Writing a BOS

[Shaw]

I'm having a bit of trouble writing my BOS. It ends up getting jumbled and unorganized, really a mess until I can't find something. I need some tips or something please.:yourock:

[Darklord_Kodiak]

Honestly my BOS is a three ring binder. I put everythin in there and can move it around and use tabs. Yeah its not spooky or anything but its handy. Now my Grimoire well beside being written in blood, that is only where I put really really important things.

[Rainbow]

I agree with the three-ring-binder thing, I had that for a very long time.

Personally, my biggest problem has been that I wind up getting tired of the book after a while. I've literally had like ten different books, none of them are filled, they just didn't "resonate" with me after a while. So I pretty much don't have a book, I do things from memory, which has been working fairly well.

[SoulFire]

I'll just echo what others have written: yes, a 3-ring binder is the way to go. You can move pages around, as well as add and delete pages. I'd also recommend organizing your book. I use the Basic Ritual Outline as a model for my Black Book, so I don't have to struggle to find things during an actual ritual, especially if my only source of illumination is candlelight. Create sections for invocations, spells, correspondences, etc. Add art. Personalize your book; make it your own.

[Glory]

I'll only put together a book after I know exactly what I want in it. Until then, I'll write notes, probably on the computer, or they'll stay in my memory. Many many years later, I'll put it all down into a book, because right now I don't trust myself to make my practices so solid.

The closest thing I have is my Tarot book, which is ridiculous and magenta and fuzzy and has gold-lining. :D Yeah, it's one of those, my mother bought it for me years ago, but when I desperately needed to write down a spread, it was the closest thing, and empty. I put down everything in it now, from spreads I create to reading records to randomly jotting out ideas about a particular card.

[EvieLee]

I did the whole binder thing for a while but now I'm back to a book. It's in a chronological journal format with everything dated. The plus side of having everything all over the place is that you re-read stuff you've written months ago and see it with fresh eyes that are able to come to slightly different conclusions.

[Autumnsong]

If you don't have a three ring binder or don't want to redo your whole book, I'd say you ought to number your pages, and then go back and add a table of contents to the front of the book, which you can do by taping/stapling or somehow attaching that sheet into the front of the book.
You could create it on a computer so that while you're adding in each seperate item, you can also group them, create cross-references, etc.

Like the people before me, I use a three ring binder when I have to, but I also find that saving my information in its own folders on my PC is handy as well, since then if I ever need to add onto something, I can do it, and if I want to add it to my binder, all I have to do is click 'print'.

Hope this helps! :-)

[Willow Rosette]

Ohhh my BOS is totally georgous. It is hand painted on the front, with home made paper and tabs down the side organising everything. It is hand written full of all kinds of information and totally adjustable............

In my head of course.

Seems like alot of people are "thinking" about making them and have wonderfull ideas for them. Instead of a scrapbooking or tupperware party we should all get together and have a BOS party. We would get alot done then :lol:

[Aina]

I have two BoL (I'm a Christian witch, so i called it a Book of Light). One is a little notebook that i carry around with me, when I think of something. The other, is a big journal that i carefully copy my things in. It takes me forever since I'm a lazy bum, but it works for me <3. I have no particualr order in what my stuff is in either. Just kinda randomly about. ^-^

[Redshire]

I have a huge 3-ring bonder that I keep my miscellaneous notes in. There are things in there from way back in 2000.

I also have a hard-bound book that I bought when I first started my path in 2000. I had decorated the front once, came to not like it, and have since re-painted it. It would not surprise me if I paint over it again at some point in the future.

The first pages are where I copied down the basic rituals for setting up Circle, doing purifications, and so on. Then I have copied down all of the Alexandrian Sabbats, and after that I have a section for the Deities that I work with most often. There is a break there, where I have the 1st degree initiation ritual, as that is when I initiated my coven-mates.

My book is very scrap-book like, with pictures taped in on one side that I can flip over and write additional information on the back of...

It is very hard to organize this sort of thing, and there were at least 20 pages that I have torn out because I did not like the content or the formatting of them!

