Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire: Your Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Book of Shadows

Rate this book
Discover the Power of the Grimoire!

A grimoire records your personal journey through the world of magick. It's where you record your favorite spells, chronicle your magical developments, and keep your most treasured secrets. And now, Skye Alexander, spellcraft expert and author of The Modern Guide to Witchcraft , teaches you how to create your own.

First, you'll learn the importance and history of the witch's grimoire. Then, you'll go step by step through the process of putting together your very own book. From selecting spells to blessing your grimoire, you will be able to personalize your book of shadows and tailor it to your specific powers.

With your own grimoire in hand, you'll be ready to continue your journey in learning the craft.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2016

473 people are currently reading
1624 people want to read

About the author

Skye Alexander

95 books422 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
132 (29%)
4 stars
165 (37%)
3 stars
98 (22%)
2 stars
40 (9%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Joanne.
1,026 reviews171 followers
September 4, 2019
I was actually quite disappointed with The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire by Skye Alexander. I started reading it after finishing The Modern Guide to Witchcraft, by the same author, and after finishing the first section with great info about what a grimoire/book of shadows is, why a witch requires one, how to choose or make one, and how you may want to organise it, the second section basically repeated a whole lot of what I read in The Modern Guide to Witchcraft - sometimes word for word. This book could have been a hell of a lot shorter, in my opinion - and yet, I guess maybe some of this information is actually really important, and if you hadn't yet read The Modern Guide to Witchcraft, then it's probably useful, but I was just reading a lot of what I had already just read.

Saying that, it did talk about symbols and sigils, runes, dreams, and occasionally built upon the information provided in the first book on crystals, for example. So again, I have dipped in and out of it since reading, to gather the information I want to include in my own grimoire (correspondences for planets, days of the week, moon signs, moon phases, colours, crystals, numbers, etc.). But I am quite wary of buying any more books by Alexander in this series specifically to do with witchcraft - she has also written The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book and The Modern Witchcraft Book of Love Spells. If I had to choose between the two books I'd say maybe buy The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire, but there are a few elements that are in one and not the other.

However, her writing, the depth of information, and how easy she is to understand has led me to order her The Modern Witchcraft Book of Tarot - I have a few books on tarot that I've been reading, but have been finding it difficult, so I'm hoping Alexander will help here.
Profile Image for Alyssa McNiel.
41 reviews
January 8, 2019
Very helpful in showing a beginner, and even intermediate level solitary practitioners, how to build their Book of Shadows and personalize it to their specific craft. I started my BoS in 2013 and did pretty decent but this book gave me so much information and ideas to expand my grimoire. I really appreciated the way Skye Alexander wrote this. Very informative without being too cryptic. Beautiful!
Profile Image for Denielle.
222 reviews3 followers
June 18, 2020
I hate to give this book only 2 stars. The reason is because I don't think the book was about creating your book of shadows. If the title would've been beginners guide to witchcraft, I could've given it 4 stars. The author is very knowledgeable about the craft but only the very beginning seemed to be about making your grimoire.
Profile Image for Cesiley.
34 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2020
Book On Grimoires? No...

Just another book with a broad overview on witchcraft. Absolutely nothing new here. Disappointing. A lot of repetitive information. Would have liked to see a book actually entirely on grimoires.
Profile Image for Kaar Dawn.
51 reviews2 followers
November 10, 2018
Valid information. Basic, but helps even the more avanced witch/wiccan to think outside the box. Loved the quotes and even found information I didn't know
Profile Image for Yvonne Glasgow.
Author 17 books69 followers
Read
April 24, 2018
This is a wonderful and inspirational book. It's filled with plenty of good info but leaves you wanting to do more research of your own (kind of the point).
302 reviews5 followers
February 8, 2018
Very complete, step-by-step guide to the who, what, why of crafting and filling your own Grimoire and/or BoS. Includes some spellcraft and light chapters on tools, symbols, and ingredients.
Profile Image for Mimi Schweid.
651 reviews50 followers
March 26, 2018
I loved this book, very helpful. Skye is fantastic!
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 2 books49 followers
March 6, 2025
For a book that's supposedly about creating your own grimoire (Book of Shadows), this had very little to do with creating a grimoire. Most of the book consists of Wicca 101 blah blah and quotes from other books. (And the numerous quotes from shyster Louise Hay were alarming.)

Now, if you're considering writing you're own grimoire/Book of Shadows, you've gone WAY beyond the Wicca 101 stage. Three quarters of this book you not only know, but could probably recite backwards.

Some of the instructions here are just bloody impractical, even for a rich witch. Paste gemstones, candle wax or herbs on the pages of your grimoire? That will destroy the page -- even if you made the paper yourself. And you do expect to CLOSE this book of shadows once you open it, right?

