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Author Topic: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????  (Read 10007 times)

SkylarB

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Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« on: January 04, 2012, 10:44:12 am »
I'm hoping this is a good place for my question as I can't decide where else to put it! :D:

Anyway.. I'm thinking about making a more formal book of shadows. I have a small spiral bound journal that I've been using, with only 5 sections, that I'm hand writing information in that I really like and that resonates for me. And I've been printing out pictures from the internet and taping them throughout the little book, so it's kind of like a scrapbook! But, this cannot hold much, and the pages are fixed, and I don't like that I can't add pages in between ones I've already written. Fearing that when trying to space things out within a section, I'll run out of room and I run into the next topic in that section.

So, I've been watching YouTube videos on making a three-ring binder BOS so I can move pages around and add and remove them easily. I've been planning out how I want to decorate the outside and inside covers, the sections and how to make tabs for each section, and information I want to put inside, etc. I've got a detailed plan to make this beautiful BOS! (And my thoughts are years from now, when I feel my book may be mostly finished and I'm happy with where everything is placed, I'll make a bound BOS with permanent pages and then pass this book down to my children and grandchildren.. even if they don't follow Wicca, they'll have a piece of me and know about what I believed.)

But I'm torn between handwriting and typing it out. What do you think about this subject?

I really want a decorative book that has pictures, borders, colors, etc.. and fancy font. I want it beautiful and legible. I have fantastic ideas for creating pages on my computer and printing them out. This is a type of art/craft I enjoy!

But, I've heard how special it is to hand write the pages of your BOS. Infusing with your own energy... being made with direct contact of your hand and pen to paper. And this is the traditional way. But I have horrible hand writing. And I'm an even more awful drawer!

But then I think about printing the pages from the computer, and as I create each page and print it out, aren't I still infusing it with my own energy because I'm putting all my thoughts and feelings into creating a beautiful page .. pages that I envision is a piece of art?

I've pretty much made up my mind that I'll be creating the pages on the computer, printing them out, placing into page protectors, and putting them in the book.... but I thought this would be a great topic to discuss given the computer age we are in....

To hand write your BOS or use the computer, that is the question! Now, what are your thoughts???
Blessed be,
SkylarB  
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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2012, 02:16:51 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484

But then I think about printing the pages from the computer, and as I create each page and print it out, aren't I still infusing it with my own energy because I'm putting all my thoughts and feelings into creating a beautiful page .. pages that I envision is a piece of art?


I would think so, yes. I don't see why a pencil is any more magical than a keyboard and mouse.

Myself, I just keep a blog.

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2012, 04:10:51 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484



Best thing is to ask yourself: What do I want this for? How do I want it to look?
And then go ahead according to your answers.

If you like to make art pages, do it that way.
If you have an amazing handwriting and can draw like a big artist, do this.

It is your book, you have to love it. :)
\'You had to repay, good or bad. There was more than one type of obligation.
That’s what people never really understood.….Things had to balance.
You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked out for long.
All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.\'
Terry Pratchett \'Lords and Ladies\'

Confuzzled and proud. :p

sephira

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2012, 06:58:16 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484

I put my Book of Shadows (3 different Volumes for different things) together by hand and although I had a great time putting it together it did get rather painful on my wrist! I used the 8 1/2 x 10 blank journals you get at any Pagan store and just pasted fancy paper in it. Using my own writing does get boring after a while. I am now toying with the idea of using the computer from this point on, but it might ruin the continuity of my BOSs..oh well.

As for what you what you want to do...a computer maybe be a better idea overall as it will save your hand and wrist (trust me) and the different fonts you can use and designs you can create will be fantastic! I feel there is NO difference between pen and computer in making magic in a BOS/Grimoire.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2012, 09:48:44 pm by SunflowerP »
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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2012, 07:32:14 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484

I've pretty much made up my mind that I'll be creating the pages on the computer, printing them out, placing into page protectors, and putting them in the book.... but I thought this would be a great topic to discuss given the computer age we are in....

To hand write your BOS or use the computer, that is the question! Now, what are your thoughts???

