I learned something new yesterday. I learned that the term "Book of Shadows" was created by Gardner, and he most likely got the term from a document referred to as a Book of Shadows that was about divination using shadows. I got this information from the site Wicca: For the Rest of Us under her Book of Shadows section.
Learning this bit of information gave me the thought immediately that I should coin my spiritual book with a different name, however I started giving it some thought. If I named my book something else, why would I be doing that? Most likely, I'd be doing it just to be different, to make a kind of statement, or to separate myself from Gardner since I don't follow the Gardnerian tradition.
When I began to think about the title of a Book of Shadows, I realized it's actually a pretty good title. This book of spiritual knowledge, learning, spells, rituals, chants, prayers, etc. that I intend to keep are essentially a compilation of my thoughts and feelings, and this book is meant to be a sort of learning tool for me to make myself a better person. To make yourself a better person, you must explore and heal your shadows, and so your book will contain your shadows, your deepest, innermost thoughts and fears and successes.
I've decided to keep the term "Book of Shadows" to describe my book with the possibility that I may add "and Light" to the end of it as the actual name or title of my particular book if I decide I want something different.
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