Wonderfully Wiccan with Derrick Land – July 2025: The Witch’s Grimoire and the Importance of Magickal Record Keeping

With Midsummer behind us now, we are heading into the second half of the year, literally and energetically. While the first half of the year is associated with increase and activity, the second half of the year is a time of decrease and gradual inactivity. The peak of Summer is over, and August will be here before you know it, which for many people marks a return to school. Summer vacations are ending during this month with some finding themselves balancing their checkbooks hoping they didn’t overindulge!

If we look at the Wheel of the Year, we see this decline reflected as well. The next few Sabbats, after all, are “harvest” festivals. It is a time to reap what you have sown and take inventory of what you have as we head towards Midwinter. Fun fact, the Norse divided their year into two seasons, not four. For them it was either Summer or Winter, so Midsummer and Midwinter marked the middle of the season. In modern times, however, although we still use these terms, they mark the first day of Summer or Winter since we have four seasons. Energetically and astronomically, however, they still mark the shifting of solar energy from increase to decrease and vice versa.

This shifting of energy – albeit still very, very subtle at the time of this writing – will gradually bring our awareness from the external to the internal as we start to take inventory of our lives. This reminds me of one of the most important lessons I learned – magical recordkeeping. Along with that comes the witch’s grimoire. Now make no mistake, magical recordkeeping is important always, it’s just this time of year always reminds me just how important it is.

The Witch’s Grimoire

Now some of you may be thinking, “Isn’t that a Book of Shadows? Why is he saying grimoire?”. Well, the answer is yes and no. You see, The Book of Shadows, or Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical as it was originally titled, was the title of Gerald Gardner’s personal ritual book, his personal grimoire. A grimoire is a book of spells, rituals and other magical formulae. This was passed down to his initiates who passed it down to their initiates all the way into modern times, but by no means was this the only grimoire out there, nor the first! The Key of Solomon, The Greek Magical Papyri and The Emerald Tablets are all examples of grimoires, and they all far predated Gerald Gardner. That’s not even scratching the surface of magical tomes/grimoires that popped up during the Middle Ages.

In modern pop culture, especially in America, Book of Shadows has become an umbrella term for grimoire, like how Wicca has become a somewhat umbrella term for any eclectic, New Age path, when really it is a specific and distinct religion. Semantics. Regardless of what you call your magical book – Book of Shadows, grimoire, recipe book, The Fluffy Bunny Book etc. – it is a crucial part for any magical practitioner.  It’s a diary of your magical journey. In my coven, we encourage you to have two. One contains all the coven’s ritual material that will be same for every covener, but the second is personal. It should have rituals, spells, meditations and anything else unique to you that is part of your spiritual practice. Most importantly, it should have records of your magical acts and their results.

For more information on magical tomes and/or crafting your own grimoire, check out The Witch’s Book of Shadows: The Craft, Lore & Magick of the Witch’s Grimoire, by Jason Mankey.

 

The Importance of Magical Record Keeping

Back when I was just finding Wicca, one of my first books was To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Silver RavenWolf. One of the most impactful lessons that stuck with me from that book was her lesson on magical recordkeeping, for which she even included sample templates. I’ve seen that lesson echoed in many 101 books since then, and it’s because it isn’t just important, it’s vital! How else do we learn and grow in our spiritual practice?

One of the biggest complaints that I see on social media are practitioners that are distraught that a spell didn’t work, didn’t work as intended or backfired. When asked what specifically they did or didn’t do, the OP often has a rough time giving an answer because they don’t remember. Our memory is limited on a fundamental level. Add in the stresses of the mundane world and it’s easy to forget the intricate details of a spell or ritual. That’s why it is important to document it so your future self can remember. To quote Phoebe from the show Charmed, funny enough reading from their Book of Shadows, there are three essentials to magic – timing, feeling and the phases of the moon. In the real world, there are four, known collectively as The Witches Pyramid, but her suggestions are great for magical recordkeeping! Here are some examples:

Timing:

• Day of the week and time/astrological hour
• Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Moon Phase (if doing lunar workings)

Operation/Rite:

• What colors, herbs, stones etc. did you use?
• Document the specifics of the spell or working – details are crucial!
• Did you cleanse objects and if so, how?
• Did you empower or charge objects and if so, how?
• Did you invoke or call upon “Other” (deities, ancestors, spirits etc.) and if so, how? What invocation did you use? What prayer did you say? Etc.
• Did you cast a protective circle or take other measures to work in a protected and/or purified space? If so, what were they?

 Feeling:

• How grounded and centered did you feel before and after?
• If you took measures to work in a protective and/or purified space, how effective do you feel those measures were?
• How effective do you think you were at visualizing your goal? Raising energy? Directing that energy towards your goal?
• Were all sides of the Witches Pyramid present (if you ascribe to that)?
• Were there any distractions that made you lose focus?
• Did you have a notable experience with “Other” (felt Their presence, received a sign)?
• Was there anything that stood out to you – good or bad?

I know it feels like homework and honestly, it is homework! Now sometimes magic does not work because it is not meant to – there is a bigger plan or different path you are meant to follow. But more times than not, I’ve found this not to be the case. Magic is an art, which is true, but it is also a science. Only by reviewing our work can we learn from it. If it was a success, then you could try to duplicate those results and if it was not, you can look over your notes to see if there were any opportunities or mistakes and try again.

In both cases, magical recordkeeping will help you refine your skills and build your practice. Best of all, it serves as a magical diary. I sometimes chuckle when I revisit my early entries! What was I thinking?!! Occasionally though, I come across a spell or charm that I had previously written and forgotten, but really like, and so am able to bring that forward into my current practice because it was preserved in my grimoire. Who knows, you may even find yourself keeping other record-keeping journals too, like a dedicated dream journal or meditation journal! If it helps you grow in your spiritual practice, go for it!

Until next time, blessed be!