Finding Mystery and Creativity within a Book Of Shadows
adapted from the workshop originally presented at the Australian Wiccan Conference 2008
by Blayze

Many pagans and witches, either solitary or with a group, keep a record of their rituals, lore, core beliefs and practices. Within the pagan milieu the term 'Book Of Shadows' (BOS) is often used as a generic or catch-all title to describe this material. How we perceive and practice our personal paths will largely inform our interpretation and use of this title for our own bodies of lore. 

Which BOS for which witch?

There are also many different types of Books Of Shadows and again, our use of this description will be coloured by our comfort levels and acceptance of general or tradition-specific terminology.

For a solitary practitioner, their BOS may be a collection of rituals performed, research undertaken, meditations, recipes and poetry; either written by the practitioner or found in various published sources. 

For a non-traditional working group, the BOS will contain much of the same style of information but with added contributions by the rest of the group. Participants may have their own personal BOS as well as contribution and access to, or a copy of, the group's BOS.

In many traditional covens, the BOS contains the liturgies, lore, poetry and peculiarities of the tradition and lineage. Information may be added to the BOS, but nothing is taken away. There is a master copy, and each member has their own personal copy. At such a time as a covenor hives off to start their own group, their personal copy will become the master copy of the new group. This means that accuracy and maintenance of the BOS is important.

In some traditions only the outlines of standard ritual practices are contained in the BOS and the detailed scripts of rituals and teachings are held in a coven diary or diaries. This is the actual work and archive of the group as opposed to the body of lore of the tradition. Focused research can of course utilise both these books (or notepads, computer files or binders).

Working with your BOS (or blowing away the cobwebs)

For the purposes of this article I will be using the term Book Of Shadows (BOS) to refer to the latter, or more traditional, style of Book Of Shadows. However the techniques used for working with this style of BOS are also applicable for use with solitary or non-traditional bodies of work and lore. For ease in creating examples, I will be concentrating on the practices of small groups in how we create, shape and use a body of work that can be manipulated to suit our own growth and the growth of our group/s. I will also examine how we can find the mystery within the lore, poetry, prose and rituals of our own traditions. These are Mysteries that we may not have found, felt or acknowledged before. I will also examine the lore from a Wiccan-based perspective.

Whilst many practitioners may have read their group's BOS or indeed spent a vast amount of time copying or typing it out, it is by working with the material within it that we truly begin to understand the mystery that it contains.

It could be argued that the entire BOS is the Mystery, as it represents a good start in creating a shared body of knowledge that is the basis for the egregore of the group. This is indeed true, but what I am focusing on is finding the Mysteries within the overall Mystery. None of us are really capable of understanding a whole BOS at a single glance, so to understand the overall Mystery, we really need to work with, and absorb, the little bits of Mystery that form it. This involves focused research, a process that can be many-layered and take time to complete. In reality this process is ongoing, but can be very rewarding none-the-less.

An example of focused research (or how to achieve writer's cramp)

I will explore how to choose topics of study later in this article but to start the process of focused research  we need to work with one topic at a time. 

As an initial example, we can focus on a concept that is very much at the core of Wiccan-based belief and celebration –  the mystery of Male/Female polarity. It is a mystery with many layers.

The first step is to look at the BOS with a focused eye. To do this we can go through the BOS and find all of the various instructions and bits of lore that mention Male / Female polarity. We then collate these into our research notes. From the actual references to polarity, we then search for any lines that describe male and female roles. These may be found in circle cast liturgies, instructions on lineage or initiation rituals. (As an aside, for any techno-witches or cyber-pagans that have their BOS in an electronic format – you can always use your software's search function and the magical combination of CTRL + F to achieve this. You can also copy and paste what you find into a research document).

Apart from the lore and liturgies mentioned above, we can also look at some of the long form instructional poetry available, such as the Wiccan Rede or the Witches Creed. For example, here is a stanza from Valiente's published version of The Witches Creed in "Witchcraft For Tomorrow",  pp.172-173.

The power was passed down the ages, 
Each time between woman and man, 
Each century unto the other, 
Ere time and the ages began.

If you examine this stanza by focusing on the idea of male/female polarity, you may begin to find the mystery hidden within the lines. Try it for yourself and see what you can come up with. You could be surprised.

We may also find male/female polarities mentioned in lore about the Wheel Of The Year and should take particular note of the journeys of the God and the Goddess in different mythological cycles that are utilised by our traditions. Armed with this research and understanding, we can now begin to examine some of our group's (or tradition's) Sabbat rituals. Look at the roles assigned to male and female covenors. Look deeply at them and try to work out why those particular roles were assigned in such a particular way for each ritual. Was it for a purely practical reason, or is there an underlying mystery that is enhanced by the structure? There is often a deep mystery and motivation in what could otherwise be considered a theatrical conceit. 

So after all of this extensive focused examination of the BOS (and diaries, rituals and computer files), you should now have heaps of notes on the roles and polarities of males and females within your tradition(s). However, if we are dealing with a subject such as polarity, we should also look for other instances where polarities are mentioned in the BOS. It is very rare to find a mystery in isolation.

