How to Create A Book Of Shadows

A book of shadows is a personal book, typical to Wiccan traditions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A computer, notebook, binder and dividers, or whatever you choose to make your BOS out of.
• Pens, pencils.
• A glue stick.
• Paints, stickers, embellishments, etc. if you choose to use them.

1. Decide how you are going to keep your BOS. You can keep it on your computer, in a spiral notebook, or splurge on a leather journal. Many people use binders because of the ability to shuffle pages around and create sections, but it is entirely up to you.
2. On your first page, you may want to lay down a statement of your beliefs. What do you believe in? Who are your patron gods/goddesses, if any? Do you follow the Wiccan Rede or the Threefold Law? Do you believe in spellcasting, or only in ritualistic worship? It is not necessary to do so, but can prove to be useful as you go along. Feel free to add or remove from this list as you please.
3. Write down any rituals or spells you have created, step by step, for future reference. You may want to include a basic outline for creating rituals or spells, as well. eHow's setup -- listing what you need, the individual steps, tips, and warnings -- is a good place to start.
4. Include prayers, poetry, stories, artwork, etc, whether created by yourself or others. As long as it inspires you, or honors the God/Goddess, it is fair game.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't worry about making it "perfect", just feel free to create.
• The other advantage to using a binder for your BOS is the ability to remove your ritual and spell pages, so that you are not trying to jostle the book itself around during a ritual.
• Scope out crafts stores for embellishments, stickers, and other scrapbooking goodies for use in your book.
• If you are using a notebook or journal, number the pages and create a table of contents in the last few pages of the book. This makes referencing things very easy and saves some guesswork.