Creating a BOS

Author Unknown

     Your Book of Shadows is your most important form of record keeping. Your Book of Shadows is a reflection of your spiritual journey. It can be a reflection of any rituals you do, any spells you cast, and thoughts and feelings that you have. A Book of Shadows is a record of all magickal workings, favorite spells, and results. Try thinking of your Book of Shadows as a study of your life and the magick that you create and witness.

You can do almost anything with your Book of Shadows. There is no mandatory formula for how you keep or decorate your Book of Shadows. You can decorate it any way that you may want, you can write your Book of Shadows entirely in runes if you wish.

You can name your Book of Shadows anything you want! Remember, this is an act of individual expression and work. Some may feel more comfortable naming it their Book of Light or Book of Reflections.

There is some debate as to how historically accurate it is to say that having a Book of Shadows was a major part of most Wiccan traditions. One problem is that there are no examples of ancient Books of Shadows; they simply don't exist! The earliest known Book of Shadows is the one used and written by Gerald Gardner, the founder of the present day Gardenarian tradition.

This is not the same as saying, however, that witches never kept a Book of Shadows. It is possible that such Books were kept but have not yet been found or are simply disguised in ways that we do not recognize them for what they really are. Imagine someone recording sacred recipes and poems in their family Bible. We can recognize the Bible for what it is, but we may never recognize that the other writings in it may have been some witch recording her Book of Shadows on the back pages!

A major question many face when they do their Book of Shadows in this day and age is, "Do I handwrite my Book of Shadows or can I just type it out at my computer and have a Disk of Shadows?"

There are definite advantages to handwriting your Book of Shadows (and many traditions demand that you copy or write your Book of Shadows out by hand) and many to typing out your Book of Shadows.

What are some of the advantages to actually physically writing out your Book of Shadows? One advantage is that many consider it more traditional and appropriate to do the Book of Shadows by hand. There is something comforting and nostalgic to reading your notes that you wrote yourself; they just aren't as impersonal as a printout is. I think a major advantage to writing out your Book of Shadows by hand is that people tend to remember things better by the very act of writing. There is a form of connection that is made between the writer and the Book of Shadows that they have written; their Book of Shadows becomes more personal and tangible that way. One other fun part to doing your Book of Shadows by hand is that you can also add your own artwork that you do by your own hand to your Book of Shadows!

There are also advantages to having your Book of Shadows on computer. A major advantage is that it is easier to organize and to re-organize your Book of Shadows on computer than it is when you write it out by hand.

What types of things should go into your Book of Shadows? Your Book of Shadows should be an accurate record of all magickal hands-on things that you do. It should research information, study notes on Wicca, herbalism, reincarnation, and any other magickal field that you explore. You can keep records of rituals you have done and experiments you have conducted.

Your Book of Shadows is a useful tool for preparing for your rituals. You can record your outlines for rituals here, the actual wordings of the rituals, your impressions of the rituals, and the results.

Putting all of this information down in your Book of Shadows requires a bit of organizing and planning. How are some possible ways you can organize your writings?

File by topic (i.e., ritual work, spell work, etc...)
Alphabetize by subject
Chronological
Chapters

As your Book of Shadows is your journal or guide, there are many types of things that can go into it. You might want to consider placing some or all of the following in your Book of Shadows:

An opening dedication to your Goddess/God
Table of Contents
Wicca Studies
A page of ethics or beliefs
Why you came to Wicca
Rituals
Spells
Logs of magickal workings you do
Recipes
Poems
Meditations
Artwork
Impressions
Dreams
Anything you feel contributes to your growth

In this day and age, it is common place to find Books of Shadows for sale at the local book store. Many other Wiccans feel that their Books of Shadows should be kept private and read only by the writer or maybe others in the same coven. What is your feeling on this and why do you feel the way that you do about this particular issue? Is it okay to share your Book of Shadows with other witches and with non-witches? What are some of the reasons a witch should not share their Book of Shadows? Do you see any instance where it may be okay to share your Book of Shadows? No matter where you stand on this issue, the decision to share or to not share is a personal decision and must be made on an individual basis. It is your discretion with whom you choose to share or not share your Book of Shadows!

REASONS TO NOT SHARE FROM OWN BOOK OF SHADOWS:

"As a solitary, I'd feel funny letting anyone else read my Book of Shadows. Too self-conscious."
"The thought of sharing my Book of Shadows makes me uncomfortable."
"Personally I wouldn't. Too much personal stuff in mine."
"There are things in mine that are just between me and the Goddess."
"No to non-witches ... they don't understand our views."
"Some traditions don't allow that ... unless the other person is part of that tradition."

REASONS TO BE ABLE TO SHARE YOUR BOOK OF SHADOWS:

"I want a Book of Shadows to pass down as I received one from a close friend when he died."
"Maybe; depending on how open the person is that you share your Book of Shadows with."
"I share with my students when a story might help."

One useful to consider when keeping a Book of Shadows is to keep a record of the spells that you use and create. You can note the type of spell, how it was conducted, the purpose of the spell, and the outcome. Such a record might look something like this:

[1] Purpose of Spell:

[2] Type of Spell Cast:

[3] Any Special Tools Used for the Spell:

[4] Astrological Correspondences Existing at Time of Spell:

[5] Weather:

[6] Your Health and Emotional State:

[7] Outcome of the Spell:

[8] Did the Spell Work the Way You Wanted It To?:

[9] Other Notes:

Last, but not least, when you perform a ritual or cast a spell and want to record it in your Book of Shadows, how long afterwards do you actually wait before recording it? Do you make your records right after the event or do you wait for it to stew and risk forgetting?

There you go… That is all there is to making a BOS! Enjoy!

Blessed Be!