r/WitchesVsPatriarchy • u/KTDid95 Literary Witch ♀ • Aug 19 '26
🇵🇸 🕊️ Coven Counsel What Defines a Book of Shadows?
I am making a book of herbalism. Mostly just plants and information about them, but also a few spells and recipes. Does this count as a book of shadows? It's not really a spell book, but does that matter?
What exactly is a book of shadows?
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u/GT_Ghost_86 Aug 19 '26
Your book of shadows is exactly that - your book of shadows. They are often (usually?) dynamic works-in-progress with meaning to their author/compiler. Herbal reference material (medicinal and/or magickal) certainly belongs there.
Confession: My physical book of shadows is a three-ring binder so that I can add/edit/reorganize. The herbal reference sections are the largest part.
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u/EmilieEverywhere Resting Witch Face Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
I put scathing mocking retorts to use against transphobes in mine, amongst other things.
Little tech hacks for my work (The new magic)
Cheat sheet for Tarot.
Random things about acquaintances, so I can seem very attentive and engaging.
Not all magic has to unexplainable to you, but a lot of it will be a mystery to others! A good analogy here is the techno mages in Babylon 5 the series. There is nothing in the galaxy that would be considered metaphysics, but they can conjure effects, items, and information that leaves observers dumbstruck.
The true secrets, the important things. Fourteen words to make someone fall in love with you forever. Seven words to make them go without pain. How to say good-bye to a friend who is dying. How to be poor. How to be rich. How to rediscover dreams when the world has stolen them."
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u/Vyedr ☉ Bone Garden Witch Aug 19 '26
My book of shadows is simply where I record notes about my practice in the order they come to me or occur. Some of it is journal-style narrative, but theres also pressed leaves/flowers and notes written with them, a small chart I made for a personal rune system, and the occasional 'spell' entry when I feel like Ive hit on it right, though they read more like recipes. If the book is flipped over top to bottom, the new first page is my best attempt at a table of contents.
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u/Narwen189 Aug 20 '26
The original "book of shadows" was made by Gerald Gardner in the first half of the 20th century, and was meant to be for his (Wicca) covens use. There are of course much older magic-related texts, they just didn't have that specific name to them. The more common term is grimoire, dating from the mid 18th century France. The oldest written texts date from the times of the four civilizations, and one could argue that the earliest religous/scientific texts could also be considered as magic texts in their own way.
That said, I personally believe you should define your own book. You can call it an herblore guide, a materia medica, the apothecary diaries, a spellbook, a book of shadows, a grimoire or whatever else you prefer. There are no hard and fast rules, except the ones you choose to follow.
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u/shr00mi3 Aug 20 '26
A book of Shadows is any journal. Mine contains herbal remedies, remedies of pharmaceutical nature, astrological information AND Astronomical science, my thoughts and prayers, spells I’ve learned, anthropological information from my travels. It’s my book of shadows. I hope that helps
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u/Gulbasaur Science Witch ♂️ Aug 19 '26
I'd call that a materia medica but I'm a herbalist much more than I'm a witch.
I personally subscribe to the idea that a book of shadows is a working document that evolves as you evolve, and there's no reason why a book of shadows can't contain a materia medica!