Wolf & Tree of Life Leather Journal, 5" x 7"

This cover gathers three emblems into one scene: a Tree of Life at the center, a howling wolf to either side, and a pentacle above. The 5 by 7 inch leather journal carries it hand-tooled on the front, with an embossed diagonal pattern on the back and cross-stitching down the spine, closed by a bronze-colored metal latch. Inside are 240 blank, 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. Tree, wolves, and pentacle together make a cover about growth, instinct, and protection.

Key Features

• Tree of Life, wolves, and pentacle. A central Tree of Life flanked by howling wolves with a pentacle above, hand-tooled on the front, with diagonal embossing on the back and a cross-stitched spine. The art is the heart of the book.
• Leather cover with bronze metal latch. A leather cover closed by a solid bronze-colored latch, holding your writing shut and private at home, in circle, or in a bag.
• 240 blank, unlined pages. No ruling, so you can write in any hand, draw sigils and diagrams, or press herbs flat between the leaves.
• Portable 5 by 7 inch size. One of a family of leather ritual books in the shop, which includes several plainer Tree of Life editions, so you can match the design to your practice.

Product Details

• Dimensions: 5" x 7"
• 240 blank, unlined pages
• Leather cover, hand-tooled Tree of Life with howling wolves and a pentacle; diagonal embossing on the back; cross-stitched spine
• Bronze-colored metal 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 appears across many cultures as an image of growth and interconnection, from the Norse Yggdrasil whose branches bind the worlds to the crann bethadh of Celtic lore. The wolves to either side carry their own old weight: in Norse myth two wolves, Geri and Freki, sit at Odin's side, and across folklore the wolf stands for instinct, loyalty, and the wild knowing of the pack. Above them the pentacle, the five-pointed star in its circle, is the witch's emblem of protection and the elements held in balance. Set together, tree, wolves, and pentacle make a cover about growth rooted in instinct and kept under guard, a fitting face for a book of one's own workings.

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 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.
• Howling Moon Celestial Amulet: a howling wolf beneath the moon, worn or hung by the altar to echo the wolves on the cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this different from the other Tree of Life journals?

This one sets the Tree of Life between two howling wolves with a pentacle above, where the plainer Tree of Life journals carry the tree on its own. The wolves add instinct and the pentacle adds protection, on 240 unlined pages.

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 it?

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

What do the wolves and pentacle mean?

The wolves stand for instinct, loyalty, and the wild knowing of the pack, with echoes of the wolves at Odin's side in Norse myth. The pentacle is the witch's emblem of protection and the elements in balance. With the Tree of Life between them, the cover reads as growth, instinct, and protection together.

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 symbols.