Creating a Family Book of Shadows

The way we set up our Family Book of Shadows was to start each section with a picture that represents the Sabbat. For instance Yule could be a Christmas tree decorated with candles and fruits, a Yule log in a fireplace or kids out caroling.

Since I have four kids and they're still young we only have one common BOS. Those of you with only one or two children (especially older ones) might want to let them create their own books, with their own art work and stories etc.

Our actual book is a 9X7 three ring binder. It fits very easily at the dinner table and pages can be added and taken out as your ideas change and grow (I've rewritten our rituals many times over the years trying to find the way that works best). These little note books are inexpensive and come in many colors. The refill pages are easy to get, as well as those colored tabs which can be used to separate the book into sections like Sabbats, Esbat, Prayers, Stories etc.

Some of you might be tempted to buy a fancy bound book to make it extra special for your child but from experience I'd try to steer you away from that. They're expensive and once you make a mistake you either have to scratch it out or tear out the page. Too many of those and your book is ruined.

Something else you might want to consider is creating a "floppy disk of Shadows" as Scott Cunningham called it. I type all our rituals on the computer (which I happen to think is one of the niftiest pieces of magic around!) so they can be printed out neatly in an easy-to-read font and size for young readers. Plus if you want to change anything (or share it with your friends) you just copy and paste and voila! And several of the "day planner" companies make pre-punched plain sheets just this size so you can print your rituals right from the computer with a minimum of fuss.

So, anyway, our book starts with a picture on the first, left handed page, then the right handed page lists the Sabbat, some information about it and what you're going to need for supplies. I have the different sections underlined or starred to make them very easy to follow, but that stuff, unfortunately, doesn't carry over to e-mail. Just remember that this stuff is all going to be new to your kids and if you want them to like it it has to be easy to read, easy to follow, short and most importantly, fun.

Excerpts from A WICCAN PRIMER: Rituals for Children C 1996 Wind*Dancer