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Grimoires
Magical Journal Tool
A Grimoire has many definitions. Formally, a Grimoire is an often ancient/old book of spells and mystical/occult knowledge that has been passed on through generations of practitioners and is often considered a sacred text.
A secondary definition sees a Grimoire as any journal full of mystical/occult knowledge. This definition allows for more flexibility in what counts as a grimoire and allows for a modern practitioner to make their own book of spells. This Community Grimoire functions off of this definition!
Other terms often used interchangeably with a Grimoire is a Book of Shadows (first coined in Wicca spheres that use it as a magical journal) or simply a book of spells.
While it can be filled with spells and a journal of your mystical experiences, it can also contain good information and research that better informs your craft/faith.
This page contains information about Modern Grimoires that a current practitioner can make.
What Goes in a Grimoire?
Grimoire example pages found on https://emilyunderworld.co.uk/how-to-start-a-witchy-bullet-journal/
Any magical/witchy/occult information can be put in your grimoire/book of shadows! You can talor your journal(s) to focus on specific info (ie: a plant journal to record your gardening journey, herbs, and plant spirits vs a spell book full of general spells) or you can use one big book with a large compilation of information.
Your book can be organized and full of art or it can simply be writing. It doesn't even have to be a physical book! A Word Doc or a notetaking site works! (Especially if you're in the Broom Closet and need to hide your notes) You could even use a binder and type out your notes to put in it! Whatever method works for you works!
Information you can add to a grimoire includes (but is not limited to):
Plants and their spiritual properties
Crystals
Moon Phases
Religions
History
Spells and how they worked for you
Your Dreams
Spirits/Deities and your interactions with them
Many people also stress that showing your grimoire to everyone is strongly discouraged! Your grimoire is full of personal information and experiences that can spiritually be used against you. While it's unlikely this will happen, many people choose to not share their grimoire except with close friends and family. Use discretion and your intuition in making decisions to share your journal!
How do you check your sources?
One of the hardest things to do while making a Grimoire is vetting your sources. Many people in both books and online use their own personal experiences and portray them as universal facts in spiritual spaces, making it hard to get concrete, widely accepted facts. Here are some general tips when researching for your grimoire or any mystical projects!
1: Is this their own or another person's personal experiences? If it is, then don't take it as fact. While it may have definitely happened to them, it doesn't mean that its for sure a reoccurring theme. (Ie: A witch says Hekate prefers white chocolate in offerings. This isn't a universal connection that is widely acknowledged, so avoid the info)
2: Is anyone else saying this information? If someone makes a claim about a piece of history, a practice, or other related information, double check other books/websites to see if everyone agrees with this fact. There is a lot of misinformation that gets spread and should be avoided. (Ie: Many people believe that Tarot is an ancient divination practice when historians agree that its history as divination began in the late 18th century)
3: Rely on historians/scholarly info. Scholars are more knowledgeable about the concrete information of practices and historical trends. While not all scholars are good and unbiased, you're more likely to find better, more accurate information from these books/sites. (Ie: Same example as 2)
The video below is a good resource in making sure your Grimoire/research is accurate and not full of others' unverified personal gnosises. Be careful with the sources you trust and when in doubt, double check it!
Citations and Further Reading/Viewing
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