BOOK OF SHADOWS
In the book How to Date Dead Guys, Emma uses a witchcraft
guide known as the Book of Shadows to
raise the dead. Although I am not a witch, I spent a good deal of time
researching the craft. I wanted every spell, candle, and symbol Emma used to
have a real basis in the practice of witchcraft.
The Book of Shadows is a real thing.
Whether or not you
believe in it is up to you…
A Brief History Lesson You Probably Didn't
Learn in High School
Gerald Gardner,
the "Father of Modern Wicca", began work on a scrapbook of magical
instructions entitled Ye Bok of Ye Art
Magical between 1945-1950. Doreen Valiente, the High Priestess of his
Bricket Wood coven, helped him with revisions.
She claimed that Gardner reverted to the title Book of Shadows after discovering the
term in a magazine article describing how to foretell the future based upon the
length of a person's shadow.
Early on, a single
copy of the Book existed for each
coven, kept by the High Priest or Priestess. When a witch died, her Book of Shadows was to be destroyed to
avoid detection.
Starting in the
1970s, it became much more common for solitary practitioners to each possess
their own copy of the Book.
Although Gardner is credited with the idea and the
original title, now the term Book of
Shadows can mean several different things. Some Wiccans use it to refer to a personal journal of
rituals and spells, rather than a traditional text. Those who utilize copies of Gardner's
original Book may add rituals and
teachings, but typically nothing is ever removed.
The term
Book of Mirrors refers to a separate
magic book, used to collect thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Popular
Culture References
The 1996 film The Craft referred
to a special book where a witch keeps her spells and "power
thoughts". Interesting trivia about the movie claims that filming was interrupted
by strange happenings, including flocks of bats, altered tides, and power
outages. Real witchcraft rites and language were used, since the actress
Fairuza Balk (a practicing Wiccan) wanted to make the movie feel as realistic
as possible.
Perhaps the most famous use of a Book
of Shadows was in the television series Charmed.
From 1998 to 2006, the well-dressed Halliwell sisters (Alyssa Milano, Holly
Marie Combs, and Shannen Doherty/Rose McGowan) used their "Power of
Three" and their 300-year-old (note the timeline discrepancy) Book to fight paranormal evil.
How to Date Dead Guys Reference
Emma first encounters a Book of
Shadows when her roommate's younger sister comes to visit. That night, when
the three young women perform a love spell, Emma is the most skeptical.
After her would-be boyfriend Mike drowns in the Chippewa River, Emma
turns to witchcraft and the same mysterious Book
of Shadows to bring Mike back. The invoked river
revolts, and spits out a stranger instead. The dead guy drags himself from the
water and follows her home. And he's not the only one.
To help those she raised from the dead, Emma delves deeper into the
seductive Book of Shadows.
But as her powers grow, so does her dependence on the Book. Everything has a cost. Will Emma
be able to pay it?
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