Book of Shadows

Book of Shadows
AKA: Grimoire
A diary in which a Witch records his or her personal spells, invocations, rituals, dreams, recipes for various potions, and so forth. Some traditions say it must be hand-written, others say it doesn't matter. A Book of Shadows may be kept by an individual witch or by an entire coven . In the event of a Witch's death, the Book of shadows may be passed down to his or her children or grandchildren, kept by a High Priestess & High Priest of the Coven (if the witch was a member of one at the
time of her death), or burned in order to protect the secrets of the Craft. whichever course of action is taken, of course, depends entirely upon the customs of the particular Wiccan tradition and/or the Witch's own personal wishes.
A magickal journal kept by each wiccan initiate, in which spells, invocations, ritual notes, herbal recipes, dreams, divination results and material from the coven book can be recorded. Some people write in Thesbian script or in other alphabets.
Sew into the cover of the Book leaves of the sacred herbs vervain, rue, bay, willow or others, if you wish. They should be well-dried & secretly placed by the light of the moon. The covers of the Book of shadows should, of course, be covered with cloth.
Book of Shadows Outline
Book Blessing
Favorite Quotes & Magickal Rules
Index
Magickal Information
1.Alphabet (Magickal) Research
2.Astral Projection Research
3.Astrological correspondences
4.Alantean Wand Instructions
5.Bi-Location Research
6.Biofeedback Research
7.Candle Magick Research
8.Chakra Research
9.Crystal Research
10.Color Magick Research
11.Compass Point Research
12.Divination Research
13.Dowsing Research
14.Druidic Research
15.Earth Magick Research
16.Egyptian Magick Research
17.Elemental Tables
18.Emotions (Human) Research
19.Ethics
20.Gem Research
21.Ghosts & Talking to the Dead
22.God/Goddess Research
23.Graphology
24.Herb Magick Research
25.Magickal Correnspondence Tables
26.Magickal Definitions t
27.Moon Magick Research
28.Power Research
29.Psychic protection Research
30.Sensitivity Research
31.Shamanistic Research
32.Spell Casting Research
33.Symbol & Sigil Research
34.Tarot Research
35.Telepathy Research
36.Time Research
37.Vision Questing Research
38.Webweaving Guide
39.Women's/Men's Spirituality Research
Spells, hands-on information, working information, rituals, healing herbs, formula & other Basic instructions.

What is a Book of Shadows?

A Book of Shadows is a place to store all the information that you collect while you are studying. You can put anything from the Gods & Goddesses to rituals to even your deepest thoughts into it. Some people even have a DOS (Disk of Shadows) or two different books that they use. A Book of Shadows for information that they collect & a Book of Rituals for their rituals and spells.

 

 

What is in a Book of Shadows?

Book Blessing (ex: Morrigan's Book Blessing)
Wiccan Law
Wiccan Rede
Index if desired
Artwork

Information:
*Alphabet (Magickal) Research
*Astral Projection Research
*Astrological Correspondences
*Atlantean Research
*BiLocation Research
*Biofeedback Research
*Candle Magick Research
*Chakra Research
*Civilization Magick Research (ex: Druidic, Egyptian, Lemurian)
*Crystal Research
*Color Magick Research
*Compass Point Research
*Divination Research (ex: Tarot, Dowsing, Runes)
*Earth Magick Research
*Elemental Tables
*Emotions (Human) & Sensitivity Research
*Ethics (ex: Rule of Three)
*God/dess Research
*Graphology
*Herb Magick Research
*Magickal Correspondences Tables
*Magickal Definitions
*Moon Magick Research
*Power Research
*Psychic Protection Research
*Religion Research (ex: Hindu, Buddhism, Pagan)
*Shamanistic Research
*Spell Casting Research
*Spirit Research
*Symbol & Sigil Research
*Telepathy Research
*Time Research
*Vision Questing Research (also meditation)
*Webweaving Guide

 

How To Make Your Own Book of Shadows

Equipment:

Binder or Folder (Lever, 2 ring)
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue Sticks
Super Glue
Fabric - Purple
See-Through Over-Lay - Lighter Purple with Silver Stars
Filling
Ribbon - Purple (Thicker) and Gold (Thinner)
Purple and Gold Thread
Fake Jewels
Iron and Ironing Board

