Grimoire : gri·moire/grimˈwär/
What’s a grimoire? A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Usually these books contain spells, spell components and charms. Many magical people use these books to collect all their spells and these can be passed from generation to generation.
These books are often finely decorated and sometimes made of soft leather. In ancient times some of the earliest grimoires were actually on clay tablets. Some of these tables have been discovered by archaeologists in the area of Iraq.
Some famous grimoires include the Sworn Book of Honorius which contained prayers and rituals and thought to be based on King Solomon. Many of these types of texts were considered to be demonic as it was believed that this type of magic would not come from God but be the work of Satan. Most of the books were destroyed as they were discovered. In 1599 a book called Indexes of Prohibited Books was published by the Church which listed many grimiores including the Key of Solomon.
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| Brahms Bookworks |
As we move out of the distant past we can see in several modern grimoires including The Secret Grimoire of Turiel and Simon Necronomicon listed. Be it famous or infamous a simple clay table to a finely bound leather masterpiece, the grimiore is the sum of all knowledge for the witch who write is. Each spell written meticulously to be read aloud by only one voice.
There are a lot of sources for grimoires today. They can be found in bookstores, magic shops and even in Walmart. Selecting the right book is as serious as selecting any other magical tool and should be treated accordingly.
Today a grimoire can be a little electronic book reader, called by the manufacture “Kindle”. I’m sure you could name it whatever you ‘d like.
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| Engadget |
I’ve been able to mimic this magic device with my iPhone. Now I’m the proud owner of several older books at no charge at all. I’ll list a few of these below.
After all my years as a solitary I have to admit, there are few ritual tools that I have actually acquired. I’ve picked up a candle snuffer. I have a scrying mirror and a crystal ball. The rest of my tools find their way into my life in their own manner. I’ve a skull for necromancy and candles for candle magic. I have yet to find the perfect grimoire. For now, I have several store bought books that have spells in them and the rest of my magic is tucked safely away in my brain. I don’t have steps that I follow. I call my quarters, I light my candles and I focus my energy on what my needs are.
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| My Imbolc Altar |
No bits of this or parts of that for my incantations. No small pinches of this or rows of that for the spells I cast. I offer to her garlic and honey, I close my eyes and invoke her. I call her down to surround me with her energy and ask that her torches guide my way.
One day I may find the need to sit down and record these thoughts and feelings and perhaps, even without the outlined steps or spell components, it too will be a wonderful grimoire.
Namaste and Blessed Be
Sosanna
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I understand trying to find the perfect Grimiore. For now I have them neat in a notebook that I record my rituals and spells in. I will in years to come include images and art and the like and do a scrapbook type thing. Good luck.
I love my Grimoire. It's made of wood and I can remove the pages to run them through the printer, then put them back in (rather like a scrapbook). You'll even see me run my fingers over the pentagram design on the cover every so often. It took 16 years to find it, and when I saw it in the local Pagan shop in 2000, I knew it belonged to me. ^.^
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