I was so deep in the broom closet that my book of shadows was a journal in Minecraft

Started my first BoS. It's an inconspicuous blue binder. I did put a sigil of "no one may open this book without my concent" on the first page. Mainly because I'm in the closet and my mom is a very biased religious woman. I must say, my closet is getting deeper and deeper, I'm surprised I'm not in Narnia at this point...😂

She's talking about kneadable erasers and they're a god send.

For anyone who uses a binder (binder squad), separate your sections with divider tabs. Trust me, once you get more papers in there you'll be happy those tabs are there

The little child in me laughed too hard at the phrase “spelling” mistake. I know it was referencing writing words, but my mind jumped to a faulty spell.

Something i’m doing is writing it out on a notebook as everything is everywhere, then when i’m ready i’ll write it into a book of shadows

My BoS is a confusing mix between my first language and english, because I constantly mix up the two and forget the word for something in one of the languages

I really relate to the blockage of "I want it to be nice, so I never write in it in case I make a mistake." I definitely do the thing of jotting it down in rough form in a different book, then copying it "nicer" later, that alleviates my stress but allows me to make it aesthetic (which you definitely don't have to do, it just makes me happy!) This is incredible advice for newbies - just jot it down SOMEHOW, don't worry how it looks, so at least you have it later. Thx Hearth! My best tip: get brown paper bags and cut pieces out to paste over large areas you just really fucked up and don't want to look at, and write a short tip or something on it - the brown paper bag isn't see-through and they're dirt cheap, and look cool, but you can use any paper obv. P. S. OMG i LOVE Paperblanks!! They are gorgeous, I got one for my Shadow Work journal. I wanted one for my b.o.s. but I had trouble finding unlined (I prefer it because I draw pictures) in the style and size I wanted.

Also, on contents pages: Ryder Carroll's Bullet Journal Method has a really good solution to this because you can just write down the topic and the page you wrote it on instead of trying to measure out how many pages you need and preplan topics. You don't have to stuff everything in the whole book into the contents pages, either. You can write a collections page -- like "crystals" or something, suppose you're going through your main contents page and realize you have 3 topics on various crystals. Make the next blank page a collection page JUST for crystals. Write the page that collection is located on, and THAT collection page is now where you document which pages contain research in crystals as you go along. You can also do something called "threading" where you write the page # the previous installment of connected topics beside the page number you're currently writing so that later you can easily track, chronologically, where you've written about this topic. Ryder Carroll has ADHD, and so do I, and it's such a great way to find where I wrote something important down. OH! And color-code the edges of the pages. I use green highlighter on the top corner of any page I write spells on, and it makes it very easy to go back and review that spell or update it.

Instead of a contents page, I do an index by category and use tabs to mark them. ie: red tab = Herbs, blue tab = Moon, green tab = Crystals. Idk if this would be helpful for anyone else. I do use a binder-style BOS.

On making a BOS for you: I know a lot of people - myself included - started out wanting to pass their BOS down generations and have anxiety to the point of not doing it because they want everything to be perfect and beautiful for decades to come. I've come to realise that if you want to do this a few years down the track, you can 100% transpose information in a thoughtful and orderly way into more of a grimoire. Patience. Don't let the future hold you back.

I'm the type of witch that has 15 random spiral notebooks just scribbled with loads of info and they're all in different places😂

I tried my hand at bookbinding and I made my own book of shadows. I write in any pen, and it's sloppy but I love it. It's aesthetically pleasing to me and it's kind of like a diary for my magick.

For those who were wondering what kind of rubber/eraser she was talking about, it is called a kneaded eraser in American. It usually grey and is used a little differently than other erasers. It catches a lot of lead but the thing that makes it so special is that you can 'knead' until all of the lead has blended away in the rubber/eraser, and you can used it again all clean as if it was new. Hope this helped someone. 😁👍

I was in the process of decluttering my home and life as a whole, and opted to keep my BOS on a pretty little USB I ordered on Etsy. I absolutely love it so far, because I no longer need to keep space for a physical book like I did before. I can also hook it up to my tablet, and create art pieces to add to it without needing to buy art supplies.

