A Book of Shadows is a book containing religious texts and instructions for magical rituals found in the Neopagan religion of Wicca, and in many pagan practices. One of the famous Book of Shadows was invented by Wiccan pioneer Gerald Gardner sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and he first used it in his Bricket Wood coven and later in another covens he founded in decades- the next decade. The Book of Shadows is also used by other Wiccan traditions, such as Alexandrianism and Mohsianism, and with the advent of books that teach people how to begin following Wicca in the 1970s onwards, the idea of ​​the Shadow Book was later propagated among the practitioners single. not related to previous traditions.
Initially, when Wicca was still dominated by covens, "only one copy [of the Book] existed for the whole coven, kept by the high priest or high priest.The rule has proven to be unfeasible, and it is [now] common to all Wizards. "In various traditions that make up British Traditional Wicca, copies of the original Book compiled by Gerald Gardner with the help of Doreen Valiente's High Priestess, along with the changes and additions made since then, followed by adherents. They have tried to keep the contents of this Book a secret, though it has been published on a number of occasions by figures such as Charles Cardell, Lady Sheba, and Janet and Stewart Farrar. In other Wiccan traditions and among a number of solitary practitioners, alternative versions of the Book have been written that are independent of the original Gardner.
Many associations and traditions have grown up around the Book of Shadows. Traditionally, "a Witch's shadow book was destroyed after death." The Book of Shadows concept then appears in popular culture, for example used in the American television series Charmed and provides movie titles, music albums and comics. However, in all cases this is taken from the original Wiccan context.
Video Book of Shadows
Histori
Origins
Gerald Gardner, "the father of Wicca", first introduced the Book of Shadows to the people he had pioneered into the craft through his Bricket Wood covenan in the 1950s. He claims that it is a private cookbook of mantras that has worked for the owner; they can copy from their own books and add or remove material that they deem appropriate. He says that the practice of witches who keep such books is ancient, and practiced by Magicians throughout history. According to tradition, Gardner claims, the book was burned after someone died, so it will not be found that they have become magicians.
Gerald Gardner did not mention things like "Book of Shadows" in 1949 (though written three years earlier), the novel of medieval magic, High Magic's Aid. Doreen Valiente stated that this was because at the time, Gardner had not understood the idea, and only discovered it after writing his novel.
High Priestess Doreen Valiente made the claim that Gardner invented the term "Book of Shadows" from the 1949 edition (Volume I, Number 3) of a magazine known as The Occult Observer. In this edition, he claims, is an advertisement for Gardner's novel, High Magic's Aid , which is the opposite of an article titled "The Book of Shadows" written by Palm Bashir the palmist. The article in question is about the alleged ancient Sanskrit literature explaining how to predict things based on the length of one's shadow. Valiente theorized that Gardner later adopted this term for the grimoire Witches. He stated that "It's a good name, and it's a good name, wherever Gardner found it."
A bound leather manuscript written in Gardner's handwriting entitled Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical was later found among his papers from the Museum after his death by Aidan Kelly and later obtained by Richard and Tamarra James of the Canadian Wiccan Church. It appears to be the first design of Gardner's Book of Cages, and parts of which are based on the rituals of the Order of the Templi Orientis that Aleister Crowley had designed for the occult. Gardner had gained access to this ritual in 1946, when he purchased the charter from Crowley giving him permission to perform the OTO ritual.
Some have considered this as evidence that Gardner invented the Witch Grimoire idea, probably between 1946 (when he completed his novel High Magic's Aid ) and 1949, and named it Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical . In 1949, he changed his name to Book of Shadows , and immediately began using it with his Bricket Wood Coven.
Adding weight to the evidence that shows Gardner discovering the Book is that other Neo-pagan magicians of the time, such as Robert Cochrane, never used such a book.
Valiente rewrites
In 1953, Doreen Valiente joined Gardner's Bricket Wood coven, and soon rose to High Priestess. He realizes how much material in his Book of Shadows is drawn not from ancient sources as Gardner claims, but from the works of the occultist Aleister Crowley, of Aradia, or the Witch's Gospel of > Key of Solomon and also from Freemasonry ritual. He faced Gardner with this, who admitted that the text he had received from the New Forest coven had been fragmented and that he had to fill it with various sources. He also stated that "well, if you think you can do better, please", and Valiente thinks that he can, then declares that:
I accepted the challenge and started rewriting the Book of Shadows, cutting Crowleyanity as much as I could and trying to bring it back to what I feel, if not as complicated as the Crowley phraseology, at least on our own and in our own words.
Valiente rewrote most of it, cutting off many parts of Crowley (whose reputation was poorly feared), although maintaining a part of Aradia, or the Witch's Gospel, which he felt was a genuine magic exercise. Valiente dramatically rewrote passages like Charge of the Goddess and also wrote some poems for books, such as The Witches Rune . He also helped make the poem to include Wiccan Rede in it.
