Organizing Your Book of Shadows and Light

� 2003 by Mareth SummerWind

I often read posts about BOS&L organization from people on the Pagan e-groups that I receive. Many people simply do not even know where to start when it comes to sorting and filing the information pertaining to Paganism, which they have collected from various sources. Newcomers to the Craft, especially, can get overwhelmed when they start to set up their own Books, since there�s no set form to follow.

When I began my BOS&L back in the early 1990�s, it was handwritten in a fixed-page journal, which left no way to reorganize later. Being somewhat of an obsessive organizer, I know now that was a mistake. Even though each volume of my handwritten Book has its own index, it is extremely difficult to find a specific piece of information in a hurry. It is also very hard to read by candlelight� something I find to be a HUGE problem.

While I have continued with the handwritten journals out of a sense of tradition, I also keep my information on Microsoft Word. Not only is it neater, it is also much easier to read during ritual. Everything is broken down into the categories below and the printed version is kept in a 3-ring loose leaf binder.

  • ASTROLOGY
    • Lunar Astrology
    • Solar Astrology
    • Other Planetary Correspondences

  • BASICS OF RITUAL
    • Ritual Tools
      • Uses
      • Consecration
    • Daily Altar Devotion
    • Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
    • The Witches� Rune
    • Setting Up Altars and Sacred Space
    • Ritual Structure
      • Casting the Circle
      • Invoking the Elements
      • Calling Deity
      • Drawing Down the Moon
      • Cakes and Ale Ceremony
      • Closing the Circle

  • BOOKS
    • Personal Library
      • Inventory
      • Lending List
    • Recommended Reading for Pagans

  • CORRESPONDENCES
    • Color Correspondences
      • Candle Colors
      • Colors for Spellwork
    • Elemental Correspondences
    • Lunar Correspondences for Spellwork
    • Solar Correspondences for Spellwork
    • Miscellaneous Correspondences

  • DEITIES
    • Legends and Lore
    • Rituals to Honor or Attune to Deity

  • DIVINATION
    • Tarot
    • Runes
    • Miscellaneous

  • ESBATS
    • The Purpose of Esbats
    • Rituals

  • THE FAE
    • Information on the Fae
    • Rituals and Spells Involving the Fae

  • GEMSTONES
    • Information on stones
    • Using Stones in Magick and Ritual

  • HEALTH AND HEALING
    • Using Color to Heal
    • Using Gemstones to Heal
    • Using the Moon to Heal
    • Miscellaneous

  • HERBS AND HERBALISM
    • Gardening Tips and Plans
    • Using Herbs for Health and Beauty
    • Using Herbs for Magick

  • IMPORTANT LIFE CEREMONIES
    • Wiccanings
    • Menarche Celebrations
    • Handfastings
    • Dedications
    • Cronings
    • Funeral Rites

  • JOURNALS
    • Divination
    • Spellwork
    • Personal

  • MAGICKAL SYSTEMS
    • Wicca and Witchcraft Traditions
    • Cultural Traditions

  • MISCELLANEOUS
    • Kitchen Witchery
    • Handicrafts
    • Meditations and Affirmations
    • Auras
    • Feng Shui
    • Magickal Creatures
    • Chakras
    • Craft Doctrine

  • POETRY AND PROSE
    • Chants
    • Prayers
    • Poetry
    • Songs
    • Pagan Prose
      • Fiction
      • Non-fiction

  • Recipes
    • Food
    • Drinks
    • Bath Salts
    • Incense
    • Bath Oils

  • Sabbats
    • Information
    • Rituals

  • Spells
    • Binding Spells
    • Banishing Spells
    • Spells Dealing with Emotions
    • Employment Spells
    • Prosperity Spells
    • Healing Spells
    • Spells to Find Lost Items
    • Health and Beauty Spells
    • Home and Hearth Spells
    • Love Spells
    • Relationship Spells
    • Pet Spells
    • Miscellaneous Spells
    • Protection Spells
    • Travel Spells
    • Seasonal Spells
    • Self-Improvement Spells

Using categories like these, adding others or subtracting ones that don�t interest you, getting your BOS organized will be a snap. I believe that organizing a Book of Shadows and Light is a very personal thing and it seems that there are as many methods as there are points of view in the Pagan community� which is to say an infinite number. While I can�t guarantee that my method will work for you, I offer it as a starting point. Perhaps, reading this will inspire you to create your own system.

Graphics courtesy of:
The Mystic Moon

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