#witchbook

[creature-wizard]

Wait so there's witches on facebook. What's that ecosystem like??

Wouldn't know, personally; I've never been there.

[wolverinesorcery]

What is a commonplace book

Commonplace books are a method of compiling knowledge into one place, traditionally by handwriting but more recently with computers/word processors. They’re different from journals in that rather than containing exclusively personal thoughts or feelings, they’re a collection of external writings, informations, or other snippets of things recorded whenever it is encountered + usually organised.

To simplify – a commonplace book contains anything that captured it’s owners attention! Poems, extracts of fiction & non fiction writings, remarks or comments by others, anecdotes, observations, pertinent images, or other things along the same lines are all things that belong in a commonplace book!

Commonplace books have quite the history – their uses range between reading logs, reference books for students, and historically they were required by young women to demonstrate their upbringing.

How do they work

The exact system you use in your commonplace book is entirely up to you and what you will remember to use. Usually information is organised under themed/topic-based headings, but this can be as flexible or stiff as the keeper desires. My personal commonplace book is organised by source material – all of my book extracts & notes are kept together and demarcated by paperclips.

A commonplace book has no requirements in terms of physical format, size, page type, etc. As long as it is something you will be able to keep using happily! There is also no rules around decorating any pages with stickers or washi tape, or any rules around using sticky notes to add information on the go.

A commonplace book can also be as expansive or restricted as possible in terms of subject matter. For example, I keep a specific commonplace book for Babalon & Sekhmet. Nothing else enters this book.

What’s their use in religious practice or witchcraft?

A commonplace book can function as an in-between for a Grimoire (a book of magical knowledge and instruction, usually written by someone else and usually for transmitting knowledge within a specific tradition or branch of religion/witchcraft) & a Witchbook/Book of Shadows (more akin to a magical/religious journal for recordkeeping). They’re also exceptionally useful if you read a lot of metaphysical, occult or spiritual/religious books and want to keep organised notes in a hard copy form!

Commonplace books can be used to record interesting information from other, non-metaphysical but useful sources too, foraging notes and recipes are an obvious choice to keep a record of, along with notes about celestial events from astronomy sources.

In some cases, a commonplace book can also be a devotional activity, or a shrine of sorts. Commonplace books as a devotional activity is easy to parse – collecting and mindfully recording information about an entity, deity, divinity or other spirit is a good means to show care and interest.

A commonplace book as a shrine has a similar function to an e-shrine on tumblr, by collecting things that remind or represent an entity, deity, divinity or other spirit, a notebook can be made into a shrine or sacred object. This can also be a useful way to have a sacred touchpoint with an entity and keep it relatively out of sight, for those who are not open about their practice.

Examples

More reading on Commonplace books

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonplace_book - The wiki page for Commonplace books that delves into their general & regional history, along with more variations on memory/infokeeping under See Also

https://notebookofghosts.com/2018/02/25/a-brief-guide-to-keeping-a-commonplace-book/ - A brief history & how-to on commonplace books, along with notable people that kept one.

https://bookriot.com/commonplace-book/ - An informal look at commonplace books, including using a tumblr blog/other digital formats as a commonplace book.

https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-and-why-to-keep-a-commonplace-book-ea80e25b63f1 - Information about commonplace books, alternatives to notebooks, and a small guide.

[karen-kosmic-stevens]

👑 CELEBRATING 👑 one of my very special clients - a beautiful young woman - you know who you are ;) You my darling are changing generational patterns, making a REAL difference in not only your own family generational lines, but the entire human race, the Universe and the Collective. So super proud of all you have achieved in such a short time xx You are AMAZING🤩 Thank you for showing up and doing the work x Keep shining beautiful girl 💎🌟💖😘 So much love for you 🥰🥰 #soulwork #spiritualmentor #generationalhealing #selflove #selfrespect #nextgeneration #dothework #healing #karenstevens #mastermatrixdecoder #galacticwitch #witchbook #energyhealing #energywork #youvealwayshadthepower #clientlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CmyP_Llyk_F/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thaliaswitchblog]