Complimentary research (or when zombies eat the brains now leaking out your ears)

Here are some more examples of the polarities that we can explore and focus on in the next stage of research within our BOSes.

Sun / Moon, Night / Day, Black / White, Negative / Positive, Land / Sea, Fire/Water, Air / Earth, East / West, North / South etc.

Repeat the process of searching the BOS, this time looking for (and taking note of) instances where any of the above polarities are mentioned. 

For example, 'The Witches Creed' also touches on other areas of polarity.

For the two are mystical pillars, 
That stand at the gate of the shrine, 
And two are the powers of nature, 
The forms and the forces divine. 
           
The dark and the light in succession, 
The opposites each unto each, 
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: 
Of this our ancestors teach.

Again, try to find the mystery that is contained within the above stanzas. Add any examples you find to your notes.

The next step is to compare and examine the male / female polarity material with the material sourced on the other polarities. At this point you may need to organise the material into a table or chart if you find working that way somewhat easier. I would recommend organising the material in a structured way, if only to stop your brain melting when trying to reconcile the shear volume of material that you will have now collected.

As you organise your material and start to examine all the mysteries that you find in polarities, you may start to get flashes of insight that can best be explored or passed to your group in a ritualised process. You can take this information and use it as part of a coven-based exercise or as the basis for a new ritual. You could even re-run an old ritual with a deeper level of understanding of the mystery within it. Remember that focused research is one of the tools used for enhancing awareness and changing perspective as well as inspiring creativity.

Rituals of Focused Mystery (where the hard work morphs into the fun stuff)

As an example of a coven ritual or exercise, you could have a male and female take the roles of the Gateways of Mystery. They can each declaim re-written excerpts of the lore of the male polarity and the lore of the female polarity. You may be able to take your newly acquired body of information and form it into a piece of poetry or prose. The male can chant his lore and the female can chant her lore. You could also have the female declaim the male aspects to the male ... such as "You are the..." and vice versa. Make it ritually appropriate.

Other coven members could then chant lines that reflect different polarities with time for contemplation or meditation or inspired utterance between each set. Back and forth it goes so that each person then finds the mystery for themselves and the group. 

As a practical ritual exercise you could write one half of the polarities on bits of paper and put them in a cauldron. Everyone could then draw out a piece of paper and try work out their subject's polarity. This could lead to some very interesting inspired utterance or trance work / meditation. 

You could also extend this idea to use physical representations of the different polarities and place them upon the altar after each set or combination. Or you could have each covenor paint the symbols of the polarities upon the male and female representatives from the first example. This way, the male and female become the living archetypes of the polarities.

Further to this, after the couple are painted they could be invoked upon in aspects of the God and Goddess. More insight would then be gained from their inspired utterance. You could then bring them together in a token form of the Great Rite or have them perform Cakes and Ale. This way, the mystery of the polarities is enhanced by their union as they become one. 

Each covenor can then partake of the Cakes and Ale, as they drink they find the mystery within themselves.
By utilising focused research as a precursor to ritual you can give yourself a platform from which to enhance your ritual practice and creativity.

Getting back to the idea of using gateways of mystery, you could also incorporate them as symbols, or symbolic language, into meditation or pathworking cycles. In the meditation you could have participants stand between two polar objects and examine them or work with them. 

Layering the mystery in ritual practice (or rinse and repeat)

As you work with the mystery you may find that it is complimentary to, or actually the essence of, a particular sabbat or phase of the moon. You could then work the discovery and understanding of that mystery into Esbat or Sabbat rituals. This is especially effective when the group has worked together for a couple of wheels of the year. Each time they work the wheel together they find another layer of the inherent mystery to explore. 

In the example of male / female polarity given above, you could work with that mystery at Beltane and Samhain as the coming together of the male and female energies. You could also incorporate polarity mystery and ideas into the Equinoxes as times of balance, or the Solstices as times of heightened or waning powers. There are many levels of mystery to explore and experience when focusing on polarities. Set your creativity free as you work within your traditional theology or ritual framework.

Poetry of Focused Mystery (when BOS research leads to inspiration)

As I was writing the initial workshop on which this article is based, I became sidetracked by many ritual images and poetic ideas. Here is just one example of a piece of invokational and mystery poetry that reflects the male and female polarity as the core of a practical ritual idea.

Priestess:	You have passed beyond the gate
		of knowledge and form,
		Found erect the Tower of Truth

		You have journeyed with the Sage
		through the calm and the storm
		to become One with the Temple Of Youth

Priest:		You have passed beyond the gate
		of inspiration's kiss.
		Found fertile the Cauldron and Flame

		You have journeyed with the Crone
		through the Valley of Mist
		to become One with the Hidden Name

Priestess:	O Mystery of Mysteries
		O thought and desire
		Open our hearts to the kindled fire

Priest:		O Mystery of Mysteries
		Beyond flesh, beyond bone
		Open our minds, beyond tree, beyond stone

Priest/ess:	Two become One by the Circle and Sword
		The endless re-union of our Lady and Lord
		The spiral entwines the Lance and the Grail
		Beyond Sun, beyond Moon,
		Beyond Starlight pale.

