Black Pentacle Leather Journal, 5 x 7 Inches

The pentacle is the witch's emblem of protection: a five-pointed star for earth, air, fire, and water crowned by spirit, drawn inside a circle that binds and guards. This 5 by 7 inch journal carries it embossed on genuine goat leather dyed black, closed with a metal lock. Inside are 168 pages of handmade linen-parchment paper.

It is made to become a Book of Shadows: the working book where a practitioner keeps spells, rituals, correspondences, dreams, and the turning of a practice over the years. Black leather and a lock make this the most guarded of the pentacle books, suited to the writing you keep closest.

Key Features

• Black pentacle design. The encircled star embossed on genuine goat leather dyed black, the darkest and most warded of the pentacle books. The art is the heart of the book, for practitioners who want a guarded place to write.
• Genuine goat leather with metal lock. A sturdy goat-leather cover closed by a metal lock, holding your writing shut and private.
• 168 handmade linen-parchment pages. Unlined, with the texture of linen rag, leaving room for script, sigils, diagrams, and pressed herbs alike.
• Portable 5 by 7 inch size. One of a family of leather ritual books in the shop, each bearing a different emblem and offered in more than one size, so you can match the symbol and format to your practice.

Product Details

• Dimensions: 5" x 7"
• 168 unlined pages of handmade linen-parchment paper
• Genuine goat leather cover dyed black, embossed pentacle
• Metal lock closure
• Sold as a blank book for writing, drawing, and ritual record-keeping

The Spiritual Significance

A Book of Shadows is a witch's working book, and despite the old-world weight of the name it is a fairly modern tradition. Gerald Gardner's mid-twentieth-century Wicca formalized the practice, with each initiate copying rituals and lore by hand into a book of their own. Its ancestors are the older grimoires such as the Key of Solomon, but the idea of a personal, hand-kept book of one's craft belongs to living modern witchcraft.

The pentacle is the witch's emblem above all others, a five-pointed star for earth, air, fire, and water crowned by spirit, enclosed in a circle that binds and protects. In modern witchcraft and Wicca it stands for protection and for the elements held in balance. In black, the colour long tied to warding and banishing work, and behind a metal lock, this book leans into that protective side: a guarded place for the writing you most want shielded from other eyes and other energies.

How To Use

1. Cleanse it first. Pass the cover through cleansing smoke or leave it in moonlight overnight to clear the handling it has been through before it becomes yours.
2. Dedicate the first page. Write an opening dedication, to your practice and the protection you are calling in, naming what this book is for.
3. Keep your craft in it. Record spells and their results, ritual outlines, correspondences, dreams, and the questions you are working through. A Book of Shadows is most useful when it is honest.
4. Tend the book. Turn the lock to keep it closed, store it away from damp, and condition the leather occasionally so it lasts as long as the practice it holds.

Pairs Well With

• Steampunk Pen and Calligraphy Set: a dip pen for writing entries with more ceremony than a ballpoint allows.
• Dragon's Blood Ink by Espiritu, 1 oz: the traditional red ink for consecrated writing, sigils, and petitions in the book.
• Parchment Paper by Espiritu, 3" x 4": loose petition and spell papers to write and tuck between the pages.
• Sage and Frankincense Smudge Stick: cleansing smoke to consecrate the book before its first use.
• Pentagram Pewter Pocket Stone: the same five-pointed star for the altar or pocket, tying the book to the rest of your working space.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between this and the Pentacle Leather Blank Book with Latch?

This one is black goat leather with a metal lock and 168 linen-parchment pages, the most guarded of the set. The Pentacle Leather Blank Book with Latch rings the pentacle with witchcraft symbols on natural brown leather, with 240 pages and a brass latch.

Are the pages lined or blank?

The 168 pages are blank and unlined, handmade linen-parchment paper with no ruling. That leaves you free to write in any hand, draw sigils and diagrams, or press herbs and petals flat between the leaves without lines getting in the way.

What size is the journal?

It measures 5 by 7 inches, a portable size that still gives you room to write a full working on a page. The metal lock keeps it closed while it travels.

Is the cover real leather, and is the star a pentacle or a pentagram?

The cover is genuine goat leather dyed black. The star is a pentacle, a five-pointed star enclosed in a circle, which in modern witchcraft reads as protection. Because each book is finished by hand, the grain and embossing vary a little from one to the next.

Do I have to use it as a Book of Shadows?

Not at all. It is simply a beautiful blank book. Many keep it as a Book of Shadows or grimoire, but it works just as well as a dream journal, a tarot diary, a sketchbook, or an everyday journal for someone who loves the symbol.