Deborah Blake - The Eclectic Witchs Book of Shadows: Witchy Wisdom at Your Fingertips

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

The Eclectic Witchs Book of Shadows 2021 by Deborah Blake.

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First e-book edition 2021

E-book ISBN: 9780738765563

Art direction by Lynne Menturweck and Shira Atakpu
Book design, layout, and edit by Rebecca Zins
Cover design by Shira Atakpu
Cover and interior illustrations by Mickie Mueller

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Blake, Deborah, author.

Title: The eclectic witchs book of shadows : witchy wisdom at your

fingertips / Deborah Blake.

Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications,

[2021] | Summary: This beginner-friendly guide is modeled on a

traditional Wiccan Book of Shadows but is flexible enough to be

personalized. With sections on herbs, stones, spells, rituals, candle

magic, divination, correspondences, magical recipes, and more, this book

makes practicing Witchcraft easier, simpler, and more funProvided by

publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021005118 (print) | LCCN 2021005119 (ebook) | ISBN

9780738765327 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780738765563 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Witchcraft.

Classification: LCC BF1566 .B53434 2021 (print) | LCC BF1566 (ebook) |

DDC 133.4/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005118

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005119

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publishers website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

Invocations and
Quarter Calls

Introduction

W itches use many tools in the practice of their Craft. What these tools consist of can vary widely from witch to witch. For some, the athame and the cauldron are vital, symbolizing the God and the Goddess and practical for directing energy and either burning or heating things in respectively. For others, it might be a wand, a staff, a broom, an assortment of crystals, or herbs or candlesmaybe all of the above. And why not? Anything that is useful and boosts your magical power is worth having; if it is beautiful, thats a bonus.

The tools that mean something to us on a personal and emotional level are also the ones that hold the most power. Whether it is a special pentacle necklace gifted to you by a friend, that piece of rose quartz that called to you during a time when you needed its calming aura, or even the simple athame you bought when you first realized you were a witch, the tools that are the most deeply yours are the ones that mean the most. They personify your magic, and over time and use, they become a part of you.

There is no tool more personal than a witchs Book of Shadows. Sometimes called a grimoire, a Book of Shadows contains a witchs magical information and the knowledge she or he gains over years of practice. Not every witch has one, and one Book of Shadows can look very different from another. As with everything else in Witchcraft, there is no one right way to create one or use one, no matter what you might have been told.

Keep in mind that the name Book of Shadows is relatively new, almost certainly originating with Gerald Gardner in the 1940s. The grimoire, or book of magic, however, goes quite deep into history, although that particular name is European in origin. There have been magical books dating back as far as the Library of Alexandria, the Greeks and Romans, the ancient Jews, and the Gnostic sects of early Christianity. Certainly the possession of such a book could have gotten you killed during the grim years of the witch hunts.

Thankfully, these days most of us can add a Book of Shadows to our collection of Witchcraft tools without fear of being burned at the stake, although not everyone is going to leave theirs out where others can see it. (Mine is old, but it definitely doesnt date back to the Library of Alexandria!)

In the early days of Wicca, a coven usually had a main Book of Shadows, and new initiates were allowed to copy the information it held into their own personal books, which they then added to as they pursued their studies. They were sworn to secrecy, and the secrets of the covens magic were not to be shared with outsiders.

These days a coven might still have a group Book of Shadows, whether or not it is a secret. My group Blue Moon Circle does, although it is a fairly simple collection of our rituals along with some photos taken over the years (including vacations we took together), a copy of The Charge of the Goddess, and the names of each member who has been a part of Blue Moon Circle written on the inside front cover. It is as much a record of our journey together as it is a book of magic, and it brings back amazing memories whenever I look at it.

It is not, however, a deep dark secret, nor (I hate to admit it) very well organized. It doesnt have beautiful hand-drawn illustrations because my artistic skills are, shall we say, rudimentary at best. And it isnt even written out by hand because my handwriting is so appalling, wed never be able to read it later. So I type up the spells and ritualssometimes using a pretty font, so that must count for something, right?and tape them into the book. Were modern eclectic witches, people. We do whatever works!

For the most part, a Book of Shadows is created and used by an individual witch. Traditionally, such books were always supposed to be handwritten. It was thought that writing out the spells and information in your own handwriting gave them more power. Does it? Perhaps, and certainly if you have the time, the inclination, and decent penmanship, thats a great way to go. But with the increased use of computers, not to mention the publication of books like the one you are currently holding in your hands, it has become more common to either type out your lists and spells and recipes or else use a book written by someone else.