I love how you touched on the topic of fear of the book not being perfect. I know that’s what has kept me from not writing it all down in the “fancy” book I bought. It changed my mind when you mentioned how much you wished you had written it down years ago so you could see the progression. I’m definitely going to take more time to sit down and write all these things down in whatever notebook i have.

My eyes lit up when hearth said Dyslexic 😗 I was diagnosed when I was 8, spelling has been a pain in the butt for me especially in school/high school, nobody really understood what dyslexia is so thank you Hearth 👏👏👏 Like if you or someone you know has dyslexia. Kudos to everyone who has Dyslexia/disability your doing the best you can 🙏

My best tips for BOS would be 1) use what you have or can afford. A fancy leather book is not required, you can use a Word document, a regular notebook, a binder, etc. These work if you are still in the broom closet and you can hide it in plain sight. I used a sketchbook I found lying around that I bought years ago but forgot about. 2) It doesn't have to be pretty. As long as you can read it, it should be fine. 3) If you want a pretty sketch in it but not sure if you can replicate it, you can glue it on a page. I have heard of witches gluing envelopes in them to hold stuff. I wanna put a pop-up of the Wheel of the Year, wish me luck ;_;

I have been practicing on and off for 45 years. I really regret my books, which we called journals back then, being lost in my parents house fire. It really put me off of writing my thoughts and observations, practices and experiments, because I felt so much was so easily lost. I felt all of that time was wasted. But, I was wrong. I should have continued, nothing is ever lost or wasted. Though my books were burned, they had an impact on me. The time I spent reflecting, practicing, interacting was not lost. It became a part of me in the doing and joined with the spirits in the burning. Now I sometimes write things to burn specifically (not Shadow pages....I'm not a fool after all) and I use them in my practice. Write, draw, scribble, just start and see where it leads. But don't destroy them. I've gone on too long, sorry. 💖

The type of eraser you were talking about is called a "gum eraser." They can be found at craft stores or online and they're usually gray in color, and they're usually sold with pencils in a pack, but you might be able to find one on its own! They're great because if they get covered in gray from the pencil, you just have to stretch and mold it to a new shape and you've got a fresh eraser. I use notebooks I got at Barnes & Noble a few years ago for my BoS, and I've recently started to transfer the information from them into a private server on Discord! I use Discord pretty frequently, and it's great because I have it on my laptop, phone, and iPad. You can really customize how you organize it, add photos easily, etc. so I really like having my BoS digitally if I need it, but I still love to write things out because I feel that it helps me to remember what I'm writing down and such.

Excellent tips, Hearth! 20something years ago, my first BOS was a large spiral bound notebook. Now it's a discbound planner with dividers so I can move/add things around at will and it lays flat without effort. At the end of the day, it just has to WORK.

I started my book of shadows as just a journal of my first wheel of the year holidays. There's recipes, tarot/rune spreads, plain journaling, and a ton of other stuff. A book of shadows is all you!

Tip for writing in a straight line on blank pages: use a lined page as a template. Rip out a page from a lined notebook with spacing you like and place it under the blank page you want to write on. You may need to darken the lines to see through the blank page, especially if the blank paper is thicker, but it works like a charm!

what really helped me is that i have a junk like book of shadows that i can write things messily and all over the place and then a fancy grimoire that i rewrite things in with pretty illustrations and nice calligraphy. like this, i get to write everything i need down without worrying, and then i can have my creative time with the grimoire and have fun

Hearth, how to stay motivated to practice witchcraft, i keep finding myself just.. stopping at points then going like "yeah i should get back into it!"

I like to write the index of my books when I finish them, using the last 4 or 5 pages.

I’ve watched A LOT of BOS videos and this one has some of the best tips I’ve ever seen.

Little tip, if you wrote all over the page and want to add something on that page, cut a bit of paper where you wrote the new things and tape it with clear tape at the end of the page so it can be flipped up and the clear tape allows to read the last words :)

Just started my first book this past week! I actually decided to make a general book of shadows for everything I learn and then I’m also making one specific to Tarot since I really love the practice. I love having a place to put all of my fave Tarot spreads as a reference. Also, for my general book, I find that making a list of topics I want to make pages about on a separate piece of paper is super helpful! I can write down ideas for pages, slide them into my book and revisit them when it’s time to make a section for that topic!

