The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire Read online

  Sensory Delights

  Spend some time checking out readymade journals and examining scrapbooks/scrapbooking supplies. Some commercial books feature gorgeous, richly textured paper, perhaps embossed with images that resonate with you, or embedded with flowers or other adornments. Others come with lovely patterns and designs. You might also wish to examine books by artisans who have taken the time to fabricate handmade paper pages. (Later in this chapter, I’ll give instructions for making your own from scratch.)

  The sensory appeal of these journals can help start your creative juices flowing and inspire you to begin recording your steps on the magickal path. In fact, it’s a good idea to get all your senses involved in your spellworking, for the more you can enrich the experience, the more power you bring to your spells. Choose a book that you love to look at and touch, one that invites you to grace its pages with your reminiscences. Writing in your grimoire should be a joyful experience.

  As you record your spells, rituals, and other activities, consider adding a variety of images and objects that contribute to the beauty, tactile quality, and overall richness of your grimoire: milagros or other charms, feathers, small gemstones, scraps of lace, photographs of special places, pictures from magazines. If you did a candle spell, you might want to drip a bit of molten wax onto a page of your grimoire and engrave it with a symbol to remind you of the experience. If you used an essential oil in a spell, you may wish to dab a little of that fragrant oil on a page to remind you at a later time of your intention and the spell’s results.

  Keeping It Simple

  If you prefer something simpler, that’s okay. A loose-leaf binder might suit your purposes, allowing you to easily update your grimoire by adding pages or rearranging them. You can even type your grimoire on your computer or iPad. Although this method lacks the sensory appeal that many witches enjoy, the convenience could be an advantage—especially if you’re on the go a lot.

  Organizing Your Book of Shadows

  How you choose to organize the material in your book of shadows will depend on how you decide to use it. The questions you asked yourself earlier may dictate the flow of your grimoire. No one way is better than any other. A table of contents at the beginning of your book will help you locate your spells easily. Ribbon markers can designate favorite or frequently used spells. If you choose to divide your book into categories, you may want to use tabs to indicate where different sections start. In Chapter 3, I’ll discuss some ways you might like to organize your book.

  One Book or Many?

  If you’ve selected a design that lets you change or move around your entries, your grimoire can be as large as you like. If you’ve chosen a book with a fixed binding that doesn’t allow you to add pages, however, you’re going to fill it up eventually. Therefore, you’ll need to continue writing in another book, creating a series. You may decide to use different books for different types of spells, instead of dividing a single grimoire into sections. Whether to keep one book or several is entirely up to you.

  CRAFT IT YOURSELF

  If you’re the crafty type (no pun intended), you may enjoy making your book of shadows from scratch. By doing so, you follow in the footsteps of early spellworkers who fabricated their own grimoires. When you’re finished, you’ll have a book that is absolutely unique, imbued with your personal energy from the very start. This rewarding project, although time-consuming and (if you make your own paper) rather messy, lets you express your creativity and imagination. Your commitment can also bring you a deep sense of satisfaction.

  Fashioning a book from recycled items is not as difficult as you might think and may appeal to ecologically minded witches. If creating the entire book seems too daunting, consider making just a few pages for special incantations and spells to add to your book. Even if you buy your grimoire in a store, you can add herbs and flowers, or sketch in it to customize and personalize the pages.

  Make Your Own Paper

  The art of papermaking originated in China and ancient Egypt. If you resonate strongly with the goddess Kuan Yin or Isis, this may inspire you. Making your own paper from recycled items does not require any special equipment—you only need simple household products, many of which you may already possess.

  The basis of paper is pulp. You can make pulp from almost any kind of paper, but avoid using anything with a glossy surface, such as pages out of magazines, because it is treated with chemicals.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  Paper, such as tissue wrap, computer paper, writing or typing paper, paper bags (about 1⁄2 cup paper to 2 cups water; the more pulp you add, the thicker your finished paper will be)

  Plastic bucket

  Warm water

  A piece of mesh (such as window screen) to fit in frames—the finer the mesh, the smoother the paper––or papermaking screen

  2 wooden frames slightly larger than the size you intend your pages to be. You can use picture frames, but the corners must be tight and secured, or a deckle.

  Staples

  Electric blender (purchase one at a thrift store specifically for this purpose; don’t use the one you make smoothies in)

  Food coloring or dyes suitable for cotton fabrics (optional)

  Large spoon or ladle

  Plastic dishpan, large bowl, or other waterproof container big enough to easily accommodate the frames

  Liquid laundry starch

  Palette knife, butter knife, or athame

  Absorbent cloths, such as dishtowels (one for each page of paper you intend to make)

  Dried or fresh flowers, leaves, or bits of lace (optional)

  Plastic wrap or waterproof cloth

  Heavy book, cutting board, or brick

  Tear the paper into postage stamp-sized pieces, stir, and soak the pieces in a plastic bucket of water so that all the pieces are covered. As you tear the paper into bits, focus positive energy into it and make your intentions known by reciting the following: “Goddess, bless this endeavor of art. By my hand, let the transformation begin, for the benefit of all. So mote it be.” Let the brew soak overnight.

