What is/What do I put in a Book of Shadows(BOS)? Grimoire? Book of Mirrors

Writing about your experiences is a very important part of life, but to those who practice magick, documentation can reveal a lot more than Though these terms are used interchangeably, there are subtle differences between them. In true practice, some combine all of their purposes into one collection. Others have multiples of each. Book of shadows

A collection of spells, recipes, and other knowledge. Think of it like a combination of a recipe book, a how to manual, a contact book, and personal rule book.

This is where you would record spells – how to do them, what is needed, and their intended outcome. You would add recipes for poultices, teas, oil blends, and other natural remedies to natural or metaphysical maladies. You would also put in patron deities and information about them – offerings you give them, colors and herbs and other things that correspond to them, their purpose in your life and within your pantheon, etc. You would also put in core beliefs, rules, and doctrines you follow – like the universal laws, the rule of three, any of these ideas that you subscribe to.

Book of mirrors

A magickal journal of mundane and magickal experiences. This is where you would put how your daily focus exercise went, what you dreamed of, the questions and results of tarot, runes, oracle, or other divination you practiced. You could also put your regular day in, what you saw, who you spoke with, and anything that made an impression upon you. This is called the book of mirrors because it is a reflection of your life for you to look back upon and learn about yourself. You may see patterns emerge of symbols, or even just reactions that you did not realize within yourself.

Grimoire

Some use this word as another word for Book of Shadows.

Others use it as a more specified recording for a specific deity or pantheon. For example, a book of shadows might span an entire family’s ancestry, or a single lifetime. A Grimoire using this specified definition would be a few months or years in focus of a single deity or pantheon. All contents of the book would be directly about or for interacting with the deity. For example, a Grimoire on working with Anubis, or a Grimoire on working through the Keys of Solomon.