A Book of Shadows (BOS)is a witch's personal book of magick.It is a sort of diary that holds all your "Magickal Recordings". You can put any bit of information into it like spells, rituals, potions, and how to prepare magickal tools. It can also contain lists of angels, spirits and the magickal properties of objects found in nature.
Some witches use their Book of Shadows for everything. They keep their spells and personal information all in one book. Others have two seperate books--a Book of Shadows and a grimoire. A grimoire is like a recipe book. It contains your spells and the magickal information that you need to do your working. A seperate Book of Shadows can be more personal. In it you can record your dreams and their meanings, your magical workings, and records of your rituals. You might make note of a premonition that you had or write about your feelings after a ritual.
There are many reasons to keep records. You can see your progress as a witch and watch how you get stronger and stronger in your magickal workings. You also need a place to record your spells and rituals. If you write them down, you can start to see what works best for you in terms of timing and the type of spell you do.And there are so many different spells and uses for those spells that you could never keep them all in your head.
Because your Book of Shadows contains information about your magickal workings, it is a special and sacred object.Give it a place of honor, the way you would for a family Bible. Most people keep their Book of Shadows hidden in the cabinet with their magickal tools. You want to make sure your book is safe, that no one will make fun of it, play with it, deface it, or destroy it. Your book is private, and only you or another witch whom you have authorized should see it.
If you are a memeber of a coven and you die, usually your High Priest and High Priestess get to decide what will happen to your Book of Shadows. It may become part of the coven's Book of Shadows, or they may decide to give it to another coven memeber. In some covens, each memeber has a copy of the coven's Book of Shadows and that, because it is coven property, goes back to the High Priest and Priestess.
Often a witch will leave her Book of Shadows to another witch with whom she is close. Some people have their books burned. Others have their books buried with them. Sometimes witches who teach leave their books to their first student or to a student of whom they were particularly fond.