Procedure:
Turn on hot glue gun, with glue inside. Place binder in the middle of cloth. Squirt glue on
one the shorter side of the folder. Place cloth over. Squirt more glue on the front shorter
side and affix. Place more on the bend and attach. Fix the longer side, but the bottom
only so you can stuff the covers. Stuff the front and back and place inside any herbs
which correspond to protection, spiritualism, consecrating, general magick, cleansing etc.
Add pot pourri if wanted. Glue top of fabric on. Glue on more fabric on the inside of the
folder. Attach second layer of cloth, include inside as well. Turn on iron and unfold
ironing board. Iron all ribbon in half so it looks crisp. Make sure iron setting is on low.
Make a pentagram with the gold ribbon and affix it with super, PVA or craft glue. With the
glue put on the fake, or real, jewels. Insert separators, paper and plastic sleeves. Label
the separators with numbers. Put down what the numbers mean on the front contents page, it
should be included with the dividers. Use plastic, but paper is more natural. Use a special
pen to write in your book.

Your book of shadows is complete. Happy using.

The Candle

Your candle doesn't have to be any specific size, it doesn't have to be expensive or made of any special material. Your intention & personal power you 'charge' the candle with is what's most important (see 'Charging A Candle' from the first Candle Magic page).
Using a candle color that corresponds to the energy or spell you are trying to invoke assists the spell-maker to accurately program personal power (see 'Candle Colors' from the first Candle Magic page), so if you can, purchase an appropriate color.
Carve symbols on the candle that are appropriate for the spell. For example, a heart for love, a dollar sign for a money ritual, the initials or name of the of the country or state you want to move to, a crescent moon for sleep or psycic awareness. Rune symbols are also good for carving into candles. I use a seam ripper to carve my candles as it has a small tip and is easy to manage.
'All Purpose White'. If you can't find an appropriate colored candle, using a white candle can be used for every positive magical purpose.
Size Doesn't Matter. I use tea candles for candle magic! I also use the 'standard' votive candle as they are easy to contain, come in many colors, and are safely burned for long periods of time.
One Spell On A Candle

It's best to use an individual candle for each specific magical intention, spell, or ritual.
You will first 'charge' the candle with the intention for the spell using your personal power (see 'Charging A Candle' from the first Candle Magic page).
You will want to burn the candle until it is completely gone (tea or votive candles) or until it is as close to the base of the holder as is safe.
Light candles with matches. Using a plastic lighter to begin a magical ceremony negates some of its charm.
It's okay to extinguish a candle before it has completely burned down, then re-light it again when you return.
Some folks believe that blowing out a candle used for magic releases the intention, so you might want to use a candle snuffer, pinch out the flame with wet fingers, or clap over the top of the flame to extinguish it.
Candle Burning Safety

Please make sure you place your candle somewhere that will not cause an accidental fire, both indoors and outdoors.
Using some kind of candle holder that completely contains the candle is a good thing to do.
Make sure that you have something that will contain the melted wax if you don't use a candle holder (cauldron, metal pot, glass jar, etc. Sand is a great Earth element that absorbs wax well).
I always use tea lights or votive candles that I can put in a small glass container.
A great outdoor candle can be made with a canning jar & sand. After you have 'charged the candle with your intention' use a different candle to create a small pool of hot wax on the bottom of the jar. Then place your 'charged' candle in the hot wax until it stays firmly in place. Pour an appropriate layer of sand around the base of the candle in the jar and your 'outdoor' candle is ready.
Here's some of the ways I've burned candles for extended periods;

I have placed a candle and its holder in a sink or a fireplace
I often place the candle in it's holder on something metal like a cookie sheet or a trivet
I have also used sand to contain any wax leakage in case the glass holder breaks
You could also use a large metal pot or a cauldron
A bathtub is another good spot for a candle

Do you ever want to get an important message through to someone, but you just don't know how to do it?

Here is what you do:

1. Determine precisely what it is you want them to hear, or perhaps feel. Write down your wish on a piece of paper in simple sentence form.

2. Make a dream pillow using a small square of fabric and a little batting. Throw in a pinch of lavender and rosemary. Put in the piece of paper last, then sew up the end.

3. Put the dream pillow on your altar. Do an altar devotion to center yourself, then create sacred space. Cast a circle and call the quarters if you like, but is isn't necessary.

4. Center yourself, then hold your hands over the dream pillow and say the following:
Goddess Divine,
I stand before your sacred shrine.
This person won't listen or hear
My words tickle at deafened ear.
Holy Mother, Goddess Divine,
Send a dream, awaken the mind.
Through his/her vision he/she might live
The nightmare/passion/lesson he/she so freely give.
Goddess Divine
Send them your enchanted design
Clear out the cobwebs, tear down walls
Carry my message through spirit calls.