BoS,everything or.......

[Silent]

Ok I was wondering do you put every info you can get your hands in you bos or just the things that is useful to you.

Cuz I am in gear putting my first bos together and I know what it is for and all,but there is so much info and some are things I should know but in a way have no use for it other than it is knowledge.

I hope you get what I am getting at........... :goodgrief

[Faeawyn]

Your BOS is a very personal tool. You put in the things that are important and useful to you. If you don't think you need it, don't put it in. I'm a packrat...so I cram every bit of information I find into my BOS. But thats just because thats the kind of nut I am :D

[wooleybob]

Dont feel bad..lol.. I put alot of useful things in my BOS,and only things of importance for refferance.

[Silent]

I am that type tooo _whistle_ But if I would do that I would need many bos and they would be such a caos I think they would be less effective and useful to me cuz I would have a hard time finding the useful info within all the useless.Also cuz I want my bos to be in icelandic I have to transelate and write up all the info I want to keep.But if I was to keep all I read I would have to have it in english and some icelandic and I simply dont think I would like that kind of bos.Full of useless info in english :kooky: :gagged:

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

I keep several volumes, actually. Here's a rundown of how they stack up:

Working BOS - notes on philosophy, cosmology, rituals, spellwork, ect that are the current focus of my practices.

Green BOS - information on herbs, specifically. This is an area of great interest to me, so it has its own book.

Articles of Interest - not specifically in use, but good for reference

Correspondences - lists upon lists of correspondences, back before I started using my own personal correspondences.

Brighid BOS - information and invocations for Brighid, since I am a Flamekeeper in Cill Avalon

AIMA - Lessons and answers from my tradition study.

Other - rituals, notes, ect that I do not use anymore, but want to keep.

Goodness...that makes me sound awfully organized! I confess that I'm really not...in fact, I may make that a project for today - reorganizing!

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[Silent]

I was thinking of something like this:

Colours-meaning,use .....
Candles/candlemagick-use ,cleansing,...
Rituals-iniciation,cleansing,casting a circle,shielding,invoke/evoke,....
Landvights-myth/story,description,...
Meditation-chakras,relaxing,music,mantras...
Herbs and oils-use,description,list of...
Kristalls and stones-cleansing,use,list,...
Divinition-kinds,how to,...
Wheel of the year and Sabbats
Astrology-meaning of signs,and other.....
Moonphases...
Other religions-what they are and believs,christianity,buddism,hindu,....
Goddesses...
Gods...
Other beings-elfs,fairies,drawrs,leprecon,....
Correspndence
Dragons-what they are,what they look like,story,myths,......
and perhaps others things ...still pondering on the matter :hmmmmm:

[MoonDust]

looks good.

When I first started I put everything I could get my hands on in there! My 5 inch binder couldn't hold everything! but as time passed I realized I didn't use everything. *duh* So I took out a few thing I knew I’d never use. Anything I have a question on I look up and if I feel I need it I add, but if not I don’t.
I don’t know which one would be considered my BOS
The 3 inch binder with all the info
The covered journal that I write my thoughts, feelings, rituals, etc.
Or my PC
Then I realized… ALL of the above! :chattin:
have fun!:broomride

[Silent]

Also..cuz of nature awerness..is it ok to use plastic..pockets in the grimoire binder.You know the ones to put pages in..and keeps them clean and nice.Or is that bad ''nature''karma???

[Flar's Freyja]

I have a ring binder for info and a wire bound notebook where I hand write what I've actually done.

[GEBS]

I keep my most important things written in a book. The things that I could do without if I had to (things easily found again) I keep on the computer. General knowledge can be found in just about any book you pick up in a chain bookstore. I don't feel the need to write that down.

My son writes just about everything down.

[mucgwyrt]

I keep mine on a kind of website which lives only on my harddrive, so as there's really no limit to what I can add to it and there's no fuss when amending things, I tend to 'hoard' information. I add information on everything I find interesting, even if it's of no real use to me :nyah: (You never know what your children may find useful in years to come, or where your own path may lead!)

[Silent]

Well I cant write all of it not even some of it.I get terrible writers cramps after just few sentences and '' carpool tunnel syndrom''(no idea how to spell it hope you know what I mean) :whatmewor

I have to typ it up and transelate in the computer ant print.But is it ok to keep all the pages in a induvidual plastic pockets,the kind specially made for binders.

[MoonDust]

Also..cuz of nature awerness..is it ok to use plastic..pockets in the grimoire binder.You know the ones to put pages in..and keeps them clean and nice.Or is that bad ''nature''karma???
I don't see the problem with them. are you planning on tossing them out later?

