A spell journal is where you write down what you worked, how you worked it, and, weeks later, what came of it. It is the part of a Book of Shadows most witches mean to keep and few actually do, because the record gets written on a scrap, the scrap gets lost, and the spell that worked can never be repeated exactly. This guide covers what to record, how to keep the habit, what to do with a spell that didn't land, and a free printable spell journal page you can download at the end.
What Is a Spell Journal?
A spell journal is a record of your spellwork, one working at a time. At minimum it holds the date, what you did, and what you wanted. At its best it holds the timing, the materials down to color and amount, the steps in order, the words you said, and a note some weeks later on what happened.
It is not the same as a spell book. A spell book, or grimoire, is a collection of spells to do. A spell journal is a record of spells done. Many witches keep both inside one Book of Shadows, and a page format makes that easy: the spell book is the pages you write before, the journal is the pages you write after.
Why Keep a Spell Journal?
Because a spell is an experiment, and an experiment without notes is a guess you can't learn from.
- You can repeat what worked. The green candle that brought the refund in two days is only useful if you know it was green, dressed with basil, and lit on a Thursday under a waxing crescent.
- You can see what didn't. Three jar spells in a row that went nowhere is a pattern. One is bad luck.
- You stop double-working. A journal tells you the money spell is still running, so you don't cast over it a week later out of nerves.
- Your practice gets a memory. In a year you'll have a record of what you asked for, which is a quietly moving thing to read back.
What to Record in a Spell Journal
These are the parts that make a record useful, and they're the sections on our free spell journal page.
The Date, the Moon, and the Astro Weather
Date every working. Note the moon's phase and sign, because for most of us timing is half the craft: waxing for drawing in, waning for clearing out, a full moon for either at full strength. If you work with planetary timing, note the astro weather too: retrogrades, conjunctions, a void of course Moon, the planetary hour, the Sun's sign, or whatever you personally track. Six months from now, the entry that says "Mercury retrograde, Moon void" will explain a lot.
The Spell Title and Your Intention
Give the working a name you'll recognize in a year. "Green candle for the car fund" beats "money spell." Then write the intention in your own words, as one plain sentence. Not what the book said to want. What you actually want.
The Kind of Spell
Candle, jar, bath, petition, knot, sigil, or your own. This is mostly for pattern-spotting later. If every working that landed was a candle and every one that fizzled was a jar, that's worth knowing about yourself.
What You Used
Everything on the altar, with colors and amounts. "Green chime candle, dressed base to wick with olive oil and basil, pyrite on the dish, petition on brown paper." Specific enough to do again. If you're unsure how to dress a candle, our candle dressing guide covers it, and our candle color meanings page is the one to check before you pick the color.
What You Did
The steps, in order. Four lines is usually enough. Cleansed the space. Dressed the candle. Read the petition aloud and folded it toward me. Let it burn down. Write it the way you'd tell a friend who wanted to do the same thing.
What You Said
The words, whether you spoke them, chanted them, or wrote them on the petition. Charms drift. The version you said the night it worked is the version you want to keep.
Signs and Synchronicities
Anything that showed up in the days after: a call, a coincidence, a dream, a bird that wouldn't leave the fence. Two or three lines. Our guide to repeating numbers and angel numbers covers the most common kind.
The Follow-Up
Set a date a few weeks out and come back to it. What came of it? It worked, partly, not yet, or you let it go. That last one is deliberate. Some workings are released rather than finished, and the record should allow for it without making it a failure.
Notes
What you'd change next time. This is the line most people skip and the one that improves your craft fastest.
How to Start a Spell Journal
- Pick the format. A bound journal, a binder of printed pages, or a fillable PDF on a tablet. The binder wins for spellwork, because you can file pages by intention later.
- Record the next working, not the last one. Don't try to reconstruct old spells from memory. Start clean with the next one.
- Write before and after, not during. Fill in the timing, title, intention, and materials before you begin. Write the steps and words right after. Nothing on the page needs a pen in your hand mid-ritual.
- Put the follow-up date in your phone. Three to four weeks is a fair window for most workings. Longer for anything slow, like a job or a move.
- Read back at each new moon. Ten minutes with the last month's pages. This is where you notice which kinds of spells suit you.
What to Do When a Spell Didn't Work
Write it down anyway. A journal with only the wins is a scrapbook.
Then look at four things before you decide the spell was wrong. The timing: was the Moon waning when you were trying to draw something in? The intention: was it one clear sentence, or three wishes in a trench coat? The follow-up: was it too soon to tell? And the ordinary world: a money spell needs a job application to land on. If all four check out, let it go, mark the page "I let it go," and move on. Releasing a working is a normal part of the craft, not a mark against you.
Spell Journal vs. Book of Shadows vs. Grimoire
A grimoire is a book of instructions: spells, correspondences, rituals, often copied from teachers or books. A Book of Shadows is a witch's personal working book and can hold anything, including a grimoire section and a journal section. A spell journal is the record of what you actually did and what happened. If you keep only one book, keep the journal. The instructions exist elsewhere. Your results don't.
Free Printable Spell Journal Page
Our Spell Journal Page puts every section above on one sheet: date, moon phase, and moon's sign; an astro weather line; the spell title and your intention; a row of checkboxes for the kind of spell; four lines each for what you used and what you did; three lines for what you said; two for signs and synchronicities; a follow-up with a date and It worked, Partly, Not yet, or I let it go; and a notes box for what you'd change.
It's a free fillable PDF. Tap through it on a tablet or computer, where every line is a text box and every square is a checkbox, or print it on US Letter paper and write by hand. It sits alongside the Daily Practice Page and the Tarot Journal Page in our Journal Pages & Printables collection.
Paper or Tablet?
Paper suits spellwork. Pages can be filed by intention, taken to the altar, and written on with the same hand that lit the candle. A binder of printed pages is the closest thing to a traditional Book of Shadows that you can also reorganize.
A tablet keeps everything searchable, which matters once you want every working that used rosemary. GoodNotes and Notability treat a PDF like paper, so the page works there with a stylus. Apple Books, Preview, and PDF Expert let you tap the fields and type. Whichever you choose, keep the file where you'll see it.
Spell Journal FAQ
What should I write in a spell journal?
The date, the moon phase and sign, any astro weather you track, the spell's title, your intention in one sentence, the kind of spell, what you used with colors and amounts, the steps in order, the words you said, any signs in the days after, and a follow-up a few weeks later on what came of it.
Is a spell journal the same as a Book of Shadows?
No. A Book of Shadows is a witch's whole working book and can hold instructions, correspondences, and records. A spell journal is only the records. Many people keep it as a section inside their Book of Shadows.
Should I write in my spell journal during the ritual?
No. Fill in the timing, title, intention, and materials before you start, and the steps and words right after. Nothing on the page needs to be written mid-working.
How long should I wait before the follow-up?
Three to four weeks suits most workings. Give slow things, like a job or a move, longer, and mark the page "too soon" rather than "didn't work" until then.
What if the spell didn't work?
Record it anyway, then check the timing, the intention, the follow-up window, and whether the ordinary world had a way to deliver. If all four are fine, mark it "I let it go" and move on. Releasing a working is normal.
Is there a free spell journal template?
Yes. Our Spell Journal Page is a free fillable PDF with space for the timing, astro weather, title, intention, kind of spell, materials, steps, words, signs, and a follow-up. It prints on US Letter or fills in on a tablet.
The spell journal is the record half of a working book. For the rest of it, see our guides to the grimoire and the Book of Shadows.
For spells timed to the Moon, our Moon Journal Page tracks the whole cycle alongside this one.
