Starting a Grimoire Using Basic Alchemy

Spell books have served as props to more then one fairy tale. For others, they are just a relic of Puritanic lore. With a growing community of self proclaimed Neo-Pagans and Wiccan's, spell books have become more then just another accessory of the religion; they are tools that help to instruct and guide the devout on their individual path to enlightenment. Though I and my contributors do not affiliate with Wiccan and Pagan practices, we find spell books to be a powerful and useful instrument in practicing magic and enhancing our quality of life.

Known as a grimoire or book of shadows, a witch's spell book contains the key to their unique magic. Magic by definition is the power of influence through inexplainable or supernatural assistance. The Good Spell Book has it's own definition of magic: an energy force found inside every person, that is both special and unique, and capable of influencing the events and people around them. I believe that keeping a grimoire can be extremely beneficial to our mental health. Grimoire's act as an outlet for our feelings, our thoughts, and our quest for spirituality, so it makes sense that it would help to balance our mental state and provide us greater control over our lifestyle.

The basic layout for a grimoire is part journal, part reference manual, which allows it to essentially track the emotional and abstract journey of its owner. Since there is no official organization to a spell book, there is plenty of freedom to add or exclude any information that you see fit. To make your own grimoire, start by selecting the journal thats right for you. Many people opt to keep large binders of printed documents, but I prefer the way our ancestors did it- with paper and ink. There is something a little bit more magical (however tedious at times) to hand writing your material. Teachers utilize this hand written method because it forces the writer to take greater care in choosing their words, while reinforcing the information subconsciously. Because I am drawn to this method, I chose to buy a journal with blank pages. Blank pages are a great idea for anyone who likes to illustrate their spells- a handy tool, especially when revisiting old grimoires that may have been vaguely composed at the time. Leather journals are also a great idea, because they can be personalized through painting, burning, and cutting the material. INDIARY makes some wonderful and long lasting journals, with the rustic and mysterious look of historical spell books. If these are a bit out of your price range, corporate book stores like Barnes and Nobel supply cheaper alternatives with the same, aged look.

If this is your first book of shadows, I recommend a simple introduction entry to answer questions about how you feel about craft magic, what drew you to it, and what you hope to accomplish with it. This is a great exercise for those begining to experiment with this brand of spirituality because it forces you to acknowledge what truly motivates your interest. It's always nice to include some reference charts containing info like plant and color symbolism, alchemical symbols, zodiac charts, and so on. Over the course of the next few months, we will provide some of these basic charts for you- ready to copy over to your own spell book! Today we will look over basic alchemical symbols, which you can use to compose spells, journal entries, dream records, and recipes.

Not long ago, alchemists were common found- practitioners who aimed to combine the effects of magic and science. Alchemists were not the only ones in our history to employ the use of coded text. Witch's historically (from Salem to the out reaches of Europe) have recorded spell books in secret languages. There's something quite nostalgic about this method, which reminds me of creating coding alphabets as a little girl (and my fascination with hieroglyphics). The quest for secrecy as a child, however was not so necessary as it was for practicing witches in our history, but it remains to be a useful skill for anyone who wishes to explore their spirituality in private.The Theban alphabet is a notable choice. Also known as the Witch's Alphabet or Honorian Alphabet, the Theban script is an offspring of Latin text, still used by modern day Wiccans. The alphabet is comprised of 23 letters and one symbol punctuating the closure of a sentence.Though the Theban alphabet is more common, many people have chosen to create their own code for their book of shadows. Alchemical symbols are special in ther own right. Though they are now clear to interpret, they still maintain the ability to abbreviate complex spell work and journal entries, mainly through symbolic images of elements and periods of time. Below we have examples of common alchemical symbols used in spell work.

The Theban alphabet is useful for the purposes of translating text, but I believe that it is a great practice to create your own coded cipher for your grimoire, if for no other reason then streching you creative muscles. In our next grimoire post, prime your spell book for charts on color symbolism! Symbolism heavily influences magic. They are powerful in their ability to contain meaning in identifiable traits, which makes them perfect as conduits for spell work.Have you ever kept a grimoire? Share your tips in the comment section below!

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