What is the Book of Shadows?
The book of shadows is a collection of magical and religious texts based upon Wiccan and Pagan faiths. The texts contained within the books can focus on rituals, magic spells, ethics and/or philosophies concerned with the faith. The book of shadows is important to practicing witch's as it is a place for them to store their personal notes with regards to their spiritual and magical experiences. Many who are not practicing witch's simply use the book of shadows as a diary. |  An example of a book of shadows |
Where did the Book of Shadows come from?
The book of shadows was produced by Gerald Gardener who was the head of the Bricket Wood coven during the 1940's. Originally called Ye Bok of ye art magikal, Gardener used the book to record the spell mixings which had been successful for him. From this book, Gardener encouraged his students to copy the spells into their own books and remove any that did not work for them. The name 'Book of Shadows' was first used by Gardener who named it after an ancient Indian manual that described how one could use their own shadow for divination.
How the Book of Shadows is used
Today the Book of Shadows is still used in the traditional sense by many practicing witchcraft who use the journal to record their own spells and experiences. These personal notes are then often shared with others who are also practicing. Although the journal is a personal item, there are common ways in which the contents of the book are organised so that the books are easier to reference at a later date. The information is usually compiled in the following manner:
- Book title and date
- Book Blessing
- Index
- Contents
You can see that the formatting is very similar to a regular encyclopaedia.
If you would like to see some of our book of shadows please click here.
