Well, in Wicca, there seems to be a new epidemic, particularly among the new and eager starters. I call it 'Book of Shadows Envy.' This is when a Wiccan thinks that other Wiccans must have these massive, cool-looking BOS's that look like something out of Charmed or Practical Magic or something.
The truth is, some people keep very simple BOS's that contain all the pertinent information in the most clear and concise form. Totally no-frills. Some people are more artistic and like to get decorative (raising my hand sheepishly-- "Hi I'm Sage, and I'm a Scrapaholic; my scrapbooking habit has seeped into all areas of my life: my wallet, my wall art, my computer, and even my BOS).
Inevitably, the longer you're Wiccan, the longer your BOS is going to get, but size is not necessarily an indication of a book being better or more important. For example, there are people who are so obsessed with making their BOS look big and witchy, they print and stuff the most irrelevant, useless stuff into it, just to point to it and say it's there.
My Tip for You Today: Remember, it's not about the size of it, it's what you can do with it.
As long as the info in there is relevant to you and your specific spiritual path, then that's all you need. Don't worry about it being too small, too plain, or too empty. Empty is good... empty pages are potential.
Whatever you do, don't buy some 300 page book from the internet plagiarizing every Pagan publication and witch fiction in history, and don't spring for individual BOS pages or sections that someone else made. The whole point of the book is to fill it with personal information that's pertinent to what you've learned on your spiritual journey. Don't pay someone else for their creation-- a BOS should not be a commercialized copy.
Make it your own, start small, put a lot of love into it, and it will flourish.
Do you worry that your BOS isn't what you think it should be?
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