:grimoires: WITCH CHALLENGE - A Witch's Library

[BryWisteria]

Merry meet,

Thank you once again to all those who joined in for the previous Witch Challenge - Colorful Candle Magick

With colorful lights illuminating the way, it’s time to wander through the halls of wisdom to explore and enjoy our favorite books.

The theme for this challenge is…

A Witch’s Library
What are your favorite witchy books?

When it comes to magick, it often feels like there are infinite areas to study and concepts to explore. Books are one of the best ways to study and share magickal knowledge in the witchy community. And where do we store all this wisdom? In our libraries! Your library may be physical stacks of colorful shelves, virtual pools of wisdom on a computer or tablet, a digital Grimoire kept on hand via device, or even memories safely tucked away in the halls of your mind.

Whatever your witchy library is like, we want to hear about it! This space continues the original book challenge from five years ago and is for sharing your beloved books, stories, and wisdom that you’ve deemed worthy enough to keep. Swap favorites and if something calls to you, don’t hesitate to jump into new worlds between the pages!

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This challenge is about witchy books - how you choose to take on this theme is up to you. So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

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Books for Witches

This challenge is about books - as always, feel free to explore the theme in a way that aligns with you and your unique practice.

Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few suggested spells and other ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

Please make sure you are logged into your Spells8 Account so you can view all of the resources shared!

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A Witch and Their Books

Consider taking a reflective approach to this challenge by answering one or more of the following questions:

→ What is your favorite Craft-related book?

→ Are there any books that aren’t specifically related to magick or the Craft, but still inspired or encouraged you on your magickal journey?

→ Was there a book that helped you learn a new area of the Craft? (tarot, runes, astral travel, candle magick, etc) ?

→ If you could recommend a book to a beginner, which book would you recommend?

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Bookish Show-And-Tell

What does your library - physical or virtual - look like? Do you have a beloved copy of a favorite book? What bookish accessories or treasures do you have? We’d love to see them! Feel free to share a collage or some pics for your challenge entry

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Start a New Book

Ever hungry for more pages? Well, my brilliant bibliophile, take this is a sign of encouragement to start a new book! Whether you have a pile on your shelf eager for your attention or were on the fence about indulging in a new tome, consider jumping in (and sharing your early thoughts with us!) for your challenge entry.

Want to read about the Craft but aren’t sure what? Here are some witchy book recommendations:

Recommended Books for Wiccans

Free Ancient Grimoires & Occult Books

Free Tarot Grimoires

-Witchy Book Reviews: Masterlist from the Spells8 Book Club Pt1
-Witchy Book Reviews: Masterlist from the Spells8 Book Club Pt2

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Build Your Sacred Book

Some books are ready to be enjoyed while others are meant to be built - these are your personal sacred books. These books begin blank and accompany you on your journey through magick, growing and developing alongside you. For this challenge, consider working on your sacred book or, if you haven’t started one yet, take this a sign to make your own!

How to Start a Book of Shadows: Pages, Spells, and Ideas

Free Printable Book of Shadows Pages

BoS vs. Grimoire: What’s the Difference?

How to Make a Book of Mirrors: The Witch’s Development Journal

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…And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity. If you feel called to explore the challenge theme in another way, you are welcome to do so.

📖 Book of Shadows Tour (Flip-Through) Learning Wicca by Spells8

Video from Spells8: Book of Shadows Flip-Through Tour

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How to Join the Challenge

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Do I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note: If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

Click here for a note for our lovely lurkers

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge. For those who would like the challenge prizes, please know that you will need to share your experience if you want to receive a prize and a public shout-out.

Don’t feel comfortable sharing? No fear! For lurkers and those who are shy, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge on the sidelines. At the end of the day, these challenges are here to help you help yourself by expanding and enhancing your personal magickal practice. I hope they can be helpful for you!

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Deadline

This challenge will close in 13 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2025-12-02T12:00:00Z

(Note that the time zone is ET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

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Prizes

For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums the day the challenge closes.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

Picture from Canva

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you’re not sure whether or not something is acceptable to post, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges- welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another in creative ways

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Worlds of wisdom await in words
In pictures and text, magick swirls
Each book holds a sacred key
To help craft the witch you wish to be

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Blessed be!

[BryWisteria]

Pick the Challenge Badge

The tradition continues! Let us know - which title do you like the most?

(Poll is anonymous)

• Librarian Witch
• Bibliophile
• Spell Studier
• Book Collector
• Bookwyrm

The title with the most votes will be awarded to all challenge entrants.

Thanks for sharing your vote - blessed be!

[Artemisia]

Challenge Entry (preface) - A Witch’s Library

Perfect timing and great push to get me to finish my next commonplace journal. It’s been quite a while since I filled up the last one I’ve made.

