How to Make a Personal Book of Shadows (For Witches & Wiccans)

Record all your important spells, rituals, prayers, and more in your own unique Book of Shadows

Co-authored by Dev Murphy, MA Reviewed by Stina Garbis

Last Updated: January 15, 2024 Fact Checked

A Book of Shadows is a personal record of spells and beliefs, typical to Witchcraft and Wiccan traditions. Each one is individual, and most often very private. Your own Book of Shadows will become an invaluable resource in the study of magick: in it, you’ll record important spells and rituals you create or discover, as well as logs of your experience as you travel your unique spiritual path. We’ve composed a list of instructions for creating your own Book of Shadows, below. Alright, now let's begin!

Things You Should Know

Create your Book of Shadows using a journal, a notebook, or a binder, or use a computer and make a digital Book.
Record all your rituals and spells in the Book, as well as correspondences, dream logs, poetry—anything that pertains to your magickal growth.
Protect your Book! Your handmade volume of spells and rituals is an invaluable tool, and an irreplaceable one.

1

Decide what format you want your Book to take.

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Choose a format that matches your style. You can make your Book of Shadows out of a leatherbound journal, but you can keep it simple and use a spiral notebook, or keep your Book of Shadows virtual and make it on your computer. Many people use binders because of the ability to shuffle pages around and create sections. Whatever option you pick, make sure there are enough pages.^{[1]
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- Feel free to decorate your book, and get creative! Go to a craft store and see what magickal stamps or decals you can find, or draw unique designs onto your book cover and pages freehand.
- Computer-based Books of Shadows aren't traditional (yet), but you may find this method considerably easier to maintain than a dead-tree version. Since it's not a physical book, there is less of a chance that others will stumble upon it.
- If you’re feeling really crafty, why not make your own book? Binding your own Book of Shadows can not only be a fun process, but it’ll make your book all the more special.

2

Write a statement of your beliefs.

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Set the tone for your Book with a personal declaration of your convictions. This step is optional, but beginning your Book of Shadows with a statement of your beliefs can establish your intentions for the book. What do you believe in? What will the spells in your book be used for? This is an optional step, and there’s no specific way to go about it, but beginning your Book of Shadows with a statement of your beliefs can set an intention for the pages that follow.
- If you’re hand-writing your Book of Shadows, consider writing your statement of beliefs in pencil, so you can erase if you make a mistake—better yet, draft your statement on scrap paper first, and then transfer it into your book once it’s ready.
- If you’re not sure where to begin with your statement of beliefs, these questions and more can help you get a better sense of your convictions so you can put them on paper:
  - Who are your patron gods or goddesses, if any?
  - Do you follow the Wiccan Rede or the Threefold Law?
  - Do you believe in spell casting, or only in ritualistic worship?

3

Add a table of contents.

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Create a table of contents to help you organize and navigate your Book. Once you’ve added your statement of beliefs, consider adding a table of contents before you take to writing anything else in your Book. A table of contents may help you organize and navigate your spells, rituals, artwork, and whatever else you choose to record. Dedicate a portion of pages to spells and rituals, another portion to artwork and inspiring poetry, another to correspondences, etc.^{[2]
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- If you don’t want to add a table of contents, you can bookmark important pages you reference frequently.
- You don’t have to organize your Book into sections prior to writing it if you don’t want: recording spells, rituals, and inspiring artworks as you come across them or develop them will give your Book a more organic, authentic feel.
- Plus, you can always leave your table of contents blank and record entries in it as you log them.
- If you’re using a binder for your Book, organizing your Book into sections or adding a table of contents after you’ve filled your book will be simple, since you can always add, remove, or rearrange pages as needed.

4

Log spells and rituals.

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Record spells and rituals you’ve created or used in the Book. Once you’ve selected your book and added your statement of beliefs, write down any spells or rituals you’ve made in the Book, step by step. As you continue to learn and grow as a Wiccan, record the spells and rituals you create along the way. Date all your entries for future reference.
- In your records, describe the purpose of the spell, the ingredients or items needed, and each step.
- You might also want to record spells and rituals others have made. This is completely fine! Just be sure to note in your Book which spells and rituals were created by you and which were made by someone else.

5

Maintain a log of spells and rituals you perform.

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Use your Book of Shadows as a diary of magicks you've performed. Whenever you perform a ritual or spell, record it in your Book of Shadows. Be sure to include influences as well, such as moon phases, and what the results are. You can look back on these later and see how you’re progressing along your magickal journey, or what you may be able to do differently.
- You may decide to log your spells as you perform them to create a very organic Book, or you might opt to leave some space beneath spells when you record how to do them so that you can log your experience performing them on the same page.

6

Include art and writing that inspires you.

