Book of Shadows VS Grimoire (Patreon)

What is the difference between a Book of Shadows and a Grimoire? Do you have one? Does every witch need one? Are you unsure of what they mean? To tell you the truth, they are really pretty similar. Not every witch needs one but they are pretty useful to have. To me, the main difference is a matter of one being more personal than the other. A Book of Shadows (sometimes abbreviated as BOS) is a book of magic that contains a record of a witch's magickal workings, beliefs, personal path, thoughts and feelings, rituals, decoded dreams, information on spells performed, etc. A witch may want to have a Book of Shadows because it can track your growth as a witch. It helps you discover what is working and not working for you. You can look back to see how your power has grown!

A Grimoire is more of a book of general knowledge for a witch. It can hold all of the research you've done, such as correspondences and magickal properties of crystals, herbs, food, colors, moon phases, sabbats and more. It can contain "How-To's", such as how to cleanse crystals, how to charge crystals, how to cleanse your tools, etc. It does not contain personal records of spells or personal information about you. It is a book that can be passed down to other witches to guide them in their craft. 

Some witches prefer to put everything all in one book. They want all of their research, thoughts and records in one place, which is totally fine! However, if you'd rather not share your personal thoughts with anybody who may want read your book, you may want to have both. Someone may be interested in the research and information you've recorded, so you can share your Grimoire instead of your Book of Shadows if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

You can create your Book of Shadows or Grimoire with a book or on the computer. If you're trying to be more discreet, the computer could be a great tool for you to use, too!

Do you have a Book of Shadows or Grimoire? What do you use?