Valiente also noticed that the singing in a ritual in the book was based on the poem "A Tree Song" from Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling, whom he enjoyed as a child. The song states that:
- Oh, do not tell the pastor about our misery,
- Or he will call it sin;
- But - we've been in the forest all night,
- Summer in summer!
- And we bring word of mouth -
- Good news for cows and corn -
- Now the Sun rises from the South,
- With Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!
(These eight lines are exactly the last stanza of "A Tree Song".)
This ritual version, written by Gardner and Valiente, but contains sections adopted from various sources, such as Aleister Crowley, Aradia, or the Witch's Gospel, and even Rudyard Kipling, goes on to become the traditional text for Gardnerian Wicca.
Maps Book of Shadows
In British Traditional Wicca
In the form of British Traditional Wicca, which includes Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca and Algard Wicca, the Shadow Book used by adherents is based on those written by Gardner and Valiente.
Although his own book has been united with the help of Doreen Valiente and includes material from many modern sources, (especially from Aradia, or the Witch's Gospels and Aleister Crowley's writings) it also includes sections written in antique style (or antiquities), including suggestions for magicians being brought to justice and tortured. Gardner claims that this passage really comes from history, and that magicians are not allowed to write anything until today, to avoid incriminating charges; when in the end the Book of Shadows is allowed, rituals and spells should be written in a jumbled way to prevent non-initiates from using them. However, newer scholars have cast doubt on their authenticity.
It appears that Gardner told the next three lines of initiation that the book should be copied word for word, and the Wiccan offspring of Eleanor Bone, Patricia Crowther and Monique Wilson have widely believed that the book is ancient proof. Gardnerians North America from the Long Island line allows covens to add rituals and teachings to books, but nothing can be removed.
Contemporary usage
Sometimes there are two Books on the Shadows kept by more traditional Wiccans, one of which is a coven ritual book and a core practice that remains unchanged and from which new initiates copy, and the second, intended for different personal use from magicians to magicians and contains magical material collected by initiates, such as astrology, herbal knowledge, and information on forecasts.
Publications
After the death of Gardner, his rival, Charles Cardell, published much material from the Gardnerian Book of Shadows. In the 1970s, Alexandre Janet Farrar and Stewart Farrar then decided, with the approval of Doreen Valiente, that most of Gardnerian's books had to be published in their original form. Much of it was published by Farrars in their 1984 book The Witches' Way .
In Eclectic Wicca
In a non-traditional or "eclectic" form of Wiccan or Neo-pagan practice, the term Book of Shadows is more often used to describe private journals, than traditional texts. This journal records their rituals, mantras, and results, as well as other magical information. This can be either individual or coven text, and is not usually passed from teacher to student. In many cases, this type of Book of Shadows is an electronic document (disk or website) and not handwritten. Some Shadow Book reserves for recording mantras and storing separate books, sometimes called Book of Mirrors to load thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Other traditions
Not all Wicca traditions use the term "Book of Shadows". In Seax Wica, a tradition founded by Raymond Buckland, The Book of Shadows is called "The Tree", and in Devotional Wicca, the book is titled "The Book of Ways"; many traditions refer to their Book of Shadows as "Books".
In popular culture
The fantasy television series Charmed features a fictitious Book of Shadows containing secret spells and laws, and has the supernatural ability to defend itself from harm. In the 1996 film The Craft , which some critics see as a major influence on the series Charmed , Book of Shadows is referred to as the object in which the magician keeps his "power mind".
The sequel of 2000 for The Blair Witch Project is titled Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and features Wiccan characters, although not mentioned "Book of Shadows", during the movie. But in the movie trailer teaser, revealed "Book of Shadows" itself but never appeared in the movie. In the trailer, "Book of Shadows" was discovered by a half-naked woman, Erica Geerson (played by Erica Leerhsen) in the Black Hills forest, until she was attacked by an unknown man. This title is seen as an attempt to capitalize on the established market of Charmed series.
In the 2011 television series, The Secret Circle each family is shown to have their own "Book of Shadows", with each book containing a unique mantra. When books are passed down from generation to generation, each generation seems to write their own mantras or notes, as Cassie confesses about her mother's handwriting in her own family's "Book of Shadows."
The Japanese horror adventure game The Corpse Party: Book of Shadows deals with eponymous books during its final chapter, where it is revealed to be the Book of Shadows that actually fits the description in this article. (although in the game, there is only one Book of Shadows available, which contains a complete history of all spells around the world, be it Wiccan or not).
In the Australian television series Nowhere Boys two characters are known to have the Book of Shadows. One of them is one of the protagonists, Felix Ferne, and one of them is an antagonist, Alice Hartley. Felix's book was first considered his diary when he tried to hide his true existence from his friends, and Alice's book was considered to be his sister's.
In the fifth edition of Dungeons & amp; Dragons, wizard class members can get the Shadow Book, which allows them to learn extra spells and rituals regardless of whether the magic is usually accessible through the witch class.
References
Note
Bibliography
External links
- The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
- Internet Books on Shadows
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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