What to put in your Grimoire
There was a really nice ask from a beginner witch about how to start a grimoire.
And I thought another article about grimoires couldn’t harm so here you go.
Buckle up witches and pagans because this will be a looong post. :3
First of all decice if you want a digital or a physical grimoire. The pro of having a digital grimoire is that it doesn’t take up much space and it has no limitations when writing. You could also just copy and paste from various websites if you feel like it. Still you should be careful, because the information could be easily lost e.g if your PC crashes.
Personally I prefer to have an actual book, because you can draw in it, personalize it in any way you like (a scrapbook, a messy notebook, a big leatherbound journal, several small journals bound together etc.) and I guess it just feels amazing to hold and to feel the energy radiate from it. (:
Also don’t be afraid to write/draw in your grimoire.
If you think that you will ruin a beautiful big book just put it aside for the moment and write in a small notebook. Then carefully plan out the layout of the page and transfer the information to your main grimoire. This way it really shouldn’t be a problem.
Over the time the grimoire becomes a part of yourself and it could be very painful if it gets lost or destroyed while you are still alive.
I mean you put tons and tons of time, hard work and very personal information in it. It would be like a part of your soul or brain being ripped out (at least for me).
That is also the reason why many witches take it with them to the grave or burn it. (In older times witches (or just wise women/men) burned their grimoires to avoid getting recognized as such). Of course nowadays a lot of witches just give their grimoires to their children or people they consider worthy of their knowledge.
Now what about the content?
I would recommend to start your Grimoire with a *You*page; Introduce yourself, write down your name, your age, write down your beliefs and thoughts (What has inspired you to become a witch?, Are you religious or not ?, What is witchcraft/magic(k) to you? etc.).
Write down your wishes and fears and get to know yourself a little better.
On the second page you could write down a dedication to your deities/god/gods, to nature or to whomever you like. (The wiccans have the wiccan rede for example.)
After that just write one or two of your favorite spells. Maybe write down some basics;
How to cast a circle, sabbath information, the purpose of salt, the elements, some herb information.
The grimoire will fill up automatically if you record your progress as a witch daily (or whenever you feel like it ).
So don’t worry too much. :)
Also always leave some blank pages in between, where you can add some additional information later. (If a page really looks that bad you just could glue another page over it. No problem there.)
!!!! A tip from me - always ALWAYS do your research , it’s always better to use several different sources (books and/or the internet) and to always read twice!
Because in some cases e.g brewing a potion, you could misread the info about a herb or crystal being poisonous and that could be life threatening !!!
Please take care.
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Alright - Here comes the difficult part.
Now, I am a perfectionist and for me everything in my grimoire must be somehow organized.
And witchcraft is a topic with many many aspects and it can be hard to work through all of them, especially if you don’t know where to start. :)
That’s why i listed some topics about what to include into your Grimoire below.
Just browse and write down what seems interesting or what feels right to you.
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General Things to include in your Grimoire are:
*Drawings and Sketches
*CORRESPONDENCES
*Poetry
*Stickers
*Pressed Leaves and Flowers (Herbarium)
*Witchy Challenges
*Song Lyrics
*Recipes
*Quotes
*Dream Journal
*Photos
*D. I. Y and Tutorials
*Your Experience and Thoughts About Magic(k) and the World.
*Write in Different Languages
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Specific Things to include in your Grimoire:
Wheel of the Year
- Sabbaths and Esbaths
- Other Festivals (Birthday, Handfasting etc.)
- What is Time?
- Cycle of Life and Death
- Months and Seasons
- Times of the Day
- Planetary Hours
- Days of the Week
- Different Calendars
Symbols
- Basic Symbols
-Physical Symbols (Book, Drilbu, Tombstone etc.)
-Sigils
-Magic Circles
-Amulets and Talismans
-Languages and Alphabets (Runes, Theban Script, Kanji, Egyptian Hieroglyphs etc.)
- Magical Tools (Grimoire, Ritual Knife, Incense, Crystal Ball, Special Clothes, Dream Catchers, Cancels, Altars etc.)
-Colours
-Numbers and Number Systems
-Sacred Geometry
-Anatomy
-Philosophical Texts
-Spells, Incantations, Curses etc.
-Architecture and Archeology (Pyramids)
-Secret Languages and How to Code and Decode Them
History
-Different Religions and their Mythology
-Mythical Beings (Angels, Demons, Fae, Unicorns etc.)
-God Pantheons
-Creation Myths
- The Origins of Witches and the History of Magic (From Neandertales Worshipping Nature Spirits to Pop Culture Witches).
-Interesting People which inspire you (Solomon, Sycorax, Baba Wanga, Morrigan, Aleister Crowley, Scott Cunningham , Alex Sanders, Jesus idk)
-Secret Societies
-Lore and Legends that you like
Divination
-Astrology
- Cartomancy (Cards and Tarot)
-Radiesthesia (Dowsing, Pendulum etc.)
-Arithmancy and Numeralogy
- Biorythms
- Runes
-I Ching
- Geomancy
- Palmistry
-Lithomancy
-Necromancy
-Scrying
-Feng Shui
- Other Kinds of Divination ( idk man there are HUNDREDS of them so just google and you’ll find all that you need).
Nature
-Astronomy
-Meteorology
-Natural Phenomenons and Catastrophes
-Environments
-The Elements
-Mineralogy (Gems, Crystals, Minerals etc.)
-Plants, Trees, Herbs, Spices etc.
-Mycology (Mushrooms)
-Drugs and Hallucinogen (Careful Please!)
-Animals (Fauna)
-Familiars
- Other Creatures and Cryptozoology
- Ghosts and Spirits and How to Communicate with Them (Ouija etc.)
-Herbalism (Preparation of Herbs, Potions, Infusions, Baths, Teas, Cosmetics, Perfumes etc.)
-Natural Medicine (Salves etc.)
-Alternative Medicine (Acupuncture, Meditation, Bach Essences, Reiki etc.)
Other
-Science and Magic(k)
-Philosophy
-Psychology
-Neurology
-Physiognomy
-Parapsychology (Telekinesis, Telepathy etc.)
-Diffrent Types, Practices and Traditions of Magic(k) e. g Shamanism, Kabbalah, Mysticism, Gnosticism, Wicca, Thelema, Voodou
-Dreams and Lucid Dreams
-Alchemy and Spagyric
-Rituals
-Invocations and Envocations
-Astral Projection and Spirit Guides
-Auras and Chakras
-Taxidermy
-Martial Arts (if you want to)
-Your Favorite Books
-Seriously Though Write Whatever You Feel Like Writing
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Sorry that it turned out so long, but
i hope that I could help you and that you found something interesting!
Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions. :3
Take Good Care of Your Grimoire and Yourself!
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