Crafting your first grimoire is an incredibly exciting experience. There’s something so magical about holding a book filled with your own wisdom, rituals, and spiritual discoveries. But before we dive in, let me offer you a little reassurance—your grimoire doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be finished. Mine is a constant work in progress, and honestly, I love rewriting it with new lessons and fresh perspectives.
So, if you feel the need to start over, reorganize, or even tear out pages and begin again, consider this your official permission slip. Your grimoire is yours, and it should evolve with you. While I think of a grimoire as a more structured counterpart to a spiritual journal, it is not something that needs to be flawless by the first (or tenth) draft. Do what feels right for you—your path, your magic, your book.
What Is a Grimoire?
A grimoire (pronounced grim-war) is a sacred book used by spiritual practitioners and witches to record their magical and spiritual experiences. Think of it as your personal witchy encyclopedia, a collection of knowledge, insights, rituals, spells, and lessons you’ve learned along your journey.
This is the place where you take what you’ve practiced, studied, and experienced, and turn it into a structured, meaningful reference guide for your path.
What a Grimoire Is Not
Before we get into what to include, let’s clear up a few common misconceptions:
1. It’s Not a Replacement for Your Spiritual Journal
Your spiritual journal is where you process your raw experiences—your unfiltered thoughts, dreams, and emotions. It’s messy, personal, and in-the-moment. Your grimoire, on the other hand, is a place for the refined, structured version of those lessons. Think of it as the distilled wisdom from your spiritual journey.
2. It’s Not Set in Stone
A grimoire is a living book. You are allowed to edit, add, remove, and rewrite as often as needed. It’s a reflection of your journey, and just like you, it will change over time.
3. You Don’t Have to Share It With Anyone
Some people pass down their grimoires, but there is zero obligation to show or share yours with anyone—ever. If it feels too personal, keep it private. This is your sacred space.
How to Start Your Grimoire
When I first set out to make my own grimoire, I wanted something that felt uniquely mine—lovingly crafted and intuitive to use. Here’s how I did it, all in simple, gentle steps:
Step 1: Choose Your Notebook
I selected a sturdy, hardcover journal with thick pages that can handle ink, glue, and a touch of magic. Smooth cream pages felt welcoming and calm to work on.
- Gilded Rosettes Journal – I love the look and feel of this notebook, it feels magical and use for this special occasions
- My Daily Journal – I have about a million of these journals laying around that I use for so many things. I love the size of this notebook and I do like having a little strap so I can stuff things into it without my papers falling out. This is the notebook I used for my first go at a grimoire.
- My Big Grimoire – This is the notebook I use when I know I want to create bigger spreads or capture a lot of information.
- A 3 Ring Binder – My ancestor work is mostly kept in a 3 ring binder, that way as I create charts or find new information about my ancestors I can just print it and keep it. There’s not a ton of decorating or little items I store for this, so it’s a quick and easy way to have the information without spending too much time creating the holder for it.
- Create your own grimoire through junk journaling – I love doing this, but it takes a bit of time to learn how to do it and get it setup. If you have the time and patience to learn, this is my favorite way to create a completely personalized and unique grimoire.
Step 2: Gather Basic Supplies
- My favorite pens
- Gel Pens – I do love these pens, there’s a ton of color options and they make my inner child (3rd grade specifically) very happy.
- Colorful Highlighters – These are bright and easy to use, I typically use them for my headers or just to decorate
- Desk Organizer – This is where I stuff all of my pens and markers and I like that it spins just for fun 🙂
- Stickers, washi tape, and stencils for decorative elements.
- Solid Colored Washi Tape
- Vintage Washi Tape
- Galaxy Washi Tape
- Vintage Aesthetic Stickers
- 100 Sheets of Galaxy/Outer Space Origami Paper < I use these as the background of my astrology sections
- 150 Vintage scrapbook papers
- 1200 Sticky tabs
- A ruler for clean lines in spreads.
- Canva and a printer…I have awful handwriting so a lot of my grimoire ends up eventually becoming printed. (if I’m feeling wild, I also use these alphabet stamps, I like how they look especially for headers of pages)
Step 3: Create a Simple Index
On the first few pages, I drew columns—one for “Topic” and one for “Page #.” I reserved five to ten pages, depending on how much I plan to record.
Step 4: Section Your Grimoire
Using sticky tabs, I divided the journal into key areas:
- Spiritual Foundations
- Sacred Cycles
- Spirit Guides
- Correspondences
- Divination
- Crystals
- Astrology
- Ancestor Work
- Hearthcraft
- Moon Magic
- Reiki
- Human Design (I’m still fairly new at this)
- Resources and Contacts
I labeled each section on the tab and updated the index as I went.
Step 5: Decorate Each Section Intro
On the first page of each section, I added a simple collage or drawing that resonates with that theme—like dried lavender sketches for Herbal Lore, or a tiny moon phase chart for astrology.
Step 6: Start Recording
I dove in: first entry was a basic grounding ritual. I wrote the date, intention, ingredients, and steps. I used headers, underlining, or doodles to make pages clear and beautiful.
Step 7: Enhance Over Time
As I used the grimoire, I added:
- Pocket envelopes glued inside to hold herb samples or charms
- Pockets of vellum for pressed flowers
- Inspiration clippings or ticket stubs tucked in between pages
- I have terrible handwriting so if I like to type/print sections out and glue them into my pages
Step 8: Maintain & Reflect
Each month or so, but definitely every season, I skim through old entries and see if there’s anything I want to change or include.
What to Include in Your Grimoire
Now for the fun part—what do you actually put in your grimoire? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are some sections you might want to include:
Spiritual Foundations
- Your beliefs and core spiritual values
- What kind of witch or practitioner you are
- Lessons from your spiritual awakening
Energy Work & Protection
- Grounding and centering techniques
- Cleansing and clearing practices
- Protection spells and sigils
Spirit Work
- Spirit guides, ancestors, and personal deities
- Signs from passed loved ones
- Rituals for connecting with spirit
Magical Correspondences
- Herbs and their uses
- Crystal meanings and personal correspondences
- Candle colors and their meanings
- Numerology and sacred numbers
Astrology & Lunar Magic
- Your natal chart and interpretations
- Zodiac signs and their energies
- Moon phases and their meanings
- Rituals for new and full moons
Rituals & Spells
- Seasonal and Wheel of the Year rituals
- Spellwork basics (how to craft a spell)
- Recipes for magical oils, teas, and brews
- How to track spell outcomes
Divination Practices
- Tarot spreads and card meanings
- Pendulum work and dowsing techniques
- Dream journaling and interpretation
Ancestor Work & Family Traditions
- Family rituals to pass down
- Descriptions of ancestors and their stories
- Ancestral recipes and offerings
Energy Healing & Meditation
- Reiki and energy healing practices
- Energy centers
- Sound healing and meditation techniques
Reference Section
- Favorite spiritual books and resources
- Lessons learned from mentors
- Personal reflections on growth
Want more ideas for lists to keep in your grimoire? Check out this blog post of witchy lists.
Embrace the Magic of Your Grimoire
Your grimoire is a sacred, evolving companion on your spiritual journey. As you fill its pages, it will become an irreplaceable source of wisdom, reflecting the unique magic of your path. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned practitioner, your grimoire will help you deepen your connection to yourself, your craft, and the mystical world around you.
So try it out – write, rewrite, experiment, and explore. Let your grimoire be a mirror of your soul and a testament to your magical journey.
