Who's the BOS?

BOS stands for Book of Shadows. And yes, I now have one in progress.

To be brutally honest, deciding to create a Book of Shadows was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. Even as a young child I loved the idea of keeping a journal to record my thoughts and daily experiences, but it never really happened until now, at the ripe old age of 26. If you knew how many journal-type books I bought, wrote my name on the inside cover, and then never used again you might be surprised, or not. Apparently I am not the only one that has experienced this. But that was my entire journal-writing experience up until about 7 or 8 months ago, to be conservative. More like 6 months really, if you take being serious about it into consideration.

The idea of writing down everything by hand into a beautiful bound book made for nice day dreams, but I had to be realistic about it. For starters, I will be the first to admit that my hand writing is atrocious, and I'm not even joking. Fast-paced note-taking is a nightmare for me; I can't even read my notes afterwards. Talk about self-defeating. Secondly, I am all about reference, so I must have my pages grouped together in a certain order, or else I wouldn't even use my BOS. Therefore the notion of a romantic, handwritten account of my journey, spells, rituals, correspondences, herbs, what have you...was completely out of the question. Here steps in the wonderfully practical, and utilitarian, three-ring binder with about 100 clear sheet protectors. Now we're talking business.

I know the idea of word processing a BOS does not appeal to everyone, and some would even say that it takes away from the personal  power put into the book by handwriting all your entries. Yet, I think there is merit in having your BOS word processed and backed up, just in case a rogue candle sets your book on fire during ritual, or that odd leaky ballpoint decides to finally let go of its last few drops of ink all over your pages.

So for those of you out there that feel you can't have a Book of Shadow because the connection isn't there, or you don't have the stamina to get out that pencil or pen and write, it's okay. Take your time. The moment will come when it is meant to. Perhaps it hasn't come because you were not meant to have a BOS, which some practitioners don't. There is nothing wrong with not having a BOS. And if you are meant to have one, you will come to find out the best method of putting it together. Bound and handwritten, or binder-full of sheet protectors, or any other method that strikes you as correct , are all equally as beautiful and poignantly done as the rest. Your BOS is your own book, and as they say, follow your truth and do what is right for you.

Blessed be, and may your shadows fill books to the brim.