Ahh… Ostara is almost here! The vernal equinox falls on March 20, 2026 at 10:46 am EDT, and the moon will be a barely visible crescent at that time. It is a great time to do magick about abundance and beginnings. Ostara is a time that we celebrate warmer weather, flowers, seeds, rabbits, birds and eggs. Even if seeds cannot be planted outside yet, they can be planted indoors. Fertility is celebrated this time of year, and rabbits are very fertile creatures. There is enough daylight that chickens naturally start the season laying eggs. This is a time of balance which may be observed. Night and day are balanced and are about equal length all over the world. To learn more about Ostara check out these blog posts by clicking HERE and HERE.
As a time of beginnings Ostara is a great time to start work on a grimoire, Book of Shadows or Book of Mirrors! These books are crucial tools for Wiccans, Witches, Pagans and those who honor the Goddess and/or the God. What is the difference among these three books? The word grimoire goes back to 1849 from the French grammair. Further back in the late 14th century the word grammatike is found, and in Latin it means the “art of letters.” Originally it was a book of spells used for magickal healing and protection. Magickal texts go way back to Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome, tenth century China, fourteenth century India, medieval Europe and more. To learn more about the history of grimoires and magickal texts from this book click HERE. A modern grimoire contains information about the Wheel of the Year, herbs, crystals, recipes, spells and more. A Book of Shadows can contain these things, but it is more personal containing journal type entries like dreams, card readings and meditations. It is a secretly kept book by a coven or an individual Wiccan. Founder of Wicca, Gerald Gardner coined the term Book of Shadows in the late 1940’s and its use is Wiccan. What if you do not identify as Wiccan and you want a book that includes entries for subjects like shadow work, dreams and meditations? That is where you find the Book of Mirrors which contains those kinds of entries. Book of Mirrors is a term coined in modern times. These three types books can collectively be referred to as spiritual journals.
A spiritual journal can take more than one form, and it is important to consider what form works best for you. As a spiritual journal is a record for you of your journey there is no right or wrong way to create one. One of the first decisions to make is whether to keep it as digital or a physical book. It can be kept online in a secure location but also printed out. If kept digital Notion, OneNote and Diaro are recommended platforms. If your your book is heavy on illustrations, Canva is another recommended platform. Keeping a digital book, a physical book or hybrid of the two are all acceptable choices. I keep mine as physical books. You may keep just one physical book or more than one. It is up to you. A physical book should be sturdy. Those nice leather bound books may only be a good choice if you keep entries organized chronologically. If you keep entries organized by chapters or alphabetically, ring binders are more practical. Ring binders allow you to reorganize pages. Ring binders may be leather, cloth covered board, or plastic covered board. I know some people who punch holes in two pieces of cardboard and use string to bind their grimoires and Book of Shadows together. I even know of someone who uses a pad of watercolor paper as her grimoire. The choices you make are important because the spiritual journal is a reflection of who you are. Also consider this to be a living book. The other consideration of in making a spiritual journal is paper. It can be lined and/or unlined notebook paper, parchment, scrapbooking paper, watercolor paper or homemade paper. To learn more about making paper check out my post by clicking HERE. If you use a ring binder consider using sheet protectors to keep mishaps like candle wax drippings from ruining the pages. To learn more about decorating your book and paper making check out this book by clicking HERE. Pictured above is my Book of Shadows on a blank page. It is one of those leather ring binders. The front cover of the book features a tooled design of a world tree.
What do people include in a spiritual journal? These books are highly personal and are meant to be a record of your progress and knowledge that is important to you. Your spiritual journal may not only have the written word but is a place for visual interest. You can choose to use pressed flowers or designs made with media such as pen and ink, colored pencils, markers, paints and embroidery. If your talent is not artsy or crafty, and you want your spiritual journal to have visual interest consider decorating it with pictures or stickers. Amazon sells stickers for the adult witch and mystic. Simply search stickers + witch or a subject that you like, for example stickers + moon. If you keep yours online, there are many beautiful designs online that you can find and use in your spiritual journal.
With all the chapters you may put into your book, creating a spiritual journal can be daunting. Therefore I recommend if you are starting out, that you choose up to three chapters to work on. You can work on more later. Some of these sections you may not include at all. A common misconception is that your spiritual journal must be perfect. That misconception adds to the feeling of dread you might have. Know that in real life these books are not perfect. This is one of your most important tools, as it contains knowledge about your path. Make it what feels right to you.
Do not forget to cleanse and consecrate your book and materials to create visual interest as well as writing implements. You may want to charge it every now and then, for example on the full moon. Treat it like one of your most important tools.
A note about language needs to be made. You might have a romantic notion to use a language that is not native to you for example Elvish. What a chore it is to have to refer to notes about every character and word to read what you wrote in Elvish! It takes the joy out of using your book. Instead use your native language.
