Keeping A Book of Shadows

A Book of Shadows is the name given to journals which store records of magical workings. Historically, individual covens kept their own and kept them secret from outsiders. This secret knowledge related to the history and practice of that particular group, and is where the name comes from. As part of their initiation, new members would be allowed access to this document and were to copy either parts or the entirety to form their own book.

In the modern Neo-Pagan movement, there are many solitaries and eclectic practitioners along with broader traditions currently in existence. If you study Gardnerian Wicca, or theFey tradition, you may be given information that has been carefully recorded and passed down for several generations. For those outside established traditions or those who chose an eclectic path, forming a Book of Shadows is up to you.

Traditionally a Book of Shadows was an entirely handwritten document. There are many blank books that are beautifully bound and which would make good shadow books. Whether the cover is cloth, paper or leather and if there is any decoration is your choice. You can also get a plain looking blank book and then make a cover or decorate it yourself with any designs or images that you feel are appropriate. A modern pagan might prefer to keep a loose-leaf binder or an eBook of Shadows on their computer. Part notebook, part recipe/spell book, part journal, part magic diary, these compilations allow you to record information and keep track of your own spiritual growth and journey.

For those who aren’t part of a coven or established tradition but who would like a Book of Shadows to copy to get themselves started, the world of modern publishing has made available a wide variety of shadow books. If you don’t have a strongly formed tradition that you follow, you may wish to read a few of them before picking one to primarily work from so that you can find the one that best adapts to your own workings.

A Book Of Shadows winds up being more than a simple journal. It becomes a personal encyclopedia, filled with whatever information you collect and organize. This can include journal-type entries, ritual outlines, recipes, gardening notes, herbal lists, planetary and gemstone correspondences, chant lyrics, pressed flowers and dried herb sprigs, photographs, artwork and much more.

You may need pages to write or draw on, pages that can be glued upon, pockets to add other papers and materials, or pages to sew things together. Plan for something that can become adapatable somewhat over time as your collection of information grows. There's almost no such thing as too many pages for a journal like this one!  If you really want to plan for the long term, make sure that you use paper and inks that are archival.  That means they have been made acid-free, so that they shouldn't interact or react with the items you add, they should last longer and shouldn't change color due to age.