Witchcraft - Grimoire

"A Grimoire is a book created when practicing witchcraft. It is a composition of spells, ceremonies, rites and the recipes for bath salts, potions, and any other things a witch feels he or she needs to know how to create.

The name is an ancient one used to refer to some of the oldest books of religion and witchcraft.

They have been found all over the world and date as far back as the Mesopotamians, and maybe even farther. The interchangeable use of the word with Book of Shadows comes from the fact that both texts contain knowledge of witchcraft and the Wiccan faith. Their differences are in what knowledge they contain.

In the ancient past the books that are now classified as grimoires were used to record all of a religious cult’s knowledge about their style of worship. The spells, potions, rituals, and ceremonies the cult used were included in this book.

Priests at the temple of a cult were most likely responsible for the care of the sacred text, and they contributed to the addition of information over time. One of the most famous is the Key of Solomon, which contained detailed knowledge for ceremonial magick.

The open worship of various goddesses and gods in the cult setting came to an end slowly as Christianity began to become a more influential force in religion throughout Europe. It was eventually forced underground during the late Roman times and the birth of witchcraft performed in secret became the only way to worship the pagan gods in Europe.

The covens that witches met in during this period of time were very much like the cult gatherings that had been going on for centuries before. Yet covens were smaller groups and more secretive because of persecution by the Christian church. Books of spells and ceremonies that were created during this time are only mentioned and eluded to being in existence, I am not positive any of these books have survived to the present day.

These sacred texts were more personal than those of the cult societies because they were written for a much smaller group of worshippers.

This is also the time were the names Book of Shadows, Book of Light and Shadows, or Grimoire all began to be used for the title or label of these creations. When Wicca began to be organized as a religion, in the early 1900’s, the conflict over the possible names came to light and the debate began over what term was the more correct for these new branches of witchcraft.

The first groups who followed Wicca called their personal journals of religious practice and knowledge a Book of Shadows, the title the covens they were basing their religious practices on used. As more people began to become involved in the revitalizing of the earth based religions of Europe the word grimoire was found to be in use as well.

Trads that felt it was a more appropriate term, or a more correct term, began to use it for their own journals and texts. Neither group is incorrect in their choice but there has been some refining of the differences between the two over time.

By the most modern definition, a Book of Shadows is a book or journal created by every witch throughout their journey of religious knowledge and faith. The pages of these books are often diaries of thoughts and questions of religious belief. Very personal and not something that is shared with others.

A Grimoire is considered by most to be a notebook of potions, spells, rituals, and ceremonies that a witch has created or uses in their practice of witchcraft. It is a cookbook of ideas that is shared with others. Often times it is a section or a chapter of the Book of Shadows, but most witches keep it as a completely separate book so it may be handled by others with no ill effects on either party.

My Grimoire contains the ingredients for herbal bath oils, bath salts, plans for Full Moon Rites, sabbat rites, and pretty much any recipe for a potion or something useful I have stumbled across in my readings. They have been “improved” for my taste, but their purpose has remained the same.

Creating your own Grimoire has the same rules to follow as a Book of Shadows. Do what works for you. Mine is a three ring binder with loose-leaf paper and tab dividers. Everything is hand-written on heavy paper, just like in my Book of Shadows. The tab dividers say “Full Moon Rites”, “Bath Salts”, and so on. I have friends who use composition notebooks or notecards and a recipe box for theirs. Do what “feels” right for you and don’t be afraid to experiment."

Source
http://www.witchcraftwitcheswicca.com/witchcraft_grimoire.html