Building Shadows By SkyeWolf
"An it harm none do as thou wilt..."A witch's Book of Shadows. That mysterious Grimoire that holds all the information a
witch will ever need, a volume of all the spells ever written, the magic of the ages bound
together with paper and ink.
Poppycock. It is not some ancient arcane book that you will come across covered
with dust and buried in the back room of your local antique store (and if you did, I'd
steer clear).Yes a witch's Book of Shadows contains spells and information but it grows
with the witch. When you begin, and possibly for some time after, your BoS will be
almost empty. When and what you fill it with is, by and large, up to you.
I like to start off my BoS with a blessing of protection for the book as well as its
contents. The nature of the spell or blessing is left up to you. I also like to
follow with the Rede, to serve as a reminder. Traditionally, a BoS was the
witch's spell book, and, while contemporary Books of Shadows do contain spells,
they can also become a handy reference volume housing your astrological charts,
color correspondences, herbal lore and crystal reference. A journal of your
spell work is also useful to keep in your BoS. List your results, the weather,
moon phase, spell reference and accessories, as well as your personal thoughts
and feeling while performing the spell. This can be accessed later depending on
whether or not the spell worked to discover why.
Keep things of interest to you in your BoS. Articles and bit of information,
quotes, things that are pertinent to you magical life. Your Book of Shadows
should be another of your tools of the Craft. Something you will be able to use
in your magical workings. When you plan your BoS think about what you want to
use it for. It will be a process of evolution. When I began all I thought about
putting in by BoS were spells, now I realize that it should be a reference to
be used, not a place to store things and collect dust. When you think about building
your Book of Shadows, choose something large enough so that you will be able to read
what you have written. I remember I began with this tiny hard bound journal from my
local book store and I wrote in green ink. It was horrible to read by candle light!
I have since switched to a 2 ½ inch 3 ring binder that I covered with green cloth and
decorated to my liking. What I have given you above are a few hints and tips, it is
by no means the hard and fast rule. Below is a small list of things I believe should be
included in your Book of Shadows but, please remember, this is your book and, in the end,
you decide what goes in, what stays out and what it looks like.
| Book Blessing
Magical Correspondence Tables:
Oils
Crystals
Incense
Herbs
Colors
Spell Work Journal
Spells
List of Magical Suppliers
List of useful references:
Books
Articles
Web Sites
Successes:
Spells
Readings
Meditations
Astral Projection
| Remember to always be flexible in your views, and don't wait to change something that isn't
working or doesn't feel right. Brightest Blessings |
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