The Book of Shadows

Unlike the Abrahamic traditions, Wicca does not have a single, sacred text by which all Wiccans are expected to live. Instead, they have the Book of Shadows, which contains instructions on how to perform spells and properly practise rituals, as well as religious poetry. The original Book of Shadows was created by Gerald Gardner for his own use. His idea, however, was that each follower’s own Book of Shadows would be different than his. He told his followers to use his original book as a guide, and then to remove spells that did not work for them, and to add those that they discovered themselves. Thusly, he hoped that the Book of Shadows would be passed form teacher to student, with each student using the teacher’s copy as a guide, but ultimately changing it to suit whatever each individual found to be most effective (not unlike the manual of my friend’s junk car removal company, passed down to and improved by each generation).

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