I couldn't agree more with what this guy says. For me, at least, the Book of Shadows is a lesson in futility. You have no idea how many books I have with the same information in so many different designs that are all partially completed. I have a large scrapbook that has maybe 5 pages done, I have a handmade book that I wanted to eventually bind, made of brown, construction paper-type material (bought cheap at the dollar store) that has a bit of information in, I have an aqua-colored dayplanner that has, actually quite a bit of information, but it's basic: no designs, no artwork...just words (unless the information requires a visual representation (i.e. a Wheel of the Year diagram)). I also have maybe a dozen small spiral bound books with varying information in them...it's a overwhelming process, mostly because I'm searching out perfection. I made a mistake years ago, buying this BEAUTIFUL hardbound book with gold gilded edges and wrote in half of it, then fell out of love with it because I didn't want the information in it anymore, and I'd written it in pen (GAAAHHH!!) *pulls out hair* (don't worry, I didn't spend a whole lot on it, I bought it for cheap at a liquidation store).
I sort of learned my lesson in that, where if I buy a nice, hardbound book, I write my information in pencil first. I have a large purple journal I bought at Staples (Canadian version of the Office Depot) that I was going to use as a tarot journal, and wrote a bunch of stuff in it in pencil, then eventually erased most of it.
I'm on to a new idea of what I want to do, but it might mean basically the end of Books of Shadows period. Because I have so many small spiral bound notebooks, I'm thinking of dedicating each one to one particular subject (i.e. Tarot, Sabbats, Herbs, etc).
I'd always been an advocate for having information in one place so I'm not sitting in a pile of books looking for what I want, but it seems that, unless I want a book that is 12 inches thick and 40lbs, that's not a realistic expectation. I have to make several books with information in them and root through them to find what I want...and I think I'm ok with that. For one thing, it'll fill the bookshelves I eventually want to get, and it gives me the opportunity to hand write my information (because I like handwriting my information). I prefer to hand write my information because it gives me more of a connection to what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against typing information and printing it (I do that all the time too), but I get more a feeling of accomplishment when I hand write my information. And because my books are spiral bound, it makes it easier for me to write in them, then eventually I want to remove the wire binding, and thread bind the books, making my own cover for each, making a unique book for my shelf.
But I really wish I could have the big, beautiful book of shadows of my dreams that I could make myself, but I'm not as artistic as I wish I was. Even printing out images and pasting them to pages doesn't turn out the way I want. I don't know, maybe eventually I'll get the book I want, but for now, I'm learning my lesson in futility.
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