A Book of Shadows is a witch's working book: a personal record of rituals, spells, correspondences, and experiences. It is part recipe book, part reference, and part diary. It is the one tool that you cannot buy, because it only becomes useful as you fill it.
Where the name comes from
The term comes from early Wicca. In the 1950s, each coven kept a handwritten book of its rituals, and each initiate copied it by hand. As the Craft spread to solitary practitioners, the name came to mean any witch's own book, and the contents became personal.
You will meet two related words. A grimoire is an older term for a book of magical instruction. Many witches use it for a tidy reference book of spells and correspondences, without personal notes. A journal, which some call a Book of Mirrors, is for reflections, dreams, and feelings. You can keep these as three separate books or as one. Most people start with one.
What to put in it
- A title page and a short blessing or dedication
- Your own ethics, in your own words
- The sabbats, with notes on how you kept each one
- Moon phases and what you have observed under them
- Correspondences that you actually use: herbs, colors, stones, days
- Rituals: your way of casting a circle, your prayers and blessings
- Spells, with full records of what you did and what happened
- Divination readings and how they turned out
- Recipes for teas, incense blends, and seasonal food
- Dreams, questions, and things you want to learn
Record what you have tested, and mark what you have only read. In a year you will be glad to know the difference.
Paper or digital?
| Format | Advantages | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Bound notebook | Feels special, and keeps everything in order of time | Cannot be reorganized, and mistakes stay |
| Ring binder | Pages can be added, moved, and replaced. This is the most practical choice. | Less beautiful |
| Digital notes | Searchable, easy to back up, and private behind a password | A screen in ritual space breaks the mood for some people |
Many witches use both: rough notes in a cheap notebook or on a phone, and the best material copied by hand into a good book. Writing by hand slows you down and helps you remember.
How to begin
- Choose a book that you are not afraid to spoil. An expensive, perfect journal tends to stay empty.
- Leave the first few pages blank for a contents list.
- Write a dedication. One sentence will do: "This is the working book of a witch who is learning."
- Date every entry.
- Start with what you did today. A note on the moon phase and the weather is a real first entry.
A template for recording a spell
Copy these headings whenever you do a working.
Spell record
- Date and time
- When you did the working
- Moon and day
- The moon phase and the day of the week
- Intention
- The exact words you used
- Materials
- Everything you used, and why you chose it
- Method
- What you did, step by step
- How it felt
- Your state of mind before, during, and after
- Follow-up
- Practical steps you will take
- Results
- Leave space. Fill it in after a month.
Keeping it private
A Book of Shadows is personal, and you are entitled to keep it to yourself. Store it out of sight. If privacy is a serious concern, use a plain cover, an ordinary-looking notebook, or a password-protected file. Some witches write sensitive entries in a private shorthand or in a magical alphabet. Our article on practicing in the broom closet has more ideas.
The only rule
Use it. A stained, crossed-out, well-thumbed notebook is worth more than a beautiful empty one. Your book does not need to look like anyone else's. It needs to be true to what you actually do.