I’ve got my supplies, I’ve got my plan, and I even started on it a couple of years ago, but haven’t finished…yet.

Below are my end papers, a purple option for the cover, the text block and headband with green, a black leather cover option, and a green fabric cover option

[Feathertip]

This is going to be beautiful! I love your papers and the headband.

@Artemisia

I’ve got my supplies, I’ve got my plan, and I even started on it a couple of years ago

You sound like me!

But I have no doubt you’ll get there - excited to see your final product!

[leilani1]

Witches Library Challenge,

Hmmm, I had to think what this challenge really was. I’m still not sure, so here goes. The Witchy Book I like the most, happens to be a little “pocket book” that I received as a gift in the 70’s….long ago lost. As for my own Shadows or Mirrors….I kind of started my shadows as a witch diary, only making notes as necessary. For my practice I write my daily oblations, actions, and spells in those, so that would be more or a mirror book. Things that I deem absolute necessary knowledge I write in my Shadows book, my everyday notes/decision/studies would be a Mirror book. I keep all my Mirror/Daily books together in my library (yes, I have one, with all kinds of books, grew up that way, with dictionaires, encyclopaedias, classics, etc) with my BOS at my bedside. For my Mirrors books, I just use a college spiral (10-25 cents), where I am also able to craft spells and make notes. Notes I enjoy, use often, I write from one spiral to the next when I use it. I also have my daily notes, that include when/if I change deities…..all kinds of notes, go in the spirals, my BOMirrors, my BOS is more of a permanent book, lost wisdom which I have refound (herbals that medicine says cannot help, but it does, naturally, without chemicals)….wow, I guess I’m getting too long. So, short of it, my BOS is for permanent knowledge and my BOM is more of my daily/learning book.

I think, this is close to the assignment. Lady Gene

[MeganB]

@Artemisia

finish my next commonplace journal

I’ve been thinking about starting a commonplace journal! I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure what it is or what it’s for, but I’ve got some things I need to keep track of on a regular basis. Maybe this will help? Maybe I’ll use this challenge as a way to learn more about what a commonplace journal is.

I actually got a really cute journal from my daughter for my birthday earlier this month that I haven’t figured out what to do with yet!

[Greenbriar]

Oh that’s beautiful @MeganB ! @Ostara gave me a beautiful journal too, but I’ve been hesitant to use it in case I spoil it!

Challenge Entry
When I first started on my path (almost a year ago!) I went a bit crazy printing out BOS pages from here and elsewhere.

I have the pages somewhat organized into some small binders. I have multiple binders as everything wouldn’t fit into one! One is general information, one has sections on the sabbats and esbats, another has information about herbology, and recipes for magical potions, lotions, bath salts etc etc.

I also have a digital journal which is more a Book of Mirrors. It has rituals and spells I have done, and my reflections on them, as well as day to day journaling, tarot journaling etc.

I don’t have a whole lot of books because my eyesight isn’t great and trying to read books is hard these days. Here’s the first book I purchased and the most recent.

[Artemisia]

@MeganB

I’m not entirely sure what it is or what it’s for,

I was digging in the forum to see if I’d talked about them before but realized I had learned about them from @jan_TheGreenWitch

@jan_TheGreenWitch

For my comrade witches in the broom closet, what we call the journal you have is a Commonplace Book or Journal which is something that dates back to Aristotle and the mid 300s BCE! Once you look into commonplace books, they are literally everywhere on the internet and YouTube and you can’t unsee how many there are! I love this ‘kid’ on YouTube and follow him and he has an episode I like on the Commonplace Book, but I’m sure that is what you are describing that you already keep! Witches back in the day coded their books with discreet sigils or drawings so that if anyone saw them they would not understand, know or even suspect anything ‘witchy’.

With a lovely video recommendation, which led to my journey down the rabbit hole of research.

I’ll add a link that I found.

A Brief Guide to Keeping a Commonplace Book

I loved having one book to carry with me for reminders, quotes, thoughts, divination readings, spells, pressed flowers and really anything that caught my attention that I wanted to remember. I chose to divide my first one into 4 sections with different themes, but kept the important notes/to-dos in the first section.

I love the journal your daughter gave you, it’s lovely! It’s a wonderful combination of flowers, plants, beads, and embroidery

[Ostara]

Don’t worry about messing it up. Just tear the page out. You still have 599 pages to fill!

[BryWisteria]

@Artemisia

I’ve got my supplies, I’ve got my plan

All your crafts are gorgeous, and I’m so excited to see you bring your next journal to life! The supplies you have picked out look great - I love the colors Happy crafting!

@leilani1

I think, this is close to the assignment.

