Witch's Book of Shadows

Jason Mankey (Bay Area, California) is a Pagan blogger, a columnist for Witches and Pagans, and the managing editor of the Pagan Portal on Patheos. He s journeyed across North America to Pagan and magic festivals, where he talks about rock and roll, Pagan deities, and Pagan history.

"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

• ContentsIntroduction 1What Is a Book of Shadows? 6Your BoS Is About You! 81: Some Different Types of Books of Shadows 11The Coven Book of Shadows 12A Tradition’s Book of Shadows 14The Individual Witch’s Personal Book of Shadows 17The Journal Book of Shadows 21“One Specific Thing” Book of Shadows 23The Operative and Active Book of Shadows 24Every Trick in the Book:You Are Writing Your Own History, Thorn Mooney 272: Putting Together a Book of Shadows and Making It Your Own 31Finding a Book of Shadows 31A Book of Shadows in a Three-Ring Binder 34Making a Three-Ring Binder Look Great 37The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Three-Ring Binder 38The Cut-and-Paste Book of Shadows 41The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Cut-and-Paste Book of Shadows 44The Handwritten Book of Shadows 45A Handwritten BoS Presents a Few Extra Challenges 48The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Handwritten Book of Shadows 49Arranging a Book of Shadows 50Decorating and Personalizing a Book of Shadows 59Every Trick in the Book: No-Fear Grimoire Crafting, Laura Tempest Zakroff 653: A Brief History of Magical Books, Words, and Symbols 69The Cave Painters 70From Symbols to Writing to Books 75A Few Legendary Magical Writers 79Every Trick in the Book: The Emerald Tablet, Christopher Drysdale 85A Few Famous Magical Books 88Every Trick in the Book: A Modern Witch & The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Kiya Nicoll 96The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis) 98From Grimoires to the Book of Shadows 102Magical Books in Pop Culture Today 107The Necronomicon 1104: What to Put in a Book of Shadows 115The Opening Pages 117Rituals 120Ritual Extras 124Witchcraft Extras 128Magick and Spellwork 134Divination and the Future 142Every Trick in the Book: A Blended Book of Shadows, Asa West 1455: The Book of Shadows—Out of the Shadows 149From Sheba to Cunningham to RavenWolf: BoS’s from 1970 to the Present Day 151Every Trick in the Book: An Excerpt from Gnostica News 162Are There Any Secrets Left? 1656: Alphabets, Fonts, Inks, and Symbols 169Ogham 172Foreign Languages and Magical Mottos 174The Creative Use of Fonts and Scripts 176Magical Symbols and Shortcuts 181My Favorite Symbols and Shortcuts 182Homemade Ink and Pens 185Notes 1917: Goddesses and Gods of the Books 193Goddesses and Gods Associated with Literacy, Spellcraft, Alphabets, and Wisdom 194Spells and Rituals Involving Individual Deities 196Sophia and Jesus: Jewish and Christian Magick 202Odin and the Runes 206The Blessings and Curses of Aradia 2128: The Book of Shadows in Ritual 219The Advantages of Reading from Your BoS During Ritual 221Reading in Ritual 223We Can Do Better Than Reading from a Piece of Paper in Ritual 227What a Book of Shadows Is Not 228Every Trick in the Book: Holding the Keys to Mystery, Christine Hoff Kraemer, PhD 2309: Cleansing, Consecrating, and Other Rituals 235Consecrating and Blessing a BoS for Personal Use 238A Coven Book Blessing 244Retiring a Book of Shadows 251Letting Go of a Book of Shadows 25310: New Frontiers and the BoS 259My BoS on a Flash Drive and a Tablet 261A Print-on-Demand Book of Shadows 265The Cloud and Even Further Frontiers 268Bibliography and Further Reading 271