Tree Woman Leather Journal, 5x7 Inches

The Tree of Life appears in cultures across the world as the axis that joins the realms, roots below and branches above. Here it takes the shape of a woman, her form the trunk and crown together. This 5 by 7 inch journal carries her embossed on aged, distressed leather, bound with a leather cord and closed with a latch. Inside are 120 unlined, parchment-style 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 time. The tree-woman suits work of connection and growth, the writing reaching like branches from a steady root.

Key Features

• Tree of Life woman design. The Tree of Life rendered as a woman, embossed on aged, distressed leather. The art is the heart of the book, for practitioners drawn to connection and growth.
• Cord binding with latch. Leather cord binding and a secure latch hold the book closed and keep your writing private at home, in circle, or in a bag.
• 120 unlined, parchment-style pages. 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"
• 120 unlined, parchment-style pages
• Aged, distressed leather with a Tree-of-Life-as-woman design
• Leather cord binding with 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 Tree of Life is among the most widespread of all sacred symbols, the world tree or axis that joins the realms, with roots in the underworld and branches in the heavens. It appears as Yggdrasil in Norse myth, as the tree of life in Kabbalah, and in many other traditions besides. Rendered as a woman, the tree becomes a living figure of connection and growth, and as the cover of a working book it suits the writing that reaches upward and outward from a steady root, the slow building of a practice toward what it is becoming.

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 tree and your practice, 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 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 Tree of Life Amulet: the same rooted emblem 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 Goddess Leather Journal?

Both join a woman and a tree. This one renders the Tree of Life as a woman on aged, distressed leather, with 120 pages at 5 by 7 inches. The Goddess Leather Journal shows a goddess figure formed from a tree, embossed front and back on brown leather, with 240 pages at a smaller 4.5 by 6.5 inches.

Are the pages lined or blank?

The 120 pages are blank and unlined, with a parchment-style finish and 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 cord binding and latch keep it closed while it travels.

Is the cover real leather?

Yes, the cover is aged, distressed leather with the Tree of Life woman embossed across it. Because each book is finished by hand, the grain and the exact look 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 symbol.