Simply put, a grimoire is a book of magic. A grimoire often includes spells, instructions on how to create charms and summon spirits as well as tips on how to use herbs, crystals, candles, and other magical tools.
I first became familiar (and enamored) with grimoires while playing Castlevania and after perusing a friend’s Dungeons & Dragons collection. Looking back, I realize those were mostly bestiaries, but they still piqued my interest.
Not quite sure what a grimoire is? The word grimoire likely comes from the French “grammaire,” (which means a work written in Latin). But, I realize that doesn’t help much.
If you’ve ever seen a witch consult a magic spell book onscreen, that’s a grimoire. For instance, when the Sanderson Sisters decide to turn a dude into a cat in Hocus Pocus, they consult their Book of Spells. (If you really liked the film, here’s a replica of it.)
How Long Have Grimoires Existed?
These magical encyclopedias have been around a lot longer than Hollywood witches and Dungeons & Dragons.
They’ve existed almost as long as writing has. According to professor Owen Davies in Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, archeologists have discovered magical incantations inscribed clay tablets that date back Ancient Mesopotamia (read: the 4th or 5th century). They were a way for people to share the magical knowledge they’d passed down through oral traditions and capture it in a more permanent way.
Davies explains, “Magic squares consisting of a grid of numbers of astrological, metaphysical, or mystical significance are thought to have spread westwards from China in the last first millennium thanks to Persian and Arab traders.”
The mystical information eventually made its way to the printing press, and some of them are still in existence. These include The Magus, The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, The Grand Grimoire (also known as Le Dragon Rouge), The Sworn Book of Honorius, The Key of Solomon, and of course, the relatively new Book of Shadows by Wicca’s Gerald Gardner.
There are also lesser known grimoires available. For instance, I recently added Native Apothecary’s Hedge Witch Grimoire to my collection in no small part because of the stunning illustrations by the Poison Apple Printshop contained therein.
Can I Make My Own Grimoire?
You can absolutely make your own grimoire.
When creating your own, lean into your own style. Whether you use an ancient-looking book or prefer to keep a digital version… well that’s up to you. A grimoire is your tool for your practice, so it should be useful to you. And, if possible, reflect your personality.
One way to create one is to pen a diary of your magical experiences.
For example, as you learn and test different spells or incantations, write down what you did, what your intentions were, and what resulted. If you’re learning about herbs, make a sketch of the herb or flower and note its properties.
If you’re exploring divination using tarot cards, tea leaves, or other methods, write down what your question was, what the cards or leaves revealed, and then go back and write down what happened after enough time has passed for an event to have likely occurred.
If you’re looking to learn more about the Wiccan Sabbats, you can create a page for the Wheel of the Year and a page for each festival. Or, if you’re into astrology, write down the date and the prediction in your grimoire, and return later to make notes on whether or not the prediction came true.
As you begin to explore your own experiences and seek out more information and guidance, you’ll deepen your knowledge and begin to learn what works for you and what doesn’t.
Do you have a grimoire? What does it look like? What sort of information do you capture within it?
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11 comments
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these best books for the Beginning Wiccan not necessarily.
I’ve read alot from this page and I will be glad to practice and get my own book. How do u practice?
A Grimoire is another word for Book of Shadows. If you have ever watched Charmed on television they (the Charmed ones) refer to their Book of Shadows at least 2 times per episode.
I started collecting spells and correspoance for my Book about 2 years before I received
my iniution in the craft. Actually I’m still adding to it even now. I’ve heard that there is something called a Book of Mirrors but I don’t know exactly what it is.
Not exactly, but close. A Book of Shadows is private and rarely shared. A grimoire is intended to be shared.
I’m currently in the process or creating my own Grimoire from scratch.. I took a modern and blank book/journal I got at Walmart and stripped it apart. I first wrapped the cover in large tissue paper and modpodged the paper to the cover and added accent plastic creatures for decoration and corner accents to it. It gave it slightly sinister and antique look to it that I’m quite proud of. I the. Reinforced the spine with extra modpodge and added black paper to the end and beginning of the pages of the book. There was already two stripes of ribbon used for book marks which will be kept.
I love sitting down and researching stuff to put into my grimoire…. Im very new to this craft but it’s been amazing wish I could add a picture… Not sure how too…
This was very informative lol new to the wiccan practice and just catchin up on some research have a nice day
Hi! I ended up making my own Grimoire to note down my workings and research. It has lined pages with a place to put a title for each entry and a numbered index so I can quickly find the page I need.
Here’s a link to the published version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NS4FZ8S.
Can u help me make my own grimore…like how do i make it pretty as my first book..is a note book ok or like the ones u have when u go to school if i get this nicer leather books..how do..make my grimore look good or nice buymt in the same time feel powerful…tha k you am a first time wiccen and i want to be a white white can u help guid my first passes…or first time of makeing a good book
Hi there! I can try. It helps if you decide how to organize it first. For instance, consider creating a table of contents before you begin and listing out all the pages you want to make. Section these off in the book so you devote enough room to each subject. I’ll pull together some examples of pretty books of shadows in another post so you can see get some ideas!
Hi Gabriel,
I wanted to put in my two cents about making your first book as a new witch. My first book was a 3 ring binder. This made it easy to organize all of my content. Also I could easily print info from websites and add to my book as well as write my own entries and artwork. Currently I’m using lots of composition notebooks for different subjects and intend to bind them all together in one huge book.