My hand hurts from writing too much at once, and I usually can type the same amount of text without problems. So, most of my religious and spiritual writings are on my computer or, most probably, online in my blog or on a note-keeping service.
Still, I prefer to write down some of the hymns & other texts I recite during rituals, as an act of piety towards my deities. I feel that it's appropriate for some words to have a physical manifestation instead of being just some bits stored on a remote server.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2012, 07:32:41 pm by Nachtigall »

Maps

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2012, 11:55:21 am »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484
Now, what are your thoughts???

 
I have both, though I don't consider them any sort of BOS in the Wiccan tradition of things. One is a sketchbook that I specifically use to do magic-related problem solving, sketches, and jotting down my own personal notes.

The other is a 3-ring binder with the cheapest dividers I could find, where I print out various PDF books and texts written by others that I can reference. Reading ebooks on my computer is hard on the eyes after a while, and I like to highlight important passages, so the binder is kind of like a series of textbooks for me.

Though really, it's whatever you want it/them to be. :B

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2012, 09:56:32 pm »
Quote from: sephira;37551


 
Hi Sephira,

Don't forget, when you're deleting all the text in a quote, that the two parts of the quote code have to be on separate lines, or the quote (and the trackback we need) will vanish.  Alternately, you may find it easier to avoid the Vanishing Quote problem by leaving some of the text in, or by replacing it with other characters such as an ellipsis (...) or .

This isn't a warning, just a reminder (and not even the kind that has a red box around it).  If you have questions about it, feel free to contact a staff member.

Sunflower, TC Forum Staff
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sephira

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2012, 10:06:12 pm »
Quote from: SunflowerP;37754
Hi Sephira,

Don't forget, when you're deleting all the text in a quote, that the two parts of the quote code have to be on separate lines, or the quote (and the trackback we need) will vanish.  Alternately, you may find it easier to avoid the Vanishing Quote problem by leaving some of the text in, or by replacing it with other characters such as an ellipsis (...) or .

This isn't a warning, just a reminder (and not even the kind that has a red box around it).  If you have questions about it, feel free to contact a staff member.

Sunflower, TC Forum Staff

Okay. Thanks
« Last Edit: January 05, 2012, 10:13:19 pm by sephira »
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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2012, 11:43:53 am »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484
This is a type of art/craft I enjoy!

 
I think this is what makes the decision for you. If you enjoy doing things one way, then do it that way. To me, it isn't how the book is put together that makes it "magical" or "significant", but the energy put into it through cleansings and use within rituals/spells.

The only other idea I would have for a BOS or similar book done in typed/printed format is to leave yourself space for handwritten notes.

Leanan Sidhe

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2012, 12:31:29 am »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484


To hand write your BOS or use the computer, that is the question! Now, what are your thoughts???

 
Personally, I do it by hand. But I'm a writer. I also don't trust most modern technology. Of course, that means that I do run into the types of problems you've mentioned -- lack of space, bad handwriting and so on. I think a three ring binder makes an awful lot of sense, but aside from ease of use it never appealed to me personally. I do sometimes print things out and tape them in, also. Another two-edged sword to doing it by hand is that if you do it for long enough... you wind up with several Books of Shadows. But that will probably get to be an occupational hazard with a binder, too. I don't personally think it work lose the intent by printing it out. And making a printed hard copy for the future is a beautiful idea! :-)
"Modesty is an illusion" -- de Sade
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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2012, 08:01:47 am »
Quote from: Leanan Sidhe;37888



I don't see what 'being a writer' has got to do with writing by hand, but that aside, I wanted to adress another thing.

Actually it is normal to wind up with several different books.
I can't imagine a way one would be able to stick with just one book the whole time. First the material grows, logically, as you go along your path and second, the focus changes.

When I would have collected correspondence charts 25 years ago, I now don't consider them important anymore. Same goes for experiences. I have a lot of journals where I noted down then-important things. When I go through them now, I find I'm able to discard a lot of the stuff, because it now either became basic knowledge or its importance is gone.

So, while the idea of this one huge, mysterious looking tome of witchy knowledge is a nice idea, it never worked out for me. Like life, journaling is an ongoing project.
\'You had to repay, good or bad. There was more than one type of obligation.
That’s what people never really understood.….Things had to balance.
You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked out for long.
All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.\'
Terry Pratchett \'Lords and Ladies\'

Confuzzled and proud. :p

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2012, 08:29:14 am »
Quote from: Tana;37901
I don't see what 'being a writer' has got to do with writing by hand, but that aside, I wanted to adress another thing.

