Finding a Book of Shadows

[JesebelRoseWhite]

Alright, let me first say that it is better to make a BOS than buy one. But, if you are like me and are lazy as can be I know a few places were you can get BOS.

1) An occult shop. Most would of course have a decent selection at the store, but the one I have here doesn't have many good ones.
2) Barnes and Noble or any other book store. In the gifts section of barnes and noble I found a wide selection of journals. All eco-friendly! My favorite one had a good amount of pages and was made of leather. Really Pretty! So now I'm saving up for it because it was so cool!

[Firebird]

I think the book of shadows should be personal. Raynelae and I talked about using a loose leaf notebook, it works really well because you can rearrange.. add, or discard stuff as you go. Decorate the outside to your will.
The leather one sounds nice though...
Happy hunting!
blessings, Firebird

[raynelae]

Yes! Loose leaf! Especially if you're new and don't know exactly how you want your BOS. Then, once you get the loose leaf binder organized how you like it, you can transfer that information into a journal. That's just how I feel anyways

[MsMollimizz]

I have 3 loose-leaf binders, the ones that zip up.
My first one was tan, bought during the after
x-mas sale; $4 but there was only two left.
Should have gone earlier, but x-mas gift of
$50 gift cert made the difference
I found the blue one in second-hand store
just after school started, new folders puts
old one in second-hand stores.
Last one, Red and a loose-leaf binder;
I needed that cause I was trying to get
into a coven. I was told to go home after
they witnessed one of my gray-outs.
"how can you expect to do ring when you
cannot stay focused ?" Okay, fine.
My friend stayed in until she realized how
the "priestess" really acted !
That's alright, I don't have too many
problems with my spells if I really need it.
So what if I do my spells different, we
all (I imagine) do our spellwork differently.
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[Kallandra]

Would there be something wrong with making a Book of Shadown in a laptop? it doesn't seem very... spiritual, or maybe respectful, but it keeps my notes much more organized, and I don't keep buying new books to half-fill, lose,replace and repeat.

[raynelae]

Kallandra, a lot of witches choose to do that. It's really up to you. However, you might want to print the pages out after you type the information because laptops aren't exactly...circle/ritual/spell friendly lol.

[HippieWitch]

My BOS had to be personal so I created my own. Started with a journal, tore it apart, and covered it in beautiful black leather and put a pentacle in the front. Worked perfect for me.

[Lillady]

Whether its online or not, you personalize it and thats what the BOS is for. Your own knowledge, notes, spells, chants etc. Personally I am constantly writing notes, diagrams etc. I am looking for a 3-ring binder with folders so I can organize it to my liking. The leather pre-made ones are beautiful, but to me just dont feel as personal. To each his/her own.

[Witchy333]

I use loose leaf notebooks. I have four. One for my basics (ethics, sabbats, basic correspondences, etc). One for my crystals, herbs, incense, etc. One for my dreams. And one for my spiritual journal. I also have a scrapbook full of daily pictures of my herbs growing before I harvest.

They are all decorated and are mixed-media. Certain things are computer-written (like sabbats, and long texts such as the Wiccan Rede). But some are handwritten (like my dream journal, spiritual journal, my dedication ritual, etc).

Would there be something wrong with making a Book of Shadown in a laptop? it doesn't seem very... spiritual, or maybe respectful, but it keeps my notes much more organized, and I don't keep buying new books to half-fill, lose,replace and repeat.

I started my BOS on my computer. In fact, it's still on here (although it hasn't been updated since 6 months ago). If you want to write it on your laptop, there is nothing wrong with that. The main idea is that most of the contents are your own.

[Vervain]

Would there be something wrong with making a Book of Shadown in a laptop? it doesn't seem very... spiritual, or maybe respectful, but it keeps my notes much more organized, and I don't keep buying new books to half-fill, lose,replace and repeat.

I keep mine mostly on my laptop because I can edit, add, subtract, rearrange, and share at whim, which is really nice, and I'm not wasting bunches of paper. I'm always adding things.

I'll usually print out a spell or ritual if it's too much to memorize, although I have at least once brought my laptop into the circle, and the spell worked just as well.

I do have an attachment to books and crafting, though, so I've started elemental books. They make me happy.

Someday I would like to calligraph my whole book of shadows, but I doubt that will ever happen, and I don't really mind. It's a nice vision to have.

[White Rabbit]

This thread is a little old but...

Another physical option would be a post binder! They work a little more like a bound book which means the pages will not warp (a problem I've found with 3-ring binders). Re-arranging pages is easy, too, and the model I have has enough room between the pages and the spine to glue in ribbons as bookmarks!

I have not found them offline, they are a bit pricey, but I feel they are worth it.

[p3nathan]

My own BOS is just a thick hardback sketch book I found in Borders. It was decorating it and making it my own that really made it MY BOS. But there are plenty of stores online that sell fantastic BOSs, just be sure that they are safe to buy from. If they use Paypal or something like that, then you're usually safe, I'd be wary of sending money straight to them though.

[Kassandra]

I do have an attachment to books and crafting, though, so I've started elemental books. They make me happy.

Ah, that's why you named it, "Book of the Earth." I wondered. Makes sense. Beautiful concept, each element with its own dedicated book. There's so much love in that. Nice.



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[Kassandra]

I use loose leaf notebooks. I have four. One for my basics (ethics, sabbats, basic correspondences, etc). One for my crystals, herbs, incense, etc. One for my dreams. And one for my spiritual journal. I also have a scrapbook full of daily pictures of my herbs growing before I harvest. They are all decorated and are mixed-media.

These four make perfect sense. My things could use some organizing into clear delineations like this. You guys inspire me so much.



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[DreamWeaver]

I have a leather one that I got at Wal-mart, nothing too fancy but it does the job aha. Couldn't as for a better BOS
Sincerly from your dearly, DreamWeaver