Book of Shadows (Journal)

While digital notes and folders are convenient when you’re still figuring things out, most people who stay serious about their practice eventually end up keeping at least one physical Book of Shadows.

There’s something about writing things down by hand that makes the work feel more real and intentional. You can add notes in the margins, cross things out when they no longer resonate, and build a relationship with the book over time.

In Traditional Witchcraft

A lot of witches like to record correspondences in their Book of Shadows  herbs, planetary timings, moon phases, colors, and elemental associations.

If you enjoy collecting and referencing this kind of information, a larger Book of Shadows can be useful. However, many people find it more practical to keep a folder for their correspondences and research, and then move their tried-and-true spells and rituals into a separate, cleaner Book of Shadows once they’ve tested and refined them. This way, your main working book doesn’t become cluttered with information you rarely use during actual spellwork.

Of course, if this is your first book of shadows, just get in there and get creative and feel the witchy vibe. Scribble everywhere, write everything down. Let it get really messy because we’ve all been through it and it’s part of the process. In years to come, you’ll look back and think, “Damn, I need an index,” but don’t let that stop you, especially if you have ADHD. 🙂

In the Dark Arts

A physical Book of Shadows can be especially helpful when you’re working with spirits, demons, or more complex rituals. Having sigils, names, offerings, and key instructions written out clearly means you don’t need to rely on a phone or laptop during ritual. It also serves as a personal reference point  something you can flip through to remind yourself of what has worked in the past, what offerings certain spirits prefer, or how you’ve structured previous workings.

With so much information at our fingertips these days, it’s nice to have one book where you write down the things you’re into right now or you really have practiced and you know what you want to do. Then write it down in a book of shadows where you don’t have to keep referring to hard copy books or references online.

In LaVeyan Satanism

In Anton LaVey’s rituals, the words spoken during the ceremony are very specific and structured. Because The Satanic Bible is printed in quite small font, it can be difficult to read comfortably during ritual, especially in a dimly lit room. Having the ritual written out clearly in a physical Book of Shadows makes it much easier to follow along without breaking your focus or straining your eyes. Many people find it smoother to have their own copy of the ritual text in larger writing so they can stay present in the working rather than getting distracted trying to read small print.

Also, for all the reasons above, once you start practicing the same spells time and time again and you start to get different results, you want to keep these in one place that you can refer to. Also, you’re going to modify and change things, and so having something you can literally write in is a great idea.

A Note on Size

While large Books of Shadows (such as 18 x 13 or bigger) look impressive and give you plenty of space to write, they can become heavy, difficult to store, and impractical for quick altar work. That’s not to say that everyone around here has a mega Book of Shadows that they keep primarily for correspondences and for the traditional writing down of coven information.

A great size is the 10 x 13, especially if you have the room, because you can write in a larger font, which is good for everybody when you think about it. When you’re doing a ritual and you want to refer over to something, you don’t need intensely tiny writing where you have to stop what you’re doing. It’s better to write the practical steps large so you can keep a great flow to your rituals. That’s my tip. lol plus, at this time size, you’ve got lots of room to add side notes to your spells or updates, depending on how you like to keep your book of shadows.

Smaller sizes, like 5×7, are often more practical for everyday use and quick reference during rituals. If you’re making oils, like some of us, you want a quick reference guide to the oils without having a mega book, or others who like to keep various gods and goddesses in a book of shadows that’s easy to bring to the altar itself.

Again, you don’t want to be bringing your electronic devices to the altar. 

Many practitioners end up with more than one Book of Shadows  a larger one for detailed notes and correspondences, and a smaller, more portable one for active ritual use.

About our stock status

We keep most of our book of shadows at the warehouse, not in the New Orleans office. This means you’ll be able to purchase them if they are in stock. We will ship them down or bring them down from the warehouse to New Orleans, so allow an extra few days.