Book of Shadows

A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious texts and instructions for magickal rituals found within the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Originating within the Gardnerian tradition of the Craft, the first 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 concept of the Book of Shadows was then adopted by other Wiccan traditions, such as Alexandrianism and Mohsianism, and with the rise of books teaching people how to begin following Wicca in the 1970s onward, the idea of the Book of Shadows was then further propagated amongst solitary practitioners unconnected to earlier 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." 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. They have tried to keep the contents of this Book a secret, although it has been published on a number of occasions by figures such as Charles Cardell, Lady Sheba, and Janet and Stewart Farrar. In other Wiccan traditions and amongst a number of solitary practitioners, alternate versions of the Book have been written that are independent of Gardner's original.

Book of Shadows (biography)

Book of Shadows is a 1998 memoir written by author Phyllis Curott.

Promotional summary

When high-powered Manhattan lawyer Phyllis Curott began exploring witchcraft in a women's group in the 1970s, she discovered a spiritual movement that defied all stereotypes. Encountering neither Satanic rites nor eccentric spinsters, she came to know a clandestine religion of the Goddess that had been forced into hiding over the course of history.

The Book of Shadows chronicles Curott's remarkable initiation into Wicca, her ascent to the position of Wiccan high priestess, and her efforts to reconcile her newfound spirituality with her struggles as a woman rising through the ranks of the corporate world. Along the way, she relates the history of witchcraft. She also shares many traditional Wiccan practices - such as casting a circle, drawing down the Goddess, and casting spells for health, prosperity, and love. She explains all this from a feminist point of view.

The title Book of Shadows refers to the name used for a book that contains magical and religious texts in the religion of Wicca.

Book of Shadows (disambiguation)

Book of Shadows may refer to: