Book of Shadows

 Traditionally a Book of Shadows (often abbreviated BoS) was a private book developed by a coven of witches.  It contained rituals, spells, charms, and incantations that each new member eventually had to copy by hand.  That tradition may continue in some circles, but in some cases today the BoS is photocopied or shared on a computer disk.   

 According to Starhawk, in current times a BoS is more of a personal journal documenting one's spiritual path.  Starhawk writes, "It may include descriptions of rituals, records of dreams, reactions to exercises, poems, stories, and trance journeys.  Solitary Witches can use their Book of Shadows to develop some of the objectivity that generally comes from working in a coven" (page 79, The Spiral Dance).

Format

 Find a format or method for your BoS that works for you -- whether that is a bound blank book, a spiral notebook, or a computer disk.  Personally, I am so used to working on a computer that I prefer to keep my BoS in both a computer form and a printed form.  I keep the printed form in a spiral notebook, mainly because I like to move sections around and replace worn out pages.

 My BoS is arranged much like this website.  Some of the information at Solitary-Pagan.net is directly from my book, but there's quite a bit of the BoS that's not here.  I keep copies of rituals I've created and Pagan sermons I've given at a local Unitarian Universalist congregation.  I keep records of tarot readings and then write follow-up reports on how the reading related to my situation in hindsight.  There are some places and animals that are particularly special to me, so part of my BoS contains pictures and information about them.

On-line Examples

 Using the Research Tools you will find many items labeled "Book of Shadows."  At the time of this writing I put that phrase in a search engine and it found over 1,300,000 hits!  One on-line example is the Internet Sacred Text Archive Book of Shadows.  Also, there are many entries in the Google Directory of Online Book of Shadows.  

 You will have lots to explore there. Keep in mind that these are only examples -- any BoS will only be of real value to you if it reflects your spiritual path.  Also, you should always be careful when borrowing a stranger's work.  Can you trust the work of a stranger for such intimate and personal activities?  You never try anything without checking out the credibility of the source and the quality of the material.  If you do find the work to be of high value then you should show the courtesy of asking to use the material and thanking the one(s) who provided it.

Different from a Journal

I prefer to have two separate books for my personal journal and my BoS. (See more about journaling here.)  My journal is messy.  It has notes I've made while reading books, ideas for this website, and plans for the next Sabbat.  It is full of scratch-outs and partially developed thoughts.  It also tends to be out on my desk or some place close by. 

My BoS, on the other hand, is seldom out in plain view.  It is not as casual as a journal.  Everything in my BoS is special and extremely personal.  It is structured with chapters and sections. When I decide to add something to it I plan a special ritual.  I use special pens and often add artistic decorations to the pages.  My BoS is among the most precious items I have and I treat it with respect.