It’s a wonderful entry, and I really enjoyed hearing about your beloved Books! Thank you for sharing about them, Lady Gene. Blessed be!

@MeganB

a really cute journal from my daughter

It’s beautiful! The embroidered flowers and greenery are so cute You have a very thoughtful daughter! Wishing you good luck with your journaling

@Greenbriar

I have the pages somewhat organized into some small binders.

Everything looks so neat and tidy! #witchygoals right here - your journals look so organized that I bet you can find anything you’re looking for right away. Thank you for sharing about both your Books and your books. You have a lovely collection!

[Feathertip]

That journal is just beautiful! I love the detail work on the cover. Wow… Your daughter has shown excellent taste!

@Greenbriar - love this! @Ostara is so sweet. I think I’ve seen this one or something similar at a bookstore - and I was afraid to buy it because like you, I felt I needed a plan before using it because I didn’t want to ruin such a gorgeous journal.

Love your Grimoire!

@leilani1 - You have a great collection, from the sound of it! And I admire your organization skills.

@Artemisia - thank you for sharing these links! I’m not really sure what to call the “thing” I’ve been trying to cobble together. This should help clarify it for me.

[georgia]

Wow! Lots about writing our own already! Great job! Keep it up!

Challenge Entry

Some of you may remember me mentioning that I was collecting all the spells here. I’d found over 20,000 before my move. The move and subsequent health issues have put the kibosh on my work long before it was finished. The intention is still there. At first, I was collecting just to collect, but ideas come with resources. I’d like to make a book of it all.

For those who shared in Sacred Space, rest assured, I have no intention of publishing this book. I’m not a publisher, not into advertising- as proven by the failure of my last two publishing attempts of my own work. This is for personal and forum use only. No secrets revealed outside the forum. Also, this is your work, all of you. I take credit only in organizing the spells in my own way. Anyone who shared something quoted from another source, the original source was retained and set aside for a separate collection.

Since I am older and it is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks, I have no special programs on my computer. I’m gathering each spell separately as it’s own page or set of pages.

At the moment, the format of each spell depends on what tablet or computer I was using at the time I collected it. Some are in pdf, some in wpd, a few in jpg, some in video format, and the rest in txt. That will eventually get homogenized for ease of use. So far, the jpgs and videos are not counted in the afore mentioned 20,000. I am finding doubles on occasion, so those will be removed as I continue working.

I make good use of folders on my computer. Deities are kept separate from holidays, Sabbats from Esbats; I’m even separating moons by month at the moment, just to double check for doubles. Folders can always be reorganized, added to, subtracted from, and moved easily. This process isn’t as pretty to look at as some programs which have been mentioned around the forum, but it is a work in progress. I’m separating spells by focus and tools by what they are made of: drinks, baths, jars and bags, herbs, crystals, divination… There are many which don’t fit into easy folders: these are kept separately until I find more.

In this project, I intend to honor each and every one of you for all the work you have done. Thank you so much for sharing. I am proud of each and every one of you for your growth and learning processes. You are all inspirational.

[BryWisteria]

@georgia

I’m separating spells by focus and tools by what they are made of: drinks, baths, jars and bags, herbs, crystals, divination

Your collection is a labor of love made from resources that resonated with you - it’s a real treasure! 20,000+ spells is an impressive collection. It makes me smile to think of all the memories attached to those spells. What a great project!

Wishing you all the best as you continue to organize, collect, and sort your treasure trove of magick, Georgia. Keep on having fun with it!

[georgia]

A lot of people believe a library is a collection of someone else’s wisdom, stuff gathered from people wiser than I, the tried and true of long ago. Some even have the audacity to think that anything in print in a library is outdated (No one here, I’m sure).

I want to assure and remind us all. We are the stuff libraries are made of, here and now. We are the wise ones. In the future, we are the ones they will look up to.

Gorge Luis Borjes once said that when writers die, they become books. And I agree that being books is not a bad incarnation.

[Feathertip]

@georgia

Gorge Luis Borjes once said that when writers die, they become books. And I agree that being books is not a bad incarnation.

That’s a lovely quote! And I second Bry with saying that your spell collection is quite an awesome project, and you are handling it in a wonderfully organized and respectful way. Fantastic.

[Greenbriar]

What a wonderful project! That’s an impressive number of spells!

I like your folder organization. I have similar sections in my grimoires to help me keep things organized, but not on the level you are at!

[stephanieanne76]

Challenge Entry

My library is all over the place! I have books stuffed wherever I can stuff them and I’m reading all of them! As I’ve gotten older, I find I no longer can read one book all the way through before starting another one! My mind wanders too much! I also have thousands of books on my Kindle. I’m a mess lol! I have a leather-bound Book of Shadows, my Book of Mirrors and a book for little snippets I print off of Pinterest (second picture). I have journals galore! I am psyching myself up to do Shadow work soon. There is so much trauma I need to release. I know it will help me immensely, but I’m scared. I also have drawers stuffed with Tarot and Oracle cards!

