A beginner‘s how to
The first thing many new witches want to do is grab a very beautiful very expensive journal and make a book of shadows (further referred to as BOS) or a grimoire (the names are different due to different witches.)
You do NOT need something expensive right away!!!!!!
My best suggestion for anyone new to making a BOS is to get a binder, sheet protectors, dividers, and pretty paper.
You can either hand write everything or you can type it up and print it out, up to you. Either way is fine, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
You don’t need one at first but at some point a table of contents will come in handy.
The order in which you put your content is up to you as this is YOUR personal book. I am just going in an order that makes sense to me.
Chapter 1.
Deities, Gods, Goddesses, and anyone you worship (if you worship anyone)
In this section list your deities and their history, biographies, offerings, days, colors, animals and so forth. It is easier to make a stronger bond and connection with them if you have all of this information available at your fingertips. I also suggest but it is not needed, to put pictures of your deities in your book as well.
Chapter 2.
Herbs and their magickal uses
It is very IMPORTANT to learn your herbs especially if you plan on using them in your spells and work. Some plants can be very poisonous if inhaled or ingested. Also some are highly flammable and explosive (like cinnamon and I had to learn that the hard way.) There are books that will have all the information you need or you can google each herb individually. Example: what are the magickal uses of cinnamon
Chapter 3.
Crystals, gemstones and other magickal stones
It is always good to keep a list of the stones you have and their magickal properties (pictures help with this one.) Nothing is worse than trying to figure out which stone you need and not knowing which is which. Putting it in your book is good not only so you have
that information but also because if you notice that a stone is missing you can go through your list to see who has disappeared.
Chapter 4.
Candles
Know what the colors, designs, sizes, and shapes stand for. Know what kind of dressings to use for which candles. And when to use which candles at which times (ex. what candle to burn during a full moon vs a new moon.)
And after you get that all down in your book you can also put in candle spells and workings under this section.
Chapter 5.
Essential oils
Essential oils are great because you can use them in place of an ingredient in a spell and you can use them to dress your candles. USE ONLY ALL NATURAL OILS. Do not use manmade synthetic oils because if you accidentally ingest them you can get very sick as well as you cannot use them in your work and expect as good of results. I personally use and sell DoTerra brand essential oils and will always recommend those.
Chapter 6.
Phases of the moon
This is where a binder comes in handy. Google the year’s worth of moon phases times and dates, every year you can replace the old one. This way you know exactly when to do certain spells. Also put if the moon is full in (example) Scorpio or whatever it may be and if it’s a blue moon, strawberry moon, moon in leo and so forth. All of this information is highly useful not only in spellwork but also in day to day life.
As well as this information also write down the different phases and what spells go with whichever phase and what phase brings what into your life.
The moon is extremely important and out of all the entries I highly recommend having this chapter in your book.
Chapter 7.
Astronomy and the magickal properties of the planets
It is always useful to know your planets!!! And don‘t get confused this is astronomy NOT astrology. Planets and their placements are very important if you want potent spells. Not to mention if you know your astronomy you can do astrology. This section can be a subsection to your moon phases or vice versa if that makes things easier.
Chapter 8.
Numerology
This one you don’t have to have but it is nice to have a reference. Google can help you with this section as well as there are tons of books on the section.
Use this section to explain how to breakdown numbers and get the prime numbers and their meanings in numerology. The universe is primarily made up of numbers so to me this would be an important section but you might feel differently and that’s ok as this is YOUR book.
I would also list in this section your number and it’s meaning. I like to incorporate my number into my spells and workings. I am not the best are numerology and have a hard time breaking it down for others so this section can be handy if you’re like me.
Chapter 9.
Sigils
Making sigils is super easy but there are a bunch of ways to make them. Find the way that suits you best and put the how to as your first page of this chapter. It will help to always have a how to for the days you are foggy brained. After that draw or print the sigils and their meanings of the ones you use most (these don’t have to be ones you have made on your own.) Listing the ones you use most often will help in perfecting it when drawing it out in future usage. Next list ones you have made for different purposes so that way you don’t have to continuously make new ones but can refer to ones you’ve already made for similar situations.
I suggest looking up the seals of Solomon and listing a few in your book as well as the archangel sigil.
Chapter 10.
Dictionary
For a lot of baby witches the terminology that is used can get confusing. It is always best to have a chapter that breaks down the verbage we witches use. Putting it in alphabetical order helps to be able to find the word easier and again this is where having a binder helps because you can always update the page. Some of you might want to put this chapter as first and that’s perfectly fine as this is your book.
Chapter 11.
Cleansing and charging schedules
It always comes in handy to have a list of days you have cleansed your crystals, tools, self and anything else you cleanse. Keeping track of when the last time you cleansed your stuff ensures you don’t let things go to long with excessive or negative energy.
The same thing goes for charging your stuff. You never want to go too long without charging. You wouldn’t forget to charge your phone, don’t forget to charge your stones and tools and water.
Chapter 12.
Holidays
Depending on what you follow depends on how many holidays there are but it can get very tedious to keep up with all of the holidays. Believe me I still forget until they have passed.
Most pagan holidays are celebrated throughout witchcraft but if you worship certain deities there will be holidays that come with them. In example if you are big into Greek deities and the culture surrounding them you might want to learn the holidays celebrating those deities but also holidays in Greece so that way you have a better connection with your Gods and Goddesses. This is your book so list the holidays that are important to YOU.
Chapter 13.
Ancestrial history
How far back does magick run in your family? Who all practices magick in your family? These are things that are good to know and to keep track of. There are a lot of hereditary witches that do not know they are hereditary simply because they did not know their family’s history. If you plan on making this a BOS you can pass down then this would be good information for future generations. I would also list any legends or myths that surround the area in which you grew up in. Example: I was born in Tampa, FL. near West Tampa and Ybor which is known for it’s heavy Hispanic/Latino influence as well as for Santeria and the ghosts that haunt the cigar factories. It’s good to know this because it’s good to know how your environment affects you. The neighborhood I lived in was known to be the River at one point where Native Americans dwelled and then became cow pastures when settlers took over. There have also been a lot of paranormal activity in my old neighborhood as well as ufo sightings. Interesting stuff huh? These are things future witches in your family would find interesting as well.
Chapter 14.
Your spells and conjurings
This section is for all the spells you find interesting and want to try or do on a regular basis. This will be your go to when you need a spell but can’t think of one off the top of your head. Make sure when listing spells that you list all ingredients/quantities and supplies and if a prayer is needed or a chant don’t leave those out. Be specific when writing your spells down, you don’t want mistakes to happen when using a spell later on. You can separate this chapter into subsections to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. Example: list all your hexes in one section, your love spells in another section, prosperity/money/job spells in another and so on and so on.
You can also put your spiritual baths/cleansings and rituals in this chapter under subsections as well.
You don‘t have to but some people like to list their sources. You can do so with what you‘re sourcing or you can make a list for the end of your book. This is sometimes handy if you are differentiatino between things that are passed down through your family or knowledge given to you from outside sources or if you made something on your own and it worked.
I hope this helps you boogie monsters out when making a BOS/grimoire!!!!
Comments