Witchcraft 101: Taking notes in a Book of shadow or Grimoire

 You may be wondering what a book of shadows is? and why it called that?

Well a book of shadows... or BOS as its referred to some... is a term used for a diary that witches, pagans and other practitioners keep their notes in. Originally ( to my knowledge) the term comes from having to keep their book in the shadows and out of sight- for fear of execution for witchcraft. Though many naive individuals believe it's a book of demons or black magic- There are some grimoires like this. Like the "Grand Grimoire"  Which can be traced back as early to 1521... and the Necronomicon ( Book of the dead) which is a fictional creation by the author H.P Lovecraft...  Before the Term BOS, many just saw them as books, notes, journals and grimoires. You could argue the Christian Bible and the Qur'an are BOS... but you probably would get into trouble with those that follow those religions. 

note: Remember to remain respectful to others when discussing any sort of religion. It is ok to not follow the same path and to do things differently.

Picking a BOS

A book of shadows doesn't need to be a book, it can be written or made in any format. My first was a tiny notebook of spells, my second a scrapbook; And I keep a notebook spare and use a binder folder just in case. Don't feel obligated to have a big leather-bound book, or even an aesthetically witchy style book. If you want a rainbow unicorn notebook with glitter- go for it. Or if you don't want to bother with handwriting everything- why not type it up? Like this blog is doing!

How do you start your own BOS?

The best way to start a BOS is to start researching first. The more research you do, the more knowledge you can add. Whether you start reading, watching or listening- there are plenty of resources out there for you. Starting with the 'What' a practice is as opposed to ' How' will also give you a better understanding early on.  Just remember to keep some draft notes for you to add to your BOS- if you want to call it that of course.

Do I have to have a BOS?

Not really; but it does help to keep a record of things from time to time. There's only so much the brain can remember from time to time. 

Is BOS exclusive? e.g for Pagan's and witches only?

Absolutely not. As I said you could consider many religious texts to be a BOS... I have a friend exploring shamanism, and she too has a BOS- though hers stands for Book of shamanism. There's a lot to learn in any spiritual/non-spiritual practise- so having a journal of notes in anything is valuable to you. That's like saying can only those studying English have a notebook compared to history students.

Tips?

Here is one- keep a draft notebook for any work in progress spells, incomplete information and quick notes you need to write down without worrying about presentation- you can then transfer these into another and lay it out all pretty- as you like.