A Book of Shadows is a witches most treasured possession, in this is written a record of all rituals, how they were done, who was invoked, what items were used, when they were done, what they were trying to attain, and what the outcome was. As soon as you begin your journey as a witch, you begin your Book of Shadows.
What is your Book of Shadows – Very simply your Book of Shadows is your history as a witch. Somewhere you can record absolutely everything you do associated with the craft, it is your personal inventory which allows you to keep track of your evolution as a witch. It is impossible to keep everything in your head, especially what you did, when you did it, what items were used, who was invoked, what the intention was and what the outcome was, how you were feeling and how successful you were. Your Book of Shadows is a reference documenting your journey and will be invaluable to you as you progress, it will paint a clear and objective picture of what type of witch you are.
What to put in your Book of Shadows – You don’t need to decide what to put in your Book of Shadows, as a practicing witch you will write down everything in minute detail. Write down every single spell you use, any items you use associated with the spell, incense, fragrant oils, herbs, document each word spoken, the intention, the outcome, and the names of any deities or spirits you invoked. Write down your meditations, documenting your circle casting, what you did within the circle and how long it took. Keep a list of chants, herbs, potions, recipes, keep everything in specific sections so that if you are looking for a love spell, you can go straight to love spells in your book, if you want a healing spell you can immediately find it. By keeping a list of gods and goddesses, their energy associations, and what spell you used them for, you can instantly look up the deity you need for your a particular ritual. By recording your rituals you know what you have done and how the magic worked.
Keep detailed information of spirits and angels, their names and why you summoned them. Write down every crystal, herb, potion, lotion and what rituals you used, why you used them and what the outcome was. Keep details of days, dates, times, and record how you were feeling when performing any rituals. Have a section dedicated to your dreams, and list the dreams under relevant sections, such as water dreams, flying dreams, driving dreams, moving house dreams, also record your feelings in the dreams. Once you have written something down in your Book of Shadows, you never remove it, keep everything including the spells that didn’t work.
