5 Reasons Why You Should Start A Book Of Shadows Today

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There are many reasons why you should start a book of shadows. I’m often surprised by how few witches have a book of shadows. Many of them don’t even know the benefits of keeping a witchy journal, but I think it is one of the few essential tools that every witch should have!

Your book of shadows is where you will record spells, correspondences, and your experiences as a witch. It can be passed down to your children and keeps the traditions of your practice alive for years to come.

A book of shadows is so much more than solely a recipe book of spells and rituals. It’s where you will write down traditions and revelations from the spirits, ideas, and experiments. You’ll keep track of your tarot card readings and other forms of divination.

Let’s dive into the five biggest reasons you need to start one of these witch journals TODAY!

A Book Of Shadows Records What Works (And What Doesn’t)

All witches are scientists. We try new things, and we experiment. Sometimes our experimental spells turn out great. Sometimes they backfire!

But how will you remember what does and does not work if you don’t keep a log?

That’s what a book of shadows is for. So you can remember what worked and what didn’t.

I use my book of shadows to write down every single spell that I do, and then I keep track of the results. If a spell worked, I write that down and make a note to use the spell again.

If the spell didn’t work, though, then I make a note of that. I study the spell as I had it written in my book of shadows and try to determine what went wrong.

This is how I improve my magical work. When you first start out doing witchcraft, many of your spells will fail or backfire. To speed up the learning process, open up one of these witchy journals, and keep track of your results.

Shadow Work Is An Essential Part Of Witchcraft

A book of shadows is more than just a logbook for spells. It is also a diary where you can do shadow work.

There are many shadow work prompts out there on the internet. Choose a couple and work through them. You will reveal what parts of you make magick harder than it needs to be. You’ll also reveal trauma you had long forgotten about or coping mechanisms that are doing more harm than good.

You can do witchcraft without doing shadow work, of course. But your magick will be forever stunted by your lack of self-awareness.

Recognizing the darker elements of your personality will go a long way towards making you a stronger witch.

A Book Of Shadows Preserves Pagan And Witch Beliefs For Generations To Come

I become so sad when I think of all the ancient grimoires and witch books lost to time and religious zealots. 

In my opinion, it’s a moral obligation of all modern witches to record their practices for future generations. To refuse to do so is to open us up to more broken traditions, lost lore, and forgotten history.

Your book of shadows can be a family heirloom that you pass down to your children, and they can pass it down to theirs. Or it can be gifted to covens or other organizations so that the knowledge you gained through life is never lost.

Make sure to include your book of shadows in your will before you die. Decide where you want it to go to maximize the benefit to future generations.

You Need A Place To Write Down Divine Revelation

If you work with angels, spirits, demons, or deities, you probably receive communications from them sometimes.

A lot of the time, though, that communication doesn’t make much sense. At least, not at first.

If you write down those messages, symbols, and psychic dreams, you will be able to come back to them later to process what they meant and revealed to you.

Your brain probably won’t remember every detail of a dream from a month ago. But if you write it down in your book of shadows, you’ll never lose it.

A Book Of Shadows Keeps You Organized

As witches tend to be creative people, organization isn’t always a skill we have.

But if you have one place where you write down everything, you will at least be organized enough to know where it all is when you need it. You might have to flip through every page before you find what you need, but at least you won’t have to search your whole house!

Over time you will probably have more than one book of shadows. Each new one gives you a unique opportunity to organize the contents of the previous book. You can create a table of contents, decide on the perfect sections, etc.

These books will go through many iterations, so don’t be afraid to try new organizing methods.