Fairy & Crescent Moon Leather Journal, 4.5" x 6.5"

In folklore the fairies are the spirits of the land, the hidden people of hill and hedge and water. This compact 4.5 by 6.5 inch journal sets a small raised metal fairy on the curve of a crescent moon, against an aged-look leather cover, and closes with a vintage latch. Inside are unlined pages.

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. Small enough to carry, the moonlit fairy on the cover suits writing that leans toward the wild and intuitive edges of a practice, dreams and omens caught on the go.

Key Features

• Raised metal fairy on a crescent moon. A small metal fairy figure perched on the moon against an aged-look leather cover. The art is the heart of the book, for practitioners drawn to the lunar and the fae.
• Aged leather with vintage latch. A leather cover with an antique look and a latch to keep your writing private at home, in circle, or in a bag.
• Unlined pages. No ruling, so you can write in any hand, draw sigils and diagrams, or press herbs flat between the leaves.
• Compact 4.5 by 6.5 inch size. One of a family of leather ritual books in the shop; a larger 6 by 8 inch fairy edition is also offered, so you can match the size to your practice.

Product Details

• Dimensions: 4.5" x 6.5"
• Unlined pages
• Aged-look leather cover, raised metal fairy on a crescent moon
• Vintage latch 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.

In folklore the fairies are the spirits of the land, the hidden people met with caution and courtesy more than command, most often at the threshold times of dusk and dawn and the threshold places of hedge, hill, and water. The crescent moon sets the motif in that liminal, lunar light. The modern fairy faith and the faery traditions of witchcraft keep a soft spot for these beings, and a book marked this way suits the wild and intuitive edges of a practice, dream work, nature work, and the creative current, rather than its formal center. Carried on a compact book small enough for a bag, with a little raised metal fairy on the crescent, it is made to travel.

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, naming what this book is for and the work you mean to keep in it.
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. Close the vintage latch to keep it shut, 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.
• Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft by Storm Faerywolf: a working guide to faery-tradition witchcraft to read alongside the book you write.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between this and the Fairy Moon Leather Blank Book?

This is the compact 4.5 by 6.5 inch book, with a small raised metal fairy on the cover and unlined pages. The Fairy Moon Leather Blank Book is larger at 6 by 8 inches, with the fairy tooled into goat leather and 240 pages. Choose by size and by metal or tooled art.

Are the pages lined or blank?

The pages are unlined, 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 4.5 by 6.5 inches, a compact size that slips easily into a bag for circle or travel while still giving you room to write. The vintage latch keeps it closed while it moves.

What does the fairy and moon mean?

In folklore the fae are the spirits of the land, met at the threshold times the crescent moon evokes. Together they suit dream work, nature work, and the intuitive, creative edges of a practice.

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.