The last verse is said in unison by the Priest and Priestess. They can move to stand together, pressing close and entwining, or they can consecrate the Cakes and Ale.

I have since used this piece in various forms and stages within rituals for both Ostara and Beltane, reworking the order of stanzas as appropriate to the ritual context.

The first example is from an Ostara ritual that incorporated the theme of a spring phoenix rising from the ashes.
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Maiden and Stag light the wrapped crystal egg in the cauldron (egg is wrapped in tissue paper).
 
Maiden and Stag: 	From the ashes of the fire
			The Phoenix is reborn
			And out of death comes forth new life
			Though in another form

Wait for the fire to die down and the ashes to settle around the egg.

The cauldron is then taken up by the Maiden and Stag. They take it to each covenor who in turn takes a small amount of ash and blows it from their fingertip.

The Maiden and Stag can speak inspired blessings to each person as this happens.

After they have walked the circle they take the cauldron back to the centre and place it upon the ground.

The HPS and HP then take the Chalice and the Pentacle to the Centre.

They give the chalice to the Maiden. The Stag take his blade and holds it above the chalice.	

The HPS and HP kneel on either side holding the pentacle above the cauldron. 

Maiden:	You have passed beyond the gate
		of knowledge and form,
		Found erect the Tower of Truth

		You have journeyed with the Sage
		through the calm and the storm
		to become One with the Temple Of Youth

Stag:		You have passed beyond the gate
		of inspiration's kiss.
		Found fertile the Cauldron and Flame

		You have journeyed with the Crone
		through the Valley of Mist
		to become One with the Hidden Name

Maiden:	O Mystery of Mysteries
		O thought and desire
		Open our hearts to the kindled fire

Stag:		O Mystery of Mysteries
		Beyond flesh, beyond bone
		Open our minds, beyond tree, beyond stone

Stag plunges the blade into the Chalice.

All:		Two become One by the Circle and Sword
		The endless re-union of our Lady and Lord
		The spiral entwines the Lance and the Grail
		Beyond Sun, beyond Moon,
		Beyond Starlight pale.

The Maiden and Stag share the cup and then pass it to the HPS and the HP. They in turn take the cup and the pentacle around circle so that each covenor may drink.

 The HP and HPS take the cup and pentacle back to the altar.
__________________________________________________________________________

The next example is from a Beltane ritual and is performed by the May King and May Queen after the Maypole has been danced, but before they light the Beltane fire.
__________________________________________________________________________

Dance pole.

When everyone has danced, Queen and King are given a lit taper each by the HP.

They move to the cauldron.

King:		You have passed beyond the gate
		of inspiration's kiss.
		Found fertile the Cauldron and Flame
		You have journeyed with the Crone
		through the Valley of Mist
		to become One with the Hidden Name
			
Queen:	You have passed beyond the gate
		of knowledge and form,
		Found erect the Tower of Truth
		You have journeyed with the Sage
		through the calm and the storm
		to become One with the Temple Of Youth

King:		O Mystery of Mysteries
		Beyond flesh, beyond bone
		Open our minds, beyond tree, beyond stone

Queen:	O Mystery of Mysteries
		O thought and desire
		Open our hearts to the kindled fire

They light the cauldron. HP takes tapers and Queen and King leap over the fire. Anyone else who wishes to can also leap the cauldron.

HPS and HP bring Chalice to Queen and King, which they consecrate.

Queen & King: 	Two become One by the Circle and Sword
			The endless re-union of our Lady and Lord
			The spiral entwines the Lance and the Grail
			Beyond Sun, beyond Moon,
			Beyond Starlight pale.

__________________________________________________________________________

Both ritual extracts use the same piece of poetry, yet the meanings of the words change depending upon the focus of the ritual. The same thing happens when we examine a BOS from a different perspective using focused research. 

So from dry words and instructions you can create a new ritual of mystery that goes to the core of understanding of all of the participants.  For as Stewart and Janet Farrar say in the introduction to Eight Sabbats For Witches: 

"The Mysteries cannot, by their nature, ever be fully described in words; they can only be experienced. But they can be invoked and activated by effective ritual. One must never confuse the words and actions of ritual with the Mystery itself. The ritual is not the Mystery, it is a way of contacting and experiencing it."

S & J Farrar. A Witches Bible: Eight Sabbats For Witches. Pg 30

Deciding on a topic of focused research (or what are we exploring today?)

This exploration of polarity is just one example of a topic whose mystery can be found hidden within the gateway of the pages of the BOS. If you have a set curriculum for your group, you may like to examine each part of it in relation to the mystery. Alternatively you could take a piece such as The Witches Creed, The Wiccan Rede or the Charge Of The Goddess (or if you are of a more culturally specific bent – a piece such as the Song of Amergin), and work your way through each line or stanza, researching and enacting the gateway of mystery for each particular topic. As you do this, not only will your understanding and experience of mystery grow, but so will your understanding of the set piece and the BOS as a whole. You can also use this research to spark creativity in your own writing.

A final word (and a sigh of relief)

The Book of Shadows is a world unto itself and its pages are the gateways to new realms of experiential spirituality. By working with its mystery you may also engender a deep love of your path and your Gods.