Great video! Something I would like to add for people who speak multiple languages is that you don't need to write everything in one language. In the past I was worried that my future children won't be able to understand all of it if I write it in more than one language, but the book is not for anyone else, not even for your children. And if you research something in one language you don't need to go through the extra work of translating it to the main language of your book, unless you really want to. What's important is that YOU understand it. Plus, if you have watched Grimm and remember the books he uses, it's actually kind of cool and mysterious to have a book that's written in more than one language :D

Great video 👍 I use an a5 ring binder with dividers for my spiritual practice, I use lined and plain paper in there. I also use the folder for other stuff like feng shui and self care practice. I find it much easier working this way cos I can just scribble notes and doodles and not worry about being neat, plus I have everything in one place. I know myself, if I had a fancy notebook then the perfectionist in me would come out and it would have to be neat 😂

I love how you mentioned digital Books of Shadows! I personally don’t like physically writing unless I’m writing letters to people, so I use Google Docs on my phone to write my Book of Shadows. I definitely recommend note apps and word documents for those who prefer typing over writing

I have my mirror book (journal) in a regular lined spiral bound notebook, and a more formal BOS in a line-less leather-bound book. I use a piece of lined notebook paper beneath the blank pages to give me temporary lines that I can see through and follow to keep my writing in track in straight lines.

I love putting envelopes in mine, either tapping them in or gluing them in. So I can put extra little sheets in my book. Its great if you have a section you want to add some notes to but don't want to waste a whole page.

Wow these tips went beyond my expectations. You’re soooo informative, I really want to thank you for turning a video which most people would make it into a basic and shallow 5-minute tricks into a comprehensive and helpful 30 minute video!! So many baby witches struggle with the expectations of a beautiful medieval tome for a book of shadows when really we should be focusing on writing things down

I really recommend a binder for BoS cuz you can just stuck all kinds of different refill pages for sketches and notes and even printed materials. My first language is Chinese and when I wrote my BoS in English I found binders extremely helpful when I don't want to rewrite the Chinese materials into English and write them down cuz I can just print them out and use a punch to combine the stuff together.

One of my personal tip for the people who do needs content list....just leave a few pages in the beginning of your book and fill the content list as you add content instead of filling all of it prior. It will keep it organized and later will help you to navigate through your writings.

Happy birthday, Hearth! 🖤🖤🖤🌛🌝🌜

My book is a collection of misc. works, charms, poems, quotes, memories, moon cycles, stories, reminiscing, correspondence, defintions, books to read, even a few "related"garden notes, etc.. I got the idea -somewhere- to number pages as I went, then flip to last page of book to write a couple words or sentences and page number. As book fills in front, so it fills in back. (With a personalized index not bogged down with "topic sections"!) Easiest system ever. When BOS pages meet index pages, - Start next book! I hope my daughter and grandchildren enjoy these books.

I'm currently transcribing my book of shadows I started almost 20 years ago into new notebooks. I was in the broom closet & scribbling into spiral notebooks or diaries from our dollar store. The ink has since done strange things & started bleeding through. This project has been fun and its letting me edit out things I've never used/will never use and organize some thoughts. For me, having that notebook to gather thoughts before writing into my book of shadows reduces so much stress. I've also learned to embrace leaving space for notes. If I never need to note afterward, I put in doodles, or pressed plants connected to the work Tip for uh unlined paper. I keep a few sheets of loose leaf lined paper in my books which get placed behind the page in writing on. Usually I can see thin lines under the page to keep me on track

Years ago when I started writing down things that mom talked about, I used a note binder with tabs. That way if something did not work I could remove it. I kept only things that worked. So when I pass this book on to my granddaughter, it will be useful.

