Book of Shadows

[witchywench]

Just wanted to know if you use one and whats it like, what have you put in it?

Obviously I don't need to know about the really personal stuff!

A friend made me mine from handmade paper, bound and sewn by hand, and covered in soft brown leather, it's beautiful and very special!

[Lavender]

My BoS is actually a Box of Shadow. It's a box where I throw in all my notes & scapes of paper that I will someday write neatly in my Book. I think there's a binder somewhere in that box that I originally started with. I collect folklore & trivia. I'm up to two boxes now. :D

[Laiste]

When I first started I used a small spiral journal with black pages and a silver gel pen...then I got a gift from a friend...a beautiful crushed velvet bound journal!!! I'm lovin' it! I write everything in it from ritual form to spells I've used and intend to use.

[Demeter]

My BOS is a three-ring binder. The first part is all reference: magickal alphabets, herbal and crystal correspondences, and so on. Second part has the basic formats for esbats and sabbats, together with specific orders of service that I wrote for various circles, including rites of passage (dedications, initiations, wiccanings, handfastings, and a crossing so far). Then the third part is specific spells and recipes, and notes on how things worked out, including notes on tarot readings. Fourth part is a personal journal.

[Shadowulfe]

Yes I use a BOS. I write my notes on Wicca, Druidism etc. in it. it is a hard bound Journal from borders...the thick journals!!!

[Fire]

Hi. There's a few threads here at MW about this in New Pagans - here's some links for you to visit.

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8552
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5681
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3900
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1592

I keep a looseleaf binder for notes and a big black bound hardcover book with the words "Book of Shadows" inlaid in gold foil for "permanent" stuff. I keep rough notes and resources in the binder and then add stuff I decide to integrate into my path into the other.

[witchywench]

Hay thanx for links Fire, very useful!

Hugs

[story]

Yeah, I usually keep one. I have a wire notebook. Usually tho' when I want to write something down, it winds up on a peice of looseleaf or in my computer.
Not the most organized guy in the world.......

[Wise]

I also keep a BoS containing Ruitual,Spells,Sabats,esabats,rune,and herb-Information
Kept in a make shift 3-ring binder (I plan on getting a better one soon)
-Wise-

[Emy]

My BoS is rather similar to Demeters, mine too is a binder, and it contains pretty much the same Demeters. Some of my pages are laminated though so that I can take them out with me in the forest and they wont get wet or destroyed or anything like that... A large part is handwritten, but some of my stuff I have printed out from my computor.

[slvr_phoenix]

I don't have a BoS, per se. For the most part, it's all in my head. What I beleive, what spells I use, all of that is in the ol' noggin, collected over lifetimes.

For the rest, it's the things like herb property charts and what not that you can get out of books, and a bunch of printed material and xerox copies from when I used to be studying for a circle degree from a coven. So for the most part, I leave those things which I don't have memorized and don't want to memorize in the books, since a bookshelf has to serve some purpose. ;)

[loopy]

I have two BOS's-- one handwritten, one on my trusty computer-- and a journal. I was uh... blessed... with a craptastic memory, and actually, I really like having a written record of my experiences during certain rituals and spells and stuff. A few days ago I was leafing through my older BOS, from 1999 or so, and I had all these Faery Wicca and Faery drawings because I was convinced Faery Wicca was my path.

Now, I like comparing and seeing how my opinions have changed over the years, you know? And of course, magickal references and the like is helpful to have. :D Also, most of my spells are improvised, so if I didn't keep them somewhere, I'd never see them again. :D:D

I [heart] my BOS.

:D:D

[EarthWitch]

Hey witchywench!
My BoS is this gorgeous silver notebook that I got in WhSmith. In it I've got "ritual recounts" and being a HedgeWitch(kinda) I have stuff on herbs and trees as well as a long list of cool websites on the Craft.Bye!

[Myst]

Ditto loo - I was leafing through my old BoS the other day, copying some stuff over, and it was great to see some of that stuff. It was like remembering when this was all new and exciting, which it still is, but you know what I mean?

[phoenixsong]

I've only been practicing Witchcraft and keeping a BOS for about a year, but its amazing how much stuff you end up writing. I think there's a hundred pages in mine, though a lot of it is probably crap. I've got a few spells, tons of correpondences, meditations, deity info, and personal stuff.

[Flaire-FireStar]

I have a 3 ring binder (which I hope to replace soon cuz it's getting old!!) It's got one of those floppy covers, which I absolutely hate - especially since it slides real easy and when I stack it on top of my Tarot binder (where I keep all my readings, etc)... *sigh* .. it just slides off... Very annoying.

[Da Witch]

I used to have one. I used parchment paper for the pages and bound it with a purple ribbon. But I burned it a long time ago. I saw no need for it. When I obtain information I normally store it in my mind quite well and I saw no sence in keeping it written down. Then when I started to disbelieve religion I decided to burn it. Like some traditions do when a witch dies.

[sjgavula]

I've got a bunch of stuff on disks, and some printed out. I also have some things in an online book of shadows at:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sjgavula/bos.html

Bright Blessings,

Susan

[Mythrel]

I myself don't use spells, except on holidays. Then I will use some spellwork with the celebration. I typically find that I can focus energies into the path I want and make things happen...
Mythrel

[Pheonix]

My own book of shadows is mainly on floppy disks, though i have a notebook i write in time to time but that's much more like a journal.... :-)

[MammaStar]

i started out using a regular three ring binder for. Just recently, i made one. I used the same style that you would use to make a scrapbook or a photo album. I found this really cool fabric to use as the cover. It's a blueish/greenish tie-dyed color. I have sectioned off. I put in rituals, spells, history, recipies, pictures, stuff printed from MW :D. I even wrote a little title page to it. Most of it I've hand written, put there are some computer prints.

