{"id":8123,"date":"2017-03-27T13:30:12","date_gmt":"2017-03-27T20:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.psychicsdirectory.com\/articles\/?p=8123"},"modified":"2017-03-27T13:30:12","modified_gmt":"2017-03-27T20:30:12","slug":"the-book-of-shadows-in-modern-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.psychicsdirectory.com\/articles\/the-book-of-shadows-in-modern-society\/","title":{"rendered":"The Book of Shadows in Modern Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"book<\/a>The Book of Shadows\u00a0is a text that has been placed in popular culture for decades.<\/p>\n

If you have ever watched\u00a0The Craft,\u00a0Charmed, or\u00a0The Blair Witch Project, you are well aware that such a text exists. However, it is much more than just a fictional text.<\/p>\n

It is a very real text that comprises of religious texts and rituals surrounding the religion of Wicca.<\/p>\n

The original Book of Shadows was created in the late 1940s, early 1950s by the first Wiccan Gerald Gardner<\/a>.\u00a0Throughout the years, it’s been rewritten and adapted by other authors.<\/p>\n

Presently, the Book of Shadows can be considered two texts.<\/p>\n

The first being the original texts which include\u00a0the core rituals and practices, the second designated for personal usage.<\/p>\n

The second Book of Shadows can contain whatever the specific person intends to keep within it – including astrology and divination<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But how can this book be relevant to today’s society?<\/p>\n

While its origins are decades old, the Book of Shadows is still relative to modern society.<\/p>\n

Here we will discuss\u00a0the ways this decades old Wiccan text influences witches and pagans still today.<\/p>\n

Book of Shadows in Modern Times<\/h2>\n

As previously stated, the Book of Shadows has evolved into modern times as more of a journal for witches to document their rituals, dreams, and astrology<\/a> information.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, we will take a look at how witchcraft is incorporated into today’s modern society, and how the evolution of the Book of Shadows assists with this.<\/p>\n

Modern Witchcraft: More Than Just Spells and Wands<\/h3>\n

With Hollywood films and shows portraying witches as darkly dressed, wand yielding beings, it’s hard to imagine them as regular citizens in the modern world.<\/p>\n

But regular citizens are exactly what they are. It’s estimated that there are over 20,000 self-identified Wiccans<\/a> in the United States, though this number is not accurate as many do not publicly identify.<\/p>\n

Most witches are our friends and neighbors, but thanks to Hollywood, we assume they should be flying around on broomsticks.<\/p>\n

So let’s take a look at how modern witchcraft works and combat some myths that may surround it.<\/p>\n