After taking a few weeks to prepare for fhe dark half of the year and to recover from illness and the loss of my beloved cat I'm finally back and will hopefully be posting daily or at least every other day. . I am also going to be working new YouTube videos and my tumblr that I recently set up. . So if you want to check out those things just follow the link in my bio and see what I do 😊 . #bookofshadows #bookofshadowspages #grimoire #grimoires #witchbook #spellbook (at Stoke-on-Trent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkGItNurvHH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ales-art]

Some warmth to you. Just do not tell the witch that he must comb his hair before braiding the braid =)

[iristhewitch]

Creating Sigils

Here is a little look into my Grimoire. I use my sigil board frequently as a reference and to draw. You can see the many times erased light pencil marks or worn paper from tracing with my finger. 

I think that my biggest fear when making sigils can be aesthetics. Sometimes we get caught up in that idea that what looks good will be good but sometimes we need to put our trust in the process. 

One thing we can learn from sigils is not everything has to be perfect, or pretty. That includes our craft, and our magical reference books, and the spells we create. Let’s not get caught up in aesthetics and let’s start trusting in the power we have! 

Good luck and have fun making sigils! I will be making a sigil to hopefully pay my rent and medical bills this month! Ill let you know how it goes! (:

TIP JAR

[libraryinthecountry]

★ ★ COVER REVEAL ★ Who are your favorite witchy characters? *flails wildly* I’ve been dying to help reveal this cover and today is the day! Feast your eyes on @authormirandalyn’s upcoming, The Unmarked Witch! Everything Miranda has told me about this book has me itching to get it in my hands. Y’all, this one is gonna be good. 😏 Perfect for my fellow fantasy romance fans. The Unmarked Witch releases September 20th! You can add it to your Goodreads shelves and preorder it now at a special price of .99 cents. Keep reading for the description: ★ BOOK DESCRIPTION // ALL RAVEN WANTS IS PEACE. BUT IN A MAGICAL REALM PLAGUED BY DECEPTION, THE ONLY THING HER WORLD KNOWS IS TURMOIL.  A land where witches wear their spells like tattoos is no place for a woman without a single magical mark—except for Raven, whose unblemished skin contradicts the truth of her power. Surviving under the scowls of her fellow witches has carved indelible scars into her mind over the years—just as the day she watched the Dark King's men murder her grandmother in cold blood. But the Dark King's reign of terror is far-reaching, and Raven's grandmother won't be the last witch to die under his rule. After the death of a coven leader heralds the start of the infamous Witch Trials, Raven finds herself dodging death to triumph. The journey quickly descends into perils far greater than she'd ever imagined, including a war on her heart from a man she’d only ever known as a villain. Still, trust is always fragile in kingdoms ruled by magic, especially when love enters the fold. Yet, something else is awry in the land of spells and shadows and Raven must decide whether she trusts her gut or her heart.The Unmarked Witch is the first gripping book in the seductive and intriguing duology, Unmarked. ★ HASHTAGS // #unmarked #theunmarkedwitch #witchyreads #mirandalyn #fallrelease #witchbook #fantasybook #nafantasy #romanticfantasy #fantasyromance #romantasy #coverreveal #bookstagram #fantasybooks #booknerd #booksofig #bookaholic #bookhoarder #bookworm #booklover #bookstagrammer #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks #bookstack #bookphotography #bibliophile #shelfie https://www.instagram.com/p/CaYEokAvDVa/?utm_medium=tumblr

[levegadollhouse]

Practicing. #fantasyart #fantasyillustration #artstyle #witchcraft #artstyle #wizard #wizardartistsociety #wizardillustration #artistsofinstagram #artistsupportartists #witchcraft #witchbook #spellbook #art #artstyle #procreate #procreateart #protectivestyles #procreateillustration #digitalart #digitalillustration #digitaldrawing #digitalartist #digitalpaint #fairy #nature #night #fantasyart i #fantasyillustration #fantasyillustration #artstyle https://www.instagram.com/p/CWsH_C6r3it/?utm_medium=tumblr