If you are a practicing witch chances are good you have at least heard of a book of shadows and a grimoire; you may even have one or both yourself. There are countless books on witchcraft available that reference one or both of them, sometimes using them interchangeably. However, they are not actually the same thing.
A grimoire contains the knowledge you have gained as a witch. This can include spells, recipes, rituals, general knowledge, and so on. Kind of like a personal reference book or manual. This could be information handed down from other witches, read in reference books/papers, or found through other sources. A grimoire may be passed down, shared with others, or kept to oneself; it is up to the individual. It is simply knowledge. A book of Shadows is much more personal. While it may contain some of these things, it is more of a record of a witch’s personal journey in his or her craft. The spells, rituals, recipes, etc.. that it contains would be ones that have been tried, pertinent information like moon phase, season, timing, and other such things recorded, and the results documented. It may include personal notes or changes to make improvements or things to try next time. This personal record is not generally shared with others, unless it is one created by a coven for group use. Either of these books can be made as personal as the creator/user would like. They can be nicely decorated books or plain for easy concealment, handwritten or typed, totally organized or organized chaos, whatever works for the witch in question. Not every witch will have one or both of these books. With easy access to so many books on witchcraft, one could have a whole library of resources that replace a grimoire (I may be guilty of this lol). Not every one likes to record every spell or ritual they do; some people are just not into writing anything down at all. While it would be helpful to remember what you did, when, and how it turned out, it is not necessary, and certainly doesn’t make you any less of a witch if you don’t. Both can be helpful, but neither are necessary to be a practicing witch. So, do you have either or both of these? Do like to record, or just do? Do you have a grimoire, or more of a personal library?
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AuthorNot just a writer, I am also an eclectic solitary practitioner, Reiki Master, and Shadow Worker. Archives
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