The Witch’s Grimoire: A Beginner’s Guide of Magical Record Keeping

Every witch and magician loves a dusty tome filled with magic. But the thing that most forget is this – those dusty tomes aren’t just filled with magic. They are magic. To the wise witch, her Book of Shadows or grimoire is a living, breathing being. Have you ever seen Hocus Pocus? Think of how Winifred Sanderson’s “Book” has a name and comes alive throughout the movie. Knowing that your own personal grimoire could also be a living entity, boldly go forward with creating your magical book.

If you’re brand new to witchcraft and magic, it’s time to start your own grimoire or Book of Shadows. But how? And what should be included? Here we provide the beginner with grimoire and Book of Shadows basics and teach you how to start your own grimoire!

What is a Grimoire? What is a Book of Shadows?

Technically speaking, a grimoire and a Book of Shadows are two different things. Yet in modern times, people tend to use these words interchangeably. The difference between the two comes down to a few things:

1. A grimoire is an older term used to define a book of spells, invocations, etc. as opposed to the Book of Shadows which is a term popularized by the Wiccan movement in the twentieth century. The grimoire may arise from any religion or culture. There are even grimoires written by Saints and Popes from past centuries! But the Book of Shadows is typically reserved for Wiccans and Witches alone.
2. Some people say a grimoire is the term non-Wiccans should use and reserve Book of Shadows for Wiccans.
3. Grimoires, to some folks, are books of spells and rituals written in ancient or cryptic alphabets to keep magic a secret. While the Book of Shadows may be protected by magic symbols but isn’t necessarily written in ancient alphabet code.

To put it simply, it’s up to you if you want to use the term grimoire or Book of Shadows to define your magical book. For me, I use grimoire, but I don’t just include spells in my grimoire. I record my dreams, spiritual and emotional experiences, recipes, study notes and much more. A Grimoire is much more than just ink and paper. It’s a living tool, imbued with your energy, that you can use not only to record spells and experiences, but also to manifest your intentions. For me, sometimes it’s as simple as writing my intentions in my grimoire to see it manifest.

The HIS-tory of the Magical Grimoire

As I research and dive deep into the history of the Grimoire and/or Spellbook, I’ve come to some large realizations:

1. The surviving grimoires we have today were written by “men”. (I do believe at least a handful of them were influenced by women)
2. Quite a few of the surviving grimoires we have today were written by priests, bishops, and a few popes (yes, the Church was writing down magical remedies, ways to summon spirits, etc.)
3. The literate people of the more recent centuries were men, the elite, and of course, church officials only (this was to control the narrative).
4. Women and minorities were not only discouraged from learning to read and write but in many cases prohibited until the nineteenth – twentieth centuries.
5. We’ve lost many of our spellbooks, familial recipe books, and grimoires over time due to lack of preservation AND due to mass book burnings (book burnings actually date back to Biblical times, for instance an event at Ephesus when newly converted individuals went into the streets of the city and burned their pagan books and magic grimoires en masse) and again by folks who wanted to control the narrative.
6. Women have clung to literacy for centuries (despite being discouraged and outlawed) and in the early modern era were indeed recording their own cooking and medicinal recipes in “family recipe books”, we have evidence of this from the 1600’s.
7. In ancient times, women in many cultures were literate including women of the elite and religious priestesshood of ancient Egypt (for instance, Cleopatra herself) and this would continue until the rise of the church.

Reading and researching the written word from a woman’s perspective is honestly infuriating in more ways than one. And I feel it’s a travesty that we’ve lost so much of our history over time due to lack of preservation and religious/patriarchal control of the narrative. This sets a fire under my @ss to write as much as possible and encourage EVERYONE to write their stories, recipes, perspective, etc. down on paper, inscribe it into metal/stone, write it on the internet. Just WRITE. And I feel we have to find better ways of preserving our stories to withstand the test of time. I don’t know what that would entail but it’s just something to think about. And we have to STOP BURNING BOOKS, FOLKS.

Listen to our episode on the Witch’s Grimoire here:

The Do’s and Dont’s of Grimoire-Keeping

You might be wondering, do I have to record everything in an ancient cryptic alphabet? The answer is NO. Of course not! Unless you feel particularly drawn to do so. For me? I don’t have that kind of time, nor do I have anything I need to hide from others at this point. But if you have someone who tends to snoop in your belongings or someone who wouldn’t approve of your craft, you can absolutely use old alphabets or symbols to record in your grimoire. So what are the do’s and don’t’s of grimoire-keeping? DO write down everything you find of value, DON’T limit yourself. That’s it!

What Kind of Journal or Book Should I Use?

Though there are dozens of pretty, leather grimoires online to purchase, if you can’t afford fifty+ dollars for a grimoire, don’t spend it! A plain composition book or spiral notebook works just as well as a fancy leather one. And if you choose a notebook or composition book, simple post-it tabs help to organize and section off your grimoire. Unfortunately, in the large leather grimoire I own, I can’t add tabs because of the closure. If I add tabs, they’ll be smashed and the grimoire itself won’t close. So, that said, pretty doesn’t = functional! Diaries, journals, and even recipe books function well as grimoires too. Binders with loose-leaf paper and sheet protectors are great for organizational purposes.

Something most witches don’t typically think of – grimoires made in a junk journal style! If you don’t know what a junk journal is, a quick google search will show you. But, essentially, a junk journal is a journal that’s made from various papers and materials just “lying around” your home. There are some junk journal YouTubers that make their junk journals from ONLY found paper and materials. Which, IMO, is an awesome way to reuse, reduce, and recycle. You can literally put together a grimoire using nothing but the cover of an old book, old sketchbook and lined paper, random cardstock, and even used BOXES from your cupboard. The options here are endless and super fun. I recently crafted a fairy spellbook from a Duncan Hines cake box and scrap papers!

