Used by Covens and Solitary practitioners alike, A Book of Shadows is usually regarded as a sacred book. Unlike the Christian's Bible, Witches don't have a main reference book from which they can obtain their belief systems. A Book of Shadows is developed by the individual and is based on personal beliefs, being carefully guarded from the prying eyes of those who would not understand the magick held within its covers.

On a Coven level, in addition to the magickal aspects, the Book of Shadows can also contain such information as Coven Bi-Laws, as well as defining those beliefs that encompass any particular Coven's Tradition. Needless to say, A Coven Book of Shadows and a Solitary Book of Shadows often vary greatly in their content.

Many Witches believe that, traditionally, A Book of Shadows should be hand written. This makes the Book that much more powerful due to the magickal intentions and understanding of he or she who writes the words as they put pen to paper. In a Coven setting, if you are an initiate, it is often requested that you hand copy the Covens Book of Shadows both for the magickal aspect of doing so, as well as the educational benefits gained from it. With Hereditary traditions, the book is handed down through the generations, only after years of teaching the recipients how to properly use the Great Book. And still there are those that would take their Grimoire with them into the next life, literally being buried with it to have its knowledge accessible to them when they need it, as well as to protect its guarded secrets.

Historically, it is difficult to say how far back in time the concept of a Book of Shadows originates. Some are believed to be traced back to the Middle Ages, but it is felt by others that, before the Burning Times, Witches were not well educated and could neither read nor write well enough to create such a book. Either way, it is felt that most of the information was handed down orally, and it is because of this that is so difficult to trace the beliefs and practices of our ancestors.

During the Burning Times, it proved to be detrimental to the life of a Witch to have a spellbook, or anything resembling one, in his or her possession. If any were found during this time in history, it is a sure bet that they were either destroyed, or secretly kept by the Inquisition for their own twisted purposes. That being said, it is near to impossible to actually find any such precious relics from days of old, with only a few remaining today, and being highly guarded by their possesors. Sadly, I fear, many of those in existence today were written from a Christian perspective with tales of demons and horrible deeds, shredding the true meaning of Witchcraft into unrecognizable pieces.

In this modern day of Witches, Books of Shadows are plentiful, although not widely publicized. You can find some published versions on the internet, but most of them are brief and scantily opened for public viewing, only containing bits and pieces of the owner's true book. There are a few that can be found in bookstores, the authors wishing to share their experience in hopes of helping others to benefit from their knowledge. Even still, it is highly unlikely that the public is getting the owner's book in its entirety. This is as much for safety as it is for privacy. Those who truely understand the laws of Nature and the principles of the Craft know that a Book of Shadows is not to be handed out as a toy to be had by the curious. The contents of these books could cause repercussions if used haphazardly by anyone not correctly understanding the information, and protected more so from those who may wish to use the content for harmful purposes. Needless to say, most of the Books of Shadows that you will find published will only contain information that is universally known by Witches, and only shared with Non-Crafters as resource for starting their own personal research process.

Why all the secrecy and guarded protection of these books? Well, aside from the reasons that have already been mentioned, learning about the Craft is not a simple process. It can take many years for a Witch to learn and understand this valuable knowledge. It is not just a simple matter of reading a book. And let's be honest, it's not really fair to expect to be handed everything on a silver platter either. Gaining an understanding and inner-knowledge from studying and practicing the Craft is a true benefit for those who are sincere in wanting to learn. It is a also an issue of self-control, and realizing that the "Law of Three Fold Return" is indeed a force to be reckoned with. In addition, for Wiccans, living by the Rede "An it harm none,...", and the phrase "In perfect love and perfect trust", are major factors in preparing and utilizing a Book of Shadows. If you aren't prepared to live by these codes of conduct, then possessing a Book of Shadows written by someone else could quite possibly provide a whole new meaning to the word "chaos" in your life.