Over the years I had several Books of Shadows. I am (unfortunately) a perfectionist and none of them (as you might have guessed) ever pleased me for the full 100 %. Instead of meandering along with my path and enjoying it, I kept re-modeling my notes and still wasn't pleased with it in the end!
And the problem got even more complex: In the summer of 2009 we finally found ourselves in our dream location, a beautiful small town amidst the soft rolling hills of Flanders. It really was where I wanted to be. I felt hugely inspired and began to delve in the local folklore, history, herbs, woods, and so on and recorded everything (about 40 handwritten pages) in a sturdy A4 book. For the first time in years I was pleased with the way things were progressing.
About three years later we had - due to circumstances - to leave this beautiful place which made me feel very sad. And when I look at the book I made back then, it all seems a waste of energy...
But we moved to a new area, a fresh start so to say, and several events rekindled the flame. I began to re-read 'a witch alone' and decided to work through it all over again, starting with the first chapter: mapping your locality.
I could continue with my old book, which contains a lot of energy, and my work from back then wouldn't be so pointless after all. I've only moved about 13 kms away from the town I used to live in so it's still pretty much in the same area.
Now, a book might have the right 'feeling' to it, but it has one big disadvantage too: it's pretty static. I never can re-arrange things of insert pages as I learn along the path.
Or I could start over again, and finally do what Marian Green has been suggesting all the time and choose a loose leafed system (in a binder). The idea of a loose leafed system however has put me off for a long time. I never actually get the same 'feeling' as with a book. But there are of course also many benefits: you can always add/insert more material as you go along...
So, what to choose? And does anyone of you have or ever made a 'book of illumination', as suggested by Marian Green?
Hope you can shed some light on this for me. Thanks for listening to me anyway

blessings,
Morwenn