Building a Better Book of Shadows

When I first started getting interested in magic and neopaganism, I did a decent job of keeping journals about my own experience, but I didn't write down the things I was learning from other sources. I read voraciously, and I drew on my own knowledge of local folklore. I just didn't take notes. Part of it was the fear of it being discovered. I think I was also worried about committing to it without a reasonable amount of study. I wanted to know what was out there before I made up my mind.

For me, longhand writing has a different power than typing. Sure, I put my blood, sweat, and tears into typed work. But writing is serious. I have to commit to using up paper and ink, to choose my words carefully, to move my hand and arm (which is fucking hard with my health issues). The level of involvement with the text is so much higher. That's why I purposely avoid handwriting text that I'm going to edit heavily: I don't want early drafts to survive.

A Book of Shadows isn't usually edited, but it does evolve over time, and organization can be an issue, so of course keeping it digital is a great choice. But I have to do things the hard way. So instead of doing the reasonable thing, I determined to write out everything I want to include in my BOS by hand and organize it in a binder, with the goal of recopying it in a suitably pretty blank book down the road.

Yeah, magic doesn't fix bullheadedness.

Why the effort? you're probably asking. Believe me, I've asked myself the same damn thing for months now. The simple answer is that my words are how I manifest magic in my life. Whether I type them or speak them they have power, but to write them out by hand gives them a soul. If I suffer (or just have more pain than usual) for my art, that gives it that much more oomph. It shows just how serious I am about what I do.

So yes, I may be making a very impractical choice, but I honestly feel that it is the best choice for me. However you go about keeping a Book of Shadows, or whether you keep one at all, is up to you. What matters is that you put your heart into what you're doing.

The Scent of a Witchy Woman

Think about which of your senses you use most. Maybe you're a visual person. Or maybe you're like me and you focus on sounds more than sights. And of course touch is a huge source of information for our brains to process.

Unlike sight, hearing, touch, and taste, smell is subtle. If you're breathing through your nose, you're smelling something. Thing is, you don't always consciously think about what you're smelling, but even then, smell is having a subconscious effect on your mood. This subtlety makes scent a neat component to use in workings.

I'm not saying that you can't do magic without incense or candles or oils. Not even close. But I will say that not having control over the scent of your work area makes it very hard to focus. If you don't believe me, try working in a small room with a gassy dog.

I've found that meditating on a perfume and charging it with the trait I want it to enhance is a simple but powerful way to put a little magic in my day. For example, I have one perfume that reminds me of a wedding bouquet. I charged it with thoughts of sweetness and serenity. I use it for family gatherings and any time someone needs comfort or encouragement.

In theory, it'd be stronger if I mixed the scents myself, but I much prefer to let designers do the work for me. Good perfume isn't just a few scents splashed together. That shit is complicated. Rollerball containers are the way to go: a dab'll do you, so even though they're small, you're getting enough to last you for a while, especially if you aren't wearing it every day. And honestly, don't worry about traditional correspondences. What matters is what emotions and associations the scent has for you.

So go forth and let your nose add some magic to your life.