[Silent]

Nono not at all.I was wondering cuz I am a paper neat freak.And I cant stand paper that is worn and dirty or crimpy,so I was wondering if it is bad to have everything in plastic.And I also dislike to make holes in my paper...in order to put them in the binder.

I know I wierd,my family makes fun of my paperfetish all the time. :lilangel:

[Pandoras]

When I first began my Pagan path, I tried to keep everything I found that I thought was important, useful, or that I liked. That quickly became too chaotic and I began asking myself why am I writing down all this stuff that other people said and is easily found in books or online? Besides, I'm not looking to write an encyclopedia. So my magickal library has grown and my BoS has shrunk.

My BoS is now very personal. It primarily contains the research that I've conducted, spells and rituals that I've designed and performed, what I believe, my studies and training, my totem animals, etc. It's all about me! :uhhuhuh:

I type everything and save it on my computer (and make backups). I don't know if I'll ever print everything out and put in a binder only because it all changes too much.

[MoonDust]

Nono not at all.I was wondering cuz I am a paper neat freak.And I cant stand paper that is worn and dirty or crimpy,so I was wondering if it is bad to have everything in plastic.And I also dislike to make holes in my paper...in order to put them in the binder.

I know I wierd,my family makes fun of my paperfetish all the time. :lilangel:
Not crazy at all. I'm sure there's some sort of "green" paper covers.

[RubyRose]

Well I have a 3 ring binder, that is now full, so I'll be moving on to my second one. But I'm also collecting a part-works magazine, that has everything from Crystals, to Astrology to Palm Reading, so that's another 4 or 5 folders of information.

[Teresa]

I was thinking of something like this:

Colours-meaning,use .....
Candles/candlemagick-use ,cleansing,...
Rituals-iniciation,cleansing,casting a circle,shielding,invoke/evoke,....
Landvights-myth/story,description,...
Meditation-chakras,relaxing,music,mantras...
Herbs and oils-use,description,list of...
Kristalls and stones-cleansing,use,list,...
Divinition-kinds,how to,...
Wheel of the year and Sabbats
Astrology-meaning of signs,and other.....
Moonphases...
Other religions-what they are and believs,christianity,buddism,hindu,....
Goddesses...
Gods...
Other beings-elfs,fairies,drawrs,leprecon,....
Correspndence
Dragons-what they are,what they look like,story,myths,......
and perhaps others things ...still pondering on the matter :hmmmmm:
Those are things I have in mine.some things i put in mine so that future generations can use as well.It may be things I already know by heart.

[Ivy Artemisia]

If I put everything I found in it, I'd need a room for my BOS. I have a bunch of different ones. I have my first ones- spiral bound journals full of handwritten notes and articles. I would suggest that you do some of this- I love going through my old books and reading my old notes, spells and rituals. My solitary rituals still go in these books, though sometimes I've typed them up and taped them in.

My teaching BOS is much more extensive... I compiled the best articles I could find on a bunch of topics.If you have multiple articles on the same topic, you'll have more to go through when you want to reference something, so you might wanna try to find the articles with the most (or accurate) info. Then I have my ritual BOS, with my coven rituals and pictures. :)

For the person who asked about the page protectors: I use them, you can make notes on them using overhead projector pens. :) Just put in your BOS what you feel is important.

Its your book... do whatcha wanna do. ;)
Please forgive my bad spelling. Its like a Monday to me right now. :(

[Kalika]

I keep mine limited to the things that interest me, personally. :)

It's already huge... so I can't imagine putting everything that I get my hands on into it! :lol:

[Imbrium]

Now that I know what other people do with their BOS, I don't feel so bad.

As for myself, I keep my info on disk for quick refrence. But my actual BOS is a cloth folding binder with pockets...I keep small notebooks in the workspaces that I jot down ideas on, while I save the main full sized pages for dreams, projects, and comparasons. I'm still working on a "path" of sorts, and so using my BOS as a working journal allows me to find common threads, problems and recurring dream symbology. It's been very helpful that way...I also so little origami "spells" and keep my folded paper in it as well. (Silly, eh?)

[KellyP]

This is an excellent thread! I have so enjoyed reading everyone's responses and philosophies towards their BoS. I have read similar threads and should probably spend some time using the Search engine to link the disparate posts together in one place.

With all that said, I am an old fashioned sort when it comes to my 'Almanac'. It is hand written for the most part, though if I need to collect lessons or material off of the internet I will print it then hack it to fit. I use tape, glue, staples, etc. You will find pages written in the Elder Futhark, colored pens, crayons or whatever.

I do not have the problem of being a paper neat freak, so I do not use any sort of pockets or ring binders. And yes, I would snicker at your pretty BoS with all its organization while watching old ribbons or dried flowers fall from mine.