Notebooks with dotted pages are great if you don't like lined paper because they give you a guide to write straight but you can also draw and stuff without the lines being annoying. Also, I usually leave a blank page or two for whenever I make mistakes I have the same type of paper so I can cut out a little piece and glue it on top of the misspelled word or whatever mistake I made.

i am on my first book of shadows. And my first year of study as well. its messy. sometimes beautiful. But it works. Its in German and English. Sometimes i switch in a sentence, just because i write information down from videos or something similar. I Have an Index. but in the back of the book. so i can fill it while working on it. i have some sections like sabbats , rituals/spells and then correspondences... you can add what ever you like. i do it in colums. and when my book is full - my studies and knowledge meets the index. so i dont loose track of whats in it and need to search.

The name of the elasticated eraser is a 'kneaded eraser'

I was considering this lately because I’ve made a lot of really cool stuff and I didn’t write anything down

Another way to cover up mistakes is to glue collage materials into it. You can even use a part of another paper and glue it on your page and write over it. Or acrylic paint or gesso like people do in art journals. Or dried plants, sigils....There are no rules. These things can even add some texture and look old and beautiful if that is something you want. It's not about perfection, thank you for pointing it out multiple times because I'm a terrible perfectionist who is about to start her first Book of Shadows.

Out of topic but I just wanted to say that your makeup is stunning

what i find very helpful is useing a 3 ring binder, if you want somthing small there are smaller binders that you can add pages to by putting your paper in landscape form put it in collums and fold the paper down the middle and poking poles into the outside, i also separate a couple books some by ingredients for spells and the others by dietys and moon phases and planetary charts and stuff. dont worry about page numbers they will be out of order, honestly they are not helpful unless you have to find somthing, same thing with chapters , just put titles and dont write chapter 1 at the top. i also use a journal as well along side.

it definitely helps to write stuff down and make it special if your going to be using it, the more familiar you are with something the more your likely to care and use it.

Table of contents is very important. Blank spaces can be filled with pictures, clippings, drawings, etc. that speak to you. If you are trying to stay hidden away take an old book and put your notes, thoughts, plans in it. Yes- write in a book and when you are able buy a journal and rewrite your ideas. Have fun.

I love your positive outlook! So many things that hold me back, and you mentioned most of them, and your encouragement gives me "permission" to just do it! '

That last tip really hit home with me. I have a tendency to rip out pages because I think it looks horrible. I really need to work on not worrying about it so much

Happy Birthday Hearth! 😊❤️🎊🎁

I love the idea of adding notes space!

I'm using a photo album that I can slip sheets into. I love using watercolor paper, and get into making the pages colorful. It's kind of an art journal. :)

I’m so glad I just found your channel / this video! Perfectionism and the fear of not being prepared enough held me back for a while now, and this is exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you thank you thank you 🖤✨

Super helpful, thank you ! I'm a complete beginner and I haven't started my book of shadows yet, I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself to make it look pretty and perfect even though I know it doesn't need to be. I'm also worried about jumping from subject to subject. I felt like it was safer to start my research about different topics on dedicated Word documents, and write everything down once I'm satisfied with it but I also feel like that's just a distraction and that I'll never actually write it down haha.

You've TOTALLY hit on all my worries about starting my book of shadows. I'm a virgo so letting go of that perfection and that order is especially hard for me! But I'm working on changing my perspective and viewing the disorder as a timeline of when I learned everything.

thank you for this video! i've kept a google doc with information i like for a while now, but your advice inspired me to start my first tangible book of shadows!

What do you think of just using fun cheapie notebooks to write in and at the end of the year, compile the information into a book?

Your channel is so helpful and insightful. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you soooo much for this video!!! It is soooo soo true about books of shadows. It is sooo informative and real talk!

I love your description of the book of shadows as a diary - that has been what has really helped me from getting too blocked up trying to document my workings. Lots of great tips!

Great great video!!! Really helping me feel more confident. You really got much more specific and honest than many others have done. Thank you!!!

I am so happy to find such an articulate and genuine fellow witch. I lost my way a few years ago and you’ve totally inspired me to get back on my witchy path. Thank you so much ✨

Thank you. This advise is priceless. ❤

I'm watching this 3 years after you've posted this, but I knew that was Paperblanks! They're so beautiful! I love that they have the magnetic lock, unlined and lined options, multiple sizes... I'm obsessed with them!

