This article is about the traditional book of Wicca. For other uses, see Book of Shadows (disambiguation).
One of Gerald Gardner's earliest Books of Shadows.
A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious text and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Since its conception, it has made its way into many pagan practices and paths. The most famous Book of Shadows was created by the pioneering Wiccan Gerald Gardner sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and which he utilised first in his Bricket Wood coven and then in other covens which he founded in following decades. The Book of Shadows is also used by other Wiccan traditions, such as Alexandrian Wicca and Mohsianism, and with the rise of books teaching people how to begin following non-initiatory Wicca in the 1970s onward, the idea of the Book of Shadows was then further propagated amongst solitary practitioners unconnected to earlier, initiatory traditions.
Initially, when Wicca was still dominated by covens, "only one copy [of the Book] existed for an entire coven, kept by the high priestess or high priest. That rule has proved unfeasible, and it is [now] commonplace for all Witches to have their own copies."[1] In the various traditions that make up British Traditional Wicca, copies of the original Book composed by Gerald Gardner with the aid of his High Priestess Doreen Valiente, along with alterations and additions that have been made since then, is followed by adherents. Though originally a secret text only given to initiates of Wicca, many initiate and non-initiates alike have gone on to print various Books of Shadows. These figures include Charles Cardell, Lady Sheba, and Janet and Stewart Farrar to name a few. In other Wiccan traditions and amongst a number of solitary practitioners, alternate versions of the Book of Shadows have been written, which are independent of Gardner's original.
Numerous associations and traditions have since grown up around the Book of Shadows. Traditionally, "a Witch's book of shadows is destroyed upon death."[2] It can be an experimental practice, everyday ritual works, or a record of magic. This is also a book of inspiration and can be used in future rituals. The concept of the Book of Shadows has subsequently appeared in popular culture, for instance being used in the American television series Charmed, which popularised the Book of Shadows.
A BookofShadows is a book containing religious text and instructions for magical rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Since its conception...
released for Windows worldwide on April 10, 2019. A direct sequel of Corpse Party: BookofShadows, called Corpse Party: Blood Drive, was released in Japan on...
months of publicity during a controversial promotional campaign. The film went on to be a massive commercial success, and a sequel, BookofShadows: Blair...
of Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist, he released the albums BookofShadows and Bookof Shadows...
the most notable of which is the Charge of the Goddess. The BookofShadows is not a Bible or Quran. It is a personal cookbook of spells that have worked...
and Piper (Holly Marie Combs). When Phoebe discovers the family's BookofShadows in the attic, she learns that she and her sisters are the most powerful...
Nowhere Boys: The BookofShadows as Tegan, a supernatural villain. In 2017, she played Eliza Wishart in the Australian film adaptation of the novel Jasper...
Dark Shadows Almanac, edited by Kathryn Leigh Scott & Jim Pierson, Pomegranate Press, 1995. ISBN 0-938817-18-3 Dark Shadows: The Comic Strip Book, by Kenneth...
13, 1974) is an American actress. She has played the roles of Kim Diamond in BookofShadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), and Stevie in Inside Man (2006). Beginning...
of Black Label Society, and lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory. He has also released two solo albums, BookofShadows in 1996 and Bookof Shadows...
version of the Book of Shadows; the prop versions were sold at auctions. The "Hero" version is the main, most complete BookofShadows, and was pivotal to...
link] BookofShadows download link PODSNet BookofShadows in its original WordPerfect 5.1 format Pagan Occult Distribution Network (PodsNet) Bookof Shadows...
Lovecraft. Table of magical correspondences, a type of reference work used in ceremonial magic Codex Davies (2009:1) "Grimoire vs BookofShadows". Davies (2009:2–3)...
reunion tours. The Shadows had 69 UK chart singles from the 1950s to the 2000s, 35 as the Shadows and 34 as Cliff Richard and the Shadows, ranging from pop...
Gardnerian BookofShadows. The coven was later taken over by a couple known only as Theos and Phoenix, who enlarged the BookofShadows, adding further...
The Bookof Air and Shadows is a thriller novel by Michael Gruber published in 2007. Set concurrently in the 17th century and the current century, the...
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