My Little Black Book

This is the second in a series of posts that I am referring to as the Books of Magic, in which I will be sharing some of my own personal Grimoires.  You can read the first entry here. 

Similar to my Grimoire, this book was inspired by an episode of Charmed. Specifically, the episode, Cheaper by the Coven (2004).  In this episode, we learn that Grams kept her own personal spell book separate from the Halliwell Family Book of Shadows in which she wrote the spells she used to keep her grandchildren "in line" when they were children. 

Interestingly, Gram's Spell Book is probably much older than we are initially led to believe as later in the episode a throwaway line by Patty (the Charmed Ones mother) hints that Grams began her spell book when Patty was a little girl herself. Patty mentions writing a spell of her own to reverse one of her mother's spells when she was eight. Patty's reversal spell specially mentions "the book" and we are left to presume that she is referring to Gram's Spell Book. 

We only learn of two spells that are written in Gram's Spell Book in this episode. They are the Spell to Resolve Sibling Rivalry and a Freezing Spell used on the girls when they are pitching a fit and need to be put in time out. At some point Gram's Spell Book ended up in the attic after her death in 1998 among her other possessions. 

Two years ago, I learned of a prop auction in which Gram's Spell Book was to be auctioned off. The auction listing included several pictures of pages that were not show on screen as well as the below description. 

Penny ‘Grams’ Halliwell’s (Jennifer Rhodes) spell book from the WB series Charmed. The purposefully distressed book consists of a black canvas cover that reads ‘Traveler’s Journal’ and a mixture of blank tea-stained pages and others with drawings, notes, and incantations inscribed with pencil and ink. The book is well worn to imitate decades of use. The book is in very good, production-used condition overall.

I love writing and keeping journals and so I have a large collection of journals, notebooks, diaries, and blank books. I love to hold them and think about the things that I will write in them, the information I will record, etc... One of the blank books I owned was a 4X6 inch hardback sketch book I had purchased at Walmart. Inspired by Gram's Spell Book, I began writing down ideas for spells and rituals in this little black book. 

Initially, I only wrote what I considered was the most important part of any spell - the incantation. I felt that most spells follow a distinct pattern. For example, candle spells basically consist of choosing a candle, etching your wish in the wax, anointing it with oil, lighting the candle and framing your intention in the form of an incantation. In some cases, a wish written on paper, a photograph, or some other such may be placed under the candle. However, for me, the incantation was the most important part of the spell as it represented your statement of intent. Since the pages weren't very large, I felt that it was only necessary for me to write the incantation and not every step in each spell. 

I wanted the book to grow organically so I was in no hurry to fill it up with spells and rituals. I would write spells and incantation in the book as need arose. Take this spell to Ease the Pain of a Tooth Extracted that I wrote when I had my wisdom teeth removed for example. 

At other times, I would take something that happened to be that day and write about it in a magical way. In some cases, I would include a little sketch to remind me what I needed for the spell and how it is to be used. 

As I became more comfortable writing in the book, I began to write spells and rituals in greater detail. I also included pictures torn from old books, magazines, and newspapers instead of sketching images myself. 

I find that writing in my little black book to be very therapeutic for me as actually writing the spells helps me to deal with my feeling and problems. I have come to believe that writing the spell is tantamount to casting the spell. I think I have been keeping this book for about 7 or 8 years now and as of this writing I have about 20 blank pages left. It has become quite distressed from being carried around (it's just small enough for me to carry in my man-purse), held, looked through, and written in. It is one of my most treasured possessions. 

- Carolina Dean