Do you have a book of shadows or something similar where you keep such info?:) I hand made one but now I'm scared to ruin the book
Hello, friend! (Get ready for a long post) Yes I do have a book of shadows! :) I actually have a book for literally everything. (Divination, dream journal, thoughts, etc.) I even have a Book of Sigils! (
Honestly, do not scare yourself when keeping a BoS or grimoire. I know there are some people out there with beautiful organized script and drawings, but that is definitely not everyone. My BoS is a scribbly mess, with writing everywhere and drawings. Its just a plain notebook, has misspelled words, and crossed out things. But I love it like that. It shows my growth and my journey/process of learning. I love the feeling of knowing I wrote everything I could in my book. It shows I had passion and was willing to learn.
I thought I’d be super perfectionist, but I wasn’t. Since I am a little perfectionist, I have kept a book for my spells and stuff that won’t change, which I call my grimoire. There is honestly nothing in it lol. Which is why you should not be afraid of making mistakes! If you are too afraid to try, you won’t do anything at all. I convinced myself that I’d just get another journal and that would be my practice grimoire. Turns out that it is now my BoS and I use it daily! That helped me be less afraid, and more comfortable. Plus I got a lot of journals now, so I split things into books based on subjects. (Like my divination journal and Book of Sigils!) Of course you do not need to do that. I just focus on divination, a ton, so I thought this journal would help me understand my decks and runes better. Also I like my Book of Sigils, because I do sigil requests often and I like to go back and use some sigils I have made.
So I noticed you said you made your book? That sounds cool as heck. Please don’t worry about messing up in it! Every imperfection makes your book even more personal and meaningful to you. I have misspelled “have,” and “witch” in my book several times. Reading back on it, it is super funny, because that is just so me. I rush when writing because I am just so excited to get it down. I like that it shows a real person put energy into it, it makes it personal and displays the hard work put into it. Tbh my favorite grimoires are the messy ones. They just feel more ancient to me. The book’s main goal is to be useful, it doesn’t have to be pretty. (But there is no harm in it being pretty, if you want it to be!)
Please note that here is no shame in a binder/unconventional grimoire/BoS! I am actually intending to transfer most of my notes into a binder! It is so useful and I can take anything out/or add anything in as time passes! Plus you can still decorate it, or even hide it if you’re a secret witch. Speaking of unconventional journals: I use my computer a ton too! I actually have some diary apps that I use as my dream journal. I know some people who use Google Docs as their Grimoires, and let me tell you, they are super easy to do and add to. Very useful
Okay, so just to show you how a real learning witches books look like, I took some pictures of my stuff, because honestly I don’t mind sharing them. :) (I did cover up some things to protect myself/others) Heres what a real, useful, and not picture perfect, Book of Shadows looks like:
And my Book of Sigils (its a binder with card collector sleeves):
See? My journals are plain and inconspicuous because I am a secret witch. It works for me. On the inside they are riddled with notes, thoughts, and resources. My pride and joy is my Book of Sigils, because it is so organized and useful to me. On every book I have, I have a sigil on the from and back inside covers, for privacy and a non-activation of sigils-sigil. I didn’t bother showing you my Grimoire, because It is empty, since I was too scared to right in it! Don’t be like me in that aspect. Go for it! What do you have to lose? if you mess up, who cares? If you have mess ups, obviously they were meant to be made and, therefore, are perfect. So stop being so hard on yourself and get to writing. :) You’ll feel very accomplished after you finish your first page.
If you’re too scared to write on the first page, start on the fifth page! Then later you can decide what you want on those first 5 pages.
Leave some room for a Table of Contents. Most people say to do it at the front. I disagree. Do it at the back instead. Then when you get to the last 5 pages you can use them as a Table of Contents, and go through your book and write it at the back. This way you won’t have to worry about leaving enough room in the front for a table of contents. I learned this trick from teachers and professors in school, it has been very useful for me.
You decide what you want in your grimoire/bos. There are no rules. It is all up to you! Some people draw on some pages, some people use it as a diary, some people put personal info in theirs. My advice is you do you.
You don’t need extravagance. If you forget to add in something, put in on a sticky not on the page, or even in an envelope. There is no wrong way to style your book.
I suggest having a book marker of some sort. My journals have a ribbon attached that I can mark my page with. You could also use dividers/tabs. In my binder they have been super useful. I have even used paperclips to mark my spot. It can be extremely helpful when you’re in the middle of a spell/ritual and you need to look back on something.
Protect your books. I use warding sigils, privacy sigils, and non-activation sigils. Those are some easy ways to protect your books. Just put them on the inside front and back covers. You can also you imagery and imagine light protecting your book, as a way to keep it safe.
Don’t give up on your book. If you mess up, don’t immediately throw your book to the side. Just continue on. Rid yourself of that negative energy, and start fresh, even if you have to skip a few pages. I have had to do this from time to time. I know it feels like your book is ruined, but I promise that is not true. You can always continue or even fix mistakes. Don’t worry. This book is only for you, so as long as you understand it, you’re golden!
So my one request on this post is to please not steal my pictures, lol. Since it is my BoS I’d rather not have them stolen without credit. Please don’t repost, but if you have a mighty need to do it, ask me.
Also please don’t try and argue about my info in my books lol. These are my opinions. Also I won’t tolerate any hate from people telling me I shouldn’t post my BoS. I chose to do this to show that not everyone uses aesthetics and beauty for their Grimoires/BoS. Some people just need them for their usefulness, or they just don’t have time to make them beautiful. Also I like my messy aesthetic, it is very me. :)
(The sigils I posted are all mine. The first one is one I created for myself. The other two were requested. They are under my “Love” sigils section, which is right before my “Protection” sigils. Please ignore my terrible handwriting lol)
Okay so I hoped this helped you! If you have more questions, just ask! If anyone else has any helpful information, you’re welcome to join on this post!
Here is my Ko-fi, because a witch gotta live, amiright? ;) > https://ko-fi.com/elsewherewitch