Actually it is normal to wind up with several different books.

 
It just means I don't have to deal with the whole hand-cramping thing as fast, because I'm used to writing long-hand. That being said, a lot of writers use computers as their first way of writing something out now, so I guess it doesn't.  

Yeah, I like having several books. I rarely go back through them, but when I do it's kind of cool to have a record of that.
"Modesty is an illusion" -- de Sade
"The call of death is a call of love. Death can be sweet if we answer it in the affirmative, if we accept it as one of the great eternal forms of life and transformation." -- Herman Hesse

Katefox

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2012, 11:48:48 am »
Quote from: Leanan Sidhe;37902
It just means I don't have to deal with the whole hand-cramping thing as fast, because I'm used to writing long-hand. That being said, a lot of writers use computers as their first way of writing something out now, so I guess it doesn't.

 
Thank you for explaining.  At first, it sounded a little like you were claiming writers who write on computers weren't real writers, or something, and, well, as ubiquitous as computers are nowadays, that would obviously be a little nonsensical. :P

That said, I'm much more comfortable, and faster, typing, so most of my religious/magic-related writing is done on the computer.  Although I did get a very nice leather-bound journal for Christmas that I'm thinking of using for recording rituals, spells, and other meaningful bits and pieces.  What's on the computer is alot of me thinking about things, and rough work (because it's alot easier to edit and modify on a computer, where I can insert and delete bits without having to write it all out again), but what would go into the actual book would be the final copy.  Considering that typing is my normal way of doing things, pausing to actually write things out longhand would be special, a way of saying to myself that this is so meaningful that I'm not just going to print off a copy, but actually write it out myself.  (Besides which, I have awesome handwriting, that I am inordinately proud of.)

However, it seems to me that taking the time to fiddle with page layouts, pictures, fonts, &c. can be an equivalent way of saying, hey, this is really special, and important.  You could probably even get it printed and bound professionally as a proper book, and that would be pretty nifty.

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2012, 08:11:03 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484
What do you think about this subject?


There is another item to consider that I haven't seen mentioned.  If you look into scrap booking for any length of time you'll come across the concept of archival quality products.  These are items created with an eye towards longevity.  Essentially, they are supposed to be Ph neutral to avoid the yellowing that affects paper products over the years.  As I understand it, the yellowing is actually a very slow chemical burn.  If you're looking to have your BoS last as a family heirloom considering archival quality products is a good idea.  I know for a fact that they are available in art supply shops for scrap booking and the like.  Years ago I worked in a place that sold them.  What I'm not sure of is that while I'm reasonably certain that you could find archival quality paper that could run through a printer, what about the ink/toner?

I myself would prefer a handmade BoS simply because I have an interest in book binding and such.  That said, I do agree that computers have made it much easier to record, sort, edit and append entries than a physical medium has.  It's one of the issues that has stopped me from creating my own BoS.  I just haven't worked out a good way to add pages that I like.  For the moment, I use a simple lined notebook for information/experiences I want to refer back to later.  While quite functional, it does lack the attractiveness that even a simple text editor could offer.
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Tenorbear2

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Re: Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed????
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2012, 10:42:12 pm »
Quote from: SkylarB;37484

But I'm torn between handwriting and typing it out. What do you think about this subject?


 
Why does it have to be a choice between one or the other? Why can't it be both? I've been struggling with this question too and I've decided that for lists, recipes, definitions - mundane things, I will use a priter. For personal things that I want to embue with my own energy I write it by hand. I have disabled hands and arms so writing by hand is terribly painful.  I use Dragon Naturally Speaking which types what I say so that I don't try to type much. By using rubber cement I can attach printed material and pictures to the pages in my Grimoire and utilize a secondary Grimoire that's 3 ringed for anything that takes a lot of typing. I hope it will end up being cool. Here's another thought I had - if I use Dragon for my journal I could always send it to get it bound every few years. Hmmm.....

Tenorbear2

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