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    Book Of Shadows Guidelines

    Soaring Bird
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    Post  Soaring Bird Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:06 pm

    Ideas For Your Own Book OF Shadows



    . Creativity

    will make your BoS more special.

    The Wiccan Rede

    Include a copy of the rede. You may also want to have an

    evaluation of the rede- that is, "dissect" the rede and

    consider each statement, and write about its meaning and

    value to your practices

    The Sabbats

    Have a copy of the eight major sabbats and include

    information on the importance of each one. Record them in your B of S.

    Calendar

    A calendar of the moon phases, progressions, and the

    astrological signs they are in each day. Mark new moons

    and full moons. Also include major events, holidays, and

    sabbats..

    Magickal Correspondences

    A list of what each god and goddess represents, and a

    list of the meanings of herbs in magick, and the

    symbolism of different candle colors.

    Rituals and Spells

    Have a section of rituals and spells you find practical and

    useful, or you may need for future occasions. You may need a few folders for this one.

    Chants and Poems

    Chants or prayers you find especially nice are good for

    your BoS collection. Also, personal poetry and your own

    hand-written chants would be a great addition to your

    book.

    Daily Journal/ Dream Journal

    A journal of daily events and occurences is always a good

    idea. A dream journal is also an excellent suggestionrecording

    and analyzing dreams can help you to become

    more in touch with your "third eye", or psychic

    awareness.

    Insights

    Your path to learning can help you more in the future if

    you are able to look back on it. Ask yourself questions,

    and write your responses in a section of personal insights.

    As opposed to a daily journal, this will not record actual

    events, but instead, will help you to reflect on theories

    and thoughts. Think about how you began on this path,

    reconsider your ways of life, think about the wonders of

    reality, write a little on what Wicca means to you and how

    it's changed your outlook on life. Remember, don't write personal emotional stuff just spiritual if you can and try not to use too many names

    .





    When you call to the watchtowers, this is how they correspond:

    The East is air.

    The South is fire.

    The West is water.

    The North is earth.

    The Center is akasha.

    These elements are used as symbols to represent things in

    spells, thereby causing different effects to be produced. Below

    is a basic guide to the element's meanings.

    EARTH: Love, healing, money, acquisition,

    employment, health, dieting, organization, goals,

    ambition, career, politics, persuasion, bones, teeth,

    skin.

    AIR: Communication, writing, travel, justice,

    unions, balance, artistry, science, freedom,

    understanding, clarity, friendship, breaking bad

    habits or addictions, blood.

    FIRE: Authority, rebirth, leadership, authority,

    courage, fertility, spine, heart, travel, sports,

    truth, horses.

    WATER: The home and honoring lunar god/desses,

    power, psychic growth, sex, music, art, telepathy,

    dreams, prophecy.

    AKASHA: Akasha is the central element. It is

    spirit, and it is said to combine all the others into

    one final divine element. Since you cannot physically

    obtain a 'bottle of akasha', it's simply the power

    within you to strengthen and seal your magick.

    Elemental spirits are the embodiments of each individual

    element. Generally they are summoned during renaming rituals

    and initiations.

    Akasha is the element of spirit itself.





    Eclectic: An electic Wiccan doesn't follow any strict

    traditional guidelines, but instead, practices the beliefs

    that suit them best. They mix traditions to find their

    most fitting stance on their religion, using the magick

    that is most practical for their lifestyle and studying the

    parts of the religion they consider to be essential. This is

    mostly of modern origin, previously most Wiccan

    traditions had more restricting boundaries; the eclectic

    tradition marks witchcraft's expansion into a patchwork

    quilt of various beliefs and theories.





    Solitary: Individuals prefering to work in private rather

    than within the confines of a group setting. Wicca works

    well with this sort of practice. Solitaries can pick any

    number of traditions that fit well into this sort of

    practice. Can be as fulfilling as working in a group setting.





    Sabbats

    Below are the dates and the many names of the 8 major

    and minor sabbats of the pagan religion.

    Candlemas- February 2 (Imbolic, Oimelc, or Lady Day.)

    Spring Equinox- First day of Spring (Vernal Eqinox,

    Festival of the Trees, Alban Eilir, Ostara, or the Rite of

    Eostre.)

    Beltane- May Eve & May 1 (May Day, Rood Day, Rudemas,

    or Walpurgisnacht.)

    Summer Solstice- First day of Summer (Midsummer,

    Alban Hefin, or Litha.)