[Amethyst]

Witch Challenge for Amethyst:

Hey all! I had a difficult time figuring out what to do for this one. Not because I don’t have anything, but because I have too many books to share! And they are mostly on Kindle, so it’s difficult to take a picture of them all, but here’s a shot of a few of them. LOL!

I’ve always had a love of books. And a need to keep them with me, for some reason. You know how most kids run away from home when they were little? I never tried it because I would have to take too many books with me.

There is nothing like going into a bookstore or library and finding a new treasure. The smell of the place is wonderful, and just all the different things to read were always magical to me. Some kids got allowances, and I got two new books every two weeks. Mainly because my parents were going to have to take me to the bookstore anyhow, so they just took me straight there.

You would think that because of my love of books, I’d embrace Kindle as soon as it came out? Nope, because a Kindle doesn’t smell like a new book or feel the same. What was it Kirk said at the beginning of Star Trek II? Something about liking the feel of the cover and the pages. That’s how I was, and truly, still feel.

I just don’t have the place to put all my books. So, Kindle it is! Plus, Mists of Avalon and The Stand are too big to fit in my purse. So there ya go.

I have over a thousand books in my Kindle Library, and I would say that 90% of it is Pagan, Wiccan, or on Spirituality. I have what are considered the newbie books, books on the Wheel of the Year, different gods, Celtic, Greek, and Norse mythology.

I have Tarot books, Candle Magic, and folk magic books. And a lot of others. Little one-offs that I bought to see if I’d like that branch of magic or practice, and wasn’t interested, but I keep the book.

And I practice tsundoku. Which is the Japanese term for buying books without reading them.
I mean, I’ll come across a book that’s free or fairly cheap, and well, I’ll get it if I can! I got a book on Viking myths and legends today for free.

Sometimes when I’m bored, I’ll troll Amazon for new books and put them on my wish list. Or I’ll watch a witchy book review on YouTube and put more books on my list. Then each day I check in to see if any are on sale or free. I’ve found a lot of great books that way!

And I just learned that you can share your Kindle Library! So, for right now, I’ll share them if anyone wants to borrow one. Eventually, I’d like to share with one person,n though, so they can keep access to it when I die. Hopefully, many, many years from now.

I wonder how many books I’ll have by then? And if I’ll ever read them all?

[carrianne]

Thank you, I have bought some books from the recommendations to add to my every growing book collection

Everyday witchcraft and Wicca for one

[Jeannie1]

Beautiful picture Artemisa!

@Amethyst

I just don’t have the place to put all my books. So, Kindle it is! Plus, Mists of Avalon and The Stand are too big to fit in my purse. So there ya go.

I do understand your delima , I tried to use Kindle but did not get to use the month I paid for because I forgot I had it, to say the least . I just like a hard copy I am old school, ive had Audible but I love a hard copy!

I know that this is not a witchy book but it can be. It’s how you work your magicK that is important. I have plenty other which books that I would love to share with you, but I wanted to share what I am doing in my current life right now, I decided to do dot journaling . We all have many things to manage so a good to have a planner. This planner is special to me because I am creating it And it helps with my adhd! I can Create Templates myself! For the whole year I’ll use anstrology.com and use astrological signs so for the dark moon, new moon, full moon, waxing and waning moon. I will implement all the dates myself, and I will be also adding the equinox in the solstice timings. I have been inspired by many ideas from different calendars. It’s an important detail to add to your witchy and I know Francisco has many templates that I was thinking about using in my planner for example the book shelf tracker. Im taking that time out to read now for at least 15 minutes and it’s really synchronicity because I wanted to make a post about dot journaling cause I really think it’s important and I think every witch should have this nice technique in their life. I really haven’t so that’s why this journal is going to help me to help me see that I’m not doing my reading since I am tracking my habits. example I have a habits page where I am making sure that I go to my pendulum and ask questions. I also have a section for spells eight and meditation and having time with my crystals I have a space that helps me to take care of myself for example self care. Taking a spiritual bath can be very relaxing.
Relax Witch!

My book of

I recently grew some vegetables I have celery, brussels sprouts, butternut squash harvested, but I also have lettuce, spinach, and some mugwort, mint, majorum and I will be using my dog journaling as a practical guide to help me to stay on track in my witchy journey. This is partly why you have not heard from me because I have been busy in the garden and adjusting to many new things in my life.
This is my book of Shawdows too

I hope you find this interesting or useful for your Witchy Journey!
Jeannie