At the moment I am using a beautiful leather bound book to write down my craft work, journal, keep record of spells, etc. To have a beautiful Book of Shadows has always appealed to me and over the years I have had many ideas of what I want to do with my BoS, but who am I kidding! I don’t have the time to make it all pretty and fill it with all kinds of general witchy information. And yes of course if I really want it, I can make time. But frankly I have other priorities, such as actually practicing magick, Also once I start writing, when I get in the flow, my handwriting turns into secret code, even I can’t read it after a while, so the idea of having a pretty handwritten BoS is probably one of those things that isn’t for me ;-). I don’t need the extra time pressure to make a pretty BoS so I am letting this go for now and just call it a journal. I have one for craftwork, one for personal tarot readings, one for dream work, one for general life and one for my business. So haha yes I like to write and journal and I always carry pen and paper. I like to write with pen and paper, it is so different from typing on a computer.
But…
As I type more quickly than I write and I have a need to be more organized, I have decided to keep some sort of BoS online as well (private and public). Now very personal journals and spells, I will not share, so I guess this open sharing is more of a grimoire. But I will see how it goes.
What is a Book of Shadows or a grimoire?
In ancient times, most witches would not have had a book because only the rich people learned to read and write and everything you needed to know you learned by heart. But magical books have been preserved, even from the 12th century as grimoires became popular especially in the late Middle Ages. They were books full of invocations, curses, amulets and talismans, healings, recipes. They were forbidden books that were secretly distributed at the beginning of the printing press. These books were beautifully illustrated and visually very attractive. This is probably where the image of the calligraphic magic book comes from.
Now what is the difference?
Witches have books that contain their spells, mixtures, rituals, and all sorts of information for their craft. The only difference is the personal connection. A grimoire is general knowledge, a book holding information that all witches can use, that can be passed down and used by any witch. A BoS is a shadow of its owner, detailing ones personal path, spells, and rituals not to be shared with anyone unless one consents to it.
So there it is.
Happy crafting!
