
In 2026 I look forward to the mental reset offered by Rockpool’s Gratitude Diary and Daily Planner, and I am curious where my understanding of gratitude will land after a year of journaling. A new diary is a potential space to order the chaos left over from the year before, but I often feel guilty about all the unfilled pages. Next year, if I don’t manage to write something on every page, I will remember this quote from Jandamarra:
“...Whatever the blank space is we wanna fill in, the thing is we have already arrived.” (p. 64).
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