This month, we’re going to explore grimoires, Books of Shadows, and journals together…not as things to perfect, but as living, changing documentation of your path. It’s taken a while but I’ve learned to treat my grimoires and journals less preciously. Before I’d shy away from filling them up because I worried my handwriting wasn’t good enough, I might change my views on something and have to fix it, or I was overwhelmed with feeling like I had to do it all at once. Now, I’m planning on treating my pages as places to return to, not perform for. You might find that your relationship with writing, documenting, or remembering begins to shift once you realize it will always be changing and evolving with your practice and what you documented today is allowed to change in the future.
This month is about creating containers that can grow with us.
The Energetic & Seasonal Context of February
February sits in late winter, a liminal stretch where nothing is fully awake yet, but everything is stirring beneath the surface. Use this time as one of quiet preparation and inner tending.
Energetically, this month often carries:
- A slow return of light
- Subtle motivation rather than outward action
- A desire to organize, sort, and clarify internally
Seasonally, February is often associated with themes of hearth, inner work, and gentle renewal. We start the month with the sabbat of Imbolc and we’ll be moving through the reflective clarity of Aquarius season into the intuitive waters of Pisces. You might notice your thoughts becoming more conceptual at first, then more emotional or symbolic as the month goes on.
This makes February a beautiful time to tend the structure of your spiritual life without rushing to fill it.
The Core Theme of February
Creating Containers for a Living Practice
Rather than trying to document everything perfectly, this month invites us to focus on grace and imperfection as a practice.
Some guiding ideas I’m holding this month:
- Record-keeping is a form of devotion
- A grimoire is allowed to change with you
- Not everything needs to be written down…but what is written matters
We’re learning how to notice what wants to be remembered without worrying about the how.
Week One: Introduction to Grimoires & Books of Shadows
What We’re Exploring This Week
This week, we’re grounding into what a grimoire or Book of Shadows actually is. I’m planning on releasing rigid definitions and instead noticing what these tools feel like in my own practice. You might realize you’ve already been keeping one, even if you never called it that. I’ve noticed when I post about grimoires and book of shadows people want to get super specific about what exactly can/should go into each and to me, it’s less about rules and more about what feels aligned for you.
Grimoire Page for the Week
Page Title Idea: What a Grimoire Means to Me
What to include:
- Your current understanding of what a grimoire or Book of Shadows is
- What you want this book (or books) to support
- What you don’t want it to become (pressure, perfection, obligation)
- Notes on formats that feel appealing (one notebook, many, digital, mixed)
I’m planning on letting this page stay open and evolve as the month unfolds.
Ritual or Practice for the Week
Practice: Choosing Your Grimoire/Journal
Set aside a quiet moment to sit with the journal, notebook, or space you’ll use this year. Hold it, open it, or simply rest your hands on it. You might light a candle or sit in silence for a few minutes.
Gently ask:
- What do you want to hold for me?
- How do you want to be used?
This doesn’t need answers right away. The act of asking is the ritual.
Week Two: Record-Keeping as a Spiritual Practice
What We’re Exploring This Week
This week, we’re shifting from what a grimoire is to why we keep one. I’m planning on paying attention to how writing helps me notice patterns, remember insights, and mark change. You might notice that writing feels more grounding than expressive—or vice versa.
Grimoire Page for the Week
Page Title Idea: Why I Record My Practice
What to include:
- Reasons you’re drawn to documenting your spiritual life
- How writing helps you reflect or integrate
- What kinds of moments feel worth recording.
- What feels the most exciting to keep track of? (Is it spiritual journaling or knowledge or art inspired by your path?)
- Any resistance or fear that comes up around writing things down
This page can be honest and unfinished.
Ritual or Practice for the Week
Practice: Intentional Noticing
For one or two days this week, choose a single thing to notice—dreams, emotions, moon phases, repeated symbols. At the end of the day, write just a few lines about what you observed.
This practice isn’t about depth. It’s about attention and getting into the habit of using your grimoire/BOS/journal.
Week Three: Journaling Prompts & Reflection Styles
What We’re Exploring This Week
This week, we’re exploring how we journal. I’m planning on experimenting with different styles instead of sticking to just one. You might discover that your intuition prefers lists, questions, sketches, or short fragments rather than long entries (I already know long form journaling is not for me haha).
Grimoire Page for the Week
Page Title Idea: Ways I Like to Reflect
What to include:
- Journaling styles you enjoy or want to try
- Prompts that feel supportive
- Styles that feel draining or forced
- Space to test a few formats directly on the page
Let this page feel playful and exploratory.
Ritual or Practice for the Week
Practice: Free Writing Without Outcome
Set a timer for 5–10 minutes. Write without rereading, editing, or judging. When the timer ends, close the journal.
No reflection is required. The practice is simply letting words move.
Week Four: Grimoire Page Ideas & Gentle Structure
What We’re Exploring This Week
This week, we’re gently considering structure, not to constrain ourselves, but to support continuity. I’m planning on prioritizing pages I want to make sure I have in my grimoire that don’t already exist. You might feel drawn to create a list or actually dive in and start creating right away.
Grimoire Page for the Week
Page Title Idea: Pages I Want to Create
What to include:
- A list of page ideas (moon notes, rituals, dreams, symbols, seasons)
- Which pages feel exciting versus overwhelming
- Notes on how often you’d like to return to them
- Permission slips for unfinished pages
This page becomes a living index, not a to-do list.
Ritual or Practice for the Week
Practice: Closing the Month with Intention
At the end of the week, spend a few minutes flipping through what you’ve written this month. What worked for you? What didn’t? Is this a practice you’d like to continue? It’s ok if you are not drawn to journaling or crafting a grimoire. Take note of what you learned and how you’d like to move forward.
Journal Prompts for February
You can return to these anytime this month:
- What feels worth remembering right now?
- When does writing feel nourishing, and when does it feel heavy?
- What kind of container does my spiritual life need in this season?
- How do I want my practice to feel when I return to these pages later?
- What am I learning about myself through noticing?
Book Recommendation for February
The Handmade Grimoire by Laura Derbyshire is one I’ll be revisiting. If you’re into junk journaling or want to get started this is a really good resource and goes into a lot more detail about grimoires and journals. Besides hitting the witchcraft area it also gives you ideas on how to actually make different items for your grimoire, which I love. And it has papers at the end of the book that you can use in your own grimoire or journal. (Clearly I think this is a great book haha). If you have other grimoire/journal book recommendations leave them in the comments below.
If You Have Extra Time or Want to Go Deeper…
More ideas on this topic:
- Different historical approaches to grimoires
- Digital vs. handwritten spiritual records (I use notion for my digital grimoire and I’ve found is an amazing tool for people who might have a hard time putting pressure on themselves to make a grimoire beautiful and perfect. The digital grimoire can be updated and rearranged super easily which makes it great while you’re collecting information you want in your physical grimoire).
- Creating seasonal or cyclical journal sections
- Using symbols, color, or collage in your pages
- Tracking intuitive hits or energy changes alongside writing
What’s Next…
There’s no right way to do this month. We’re learning how to create spaces that can hold change and that’s a practice that unfolds gently, over time.
Next month, we’ll begin working more directly with energy. For now, it’s enough to simply notice what wants to be remembered.
-you’re doing great.
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