Books of Shadows
by Blayze

We often get people wandering through the forum asking questions about what to put in their Book of Shadows. I have thought about the reasons why this should be so and have come to the conclusion that Charmed may be the culprit - or it may be that when some people are starting out on their path and think they don’t know anything, it can feel a bit presumptuous to them to write their own Book of Shadows… or it could be that they just want someone to point them in the right direction… Maybe it’s just a combination of a lack of confidence and a touch of human nature and all that.

Unfortunately the poor old B.O.S. has some weighty expectations to shed when examined in the glare of both Hollywood and a library full of books on how-be-a-wiccan-pagan-shaman-druid in 10 easy lessons. I must admit that I am probably stuck in the old-school vein of Wicca because when I think of a B.O.S. I see my handwritten book copied from our Coven’s Coven’s Coven etc. This is a really interesting and useful book - but no, you can’t look in it *grin* , not even at any of the new stuff I have added to it. 

However on reflection my folders of notes and rituals and journals are also books of shadows, a living and breathing reflection of my path, albeit a non-leatherbound version.
I suppose I am torn between the formal and informal, although I kind of like that. I have my nicely written book that someone else has gone to the trouble of organising into some kind of order. I just add my stuff at the end. Then there are my loose leaf folders and piles of paper that I can re-arrange at a whim. These notes are my personal history and my future. They hold my memories of rituals, recipes, workshops, notes, celebrations, gatherings, chants, song lyrics and doodles of ritual ideas. I think this is really what makes a book of shadows special. It’s not the all-powerful book hidden in the attic a la Charmed, but it is powerful to me.

I suppose the problem with starting a book of one’s own is really what to write first. Yes a nice bound book with beautifully written pages full of mystic symbols would be nice and in our heads maybe that is what we want… but first I think we need to examine what we actually NEED. The illuminated tome can come later when materials have been gathered and knowledge gained sufficiently to complete Volume 1.

So here are some questions to ask yourself. 

Why do you want a Book of Shadows in the first place? Is it to look cool or as a great reference to your path?

Do you want a book to record your rituals in? Then maybe you need a ritual diary of some sort.

Do you want a book for your recipes? How about a nice loose leaf folder that you can write in and stick notes into as well.

Do you want to write up notes and research? Again, a loose leaf folder comes in handy.
If you want everything in one place, then just divide your folder up into sections. You could label them Spells, Rituals, Notes, Journal. You can always write up the ritual or spell and then record the results on a separate page. I suppose what I am saying is use your imagination and  become creatively organised. It is worth the work.

I remember the day I had to move my notes from one small folder into a large one, then into two large ones and now I have three. It’s a good feeling and also imparts a certain amount of freedom. So don’t be afraid… write what you know and how you found it out. Your future self will be grateful.