I don't have a contents page as I find it stressful, but I have recently started an index! Ive divided up pages at the back of the book and put letters of the alphabet there. Then I've gone through what Ive done so far and put the main concept in under the right letter. Ive not been too bothered about it all being in correct alphabetical order under each letter e.g. elements has come before earth in mine! Ive found that really useful!

Wow, you posted this literally at the perfect time. I stumbled across your channel through an elder witch's recommendation in a comment on another channel, and I just started really diving into learning about witchcraft 2 or 3 weeks ago. I have a journal but have been super hesitant on where to start so I seriously appreciate this video. Thank you.

I am so happy I found this video today. I just bought my first book of shadows and have not begun yet. Love your channel and the wonderful information you give is so very helpful.

Great tips Hearth!!! Thanks for sharing with us 💚

I just love this video along with the others of yours that I’ve seen. Such great advice & knowledge to share. I’m glad you have such a big collection of videos so that I have plenty to watch & learn from.

I think it's the best video I've seen about book of shadow and real helpful tips, especially about the aesthetic. thank you so much !

Here in the Midwest United States we call them kneaded erasers. Great video! Always a pleasure to see peoples gorgeous handwriting!

I love this so much mine is in a folder because I like to organise but I hadn’t thought of designing it in word and printing off the pages so it looks nicer now I’m excited thank you

You encourage me to continue my book of shadows, thank you so much 💜

Thanks so much for this, Hearth. You inspired me to buckle down and start working more seriously on my BOS. I have a handful of pages in a binder right now, but I was doing exactly what you say not to here and trying to organize everything by a Table of Contents and trying to make it look perfect. I'm going to start just writing what I need to and not worry about aesthetics.

Thanks so much, such a great video. Has helped me realise that i am ready to just get started

Loved this! Very educational

I was looking for all these fancy shmancy books to write in, and it made me feel so better to hear you say I can just use pencil, a binder and regular paper. Thank you so much!

I know this is an older video but I just found it and it’s so helpful! I’m not a beginner witch but I am new to writing it all down. This video really helped me to get over myself and my worries about beginning a Book. Thanks so much!

can't believe this video was half an hour, I really enjoyed it, it just flew by! I've been in the closet for so long and still am, I wish I started one years ago when I first started learning, it feel keeping one would've really helped propel my learning further (instead I've always felt I had to relearn stuff year after year) but I wish I was able to look back ad see how far I've come on this journey. its been 9 years since I did my first spell (that worked) but because I never had a BOS through fear of it being found I no longer have the spell because I didn't write it down and there was other spells and sigils etc that I've lost too because of this. years later I made an online one I had on in a word document that I kept on a usb stick ( which I would actually advise, you can put it on a long chain and wear it to keep it safe etc and easy to hide) but my family ended up needing to borrow the usb and the laptop and through fear of it being found I deleted it, unfortunately this was the days before the cloud and google drive so I was unable to find it or get it back, but if you do have a word document version, every time you work on it, save it on your usb obvs and then email it to yourself too!! But seriously couldn't agree more with hearth, write it all down and just go for it!!! own the mistakes and weird bits and doodles and whatever i is, it will add to the history and character of your books and down the line you'll laugh at those little things and enjoy them little things, the mistakes are humbling and beautiful in their own right!! I love this video so much!! thanks hearth!!! I think I'm going to go work on my BOS now

I have adhd and never do a contents list. I just write whatever I want and use paper clips to make it easy to find stuff I want to find easily.