Start with the covers and title page. For the title I wrote my name and Book of Shadows. This is an opportunity to incorporate some art into your book and make it visually interesting to you. The rest of the pages in your book are also opportunities for art. Next should be a dedication for your book. It could be as simple or extravagant as you want. This might include a dedication to a goddess, god or ancestor, a blessing or affirmation, or a ritual plan to be performed. The important thing is that you make it meaningful to you. You might include a page that states the purpose of the book. What do you want to get out of the book, and how do you want it to reflect your spiritual journey? Rules to live by comes next. It might be the Wiccan Rede or other rules to live by that speak to you. To learn more about rules to live by check out my post by clicking HERE. You may include a page for a table of contents. As your book evolves, you will find that it helps to quickly find what entries you want. You may want to have an index. This also will help you find information that you are looking for.
Here are types of chapters that you might want in your spiritual journal:
One section of the your book may contain ritual plans. Be sure to include space for a reflection of how the ritual went. To learn more about writing a ritual plan click HERE.
One of your chapters can cover spells. Make sure to include timing (moon phase, day of the week, planetary influences, and/or sabbats), materials used for the spell, wording of the spell, possible ritual plan, directions for the spell, reflections and success of the spell.
You may include information about deities and/or ancestors. Write what you have researched as well as your personal experience with them. This is an opportunity to include drawings or pictures of them.
You may have a chapter of chants, prayers, invocations and blessings. They may be composed by you or by someone else. Include those that you use and would like to use.
You could have a section that covers tools. If you made a tool, how did you make it? Include instructions for cleansing and consecration of each tool. How do you use each tool?
You might include a chapter about color correspondences. Do your research to find out what each color means. Also what does each color mean to you? What is your favorite and least favorite color?
Your book may have a section on herbs. Include the herbs you use and would like to use. This is an opportunity to feature a drawing of each herb. Or you might use an example of the pressed herb. If using pressed herbs, after attaching them to paper coat them with modge podge or all purpose glue thinned down with water. When writing about the herb, use the common name as well as the scientific name and a description for its uses among which are magickal, healing and culinary.
Your book may contain a section on crystals. You may cover crystals you use and would like to use. Include identification of each crystal, a description of its energy and uses. You might even write about the formation process of each crystal. You might also create a drawing of each crystal.
You might have a chapter that consists of special recipes for your spiritual journey. Some of these recipes may be made for the sabbats or lunar celebrations.
You might include a section about the crafts you do or would like to do. It could contain crafts such as creating a corn dolly, paper making or weaving a sun wheel.
You might devote a section of your book to sigils. Research the meaning of various sigils, runes or Ogham. To learn more about Ogham click HERE. Include what these sigils mean to you.
Your book may have a chapter that consists of planetary and astrological correspondences. You can explore powers of each planet and meanings of each astrological sign. Do not forget that in this field of study the moon and sun are considered to be planets. Feel free to include planetary correspondences for days of the week.
Your book may contain a section that has expressions of gratitude. Maintaining a gratitude journal is its own kind of magick. This activity promotes a sense of wellbeing and happiness. This is something that can go in a Book of Shadows or a Book of Mirrors.
You might have a chapter or several chapters for journaling of dreams, meditations, shadow work, divinations and more personal experiences like these. This is a good place to record these events and write about interpretations. These are entries that can go in a Book of Shadows or a Book of Mirrors.
Whew! That is a lot ideas of what you can include in your spiritual journal. If you think of something else add a comment at the end of my post.
If you keep a physical book and as there is no other copy of your spiritual journal, I suggest you scan or type it in a secure location online. That way if something happens to it, you have copy of it available.
If you have not made one yet, I encourage you to make a grimoire, Book of Shadows and/or a Book of Mirrors. The most important tool in these magickal practices is yourself. I would argue that next most important tools are these spiritual journals. Enjoy the process of creating one!
To my friends in the Northern Hemisphere may you hold this day of Ostara as a sacred day of growth and balance! To my friends in the Southern Hemisphere may you hold this day of Mabon as bounteous and blessed!
Auburn Greene
Suggested Investigation:
Blake, Deborah. “10 Easy Ways to Create a Book of Shadows or Make an Existing Book Your Own.” Llewellyn, September 16, 2021, https://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2942?srsltid=vJt1islp5b99_v7ieGlB9iVkt_NjLl.
Blake, Deborah. Witchcraft on a Shoestring: Practicing the Craft Without breaking Your Budget, Llewellyn, 2021, https://a.co/d/0dOyzCcT. It is also available on Goodreads.
Carter, Grace. “A Simple Guide to Creating Your Own Book of Shadows.” Witch, November 7 2018, https://badwitch.es/a-simple-guide-to-creating-your-own-book-of-shadows.
Davies, Owen. Grimoires A History of Magic Books, Oxford University Press, December 1, 2010, https://a.co/d/04bPDztL
It is available on Goodreads and Kindle.
Grandma. “Creating a Grimoire: A Beginner’s Guide.” Grandma’s Grimoire, January 18, 2025, https://grandmasgrimoire.com/creating-a-grimoire-a-beginners-guide.
Wigington, Patti. “How to Make a Book of Shadows.” Learn Religions, April 25, 2019, https://www.learnreligions.com/make-a-book-of-shadows-2562826.
Willow. “The Reawakening of Seasons: How to Embrace Change As a Magical Act Through Tea, Meditation, and Journaling.” Flying the Hedge, March 6, 2026, https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2026/03/how-to-embrace-change-as-a-magical-act.html
My Inner Wiccan 