BOS stuff

[LyraDragonStar]

I have a BOS on my computer and one that I handwrite. Neither of them are very special, but I am trying to find more information. I am going to get all new stuff to put in them (other than what I already have in my handwritten one). However, i don't know where to start really. I know it's not easy, it took me a while to get all the information I had, but it all seemed so.......not what I wanted anyway. I'm big on organization though, but I don't know how I should organize my BOS. This is mainly what I'm posting this for. Anyone have some tips on how to organize either of my BOS? Lol, i'll stop my rambling now.

[The High Queen of Faerie]

i have one book for everything really. one for recipes, one for spells, etc. x3 some are meshed together though, it depends :p

[Aedrais]

I'm huge on organization... but I've yet to start a decent BOS, because I'm stupid like that. :P I have a computer one, with file folders and stuff, which is organized as follows:

BOS
-- Recipes (Recipes- obviously.)
-- Kitchen/Herbal (Anything Kitchen Witch related and/or herbal related... how to brew teas, make tinctures, the Kitchen Witch Creed, etc.)
-- Sabbats (This has eight subfolders-- one for each sabbat. Each folder contains recipes, stories/myths, associations, ritual ideas, projects/activities, etc. Anything related at all to the sabbat.)
-- Rituals/Spells (Any rituals and/or spellwork guidelines I'm keeping file.)
-- Associations (My lists-- colours, herbs, scents, gods, etc. It's my reference folder, where I can look up anything.)
-- Articles (Articles from MW that I think are important or interesting, articles I've picked up off the web, essays, etc. Anything that struck me as worth keeping.)
-- Songs/Stories (I keep songs or stories here... it's my little bardic folder. ;))
-- Other Pieces (Random stuff that I've yet to classify.)

One day I'll start printing these off, hole-punching them, and keeping them in a 3-ring binder. Until then, everything's online. Oh, and I print some stuff off and tuck it into the appropriate section of my "Grimoire for a Green Witch".

About the info not seeming like what you wanted... well, my suggestion might seem totally preposterous to you, but if it were me (because I've been in that situation before), why not scrap it and start anew? Start anywhere, with something simple-- compiling a new BoS seems daunting, but I find that if you do it random piece-by-piece, it starts moving in a good direction. For me, when I started fresh, the first thing I put in was the Wiccan Rede. Then the Kitchen Witch Creed. Then I compiled my colour associations list. Don't put just anything in, make sure you really, really want to keep the info.

And by scrapping it, I don't mean throwing away all the old information you've already gathered. I mean taking that info and tucking it away somewhere, and started a new book, or starting a new set of files if you're doing it online. Start with some sort of blank slate, and start building all over again. If you're critical about what info you keep for your BoS, then maybe you'll find the eventually you have a BoS that you really love and find useful.

I hope that helped in some small way.

[LyraDragonStar]

thanks Aedrias! That was a lot of help. I just find it easier to have some sort of organization before I start....ya know what I mean. But for the info part, i just took all my previous computer information and stashed it all into an 'extra' folder. Thanks much!

[RubyRose]

My Book of Shadows, mostly resides on my computer, but I have printed the majority of it out, and placed it in a 3 ring binder. I've got a similar filing system to Aedrais.

The folder system is as follows:

Aura's
Catholicism
Celtic Resources
Chakra's
Correspondence
Craft
Images
Meditation
Miscellaneous
Mystic Wicks Classes
Numerology
Sabbats
Spells
The Fae
Websites
Welsh Info

[PoisonIvy]

I just got a new BOS this weekend and it's beautiful. It is made of wood and can be taken apart to add more pages. I love it and I can't wait to start writing in it!

[LyraDragonStar]

Congrats to you Posion Ivy! That's great! I'm sure you'll enjoy something so beautiful.

That is cool Ruby Rose. Hmm...I guess it all depends on what trad. the person is from and what they feel is right. lol. I knew that i just no realized it, ya know?

So far, I have this:
Laws, ethics, my beliefs
Correspondences
Blessings and Prayers
Rituals
Spells
Recipies
Crafts
Sabbats
Magical Beings (like the gods/esses, faeries, etc)
Meditations
Dreams and Divination
Healing Magic

That is for mainly my computer BOS. I think it will work pretty good too. :D

[RubyRose]

Sounds like you're on track. Good Luck