A Book Of Shadows, Book Of Magik, or Magikal Grimoire What Is A Book Of Shadows Whether its called a Book Of Magik, a Magikal Grimoire, or a Book Of Shadows, its important for every witch to create a book of records. These are your personal notes, a diary of your spiritual or magikal experiences. A book to record your dreams, interpretations, aspirations and affirmations. In a simplified definition, it is a book kept and used by a witch to record research, thoughts, experiences and spiritual information, such as spells, incantations, potions and so on. The Shadows History As with all spiritual texts, there is large debate about where and how magikal grimoires came into use. Some say they were prevalent during the middle ages, written only in Runic alphabets to hide their magikal meanings. Some say the witches during the middle ages were illiterate and the books did not come into practice until the 14th or 15th centuries. Even then, Runic alphabets were used to protect the owner from persecution and death if it were found by a witch hunter. Regardless of where they started, theyve had just as many varying names. The Golden Grimoire is one of the more famous mythological versions of a magikal book. Its said to be the Book Of Shadows of Merlin the Magician. The Great Grimoire is another legendary book, reportedly it contains the spells and incantations of the worlds first witch, who received this magikal information from Lucifer (the Angel, not the devil). The Great Grimoire supposedly contained all the secret information about God, including his name of creation. When this name is said backwards, the world becomes undone. Riding the universe of the creature called man and returning the heavens to the Archangels. Unfortunately, many educated scholars believe this legend to be a creation of the Catholic Church during the early 12th century. A mythological tale designed to cast doom and gloom upon those who practiced paganism during that time in history. The Book of Light and Shadows is a term that found popular use during the mid-to-late 1800s in Europe. Just about the same time Alester Crowley began to publicize his many works on the Craft. This title is meant to reflect the spiritual information contained within, as well as, the spells and rituals that are performed at night beneath the moon. Grimoire became a popular label for these personal books during the Victorian era. Many a young woman could be found resting in a park, or flower garden writing thoughts, poems and wishes inside a diary. Upon closer review, you might also find remedies passed down from grand mother to child for various ailments. Elixirs and salves for poison ivy, fevers and more serious ailments such as heart problems or arthritis were often shared amongst family members as well as within tight knit communities. It is from these family recipes and remedies that the term Kitchen Witch sprang. Today the most common label for these personal diaries is a Book Of Shadows, presumably containing spiritual information and energy that is kept hidden until a witch opens the book and springs forth the words into the light. It doesnt matter what you chose to call your personal magikal diary. Its just important that you start keeping a record of your research, experiences and magikal information. Starting Your Book Of Shadows Start by deciding what kind of book you want to use. A spiral notebook is one favorite method. A three hole binder is another, making it easy to maintain sections for organization. Some people purchase hard cover stationary books at their local book store, making various volumes or collections of magikal information. Which ever you choose, label the book and set its purpose and energy from the start. You can record the title on the outside or on the page inside the cover. But its the first thing you should do. After the title, date the book. Some witches create a new book at the beginning of each magikal year during Samhain. While others use the same book over a period of time until its full and then they start a new volume. Its up to you which way to date your book, but you should enter a date and if possible a volume reference. This will help keep your books organized over the years. Next, take some time and think of a personal blessing to record on the first page (or after the title page). The book blessing is done as a dedication to your spiritual growth, you path of learning and protection for the information youll gain and record within the covers of your book. You might write out the blessing on scrap paper until you get just right and then transfer the blessing to your Book of Shadows. If you find that the book youve chosen loses its appeal, or isnt adequate for your needs, dont hesitate in finding a new one. You must feel comfortable and well, attached to your book. This gives the book energy and meaning within your spiritual life. Another example of setting its intent and importance in your life. What To Keep In A Book Of Shadows You can record as much information as you want, or stick with a bare minimum. Chose to use it as a daily diary, where all your information is kept. Or you can maintain a couple of different books, separating your daily thoughts into one, research and magikal information into an other, with spells and incantations into a third. Its entirely up to you. But keep in mind, you want your book to be well organized. You want to be able to quickly turn to a particular section and page to find some particular information when needed. Heres a general list and suggested organization for your personal book. • Book Title and Date • Book Blessing • General Index (make a few sections to help organize your book) • The Sections: o Magikal Rules and Principles Write down your personal principles, beliefs, and/or magikal rules that you chose to follow and believe in. These are your values of life and spiritual path. They should be created from scratch each time you begin a new book. This way youll be able to review past volumes and see how much youve grown. o Goals and Aspirations Write down what your short term goals are. Include a date to achieve the goal and outline a few steps you plan to take in order to reach it. Then write down your long term spiritual aspirations, what you feel you need to work on and how you plan on succeeding. What you would like to achieve and by when. o Dream and Divination Records This section is for messages you receive through dreams, or some type of divination. Either a reading youve given to yourself, or received from someone else. This is the section where you want to record your personal introspection and interpretations. o Research Here you can record all the research and particular information you receive along your path. You might consider organizing this into sub-sections in alphabetical order. Astrology, candles, crystals, Gods/Goddess, tarot and timeliness research could be some examples. o Classes & Experiences Every witch should take a few classes or workshops on topics or subjects that you feel most interested in. Within all classes and workshops, you should receive some type of exercise or how to instruction. Record your experiences with these. What you liked, what didnt work and what youd like to do differently next time. o Spells, Incantations & Prayers Record the spells, incantations and prayers you find along your spiritual path. Those you like and even those you really dislike. There is a message hidden within words you feel very strongly against, write them down and note that you dislike this one. Later when you have time, re-read the words and try to find the message hidden within for you. o Rituals & Ceremonies Plan out your rituals and ceremonies. Record your experiences during or after conducting the event. Include your thoughts about what you liked, what worked well and what youd like to change next time. o Herbal Remedies and Potions These are your personal recopies. They can cover various herbology information and recopies to specific potions which are to be used in conjunction with a spell or incantation. o Closing Thoughts At the end of the year, or once the book is filled, save a few pages for a review and reflection of your book of shadows. Note the goals and aspirations you achieved, the reflections of what you learned during the research and practices you made. End this section with a blessing of thanks and gratitude to all those forces, seen and unseen that helped you along this journey and with the lessons contained within this volume. Selecting A Book Today, there are many items that you can choose for your Book of Shadows. Everything from a spiral notebook, to a loose leaf binder, to a fancy, leather bound journal made specifically to be a BOS. I started with loose papers, put them into a school notebook, and have not started making my own BOS. Whatever you choose, it will be fine. One type of book is not better than another. Remember, this is your tool, your special book. Keep it safe, and make it yours. Over time, you will have many BOS around. As your life situation changes, your BOS will usually reflect that change. You may start with a little notebook now, and end up with beautiful books that you have made by hand. The medium isn’t important, it is what you store and keep within the pages that makes it have value, to you.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:43:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015