In addition, there are many witches who keep a grimoire on their computers and phones. Did you know you could even use your Notes app or Pinterest to store your notes, musings, spells, and useful witchcraft info? We live in the digital age, so why not put it to use? Don’t forget the power of a Word document or Adobe Photoshop for those who are artistically inclined.

Subjects for Your Grimoire or Book of Shadows

Truly any subject matter you want to add to your grimoire is perfectly fine. It’s up to you what to include. A few magical subjects I’ve added to mine include:

• Altar and tools: how to set up an altar, tools you like to include, seasonal changes and how to charge/bless altars, etc.
• Amulets and Talismans: charms and how to enchant or charge an amulet and talisman
• Ancestor Work: info on your ancestors, recent and ancient, DNA test results, ancestral rituals, healing, etc.
• Astrology: great to have in your grimoire including your sun, rising, ascending signs and a copy of your birth natal chart. In addition, a breakdown of the planets in astrology, retrogrades, and other pertinent info
• Cleansing Rituals: smudging, sprays, ritual baths, sound, etc.
• Color magic: each color’s magical properties
• Crystals and their magical and medicinal properties
• Days of the week: magic according to the days of the week
• Divination: different forms including runes, tarot cards, oracle, scrying sessions, nature signs and omens, throwing ‘dem bones, and palmistry (the sky’s the limit!)
• Dreams: a record of my dreams plus dream interpretations and symbols
• Elements: the basics on the four elements, their properties, elemental magic, how the elements affect our daily lives, one page for each of the 4 elements
• Experiences: include your spiritual experiences, thoughts, emotions
• Familiars: animal guides, household spirits, magical allies, etc.
• Garden: how I set up my magical garden, what to grow, timing of plantings/harvesting
• Goddesses you work with or find interesting
• Healing: rituals, Reiki, meditations, chakra alignment, healing candle spells, etc.
• Herbs: each herb gets its own page with magical correspondences, any culinary or topical purposes, mundane use, medicinal etc.
• History: the history of witchcraft, Witch Trials, shamanism, multicultural magical traditions, ancient paganism, folklore, etc.
• Home and Hearth: magical recipes, anecdotes, charms for protection, cleansing and protection rituals, magical cleaning routines, kitchen utensils that serve as magical tools, tea spells, etc.
• Love Rituals: any herbs, charms, rituals, spells, affirmations to attract love or self-love, sex magic
• Lost Civilizations: info on Avalon, Atlantis, Lemuria
• Moon Magic: lunar phases and their magical properties, lunar goddesses, moon rituals, drawing down the moon, how to make moon water, charging things in the moonlight
• Protection: laying wards, sealing one’s house, travel protection charms, shielding rituals, banishing, binding, reversals, etc.
• Sacred places: portals, ley lines, YOUR power places (places in nature you felt most connected and magical), and info on liminal spaces like beaches, cemeteries, crossroads
• Symbols: helpful if you draw or print out different sacred and magical symbols to include in your grimoire. Witches runes, Elder futhark, moon glyphs, Enochian alphabet, Celtic and Norse symbols, etc.

How to Cleanse and Charge Your Grimoire

So you have a notebook and some ideas of what to write in your grimoire, but how do you dedicate it solely to your spiritual use? Cleansing and charging your grimoire is a good idea, similar to how you cleanse and charge your altar and tools.

My favorite way to cleanse a grimoire is with smoke. Run the grimoire over and through the smoke front and back, visualizing negative energy leaving the pages. Envision a “clean slate” to dedicate to your magical studies. Then, hold it in your hands and to your heart and say, “I bless this book in the name of _______ (your god/goddess/universe/ancestors/higher self) and dedicate it to my magical and spiritual studies. May my heart and soul be poured onto its pages for the highest good. So be it.” Then leave your grimoire to be charged in the full moon’s light or the sunlight. Make sure it won’t fade in sunlight if you choose to charge with solar power.

How you charge your grimoire with energy and power is up to you. I recommend doing what you feel drawn to do. If you want to spray your grimoire pages with a light mist made out of a magical herbal concoction, do it! Just remember to leave it out to dry and keep in mind anything wet will warp paper a bit. Add oils, bookmarks with symbols, and keepsakes like small feathers, etc. All of these items will charge your grimoire with powerful energies. I’ve even see witches burn candles in the middle of their grimoire bindings (PLEASE don’t try this at home…there’s an obvious fire hazard here!)

Protective Symbols and Words

In addition to cleansing and charging your grimoire, some folks inscribe protective symbols or words on the inside. This serves as a means to keep snooping people out of your magical business and may even help it to be returned if lost or misplaced. Choose symbols that mean protection and are sacred to you. Some examples are: elder futhark runes, witches’ runes, sigils, theban alphabet, moon glyphs, ogham, etc.

Ideas for Decorating Your Grimoire

The funnest part of creating a grimoire is decorating or embellishing it, IMO. You can find magical stickers online and at craft stores to include in your grimoire. Some stickers I’ve used include: trees, plants, flowers, dragonflies, butterflies, stars, moons, crystals and more. It just takes time to find the right ones. In addition, check out the scrapbooking section of your local craft store for cool papers you can use, borders, stencils, and stamps. I may not have good handwriting, but my stickers and stencils are ON POINT.

Rituals and Spells to Include In Your Grimoire:

• 3 POWERFUL Love Spells and Rituals
• How to Make Moon Water
• New Moon Magic: Cleansing Rituals, New Job Spells and More
• Key Magic, Myth and a Lock and Key Spell