One of the common threads that run through many earth-based religions and magickal traditions/lodges is the notion of recording your work and observations. Whether you call it a "book of shadows" or a "magickal diary" or just a "journal" of some kind, many teachers and mentors encourage their use.
Before the onslaught of Personal Digital Assistants, then smartphones, now tablet computers, I was a Day-Planner person. I was (and still am) a big believer in the Franklin-Covey "ABC/123" system for task management. Since my calendar and to-do list long ago moved to digital, my day-planner binder took on a new role-aggregator for all my book-of-shadows and magickal notes.
The possibilities for a personal journal run the gamut from a basic student notebook to elaborately-bound blank journals to higher-priced binders. The specific format is less important than getting in the routine of actually keeping the diary up! many folks who are attracted to earth-religions or mystery traditions are "free spirits," and are hard to corral into routine behavior. It's one of the pitfalls of many "introductory" books on Wicca or the Western Mystery Tradition. The "free spirit" doesn't see the need for the routine, the focus, and wants to skip over the mundane such as record-keeping to get to the "good parts."
Keeping track of what we do spiritually has a number of benefits. The discipline and focus developed by routine is good for many aspects of our lives in addition to spiritual development. The ability to go back and reflect on how much (or how little) growth you've experienced is only possible if you write it down.
One of the first things both Kraig and Cunningham teach is to keep a journal of your dreams. The challenge here is that we forget the bulk of what we dream about very quickly upon waking up. It's important to have pen and paper right next to the bed, even if it's just scratch paper. I'm a big fan of moleskeine notebooks. I like the pocket-sized ones for jotting down quick notes. It's easy to keep it and a pen next to the bed, then transfer t
In my binder, I actually keep (or try to keep up) two sections. One is a chronological journal, the other a Book of Shadows. So many resources are available on-line these days, but I'm a big believer in the power of the (hand) written word. I like printing something out I find on a website, then copying back into my BoS in my own hand. It gives me a sense of ownership that just printing something out doesn't. The pages are loose-leaf, so it's easy to pop out specific workings/calls/songs when needed.
One interesting by-product of the hand-written word is that it takes me away from the computer for a while. Everyone needs that time away from the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Writing in a journal can be done outdoors; it doesn't require access to a power outlet. Does that mean an on-line solution is a bad idea? No! Integrating your magickal/ritual work into your regular daily diary/journal makes perfect sense. There are a number of journal apps for both Android and iOS that would work just fine for recording dreams if your phone is charged up and easy to grab when you wake up. Kraig acknowledges this in the new edition of his book, for example. The notion of coven using Google Docs to collaborate on a BoS is intriguing to me.
How do you keep your personal journal/diary? What do you use to store magickal/ritual documentation?
Updated by YatPundit at Fri Mar 25, 2011 at 04:05 PM PDT
Thanks for the Spotlight, Rangers! We're heading out to dinner (1804CDT), but I'll reply to comments when we get back. :-)
Updated by YatPundit at Fri Mar 25, 2011 at 07:34 PM PDT
Wreck list! thanks, folks! :-D