Pentacle Leather Blank Book with Latch, 5" x 7"

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 blank book carries it hand-tooled on natural goat leather and ringed with the symbols of the craft, closed by a brass latch. Inside are 240 pages of handmade paper, and the border embossing varies a little from book to book.

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. The pentacle and the working symbols around it make the cover a small map of the craft itself.

Key Features

• Pentacle ringed with witchcraft symbols. The encircled star hand-tooled on natural goat leather and surrounded by the signs of the craft. The art is the heart of the book; border and rear embossing vary a little, so each one is its own.
• Natural goat leather with brass latch. A durable goat-leather cover closed by a brass latch, holding your writing shut and private.
• 240 handmade pages. Unlined and generous in count, leaving room for ink, sigils, diagrams, and pressed herbs across a long practice.
• 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"
• 240 unlined pages of handmade paper
• Natural goat leather, hand-tooled pentacle ringed with witchcraft symbols
• Brass latch closure
• Border and rear embossing may vary from book to book
• 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. Here the encircled star is surrounded by the symbols of the craft, the small tools and signs of a working practice, so the cover reads almost as a map of the path. As the face of a working book it gathers protection, balance, and the whole vocabulary of the craft into one place.

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. Close the brass 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.
• 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 Black Pentacle Leather Journal?

This one rings the pentacle with witchcraft symbols on natural brown goat leather, with 240 pages and a brass latch. The Black Pentacle Leather Journal is plain black with a metal lock and 168 pages, leaning toward warding work. Choose by the look and the page count you want.

Are the pages lined or blank?

The 240 pages are blank and 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 book?

It measures 5 by 7 inches, a portable size with a generous 240 pages for a long practice. The brass latch keeps it closed while it travels.

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

The cover is natural goat leather, hand-tooled. The star is a pentacle, a five-pointed star enclosed in a circle, which in modern witchcraft reads as protection. Border and rear embossing vary from book to book, so each one is a little different.

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.