[Aidron]

I also so little origami "spells" and keep my folded paper in it as well. (Silly, eh?)


Not at all. I adore origami and incorporate it frequently into my magical workings.

[Aidron]

This is an excellent thread! I have so enjoyed reading everyone's responses and philosophies towards their BoS. I have read similar threads and should probably spend some time using the Search engine to link the disparate posts together in one place.

With all that said, I am an old fashioned sort when it comes to my 'Almanac'. It is hand written for the most part, though if I need to collect lessons or material off of the internet I will print it then hack it to fit. I use tape, glue, staples, etc. You will find pages written in the Elder Futhark, colored pens, crayons or whatever.

I do not have the problem of being a paper neat freak, so I do not use any sort of pockets or ring binders. And yes, I would snicker at your pretty BoS with all its organization while watching old ribbons or dried flowers fall from mine.


The magic of Crayola.


As for mine, it lies somewhere in between. I do not include mention of anything which does not interest me except in passing instances such as for identification or the sake of lore. For example, while I am have not true interest in flower essences (not to be confused with the magical properties of flowers) nor am I a Dianic Wiccan, they may be mention in my grimoire providing a portion of information regarding what they are, but nothing too elaborate. Things which truly interest me or that I incorporate heavily into my practice (celestial energies, for example) may have ten pages or more dedicated to it, with me going into great detail and explaining the why behind it all.

[fangedeshana]

My two cents worth...

BOR - Book of Reflections, in here goes all my relections on Meditations, Rune work, Energy exercises, Ritual, SPells... anything practical I write up in a little diary talking about what happened, how I felt, if it worked, what really worked and what didn't, and maybe even ideas for when I do something similar, how to do it 'better' nexttime.

BOS - Book of Shadows. Theoretical information... this is full of correspondance, ethics, poetry, spells, rituals, many invokations, occult information... anything I find useful, and it is entirely made up of others work. All of its is mostly notes and reference material I find or have found interesting.

BOD - Book of Deities. All information on Gods, Godesses and pagan Trads is in here. A work in progress, and also part of an Art project I'm working on (a series of painting depicting Goddesses throughout history) in my spare time.

Grimorie - My 'BOS'. All my personal workings, rituals, spells, etc. go in here. Nothing but my own personal work goes in here, besides ethics and such.

I also keep general articles of intrest and recipes about on my computer, and written down in various places.

I find trying to keep it all in one, or two folders is really hard for me to do and stay fairly organised.

[Fallen Angel]

Bos
Book of Shadows
Everything I've learnt. I plan for my books to be passed down to my kids, so everything they would need to know is in there in case I cannot teach it to them. Everything we need to know is in there


Grimoire
Spells


Bol
Book of light
Rituals


Dream Diary
Record my dreams


I'm getting another book for inscance recepies.
Also I'm getting one for meditation.

I haven't done much work in these so they've been slotted into other books for the time being.

[fatimah2001]

Your BOS is a very personal tool. You put in the things that are important and useful to you. If you don't think you need it, don't put it in. I'm a packrat...so I cram every bit of information I find into my BOS. But thats just because thats the kind of nut I am :D
aaaaaaaw!lol!

[innocent]

If its personalised ( only useful to you ) it is a Book of shadows. Atleast thats how I learned it. If it has everything it is a Grimore ( Can be used by heirs or others). Sorry just had to throw that in here.

[Rosana]

My grimoire contains almost everything: correspondences, interesting articles, herbalism, alternative medicine, my rants and raves, poetry, recipes for homemade beauty products, guidelines for magickal and healthy life, list of my favorite witchy shops and many, many others. I put in it just all my life, everything that I find useful and interesting.

[blueiris]

I have two notebooks - one is black and is a huge binder that I call my Book of Shadows - it has all sorts of information in there, things on Tarot, runes, traditions, rituals, herbs, and so forth. I then have a white binder which I call my Book of Reflections which is where I type and print out all my rituals. I also have another spiral bound notebook (which I left at home by accident, as I'm on vacation), where I put in my dreams and any card or rune work I've done. My BOS is organized into various sections by dividers, but besides that, it's not organized at all, and I like it that way. :)

[misty]

I, too, keep more than just one BOS. I have one for my tarot stuff, one for my Kitchen Witchcrafty stuff and one for my general stuff. That is all for right now, but I am sure I will be expanding and creating new ones!

[Tyrion_Lannister]

I want to thank mucgwyrt for her post on using local web pages for a BOS. I have a family home page and useful stuff site based off my hard drive but I never really thought to do a BOS in that style. It is a great idae though and I think I may just start arranging my stuff in that fashion.......Thanx! :boquet: