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Book of Shadows
Keeping a journal to record your experiences with spells, rituals, and natural remedies is an vital tool for your practice.
Whether that is a Book of Shadows or a Grimoire,
this space is meant for you to create a personal record of your magical practice. From the cycles of the moon to the spirits of the earth, this is the perfect place to document your spiritual journey.
A Book of Shadows is essentially a witch’s personal diary. It is usually kept sacred and private as it is a collection of your thoughts, feelings, magical workings, and rituals.
I use mine as a dream journal, a record of psychic workings, it has details of tarot spreads I’ve read for myself, as a journal for shadow work, and as a record of moon rituals and manifestations.
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I like to create a new one at the start of each year and it builds up to become a wonderful record of your magical life. It’s a tradition I look forward to doing at the beginning of each year. It also gives time for reflection to look over the past year’s journey and see how much you have progressed, and which lessons keep coming up for you to learn.
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Some suggest having separate journals for moon rituals, dream diaries, psychic work, tarot cards, and manifestation. I find this is complicated and a whole lot of notebooks to try and remember which is which. If you use a folder or a journal which can be divided into sections, this keeps it neat and easy to access, also easy to store and keep private.
A Grimoire is more a book with general knowledge than private information, a witch’s magical recipe book! I would happily remove or copy a page from a Grimoire to lend to another witch, I really wouldn’t fancy letting anyone into my secret musings of my Book of Shadows.
As a solitary practitioner, I tend not to have a Grimoire, I store everything I need in my head, scribbled down on bits of paper (or in the notes section on my phone!) or my Book of Shadows. All my recipes for oils and teas, etc, can change as I make them, I tend to use my instinct there.
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However, it can be incredibly magical if you’re part of a coven to be able to keep a collective grimoire that can span many years, made up by a myriad of witches.
The thought of looking through a centuries old grimoire fascinates me!
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They can include recipes for tea blends, tinctures, potions and poultices, ritual instructions, magical blessings and in some cases even curses and hexes – they are not my thing, but each to their own!
Creating your
Book of Shadows
I like to get a pretty notebook that I can write freely in, I say this as I have bought a leather one in the past which does not lie flat and I find it uncomfortable to write in, but these seem a really popular choice for magical journals as they do look the part. You could always thread some recycled pages together and make your own?
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I prefer plain sheets to lined, as if I want to stick things in it looks much nicer, plus if you do want to paint or draw in there it is much easier if the sheets are unlined.
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Some crafty witches like to use stamps, stickers and craft bits to decorate their books, as much as I love the thought of this I never do it. I decorate the front cover, stick a moon chart inside and just use dividers to separate the sections.
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For me, the magic is in the content, not the design.
It is important to write a statement of intent on the front page, this doubles as a protection and a blessing. You could add a protective sigil here too.
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I might be about to say something controversial here, and I agree with the fact that words have absolute power, anything spoken aloud carries your energy and intent, it carries the air that we breathe, the fire within and our spirit. But personally, I do not for a minute think that every spell, incantation or ritual chant must rhyme. Some people like this, I don’t.
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I prefer just to write the words that come to mind. Write that your book is protected from prying eyes, that the things you write are the truth, that your magic is done with a good heart and for the greater good (if this is your thing), and that your book is blessed by love and the elements.
You can also choose to work with deities to bless and consecrate your book. This is not something I do but there is a lot of good information out there if this is something you would like to do.
Protecting your
Book of Shadows
Working with your
Book of Shadows
When I have consecrated my book, I write content list of sections:
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Magical Workings
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Moon Diary
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Seasonal Diary
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Psychic Journeys and Meditation
When you have begun to build your book, keep it somewhere safe. Take a moment when you pick it up to work with it to sit quietly and remember the blessing written in the front, and just breathe in the energy of your book and the magic stored within.
As I pass through the seasons, along with my words and little mementos like cards or letters from my friends, which I absolutely love adding as it adds such a personal energy – a magical scrapbook, I also add leaves, flowers, herbs I pick from the garden, anything that lies flat to close.
It’s just a chance to collect magic throughout the year, so on days you might not feel as connected, or you’re vibrating a little low, you can look through at the magic of your year.
It acts as a real pick-me-up and a guide to the beauty of each season.