Discover the fascinating history, tradition, and modern uses of the Book of Shadows. This fun and easy-to-use guide provides essential information on creating and consecrating a Book of Shadows, as well as how to make it a part of your practice.
Learn about the various types of Books of Shadows, their roles throughout history, and how they differ from regular spellbooks. Enjoy advice and excerpts from the grimoires of well-known modern and historical Witches. Explore a wide variety of ideas for what to include in your own Book of Shadows. Like a magical chart showing where you've been and where you're going, this wonderful tool is your personal guide to Witchcraft.
Praise:
"This is the complete guide to the Book of Shadows...Mankey has given Wiccans a great gift."—John Beckett, blogger at "Under the Ancient Oaks" and author of The Path of Paganism
"This engaging, personal, and well-researched book explores a little-considered subject, the Book of Shadows, from every angle."—Yvonne Aburrow, author of All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca (Avalonia, 2014)
"If Books of Shadows are your bag, then look no further. Jason Mankey once again shows off his skill as a well-practiced Witch with this collection of stories, tips, and tricks about that most personal of magical tools: the Book of Shadows. A great addition to every Wiccan's shelf."—Jenna T. Beachy, author of The Secret Country of Yourself: Discover the Powerful Magick of Your Endless Inner World
"As always, Mankey brings insight and delight to the magickal process. The Witch's Book of Shadows is an in-depth, yet approachable guidebook to all the elements of crafting your own Books of Shadows. Dive in and enjoy!"—Lasara Firefox Allen, bestselling author of Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality
Table of Contents:
Contents
Introduction 1
What Is a Book of Shadows? 6
Your BoS Is About You! 8
1: Some Different Types of Books of Shadows 11
The Coven Book of Shadows 12
A Tradition’s Book of Shadows 14
The Individual Witch’s Personal Book of Shadows 17
The Journal Book of Shadows 21
“One Specific Thing” Book of Shadows 23
The Operative and Active Book of Shadows 24
Every Trick in the Book:You Are Writing Your Own History, Thorn Mooney 27
2: Putting Together a Book of Shadows and Making It Your Own 31
Finding a Book of Shadows 31
A Book of Shadows in a Three-Ring Binder 34
Making a Three-Ring Binder Look Great 37
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Three-Ring Binder 38
The Cut-and-Paste Book of Shadows 41
The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Cut-and-Paste Book of Shadows 44
The Handwritten Book of Shadows 45
A Handwritten BoS Presents a Few Extra Challenges 48
The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Handwritten Book of Shadows 49
Arranging a Book of Shadows 50
Decorating and Personalizing a Book of Shadows 59
Every Trick in the Book: No-Fear Grimoire Crafting, Laura Tempest Zakroff 65
3: A Brief History of Magical Books, Words, and Symbols 69
The Cave Painters 70
From Symbols to Writing to Books 75
A Few Legendary Magical Writers 79
Every Trick in the Book: The Emerald Tablet, Christopher Drysdale 85
A Few Famous Magical Books 88
Every Trick in the Book: A Modern Witch & The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Kiya Nicoll 96
The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) 98
From Grimoires to the Book of Shadows 102
Magical Books in Pop Culture Today 107
The Necronomicon 110
4: What to Put in a Book of Shadows 115
The Opening Pages 117
Rituals 120
Ritual Extras 124
Witchcraft Extras 128
Magick and Spellwork 134
Divination and the Future 142
Every Trick in the Book: A Blended Book of Shadows, Asa West 145
5: The Book of Shadows—Out of the Shadows 149
From Sheba to Cunningham to RavenWolf: BoS’s from 1970 to the Present Day 151
Every Trick in the Book: An Excerpt from Gnostica News 162
Are There Any Secrets Left? 165
6: Alphabets, Fonts, Inks, and Symbols 169
Ogham 172
Foreign Languages and Magical Mottos 174
The Creative Use of Fonts and Scripts 176
Magical Symbols and Shortcuts 181
My Favorite Symbols and Shortcuts 182
Homemade Ink and Pens 185
Notes 191
7: Goddesses and Gods of the Books 193
Goddesses and Gods Associated with Literacy, Spellcraft, Alphabets, and Wisdom 194
Spells and Rituals Involving Individual Deities 196
Sophia and Jesus: Jewish and Christian Magick 202
Odin and the Runes 206
The Blessings and Curses of Aradia 212
8: The Book of Shadows in Ritual 219
The Advantages of Reading from Your BoS During Ritual 221
Reading in Ritual 223
We Can Do Better Than Reading from a Piece of Paper in Ritual 227
What a Book of Shadows Is Not 228
Every Trick in the Book: Holding the Keys to Mystery, Christine Hoff Kraemer, PhD 230
9: Cleansing, Consecrating, and Other Rituals 235
Consecrating and Blessing a BoS for Personal Use 238
A Coven Book Blessing 244
Retiring a Book of Shadows 251
Letting Go of a Book of Shadows 253
10: New Frontiers and the BoS 259
My BoS on a Flash Drive and a Tablet 261
A Print-on-Demand Book of Shadows 265
The Cloud and Even Further Frontiers 268
Bibliography and Further Reading 271
About the Author :
Jason Mankey is a third-degree High Priest and prolific Witchcraft author (ten books and counting). A bit of a nomad in his younger years, Jason has lived in both the Midwest and the American South, and currently resides in California's Silicon Valley, where he helps run two local covens with his wife, Ari. Jason has spent the last twenty-five years of his life researching the Horned God, Witchcraft, and magickal history, and the occult influences in rock and roll music. He regularly lectures and leads rituals at Pagan and Witchcraft events in both North America and the United Kingdom.
When not practicing, writing about, or studying the Craft, Jason can be found spending time with his cats, whisky tasting, and listening to Led Zeppelin. Jason's books include The Witch's Book of Spellcraft, Modern Witchcraft with the Greek Gods (with Astrea Taylor), The Horned God of the Witches, Transformative Witchcraft, and The Witch's Book of Shadows.
Review :
"This is the complete guide to the Book of Shadows...Mankey has given Wiccans a great gift."—John Beckett, blogger at "Under the Ancient Oaks" and author of The Path of Paganism
"This engaging, personal, and well-researched book explores a little-considered subject, the Book of Shadows, from every angle."—Yvonne Aburrow, author of All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca (Avalonia, 2014)
"If Books of Shadows are your bag, then look no further. Jason Mankey once again shows off his skill as a well-practiced Witch with this collection of stories, tips, and tricks about that most personal of magical tools: the Book of Shadows. A great addition to every Wiccan's shelf."—Jenna T. Beachy, author of The Secret Country of Yourself: Discover the Powerful Magick of Your Endless Inner World
"As always, Mankey brings insight and delight to the magickal process. The Witch's Book of Shadows is an in-depth, yet approachable guidebook to all the elements of crafting your own Books of Shadows. Dive in and enjoy!"—Lasara Firefox Allen, bestselling author of Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality
