Creating A Book Of Shadows
WRITTEN BY THE MERLIN 26TH JULY 2017
Merrie Meet and Well Come to A Little Bit Of Magick
The
first step to creating a Book of Shadows is to really understand what it is,
what it means and why we have it.
So
let me begin by defining what my understanding is! A Book of Shadows is a means of storing any
relevant information that is useful to you as you follow your personal journey
into and through Magick whatever route that takes.
Personally
I tend to ensure that mine is added to regularly and it has become a valuable
reference tool for my ongoing workings.
Some people say that the book should be entirely hand written, others
say it can be a mixture of both hand and electronic writings and a third
section are more than happy with it all kept in an electronic format.
So
don’t let anyone tell you that their way is the only correct way to create and
keep a Book of Shadows. There is NO
right or wrong way – see what way is best for you.
A word of caution – if you choose to make
all the entries in your own handwriting please ensure that your writing is
legible enough that you will be able to read your notes during a ritual or
spellworking etc.
Getting
Organised.
To
re-iterate what I said earlier – there is no hard and fast way to do this but
here are some guidelines to assist you in formulating your ideas.
Starting
with a ring binder is probably one of the most convenient ways – mine is in a
simple purple coloured 2 ring variety – but you could also use an A4 or A5
notebook.
Which
ever way you choose to keep your book it should contain a title page and this
should include your name because remember you are creating a Magickal object
and it should be treated as such. A lot
of witches simply write The Book of Shadows of…………………. (your name). My own is inscribed with the words Merlin’s
Book of Shadows and a Pentagram.
Once
you have made the decision about your title page then you are probably going to
be faced with the same dilemma as most of us – “what do I include and in what
order?”
Tabbed
pages, a table of contents at the front and an index at the back work well –
remember that it will keep growing and these will often need to be updated. It is useful to keep a record of the sources
where you find new spells, rituals etc. as you can then refer back to them for
any updates or further pieces that you wish to add into you Book of Shadows.
Suggestions
about the things you can include in your Book of Shadows.
Almost
every Book of Shadows includes the following sections but remember yours is
personal to you and you can design the layout as you will.
If
you are a member of a Coven or follow a particular tradition then a section
that details “the rules” is extremely useful.
The items included serve to remind you about what is or is not
acceptable behaviour.
However,
if you are a solitary practitioner or part of an eclectic tradition (one
without written rules) it is a good idea to use this section to note what you
consider to be the acceptable rules of Magick.
If you don’t create some guidelines it is impossible to know if you have
crossed them.
In
my personal Book of Shadows I have included a copy of the Wiccan Rede at the
start of the book.
Dedication – this can be as
intricate or as simple as you wish. Some
people include a copy of their initiation ceremony if they are member of a coven,
others will dedicate themselves to a Goddess or God. Again it is a matter of personal choice how
this is worded. – please email me
directly if you would like me to provide you with a copy of my Dedication.
Gods and
Goddesses
– depending on which tradition you follow there may be a single God or Goddess
or there may be a number of them. A
section of myths and legends about your particular Deities can be very useful
for reference purposes. Again if your
practice is eclectic this section is an ideal place to keep a record of the
different spiritual paths in your blend.
Correspondence
Information
– I believe that these are some of the most important pages of your Book of
Shadows and you will probably need to include sections on – Crystals
You
could also include a section on herbs and their uses and create a similar ready
table. Herbs and plants are probably at
the very heart of spellcasting because they have been used by people for
thousands of years
Cautionary
Note:- many plants and herbs should not be ingested and it is important to
research thoroughly before you take anything internally
Sabbats,
Esbats and Other Rituals – one of the important “aide memoire” is the
Wheel of the Year – it includes the 8 festivals / holidays celebrated by most
Pagans and Wiccans. It is useful to
include a page detailing the information about each one and its rituals. You can if you wish write your own personal
ritual for each and include that in this particular section.
If you choose to celebrate the Full Moon then you could include
whatever ritual you use in this section and you might wish to include a section
on “Casting A Circle
You could also include any rites that you may have for protection,
prosperity, healing or similar.
Divination – a section
containing information on Tarot, Astrology, Scrying or any form of divination
can be a very useful inclusion in you Book of Shadows. You could also include information about what
you have done and the results you obtained whilst using these processes. Such a
record can prove to be valuable reference information.
Sacred
Texts – do you have a poem, chant or an ancient prayer in an old language
that moves you to the very Centre of Your Being. This is an ideal section to keep a record of
them
Magickal
Recipes – probably of great interest to “Kitchen Witches” but not limited
to them could be a section on recipes such as oils, potions and herbal blends
as well as food recipes for Sabbats etc.
Remember that throughout the ages the kitchen has been regarded as the
centre of the home so the inclusion of this section could be seen by some as
vital to any Book of Shadows
Spellcraft – this is a
matter of personal choice! A large
number of people prefer to keep their spells in a Grimoire and entirely separate
from the Book of Shadows. If you do
choose to keep them in a separate section of your Book of Shadows that is fine
but a useful suggestion could be to leave a “notes” space to record your
results – when it was performed and the outcome at the very least.
So as that brings this piece into the final stages it is worth
making mention of the fact that it is possible to create an online (electronic)
Book of Shadows and to keep it as a blog should you so desire or you could use
various note taking applications and keep it private.
The choice
as they say - is yours!
ooooOOOOoooo
So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to
take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the
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So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say
Love, Light and Blessed Be!
Merlin.
