so i wanted to make my own post that's based off of this post (link to my archived blog)
this post was another one of those, "What should you put in your Grimoire" type of deals.
I want to make my own bc i've used this list and added to it. @the-owl-guy wrote the first post so go give them some love if you happen to see this post, as this is based off the post they wrote and still contains some items from the original post. (hope you dont mind the tag!! Just wanting to give credit!)
One thing I will start off with, if you're going to make a grimoire or book of shadows, I would recommend 1000% to put it in a binder or in a journal where the pages can be removed, rearranged, and placed in an order how you like them. This way also if you mess up on a page, you can just remove it without having to razor cut a page out of a bound journal. they make really pretty a5 journals with binders in them and refillable pages. (mine is a royal purple with gold embezzlement to make it look like a fancy book)
So this is how i'm laying out my BOS.
About You: What is your path/tradition? What do you believe? How did you get started? What keeps you on this path? What is your magic name?
About You: Who are your deities and who will you serve or not serve?
The Rede (if you follow that)
The Three-fold law (if you follow that)
Sabbats/Why we celebrate them
Esbats/Why we celebrate them
The Four Elements + Spirit
The Four Cardinal Directions
Witch’s tool kit (Ritual tools)
Altars/How to set up an altar
Herbs (check your spice cabinet)
Other things you can use in magic that you already have (garlic salt, eggshells, cords, etc.)
Bones/Teeth/Claws (if you'll be working with those things)
Other "Dead" things like snail shells and sea shells. (if you'll be working with those things)
Planets/What do they mean/Planet Symbols
Zodiac signs/what do they mean/Zodiac Symbols
Symbolism (animals, shapes, and whatever else you wish to add)
What is a hand-fasting ceremony?
“Smudging” and why you can't do it if you're white
Closed Practices to be aware of
Circle Casting/What Direction to draw the circle/What the Four Elements + Spirit represent in a circle.
Angels (if you'll be working with them)
The fae (if you'll be working with them-- also just a good idea to know of the fae.)
Other creatures of importance
The different types of religions: Asatru, Druids, Paganism, Wicca, etc.
The Difference between Baneful and Baleful
Altered States of Consciousness (alcohol/drugs and the effects they have on magic)
Different types of spells/How they work/What makes a spell work?
How can you use the moon/sun cycles in magic.
How to use the Four Elements + Spirit in your spells
How do the lunar phases/planets/alignment/days of the week/day/night effect our spellwork?
Jar spells and how to make sure they dont mold (unless you want them too)
Hexing/cursing/Binding (if you're into that) and how to undo it.
What to do if you've been cursed
How to stop a ritual if things get Too Real.
A section on tarot cards and their meanings
The ideometer effect and how it's bullshit
Rune meanings and how to cast them
Throwing the bones (if you'll be working with bones)
Ogham Staves (typically celtic in nature)
Cartomancy (reading playing cards)
Astragalomancy (reading dice)
Grounding and centering during/after a ritual
A list of what motivates you to do your craft
Small spells for self care/motivation/creativity
Your astral space (a map, a description, drawings of important locations)
Your astral body, if it's any different than your physical one
A list of spirits and important information about them
Protection, shielding, banishing, wards, and safety
Manners when interacting with spirits/How NOT to interact with spirits
Methods of projection/travel that work for you
Post-astral grounding methods
How to interact with spirits and how NOT to interact with spirits (similar to the Astral work section, learn how to be polite to spirits)
Protection, banishing, shielding, wards, and other safety things
How to give offerings (there's more than one way!)
Types of offerings for specific deities/spirits
Methods of communicating with spirits you have found
Ways spirits can send signs and messages (animals, dreams, and so on)
A list of different kinds of spirits you work with/have encountered
A section for research, especially if you're doing deity work.
Grounding, if it helps you afterwards
A log of interaction with spirits. This can be like a divination journal but with spirits, if that's what you do.
Cemetery dirt, grave dust, and its uses