    Lammas- August 1 (August Eve or the First Festival of

    Harvest.)

    Autumn Equinox- First day of Fall (Fall Sabbat, Mabon,

    Alban Elfed, or the Second Festival of Harvest.)

    Samhain Sabbat- October 31 (Halloween, Hallowmas, All

    Hallow's Eve, All Saint's Eve, Festival of the Dead, or the

    Third Festival of Harvest.)

    Winter Solstice- First day of Winter (Yule, Alban

    Arthan, Winter Rite, or Midwinter.)

    Violet
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    Post  Violet Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:12 pm

    Thanks for this Soaring Bird i'm sure lots of people are going to find this very useful, if it helps anyone we do have a moonphase thingy in the portal :asmile:



    Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
    Hobbs
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    Post  Hobbs Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:18 am

    Heya!

    I adore books in general, and am very fascinated with the concept of a book of shadows. So I hope you don't mind me adding my ideas here.
    I'm an Eclectic Pagan, so I apologize if any of this is to off base. I see a BoS as a personal and special thing, and something that you can be as creative as you want with. :)

    In addition to the ideas above, you could also add:
    Biography's or dedications to important figures in Wicca, such as Gerald Gardner or Doreen Valiente.
    The Witch's Pyramid or its many variations
    Descriptions on certain symbols
    A little history about the evolution of Wicca
    cooking recipes for foods you would make at a ceremony or Sabbat
    How To's for any fun crafts you'd like to make for celebrations or gifts.
    I am planning on dedicating one part of my BoS to my health, by adding yoga positions, Maslow's pyramid, and information on Feng Shui and things like that.
    Cloud, tarot, palm and tea leave divination are things you may consider adding if its something your interested.

    Some people also keep another book called a Book of Mirrors along with their Book of Shadows. The mirror book being like a personal journal. the Shadows book being an instruction manual. I've heard of people keeping a third book solely for spells, a spell book is often call a Grimoire.

    Some ideas for a book of mirrors:

    What your path means to you and why you follow it
    Your Spiritual Goals
    Affirmations
    List of books you want to read
    Inspiratoinal quotes


    Your BoS may be handwritten, printed or kept on the computer. Some say it should be handwritten to better put your spirit into it and to memorize it, but ultimately its your choice. I plan on writing mine out and then doing a printed version, both will be kept in a binder so I can organize it :).

    If you plan on designing your bos on the computer and then printing it out, you can have a field day with the options you have. There are thousands of fonts and images you can find to add to your book, plus quite a few ways to age the paper so it doesn't look so modern.

    A book of shadows can be a personal thing, or it can be shared between friends or past down within families, again, its your choice.

    Awesome guideline Soaring Bird!


    Last edited by Hobbs on Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:34 am; edited 1 time in total
    Lightseeker
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    Post  Lightseeker Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:08 am

    Some very useful tips here Soaring Bird, Thanks for the help, At the moment I simply have a dream journal, But even as a Pagan I coud include information on the Natural World and our relationship and part of it..
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    norseman
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    Post  norseman Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:10 am

    My BOS is purely concerned with observations of the Land I help protect and is largely photographic.

    The path I follow is pre-wicca and even, pre-christian.
    Soaring Bird
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    Post  Soaring Bird Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:08 am

    Hi Hobbs, Hi Lightseeker,
    Thanks for the comments, I put the guideline on here more for those just beginnning their path. My own B of S, I have two now, they merely contain every spiritual experience Ive had in this life. When I began my original B of S after a year I realised I had written names and emotional entries into my book so I had to rewrite anew and since then I have purely entered the experiences rather than names or personal details. (This is a handy tip for those just finding there path too).
    Although it took time to do, I did have a lovely ceremony in a local park that does have a circle of stones within a circle of trees where I burned the original copy. That Burning Ceremony released some very nice feelings.
    My main reason for writing my B of Shadows was, that when I have moved on from this mortal coil my kids who are too young to onderstand at the moment, will be able to really know the me that they did not get to see completely. Also, as time moves on and so many experiences collected on the way it is easy to forget the 'lesser' experiences.
    Big Hugs Book Of Shadows Guidelines 531481 Soaring Bird
    Violet
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    Post  Violet Tue Feb 08, 2011 10:48 pm

    I write things down too, it's not a book of shadows as such, but a log of my experiences anyone can do this whatever your beliefs, I also think it is worth doing one for your children if they show any interest, or even just as a diary of their lives outlining key events and such Book Of Shadows Guidelines 821538



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