KEEPING A BOOK OF SHADOWS BEFORE THE INTERNET EXISTED
I have a book of shadows that I have been keeping for years. My book of shadows has been an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. I love researching anything and everything. Before home computers was the norm, I handwritten and photocopied hundreds of pages out of I lived in a very small town. The library had a handful ofEventually I moved to Dayton, Ohio where
Looking back over everything I've collected in my Book of Shadows shows me how far I have come in my Craft. If I have the section on spells busting at the seams but the section on ritual is scant, I know that it is an area that I have been neglecting
The area on being a domestic witch is busting at the seams. So much so that I am going to start a separate book of shadows specifically about being a domestic witch. I am so happy that after two decades I have finally found my niche.
If you don't have a book of shadows, here is instructions on how to create one.
HOW TO MAKE A BOOK OF SHADOWS
A Book of Shadows (BOS for short) is where you store information you'll need as your practice Wicca, witchcraft, or magick. This can be a book you make yourself, a notebook, a folder or collection of folders, files on your computer, or even a blog that you keep online. I personally use a 3 ring binder where I can insert a personalized cover on the front. I can add or remove pages. I can rearrange them. If I need some info during a ritual or spell, I only have to take the page with me rather than my entire book. I have damaged pages before when doing this so sheet protectors are a must. I keep it organized using tab dividers and a table of contents for each section.
Many Pagans and Wiccans feel a BOS should be handwritten, but I am not one of them. They say that you use your own energy as you hand write the information, but you also use your personal energy when you use a computer or photocopy something as well. The idea that a BOS needs to handwritten doesn't match up to the lifestyle of the 21st century. I am sure there are those that will adamantly disagree with me. I do however think that you should never use anything that someone else has handwritten or photocopied themselves. Doing so means that their energy goes into your BOS. A BOS is an extremely personal tool.
A book of shadows is considered a sacred tool and should be treated with respect. Ideally your BOS should be consecrated. However, if you keep your book of shadows on a computer or in dozens of file folders, this may be a challenge. Using blessed water or incense smoke could do damage. In this case, you may want to do a consecration ritual using a feather to represent air and a seashell to represent water. I personally am rather clumsy and would hesitate to bring a bowl of blessed water near my computer.
Making a book of shadows is not something that can be done quickly. In can take days, weeks, or even years to fill a book of shadows. I don't believe there is such thing as completing a book of shadows because you should always learning and strive to improve your practice.
Things you would want to keep in your book of shadows includes your personal beliefs and or the beliefs of your tradition, initiation or dedication information, a book blessing, information about traditions you are interested in, information about Gods and Goddesses, correspondences, rituals, esbats and sabbats, herbs and plants, gems and crystals, divination, poems, chants, magick, spells, and recipes. I have my magick and spell section divided by the types of working such as candle magick, petition magick, element magick and so on. I also have sections on things like other religions, shamanism, aromatherapy, chakras, connecting with nature, and things I can do to save the environment.
Always write down where the information came from so you can find it again or if you admire the work of someone you can research them more. I learned this from personal experience. One of the pages that I damaged during a working did not have the website on it. I tried to find the information again using You may also want to include a section for a spiritual diary or record of rituals and spells done. I have found the record of rituals and spells particularly useful for finding out what I prefer and what my magickal strengths and weaknesses are. For example, I am very particular about how I cast a circle. When I first started casting a circle, I wrote down the results of each method I tried until found what worked best for me.Keeping these kind of records can keep you from repeating things the you already know or don't like. I can look back at what I have cast and see that my money spells never seem to work. This tells me that I need to work on opening a chakra or examine my financial karma. By keeping records I also learned that if I do a spell or ritual in the morning, it's unlikely to work. I have more power in the evening or at night.
Keeping records of your personal workings may seem boring and tedious. I personally have benefited more from this section of my book of shadows than any other. I think this is because I practice as a solitary. I'm not able to get feedback from others about how I am progressing. So if you are a solitary, I adamantly encourage you to keep a record of all your workings.
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