I agree with a previous poster that it's nice to have things kind of mixed up. Not only do you re-read things, but after using your book for a while you will get to know where things are just from memory. In a way that kind of safe-guards the information, since someone can't just look at the table of contents then flip to the page they want. Its more like a treasure hunt, or something. :P

em hotep

[ladyraven]

Awhile back my boyfreind found a download for a free BOS. It's actually very helpful. Has sections for spells, rituals, recipes and incense(which I us for all my herbal, incense, oil and stone associations). It's pretty easy to use and has password protection that you can set up if you feel the need to. I'll see if he remembers where he got it from.

[Kalika]

I have a HUGE 3 ring binder filled with things I've acquired over the years.... works for me. I'm pretty fond of sheet protectors for my stuff too. :p

KEEP LISTS OF WEBSITES - off the computer!!! VERY important.... your computer might crash (happened to me 3 freaking times) and you will lose your bookmarks... never to be able to replace some of them. Now I either write down the website or print everything off that I want right then and there.

[Vigdisdotter]

I'm having a bit of trouble writing my BOS. It ends up getting jumbled and unorganized, really a mess until I can't find something.

Start with writing things down in a 3 ring binder, then when you have as much information as you want/will fit, transfer it over to your BoS :)

[Philosophia]

I have a lot of two ring binders that contain all my printouts from various websites, photocopies from books, and notes I write on scraps of paper.

I also have sketch books that I used to show my drawings of herbs, samples, plants, and other miscellaneous scenes, and I have many journals that keep all my personal thoughts, experiments, essays, etc.. I have separate book for URL's (I also learnt the hard way :D).

[Autumn-Forest]

I've tried many different things for my bos, but currently I have a 3 ring binder, it works the best because you can add pages, add dividers, whatever you want. I once had a small compostion book but it was too small to hold anything, then I moved onto a spiral notebook. But the binder seems to be working very well for me. :)

blessed be
Autumn-Forest

[Sabriel MoonStar]

I went the in between route. I wanted something pretty, but something I could re-organize when I needed to, so I went with a scrap book format. It's the type with plastic sheets that you can slip the pages in an out of and that you can add more plastic sheets to (to a point of course, but then I can always start a vol 2)

The only problem is that I have been too lazy to put anything in it. :P

I also have a small book that I write prayers, spells and other small snippets of information in. I kept a few pages blank at the front that I will organize into a table of contents when the book is full.

Not to mention all the note books I have of in depth studies of selected topics. (Tarot, Ancient Greek, Reiki, etc.)

Just keep at it and take a look at what works for other people. I'm sure you'll find a system that works well for you.

[Penthesilea]

I use a huge 3 ring binder with the clear plastic cover that you can slide a picture or artwork into. It makes it look a bit more special since I have literally dozens of three ring binders around here. :lol:
The majority of stuff: basic rituals, invocations, tables, charts, any sort of reference, I just input it to my computer -- I keep a copy of my BOS on my computer and another copy on a portable memory stick -- and print it out on 100% cotton parchment paper using a calligraphy font. [Black Chancery, actually.] Since I'm nearsighted, I set the font size to 14. My working records: dreams, experiments and such, I record by hand into those bound composition books you can get for a couple of bucks at Wal-Mart. Not very spooky or romantic but I'm a pragmatic girl... :lol:

[Prinsazz]

Ive got a big book for my ritual work and is very neat as i create that as I learn a certain ritual and only goes in there when I am sure that I love it- I also have another book for rough notes and sketches and a sort of diary book.
The other half found a leather lever arch file in a sale and he uses that- he is much untidier so he tends to type all this up and print it.
We also have a working BOS on our computers using word and powerpoint, as we use that during our rituals to put pictures to reflect on or if we are away then we can have images of our deities on the computer to work with.
Everyone is different so I hope you find the best thing for you!!
:boing: :boing:

[inkywitch]

Because I'm a Leo to the bone (perfectionist who just LOVES eye appealing things), I'm keeping a lot of my information of computer (with a back up on CD, or usb drive), and in note taking books for random thoughts to develop on. One day I plan to buy a nice big book (or print out my collection of info and get it bound), either leather, or wood, and scrapbook all the information into it. I want this book to be a family heirloom. Either passed down for practical reasons, or passed down because it is a working of my life, one I'd like to share with my family after me.

