Moon Phase Embossed Leather Journal, 5" x 7"

The phases of the moon are among the oldest timekeepers we have, and in witchcraft they mark the rhythm of a working: the waxing moon to build and draw toward you, the full moon to bring to power, the waning moon to release. This 5 by 7 inch leather journal carries the full cycle embossed in silver across a dark cover, framed by gold-toned Celtic knotwork. Inside are 192 pages of tree-free, recycled paper, kept closed by a secure latch.

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 time. Many keep it as a lunar journal, writing with the moon and letting the pages follow her phases.

Key Features

• Moon phase design. The full lunar cycle embossed in silver across a dark leather cover, framed with gold-toned Celtic knotwork. The art is the heart of the book, chosen for practitioners who time their work to the moon.
• Leather cover with latch closure. A leather cover wraps the pages, and a secure latch keeps your writing private at home, in circle, or in a travel bag.
• 192 blank, unlined pages. Tree-free, recycled paper with no ruling, 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"
• 192 blank, unlined pages of tree-free, recycled paper
• Leather cover with silver moon-phase embossing and gold-toned Celtic knotwork
• Secure 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.

The moon's phases are an old and practical magic. In folk practice and in modern Wicca alike, the waxing moon is the time for building and drawing toward you, the full moon for power and culmination, the waning moon for releasing and banishing, and the dark moon for rest and divination. Tracking your practice against the cover's silver cycle is a way of working with that tide rather than against it. The Celtic knotwork that frames the phases carries its own old meaning of continuity, the line without end, a fitting border for a cycle that always returns to its beginning.

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 the moon and your practice, naming what this book is for.
3. Keep your craft in it. Record spells and their results, ritual outlines, lunar 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 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.
• Celtic Moon Celestial Amulet: the same lunar and Celtic motif for the altar or cord, tying the book to the rest of your working space.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between this and the eye-symbol Moon Phase journal?

Both track the same lunar cycle. This one shows the phases embossed in silver and framed with gold Celtic knotwork on a dark cover, with 192 pages. The eye-symbol Moon Phase journal sets the phases beside an all-seeing eye on a lighter cover, with 200 pages. Choose by the art that speaks to you.

Are the pages lined or blank?

The 192 pages are blank and unlined, tree-free recycled 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. It slips into a bag for circle or travel, and the latch keeps it closed while it moves.

Is the cover real leather?

Yes, the cover is leather, embossed with the silver moon phases and gold-toned Celtic knotwork. Because each book is finished by hand, the grain and the exact tone of the 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 moon.