I love the way you described everything and explained your own journey in making them! I've had the habbit of screenshotting, bookmarking online and emailing information to myself over the years assuming I'll remember where everything is despite never titling the files and although nothings really lost, it can be hard to make sense of why the information was saved or what context it was relevant to when originally saving it. The past couple months I've still used these tricks but paired them with better naming conventions, my phones' notepad apps, loose leaves of paper in folders, sticky notes, composition notebooks, flash drives and even taking pictures with my camera of sections of books or something on a whiteboard I'll have to erase. The possibilities are endless when you look at your general habits or immediate habitat. I love working with colors and have this thing in the back of my head where sections of what I'm writing need to be immediately distinguishable from another entry even if they are on the same page. To work with this I often grab a different pen or medium for new entries. My current BOS is just my general journal I was inspired by bullet journaling to structure and every few pages go from lead pencil to black pen to blue or colored pencils (and the page I do but don't regret making with thick red sharpie). Where I started tracking my moods, habits and exercise goals, important dates I needed to remembeer or project/research ideas to explore I later wanted to track how often I practiced different things in my craft. My schedule doesn't often let me do a daily tarot card but I do try to write a question or goal for the day and when I can I'll write the result of my daily card (or spread if I do one), what I understand the translation to be for me and reflect later that night or the next day how accurate it was or how it may have influenced the way I thought about a topic that had come up. Even an entry as simple as "This is a quote I came across and like" can be added. You don't have to cite the source or write 3 pages on what it means to you. You can vent about what's going on in your life and not have to justify it because it is yours. Your journey, your information, a reflection of where you were and where you want to go. So by all means: scribble out that word and rewrite it with the exact incorrect spelling and scribble and rewrite again over half that page with ink on your hand smudging along, leave that blank page you know you want to add something but are skipping it for now and onto the next, shove a folded up sticky note in the middle, tape a flower pedal, you do you but don't be afraid to 'do it'. ((Sorry for the spontaneous rant if this can be called one lol unorganized sidenote?))

Happy birthday hearth ❤️

I've been watching a number of videos on starting a BoS in preparation for an activity with my students. I just want to thank you, Hearth, for sharing such practical and down-to-earth advice! I especially appreciate that you think of ways to adapt the keeping of the book for people's varying needs and abilities. And that you were so open and frank in sharing your mistakes and regrets over the years. Thank you so much for all the effort you put into these videos! Brightest blessings to you!

That's one of the best pep talks out there 😍....Its something that I know I don't need to be perfect, but couldn't get this thing out of my mind when actually doing things, listening to you repeatedly say that it doesn't have to be perfect was very relieving. Whenever I feel that way again, I'll just come back and see this video of yours. 💜💜💜

this is the most helpful book of shadows video I have ever watched. thank you

This video was awesome! Thank you for making me feel better about my dyslexia. I make so many mistakes but keep on writing because I remembered what you said! Just get the information down. So helpful 🌸

A half hour talk about BOS's.. damnit, I really should start one already! The itch is killing me now XD

I love your videos I just got 2 lined paper books from the dollar store to write my book of shadows. I am just starting out and your videos help me lots.

My BoS, which I just started, is a spiral bound scrapbook! I love that the pages are thicker so I can paint and glue things in and the pages don't rip.

I'm only 4 minutes in and I am already absolutely LOVING how inclusive this video is. THANK YOU for advocating for all your viewers.

This is how I do my book of shadows, 1. I keep a small spiral bound notebook that I write everything down I find, read, or hear such as spells or recipes or rituals but I date everything because sometimes when I grab it to write I may have opened it in the middle or even upside down. 2. I sit down when I am not in a hurry and rewrite everything in a nicer book in date order and add notes, then... 3. When I perform a spell, recipe or ritual I make it pretty on a page that can go into a binder where I can add and rearrange.

Excellent video on how to keep a book of shadows/journaling. thank you so much !! 🙂

This is lovely!!! I write everything down on whatever I can reach 🥰. I've been using a three ring binder for years, and it's so messy and disorganized. The important thing is to keep notes for later.

I know I'm super late to this video, but I have the exact same book as you do for one of your books of shadows! I'm planning on filling out the one I have now before I move to it, but I just got so excited!

Just got my book today!! This is awesome thanks so much!!

Another very useful video! Thanks!

Something that has been great for me is that I now have a book that I write in BEFORE I write in my big fancy book of shadows. I got a journal for 2 bucks at the dollar store and that is where all my rough draft info, spells, associations, prayers, recipes, etc go when I need to write them down immediately. That way, I have it stored away someplace written down where I don't need to worry about it being super neat and tidy. Then, on a day when I feel I have the time to dedicate to making a super nice entry in my fancy BOS, I can spend the time to do that. It doesn't mean I have no mistakes in my fancy book, because I do and it's honestly unavoidable, especially if you're writing in ink. But, it makes my book a lot more nicer and organized when I'm able to rough draft in a book that i'm not worried about ruining.