If it's wood, I can make dividers and re arrange it. If it's leather bound, it will be more difficult, but separated with many ribbon bookmarks.

I have a reference library - as I see that being much more practical, especially for specialty subjects and correspondence. Mainly encyclopedias, divination references, a few dream interpretation books for fun...

[LadyCelt]

Back when I used to want to do one and was putting it together: i got index tabs. I owuld put what each section was and an illustrated page under the page with the tab. I also had a table of contenets. It may help to reprint a new table of contents etc if you add more or change order. I put it in a three ring binder.

[bigolalaskan]

I love this website and it's discussions!!

Mine too is a three ring binder. I place the pages into the plastic sleeves that are punched. It makes reorganization when needed the easiest, and does away with the need to find a three hole punch.

Jen

[SparkleWytch]

For a while i had a post bound scrapbook that I had my BoS in. It is easier to move pages around than a regular jounal but still hard to do.
I like to use scrapbook supplies to do the pages of my BoS.
What I am going to do is move things to a 3 ring binder because it's more practical. I'll be altering the binder.

[aluokaloo]

yeah my BOS's end up like that too. Here's an idea though, how about using those college-style notebooks with the plastic dividers tabs things? Or keeping a computer BOS one because that way you can cut and paste and divvy it up the way you need it.

[TheWomanMonster]

Mine's not a mess, I call it "organized chaos"
So long as I know where to find everything it's all good.

;)

I think some scrapbooking techniques would help to organize and dress it up a bit though. Maybe when I'm feeling industrious.

Mine is painted cardboard and random paper that I stitched together into a book. Yep, I'm a 'crafty' witchling.

[RubyRose]

3 ring binders are great, particularly with sheet protectors. If your stuck for ideas, check out the stickied thread in the "New Pagans" forum. There's a wealth of ideas.

[Tanya]

I divided new lovely thick leather bound blank book into 8ths. At the front i put general spells (casting circles, etc) and bits of wisdom

Each 8th is for a sabbat and follows the wheel of the year with spells specific to the time of year, decorations, songs, rituals, recipes, games and activities for the season (like maypole dances)

The very end has spells for special occasions.. births, deaths, marraiges, blessing.

so far this has worked very neaty (I've had it for 10 years or so, and still have lots of room to grw) as I couldn't bear the idea of a 3 ring binder for such an important and i hope enduring book.

[Nox_Mortus]

Mines a hardbound black journal I had laying around, theres no order to it, half of the stuff isn't labeled and is written using the theban alphabet (theres a key on the last page) If i ever take students I might make a more organized one, but really now I just write whatever fells important at the time on the next blank page. I feel thats the best way to do it.

[Serenity's LostSoul]

I had one of those small hardbound journals as my...I'm going to borrow this from Aina because it fits much better than BOS for me...Book of Light, and then decided it needed to be 'more organized' and took it all out and transfered it to a 3-ring binder.

And I hate it. *L* :boing:

I'm not sure why, but the first one 'felt' better, you know? So I've been contemplating going through it allllll over again and writing in another journal.

Also, I have some things on the computer, but I find I prefer being able to tote the book with me, rather than having to get on the computer to find what I need.

[Voyager]

OOOOOhhhh I am so relieved to hear that many people use 3-ring binders. I read somewhere you should keep a book and WRITE in it. I was getting nowhere fast w/that method - not to mention sometimes I can't read my own handwriting. I started doing everything on the computer, got a huge binder, have tabs - and it is completely organized and very current. I love my BOS, and love adding to it. I use it in ritual all the time. I even have a fun Fairy section with pictures cut out and pasted of beautiful fairies. I bought pretty beige textured paper and I use Harrington font. I think it really looks special. I drawer some pictures or use computer pictures and symbols to enhance it.

[purpledolphin]

I use a 5 subject spiral notebook with pockets in it for all handwritten stuff. I have it divided by subject and date. I also use my laptop. I find that I use my computer more and it is easier to keep things organized. I like to journal on the computer also. For me it is easier to type then to write.