BTW, thanks Swannie, some of the pics included are the one you include with your posts!!!!

[Old Witch]

:D :thumbsup: My BOS has grown to 3 volumes now. I'm always adding to it because I remember nothing! If it ain't written then I am forgettin. :elf: It all goes back to what feels right to you. I love to do the book. It makes me feel good.

[AradiaSupernova]

I have a BOS. I've had it since Yule 2000. Its one of thoes 360 or something like that page hard cover books from Borders. Its absolutely wonderful. I keep anything I learn from books or websites I read in there. I also put down when and how I do spells and rituals.

[Kadynas]

I have two BoS's. One's a hardbound black pages notebook that I use my metallic pens on...I tend to handwrite *most* of it, but I use collage on occasion. My other one is pretty much the same only it has plain white pages in it...sometimes it gets hard on the eyes looking at the black pages! :lol: But I put alomst everything interesting I come across in one of these books. I even do little drawings here and there, and I painted my covers in acrylic. I'm an artist, so I had to get a little creative with it. :D

[talamh]

i keep a hand-written copy of the rituals we create for ourselves and how we adapt our rituals of the Wheel of the Year to our northern climate.

So many of the books about wicca have been written in California and say stuff like " now that spring is here you can go out into the fields and meadows and gather wildflowers for your Ostara altar".... and i look out my window and see yet another blizzard burying us. Heck, we can still have snow on Beltaine.

Eventually we hope to publish a book of rituals for the northern witch... those of us who wear longjohns as we fly our brooms across the frozen landscape... :) bb talamh

[LadyV]

I use one of the large (thick) ring binders. It is black and has a clear plastic cover, I have put a reaaly prety design inbetween the black and the plastic. I have it in sections of ( A couple of examples of the "sub-listings" on # 9 and 10) I'll admit it! I have "a lot" of printed out spells and such along with my written out information.


1 Basics
2 Diety
3 Psychic work
4 Correspondence
5 Divination
6 Devotionals
7 Animals
8 Tools
9 Natures
A Gems
B Herbs
10 Spells
A Protection
B ect...
11 Circle/Ritual
12 Crafts
13 Recipes

I have a seperate, smaller (thinner) binder for all my dream work. It is full of regular notebook paper. At the end I have a list of things such as Animals, colors, family, ex's, work, just everything you can think of. I leave several lines in between each topic. When I add a dream to the beginning of the book, when I'm done, I go to the back of the book, find the correct topic or topics for that dream and add the date to the topic. This way I can look up topics that I dream of.

I also have another medium binder for the results of spell and ritual work.

[Nyx]

I tired keeping a hand written one but it didn't work. I couldn't keep things as organized as I wanted to. I'm in the process of transfering what's in my books onto my computer. I already have a pretty substantial collection of stuff, and I haven't even included any of my own handwritten stuff. Most of it has to do with herbs and such. Not too many spells, I tend to make those up as I go, if I feel the need to say something outloud.
Not much for formality. 8O

One day it will all be in order... :rolleyes:


~~Nyx~~

[sherry]

Mine is like many others here at MW. A 3 ring binder with divided sections, I hated looking for something when I wanted it only to find it when I no longer felt the urge to use it!! I also have a very large section on Herbs Candles and comparisons to other religions.

[HerbGurl]

I try to use one. I don't have all of the stuff copied into it yet that I would like (I try to make each page as neat as possible, and I have terrible handwriting so it is hard), I have a lot of printed out pages stuck in a folder so I can copy it in later. My ultamite goal is to have another notebook as well, with separate dividers, each section will have notes on a different religion- Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc. I also have a separate book for my Tarot and Runes readings that is split into two different sections- one for the definitions and the other for actual records of readings.
I treied setting it up like SRW suggested in her book, one section alphabetized for reseach and then a section for actual workings, but it did nto suit me. Now everything is just stuck in hodgepode. ;)
Blessings,
HerbGurl

[Flar's Freyja]

Found this old thread and thought I'd bump it up to go along with the current one. I'll probably merge them eventually.

[SagaDraco]

Demeter said: "My BOS is a three-ring binder. The first part is all reference: magickal alphabets, herbal and crystal correspondences, and so on. Second part has the basic formats for esbats and sabbats, together with specific orders of service that I wrote for various circles, including rites of passage (dedications, initiations, wiccanings, handfastings, and a crossing so far). Then the third part is specific spells and recipes, and notes on how things worked out, including notes on tarot readings. Fourth part is a personal journal."

Oddly enough mine is in a three-ring binder and follows the exact same pattern and format as yours. I discontinued using mine, as I feel it is unnecessary now. A stepping stone I outgrew, but I do miss researching for it. In a more Druidic spirit I memorize everything now.

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Yes, I use one. I'm like Old Witch...."if it ain't written, I'm forgettin":T But what I've found is I remember alot of the stuff cause I have written it down.

It's a 3 ring binder and I use sheet protectors so I can rearrange the pages if need be. Or easily add them. My Hubby has promised to make me a new one. I can't wait to see what his imagination will bring to me!;)

[Old Witch]

That's the funny thing....If I write it, I'll remember, If I don't.....well...... forget it:D