  Stretch the mesh over one of the frames and staple it so that it’s very taut. This covered frame will pick up the pulp and keep it flat. If the mesh is loose, the paper will be saggy and difficult to remove from the frame. Place the empty frame on top of the mesh frame to keep it taut and give your paper a nice edge. Set the frames aside until step 7. (If you prefer, you can purchase a papermaking screen and deckle at a craft/hobby store.)

  After your paper has soaked overnight, pour off the excess water and begin transferring the pulp into a blender, spoonful by spoonful.

  Add water until the pitcher of the blender is no more than three-quarters full. If you plan to color your paper, add food coloring or dye now. Run the blender for about 15 seconds, and then check the pulp to make sure it has broken down evenly. If necessary, stir the pulp, and then run the blender for another 5 seconds or so. The mix should be about the consistency of split-pea soup.

  Gently pour the pulp into the plastic dishpan. At this point, you can add a spoonful of liquid laundry starch to the pulp. This will make the paper absorb ink better, so it will be less likely to bleed when you’re writing in your book.

  Stir the pulp gently and wait for the movement of the water to cease. At the moment when the water is still—but the pulp has not yet settled—hold the frames securely in your hands with the empty frame on top and the mesh frame with the mesh facing up directly underneath it. Slide the frames under the water in a smooth motion, scooping up a layer of pulp. It may take some practice to get the pulp evenly distributed over the mesh frame.

  Keeping the frames steady and flat, lift them out of the water and allow the water to drain away. Remove the top frame. A layer of pulp should cover the mesh screen.

  While the paper is still wet, but not dripping, gently remove the paper from the screen. This can take some practice––if the paper sticks to the mold, you may need to drain or sponge more water from it. Loosen t
he edges with a palette knife or butter knife—or if you wish, use your athame, consecrating each page instantaneously as you make it.

  After you have removed the paper, lay it carefully on one-half of the absorbent cloth.

  Consider pressing fresh herbs and flowers into the paper surface. Are you thinking about writing a protection spell on this sheet of paper? You might want to add basil leaves or a sprig of rosemary along the edges. Perhaps you have a love spell in mind. Adorn some of your pages with red rose petals.

  Without bending your page, fold the other half of the cloth over the paper to absorb excess water. (You can even roll it with a rolling pin to squeeze out excess water.) Continue stacking individual pages in this fashion, making sure layers of cloth alternate with sheets of paper.

  Put something waterproof (such as plastic wrap) at the top of the stack of paper, then place a heavy book, cutting board, or brick on the top. This will weigh the paper down and keep it flat while drying.

  You can add positive energy to your paper by embossing magickal symbols in it. Emboss the paper by pressing an object, such as a pentagram, into the paper while the paper is still wet, and then remove the object. If you want a well-defined motif, leave the object there while the paper is weighted and don’t remove it until the paper has dried completely.

  Feel free to experiment. The more personal energy and thought you put into creating your book of shadows, the more you’ll enjoy using it. Check out the website http://paperslurry.com for good instructions with pictures that show various methods for making paper.

  Bind Your Book

  Now it’s time to bind your book of shadows. Even if you decide not to make your own paper, you can still create your cover, assemble the blank pages, and bind the book yourself. The following steps will explain some finishing options as you complete the construction of your book of shadows.

  MATERIALS NEEDED

  Binding board or heavy stock paper from a craft store; you can wrap the cover in cloth, securing the cloth with good PVA glue (see end of material list)

  Scissors

  Ruler

  Scoring tool, such as a box cutter or X-Acto knife

  Binder clips or similar clamps

  Heavy book, cutting board, or brick

  Pencil

  If you’d rather not use glue to bind, use a cord or ribbon. You’ll also need a drill or hole punch and a template for placing the holes.

  If you plan to use glue to bind, use a heavy brush and PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue, which is the most durable. If you want to avoid chemicals, use a natural type of paste or glue, such as fish glue.

  Choose the material for your cover.

  Cut two equal-sized pieces that are slightly larger than the pages of the book.

  Measure about 1⁄4" from the edge of each piece and score lightly so your book will open and close easily.

  Set aside a strip of the cover material or an extra sheet of paper to use for covering the spine.

  Assemble all your pages and the front and back covers in a stack. Clamp them together firmly with binder clips or clamps. Put small pieces of wood under the clamps so you don’t have clamp marks on your cover. Make sure to stack the pages neatly, for they will be permanently assembled in the configuration you have them in now. Make adjustments at this point or you’ll have crooked pages in your book.

  Line up the pages so that the unclamped edge of the stack hangs slightly over the edge of the table you are working on. This edge will become the spine of the book.