There is also zero mention of the importance of selecting a grimoire that STAYS OPEN when you are performing a spell. Nothing kills the magical mood more than having to constantly shuffle through a thick book to find the right damn page.

Full disclosure -- although I am now an atheist, I was a Wiccan/Pagan for about a decade. Some positives to the religion is that it encourages creativity, especially writing. It seems the true mark of a successful witch or Neopagan is getting a sweet book deal.

The negatives to the religion is that it's all just bullshit, although a happier, more vibrant form of bullshit. There is no such thing as the supernatural or Magick. Sure, if you do 1,000 spells, one or two will seem to come true. That's just coincidence. There's also the 998 spells that didn't work out.

The only good thing about this book is that if you have a loved one into this stuff, you can see what it's about.
Profile Image for Mar at BOOKIVERSE .
345 reviews235 followers
December 31, 2020
4.5 stars.

This book is perfect for those that are just starting in witchcraft or for people that are just researching or interested like me.


This book is part of my favorite witchcraft collection so far. I say "so far" because I intend to read MUCH MORE about witchcraft, and that's thanks to books like this one.

I started reading about witchcraft as part of my research for my novel and books like this one made me adopt some of witchcraft practices and integrate them to my own eclectic spiritual practice.

I like how inclusive witchcraft is and the emphasis it makes in honoring nature and acknowledging we are all important an integral part of the universe and of this human experience we all share and how everything we do affects everything and everyone else and how we indeed reap what we sow.

This particular book is about how practitioners of witchcraft document their studies, experiences and own creations in what is called a "Book of Shadows" and/or "Grimoire" (there is a difference, even though many people use the term interchangeably). I'm very much into planning and journaling so I found very helpful the methods described here since I'm an exploring and discovering my own spirituality.

I've read most of the books in the collection and can't recommended enougt!
Profile Image for Em.
74 reviews
May 7, 2021
Offering exposure and a bit of background on all the topics and how it relates to a grimoire, this book collects a lot of basic information such as sigils, spells, numerology, crystals, runes, solar and lunar cycles, and deities into a easy reading text.

Though it appears the author may be Wiccan, it is not strictly tied to any belief and the author encourages self exploration and gives examples from various religious traditions.
Profile Image for Emily at Reaching While Rooted.
274 reviews16 followers
February 3, 2025
Similar to the other books in this series.

While the first portion was helpful in how to make and keep a grimoire, I felt the second half of the book in how to use it didn’t really apply to grimoires at all, other than a token nod of “record your findings in your book of shadows”.
Profile Image for Aetherea  Raziel.
14 reviews
August 21, 2020
Wow, This book is a Complete guide for starting your grimoire, from history, correspondences, Some Spells, witchy Alphabets, This Book is Recommended as Guide
Profile Image for Laura.
357 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2020
This book has some great information, but honestly reads like a textbook and I couldn't make myself finish it. After being on my Currently Reading for seven months, I had to DNF it at 79%.
1 review
October 23, 2020
Great Book

Great book very informative and helps a ton for baby witches. Teaches all the basics and beginning information to put you on the right path.
Profile Image for Tabitha Low.
13 reviews2 followers
August 26, 2021
A lot of information, but not enough new information for me m(keep in mind, I've studied similar things for, omg, let's just say decades now)...overall, very good.
Profile Image for Annie.
49 reviews3 followers
July 25, 2022
The book has some great information, both about the history of grimoires and what to put into yours, but there are others that I think are more interesting and more useful. There are also some lines that seem word-for-word copied from other texts, specifically from Patricia J. Telesco. I'm not sure if these are the same person using different names or what, but it made me uncomfortable and I'm glad I only borrowed the book.
Profile Image for Burb.
34 reviews
October 25, 2022
Overall, this was a lovely look into the very bare bones of where to get started. This is good if you are COMPLETELY lost and have no clue with where to begin.
Profile Image for James Turner.
297 reviews4 followers
July 12, 2023
Grimoire and more

A wealth of information. Not just how to create a grimoire. History, spells, calendar and more. Something for anyone interested in the Wicca path.
Profile Image for Mandy.
51 reviews
November 14, 2023
Full of useful information and tips on how to use and organize a grimoire.
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
5,210 reviews178 followers
December 7, 2024
As a pagan I found this book very informative and easy to follow. If you're a beginner definitely get this book. It'll teach you everything you need to know about writing your own Grimoire.
Profile Image for Ellen Camerlynck.
28 reviews
March 25, 2021
Good introduction to creating your own grimoire, and has a number of spells and recipes you can put into your own book of shadows if you want. Well paced, was a pleasure to read. The book did not feel 'dry' when reading, and am looking forward to other books of the author.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.