Your Book of Shadows will probably end up being one of your most sacred and useful tools. In this book you will include information about your Wiccan experiences. Consider it your personal path reference book. Since it is such a personal thing, many Wiccans rarely lend it out (if ever) and only share with those who are very close to them, perhaps eventually even passing the book on to a special person.
Traditionally, the Book of Shadows was handwritten, copied from a High Priestess or Priest when entering into the religion. However, any way you wish to keep your Book of Shadows is fine, there is no benefit to handwriting it. Just make sure you are comfortable with whatever utensil you use, whether it be your keyboard, a pencil, or even a sharpie.
The are many beautifully bound books, but instead of keeping it in the form of an actual book, you can also keep the information in a 3-ring binder (my choice) or on a disk. Simply make sure that it feels right to you.
Some of the basic things you may want to have in your Book of Shadows:
A Dedication
Protection Spell
Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
Sacred and traditional texts like The Wiccan Rede &/or The Charge of the Goddess.
Information on the Sabbats (Wiccan holidays) and Wiccan Wheel of the Year (calendar for the cycle of the seasons)
Information on Goddesses and Gods
Correspondences: Amulets, colors, incenses, stones, symbols, etc.
Outlines: Spells, rituals, altar set-ups, etc.
Recipes: Food, incense, oils, etc.
Meditations: Chants, prayers, poetry, etc.
Lores: Moon, dragon, fairy, etc.
Divination Studies: Runes, palmistry, tarot, ouiji, etc.
Index
Of course, there is a lot more that can be included in your Book of Shadows and any of the things I listed can also be taken out. It all depends on your path choice and what you personally feel needs to be in there. If it doesn’t feel right, you’re not at all required to keep it in your book. Also, you may want to leave some blank pages in between sections. Doing this, you can write down any additional thoughts you may have about a particular part of your book or about anything you may have tried and want to keep record of. Soon enough, you’ll see that your book will become full before you know it.
The order in which you put things doesn’t matter. It’s personal preference. It can be organized and sorted in any way you feel comfortable with, just remember that this book and its contents will become a very important part of your magical practice and you’ll be using it often. You’ll want to be able to find things easily.
Now that you’ve got the basics, go get started on your Book of Shadows.