  Use a heavy book, cutting board, or brick to weigh down the pages and keep them in place. Note: If you are not going to use glue to make the spine, skip to step 12 for instructions on binding with ribbon.

  With a brush, spread glue very thickly all along the edges of the pages at the spine. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.

  The piece used for the spine should be the same length as the cover of your book and three times the thickness of the book. You can determine the thickness of your book by measuring the total height of the stacked pages. Multiply this number by three, and you will get the correct width of the spine. Draw two parallel lines with a pencil on the inside of the spine (the side you intend to glue onto the book so the pencil marks won’t show), dividing the spine into three equal parts. These lines will serve as your scoring guide.

  Score the cover material along the edge of a metal ruler with your scoring tool. Be careful not to cut through the spine—just score it deep enough so that you can fold it easily.

  Glue the strip along the edge of the book so that it hides the previously glued area. Allow the spine cover to dry.

  If you prefer to try a different technique, use cord or ribbon. This method does not require a spine. After you’ve clamped the pages, punch or drill at least three holes along one side of your book. If you are using a hole punch, first make a template so all the holes will be the same size and distance from the left edge of the pages. Do not attempt to punch holes through the template; use the template to mark in pencil where the holes should be on each page, and then punch them out individually. This will make the holes more accurate, and your finished book will be more attractive. If you’re handy with power tools, you can drill very slowly through the clamped stack and achieve the same result in less time. Be sure your pages are securely clamped together so they don’t slip while you’re drilling.

  Use a ribbon or cord that is five times the length of your book. Choose a color that pleases you or holds symbolic meaning. Push the ribbon through the first hole at the top of the book, leaving a tail of 2" or more.

  With the tail in place, weave the ribbon through all the remaining holes. When you reach the end, wrap the ribbon around the bottom and go back again through the hole you just used. Continue weaving the ribbon back through the holes up to the top, envisioning the spiral dance of the Goddess as you go.

  When you’ve finished threading the ribbon through the last hole, wrap it tightly around the top, as you did at the bottom, and tie it together with the tail end.

  Chapter 3

  ORGANIZING YOUR GRIMOIRE

  Unless you feel like shuffling through hundreds of pages in your grimoire, you’ll need some sort of organizing system so you can find the spell you want when you want it. Just as you organize your kitchen cabinets and your closets for convenience, you’ll naturally determine a method that works best for you. Each witch is unique and so is her book of shadows—both the type of book she chooses and the way she puts it together.

  How you configure your book depends on your personality, your lifestyle, your individual needs and preferences, the types of spells and rituals you perform, your spiritual path, your goals and objectives, and a whole lot more. Remember the questions you asked yourself at the beginning of Chapter 2? How you answered those questions will guide you as you go about organizing the material in your grimoire.

  WHERE TO BEGIN

  In the previous chapter, we talked about choosing the style and form for your book of shadows—even the possibility of making your own from scratch. However, the first book you create probably won’t be your last. You might even decide to start a new book of shadows each year, on Samhain or another date that holds meaning for you, such as your birthday.

  Assess Yourself and Your Objectives

  As discussed earlier, old grimoires contained incantations, invocations, and rituals for calling forth spirits. Most witches today don’t limit themselves to those practices alone. However, you might decide you only want to record magick spells and rituals in your book of shadows: no poems, no dream scenarios, no doodles in the margins. That’s fine. Conversely, you may take an “anything goes” approach and choose to include whatever strikes your fancy. That’s fine too. Your grimoire is a sacred tool you create to serve your purposes. Go with whatever facilitates your goal.

  If you’re a green witch, your book might emphasize spells that incorporate botanicals and other natural ingredients. Because you have a special relationship with nature, you may find it
useful to organize your grimoire according to the seasons.

  If you enjoy drama, you may opt to focus on rituals and ceremonial practices. Arranging your material around the eight sabbats might make sense for you.

  Are you a healer? If so, you could create categories for different healing methods: potions and elixirs, salves and balms, talismans and amulets, etc.

  Do you travel a lot? Perhaps you’ll find it useful to keep a small travel journal in which you record some of your favorite spells, in addition to your primary grimoire. You could even keep a selection of spells on your iPad or laptop.

  Allow for Updates

  As you progress along your spiritual path, you’ll continue refining your practice, your techniques, and your objectives. Coven members or other people you work with will influence you. Things you read about the Craft and various magickal traditions will influence you. The outcomes of your spells will influence you. And the world you live in—as well as the nonphysical worlds that interface with our material one—will influence you. Therefore, you can expect to continually update your grimoire as you journey along the course you’ve chosen.

  Your first grimoire might be a three-ring binder or an electronic book. This allows you to experiment with various formats and make adjustments as you see fit—before you invest a lot of time and/or money in a gorgeous grimoire that inspires awe every time you look at it. You can always hand-copy your material into a beautiful bound book later.