As you can see from our heroine Winnie, one of the most valuable tools a Wiccan or Witch can have, is her precious grimoire. In Wiccan tradition it is called the “Book of Shadows” because, unlike the grimoire that contains mostly spells and potion recipes, a Wiccan’s Book of Shadows contains ALL the knowledge gathered during practice. It’s almost like a memoir of your personal journey into witchcraft.

“We must find the book, brew the potion, and suck the lives out of the children of Salem before sunrise.” – Winifred Sanderson

How to start your own Book of Shadows?

That part is actually pretty easy: Grab a notebook/binder/notes app and start writing! Which one of these options is most suitable for you, depends on your personal preference and your circumstance.

When I started my journey into witchcraft, I used to live a very nomadic life. That meant, my BoS had to be fairly small and portable. I used a small cork notebook that was gifted to me by a dear friend. Suffice to say, this little book filled up pretty fast. A few years ago, I “upgraded” to a bigger version, using a ring book found at TJ Maxx.

Let’s take a look at the different shapes a Witch’s Book of Shadows can take on:

Classic Notebook

The first and very obvious would be a blank notebook. You can choose one from your local stationery shop, or you could splurge a little on a fancy leather journal. Go wild in decorating it inside and out if you are into that. Remember: Your BoS is YOURS alone, and you should feel happy and delighted to dive into your practice every time you pick it up. So, choosing something visually pleasing for you, is the way to go.

Binder

While a classic binder might not be the most sexy choice, it has one very important advantage to a classic notebook: you can remove and add pages and envelopes to your liking. And if you are anything like me – a perfectionist but with terrible handwriting – tearing out pages from a gorgeous notebook to start all over is just not an option. If you are a little crafty, you can make the outside of your binder look stunning, too. 

Notes App

If you consider yourself a Tech witch, then obviously you would go for an app-based BoS. Since a lot of our information nowadays is coming from the WWW, it’s fairly easy to just copy and paste your favourite spells, rituals and information you want to keep track of. The downside of this? You don’t get to get very crafty, and it’s easy to “over-save” on information that you’ll never use (guilty as charged…).

Collection of Post-Its

Believe me, I have seen this! While this approach is more for the ‘chaotic-good’ Witch in your life, it can work out well for some people. The best thing about the post-its is, that you can have them always nearby when inspiration strikes.

Combination of all the above

Having a hard time to decide? Just do all of them: Post-Its for fast ideas, apps for on the go and later on, when you’ve got some time, you sit yourself down with a nice cup of herbal tea and transcribe everything in your fancy notebook or binder.

What to include in your Book of Shadows?

Now that you’ve decided what your BoS is going to look like, it’s time to fill it with all that good stuff. As a starter, I would always go with a little protection charm to protect your precious book from prying eyes. Here’s one that I love: 

“Elements protect this Book,
From wondering eyes and prying Looks.
And fill it with Thine ancient Power
In this right and ready Hour.”

Include the Eye of Ra as a symbol as it stands for strong protection, or design your own protective sigil.

And after this is done… The sky is the limit! You can fill your BoS with everything you deem valuable for your personal witchcraft journey. But since this might seem a little overwhelming at the beginning, here are a few starting points that you can work with:

• The Wiccan Rede
• Celebrating the Sabbats & Esbats
• Lore & information on the deities that you want to connect with
• Rituals & Spells
• properties of flowers, herbs, crystals
• Potion recipes
• Tarot cards & meanings
• Dreams & Interpretations
• Meditations
• …

Your BoS doesn’t need to be just a written memoir. Use drawings, illustrations, newspaper clippings, pressed flowers & herbs and sigils to complete your notes.

The most important part is: Have fun with it!