About the Book of Shadows
75When people hear the term, Book of Shadows, they often think it is akin to the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. However, it is not one in the same. The Book of Shadows is a book used by those practicing magick- it is a journal that is meant to be private. Each person who practices magick has a Book of Shadows. It contains information on rituals, spells that may have been passed down, chants, incantations and anything else that a wiccan or witchcraft practitioner wants to remember about their magickal life. It is different from a grimoire, which is a book of spells. It is possible to combine the two if you are a solitary practitioner, but if you intend to share information at some point with others, such as spells, keep the two books separate.
Brief History of the Book of Shadows
The idea behind the Book of Shadows has been largely attributed to Gerald Gardner who is known as the father of modern Wicca. Gardner's Book of Shadows seems to have a lot of information that was taken from other sources. Some of these sources include:
- Order of Templars of the Orient
- Gospel of the Witches
- Key of Solomon
- Freemasons
According to high priestess Doreen Valiente of Gardner's Bricket Wood coven, Gardner had taken some of the information for his Book of Shadows from the New Forest coven and filled in the blanks using these other sources. Ironically, some of these sources have ties to other organized religions, such as Catholicism, the brawn behind the Malleus Mallificarum or Hammer Against Witches.
Modern witches who belong to covens may obtain their Book of Shadows from the person who has initiated them. These Book of Shadows mainly contain spells, incantations and chants and not as much personal information.
The Book of Shadows, as described by Gerald Gardner, seems to have only been in existence since the late 1940's. There doesn't seem to be any mention of books with this name in occult texts.
What the Book of Shadows Isn't
Contrary to some beliefs, the Book of Shadows isn't about black magick or devil worship. It is simply a book used to write down personal information regarding the practice of Wicca or witchcraft. If you were to come upon a person's Book of Shadows you may be disappointed if you were hoping to learn about dealings with the devil or other such information. That is the stuff of urban legends, folklore and misinformation passed down through the ages,
Things that may be found in an individual's Book of Shadows include details about a ritual, phases of the moon, incantations and chants. It may include the names of other witches (never their real names) and how the writer felt about any magickal experiences.
Storing a Book of Shadows
Since the book is a journal, it should be kept in a safe place, away from prying eyes. Some magical practitioners keep it with their other ritual items, while others have more secretive hiding places. Where you keep the journal is entirely up to you, but leaving it lying around casually may tempt even your closest confidants!
Destroying a Book of Shadows
A person's Book of Shadows may be destroyed, usually by fire, once they have passed. This is to protect the information, as well as the names, of their fellow witches. It is no different than protecting someone's "regular" personal journals after they have passed.
If you destroy a person's Book of Shadows out of malice, it won't do anything the person it belonged to, other than make them unhappy. It won't keep them from practicing magick, nor will it take away their knowledge. In other words, the book doesn't make the witch or Wiccan.
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Do you feel the obvious differences between an individuals BOS and the covens BOS sufficient for one of them to be considered under a different name? The layout is very different, and according to an associate who spent many years in a very restrictive family there is no room in the families BOS for feelings, thoughts or ideas. According to those who were initiated directly into the Gardenerian lineage there is a similar difference there.
One is clearly a religious instruction manual while the other a journal/notebook. What exactly is the BOS?
;) I must have misread 'the idea behind the book of shadows...' and 'as described by Gerald Gardner,'
my pedantry gets in the way sometimes, of course you meant the current popular title of the book, not its description.
To provide balance please allow a constructive comment; while the records of magik users are often kept and passed on, the important secrets of magik can only be transmitted in person. Too many misunderstandings can occur in written form for such a thing as magik.
Lovely name, Urinate, er Ur Anaite. I don't think you actually read what I wrote: "The Book of Shadows, as described by Gerald Gardner, seems to have only been in existence since the late 1940's. There doesn't seem to be any mention of books with this name in occult texts."
Of course magicians as well as witches and wiccans, along with everyone else who keeps a journal, has been doing it for ages. We're talking about the name "Book of Shadows" not "journaling."
Utter nonsense, magicians have always recorded their success and errors as well as any information they come across or plan to re-use. As if Gardener invented the idea of recording magikal information.
A large part of Gardeners information came from Crowley and Golden Dawn.
Gerber Ink Hub Author 13 months ago
Hi Ur Anaite, Sorry for the late reply - the holidays always get in the way of my hubbing!
My personal thoughts on individual Vs covens probably isn't important in the great scheme of things, but here goes. Based on what I know from those who practice individually is that they do it because they live in an area that doesn't allow for much expression of religious freedom, or that there simply aren't other like-minded individuals in the area. Therefore, their BOS probably reads more like a journal. Spells are supposed to be personal anyway and not read like a recipe book that can be used by anyone, though it seems people in covens tend to have BOS's that are rather formulaic since they share information more readily.
To clarify, people who practice by themselves are unlikely to have a BOS that looks like anyone elses, while individuals in covens may have BOS's that seem rather similar in text.
As for the BOS, it varies. Some combine the Book of Shadows with the Witch's Grimoire, while others separate the two. The Witch's Grimoire is more of the "how-to" manual, whereas the BOS is where you keep a written record of your spells.