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Inspirational art will help you maintain the tone of your Book throughout. Think of your Book of Shadows as a magickal scrapbook of sorts. You might record chants, poetry, stories, or illustrations throughout your Book, whether created by yourself or others. As long as it inspires you, or honors the god/goddess, it's fair game.
- There's no limit to what you can include here: cut out illustrations from other magick texts, press flowers and herbs in the pages of your Book, scent your pages with essential oils—the possibilities are endless.
- You can glue loose pages inside your Book, but you can also glue or sew a pocket into your Book to store loose pages.

7

Include correspondence pages.

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Designating a section to correspondences will help you keep track of them. Correspondences are the magickal and spiritual associations that certain objects (such as colors, plants, or precious stones) or ideas possess. Recording correspondences as you discover them can help you in future spellwork.
- Common color correspondences include gold, which is often associated with prosperity or fame, and white, which may be associated with optimism or protection. Different correspondences may have more than one association.^{[3]
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- Common plant correspondences include acacia, which stands for clairvoyance and blessings, and witch hazel, which is often associated with wisdom or healing.^{[4]
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- You may research correspondences and record what other Wiccans and witches have already learned, but you may discover new correspondences others have not! Record them all in your Book to keep track.

8

Add entries relevant to your journey.

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Fill out your Book with prayers, recipes, and more. You don’t need to limit your Book of Shadows to spells and rituals. Consider recording dreams you’ve had, goals for your spiritual practice, a running list of books you’ve read (or want to read) about Wicca and witchcraft, and anything else you feel belongs in your book.^{[5]
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- Just be careful about including Black Magick in your Book. It’s safest to only practice White Magick.
- You can include anything you feel is relevant to your spiritual journey, but generally, avoid straying off topic—for instance, don’t use your Book as a place to doodle or take notes in math class.

9

Protect your Book of Shadows.

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Guard it from prying eyes, and keep it in good condition to preserve it. Your Book of Shadows is an invaluable resource for you on your spiritual journey, and probably one of many volumes you'll fill dedicated to your magickal progress. You'll probably put a good deal of time and energy into this Book, so make sure to protect it as something precious, because it is. It's likely that you'll use it for years, perhaps decades, to come—maybe you'll even pass it along to future generations of witches and Wiccans. Therefore, it's important that it's well-cared-for.
- Maintain basic good care of your Book: don't eat food or spill water or other fluids on it as this could damage it.
- If it's private, don't let others look at it—you might even consider using a locking journal as your Book of Shadows. If your Book is on your computer, add a password so nobody can access it but you.
- If you've created your Book on your computer, you can print out spells when you need them and destroy the physical pages afterward so nobody else can find them.

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Question

What does it mean when it suggests adding artworks or stories? I am not very good at drawing or writing tales.

Community Answer

Basically, this is about all the stories in that you have experienced involving magic or magical stories, that you feel are important enough to go into your BoS. As for the artworks, if you were to do a magical sketch or drawing/art that you created or were given involving magic or even pictures of magical things that you believe are appropriate to be in your BoS (Wicca/Magick). Those would be the kind of things to put in your BoS. The most important thing is to have fun with your learning so there is no need to be expert at either drawing or writing.

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What can I do if I'm a beginner in spell casting, but my friends humiliate me when it doesn't work?

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Spell casting is a subtle and sweet art, and humiliation via friends will not help your energy. Perhaps you should practice alone or with more supportive people.

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Do I need to sign my name in the BoS with blood?

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No. BoS are very personal. If you want to, then sure, but there's really no need, and you'd hurt yourself in the process.

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Tips

You can also turn a preexisting book into your own Book of Shadows. Simply write your name in the front cover to make it your own, and highlight or mark the pages you find useful or meaningful.

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Note-taking programs, such as Google Notebook, Evernote, or MS Office OneNote, are useful for making a virtual Book. Just remember to back it up!

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

I prefer not to write down my beliefs because I wouldn't like for someone to find my book and uncover my innermost feelings. As an alternative, if you still want to write down your beliefs, would be to invent a coded way of writing or use an existing one. You could do this for the entire book as well, and the added effort could help to focus the mind, breath, and intention on the recording of your spiritual and magickal life. It may even lock in more potency, thus making the book function as a talisman itself.
If you want to be extra, you can get a custom binder online, page protectors (optional), and shop around on Etsy or other online craft communities for printable BoS pages that can be printed on regular printer paper, or even parchment printer paper. The sky's the limit!
Maybe some Pentagle Charms made of wood should hang on ribbons from special pages in your book. Not only does this prove your beliefs, it shows you where your pages are!
You do not need to feel obligated to add something to your book of shadows, or do it in a specific way. your BoS is personal, so trust your intuition when making it.
Don't glue your gem or stones as it can damage the energy of the stone or gem. Instead, use a copper wire, strand of fabric, or another natural material.

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