Blog of Shadows - Introduction/Book of Shadows

I'd like to add a feature to my (still very new) blog, to maybe spruce it up a bit and make it a little more interesting. I will call it, "Blog of Shadows." (My apologies in advance if I have unknowingly trampled upon your own blog's name.)

I've been studying Wicca for the last year and a bit (truth be told I cannot remember when I began my studies, but it feels like it's been a while). During this time I have read several books, including ones like Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham, and The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk.

While I'm not about to scan pages from my own personal Grimoire into the marvelous series of tubes known as the interwebs, I thought it would probably be interesting if I tried to share a bit of what I have learned with those of you who may be curious.

A Book of Shadows may also be known as a Book of Illumination, or a Grimoire. Some people like to keep their Grimoires digital, as they may favor typing to writing by hand.

Essentially, a Book of Shadows is a book in which neopagans of many different sorts may write about their religion, beliefs, rituals, and spells.

In most traditions, the book may be regarded as a religious text. In some covens, a member who has been initiated may copy down, by hand, the contents of the book belonging to the High Priestess or Priest which initiated them. To others, it serves as a personal journal detailing the bits of information they have learned, the beliefs which they hold, spells, rituals, dreams they've had, and much more.

My Grimoire currently is a giant, clunky, lime green colored 2-ring binder with a few different sections. While it's not as pretty as I'd like, it's definitely good in that if I need to add something in somewhere, I can just click open the rings and slip a paper in. Though, I do long for one of those huge leather bound tomes with awesome designs and metal clasps.

It's written (almost) completely by hand, except for a few correspondence charts which I made on my computer. They say that writing it by hand puts more meaning into it, and thusly more power. It also helps you to remember the things that you write down. I find this to be very true. Anyway, back to the different sections of my own Grimoire.

The first section consists of a calendar marking several dates of interest: the moon's phases, the greater and lesser Sabbats, and other little plans I may have pertaining to my religious aspects of life.

The second section basically acts as a reference section for me, when I don't want to pull out all my books. It holds information such as how to set up an altar, what tools are usually used for and what their representations are (though I find it easier to stick to a few items), information about moon phases and their meanings, dates and information about the Sabbats, correspondences on various topics, etc. It is the biggest part of my Grimoire.

The Third section is my Ritual/Spellwork section. It acts as a personal record of spells I have done, spells I may want to do someday, the outcome of said spells, etc.

The Fourth section is my Personal and Dream Journal section. It's just as it sounds, a record of events in my life and of dreams I managed to write about. Needless to say, my handwriting in the dream journal pages is atrocious.

The Fifth and final section of my Grimoire is my Recipes section. So far it's the emptiest. I've only got a few recipes in here, one I snagged from CharmingPixieFlora on Youtube, and a few I've grabbed from one of my Scott Cunningham books. I really hope to fill this section someday.

But that's enough about my own Grimoire. If you've got one, and are willing to share, tell me how yours is? Does it inspire you in any way when you write in it?

I suppose that's enough for right now, if you've got any questions feel free to comment and I'll try to answer you as soon as possible.

- Manda -