The Book Of Shadows

The Book of Shadows (often abbreviated BOS) is a written collection of spells, rituals and philosophy. It is kept by many pagans. This book can be almost anything that keeps a record of the Pagan's religion. Some people like to use oversized leather bound books. Others like the simplicity of spiral notebooks, or the ease of electronic databases (both of which I have used in the past). The most important thing is that your BOS be comfortable for your use.

In many Wiccan traditions, the rituals and spells are kept secret. No one outside the Coven is allowed to know them. This secrecy is why it is called a Book of Shadows, implying that it is kept hidden. This has been changing in recent years, as more covens are making their rituals public. The BOS is generally kept by the head of a coven, with the members copying parts of it as they are initiated. Often the BOS is written in some form of code. This can be by using the witches alphabet, alchemical symbols, or any other method (I know of one witch who used a modified shorthand).

The Wolf and Raven Path believes that secrecy is part of what creates the negative image of paganism in the eyes of the general public. We also believe that the outer form of rituals and spells are useless without the inner discipline to use them. As such, we make no great secret of our BOS. In fact, this website is heavily drawn from the Wolf and Raven Book of Shadows.

There is also a type of journal that is kept by many individual pagans. This is called a Book of Mirrors, and is a day-to-day record of the individual's thoughts, feelings and interpretations of paganism, magic and life in general. It is, in essence, a journal of self discovery. Often a Book of Mirrors will be the beginning of a new Book of Shadows.

If you are not already, you should be keeping an daily journal. This is a very useful tool for better understanding yourself. If you are interested in becoming pagan, you should also begin keeping notes on rituals and spells that appeal to you so that you will eventually have your own customized Book of Shadows.

Some traditions require that you create your own BOS, not only writing it based on the Coven's BOS, but even cutting and binding your own book to keep it in. Depending on the tradition, these books may have to be created using handmade paper with all natural covers and bindings. Some believe in requiring leather covers, others that no animal products be used. Once again, if this makes you more comfortable with your BOS, feel free to do so.

Another option for an easy to make BOS is to use a scrapbook or three ring binder. This is especially useful if you are creating a new BOS, change rituals, or have a tendency to add new pages on occasion. Both scrapbooks and binders have page sleeves available to reduce wear on the pages of your BOS.

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