The topic of handcopying traditional material came up in a Facebook group I belong to and a good friend of mine suggested that I write up an article because I had a few thoughts on the process. As an initiated Witch, I’ve had my fair share of handcopying material over the years. For many, handcopying Books of Shadows and other materials associated with their traditions is a rite of passage. As an initiator, I love passing material to my new initiates because it opens up conversations and opportunities for learning that may not have previously been available. And, while my initiates are learning something new, I also inevitably learn something new from their questions and reflections. When I was just the initiated, I enjoyed the process of handcopying material because it felt spiritually alchemical to me. The person I was before the process was not the same person I became during and at the end of the process.
For many, handcopying may be a total bore and a chore, but I’d like to make an argument for handcopying!
To me, the act of handcopying has many uses and here are but a few:
It helps commit material to memory.
As we’re writing, there’s a lot of work that the brain is doing that we aren’t entirely aware of. Your brain is reflecting, churning over words and their meanings, making connections between things that you’ve read, seen, or heard. As you’re handcopying your material, you are learning on levels that you may not even comprehend.
That fabulous mind-body connection comes into play when we’re writing things down. Did you know that you’re more likely to remember something if you write it down than if you just type it up somewhere? The physical act of writing does some rewiring to your brain that helps commit it to long-term memory. Having trouble memorizing something? Write it down at least once, but doing it over and over again will definitely help. Interested to learn more about the neurological connection between handwriting and memory? Read this article, titled “The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing–Who Wins the Battle?”
Handcopying requires discipline to complete.
The level of discipline required to complete a task like handcopying entire, multiple grimoires is great. It’s a demanding process, mentally and physically, as it requires long stints of concentration and sitting down with pen and paper. And it’s usually a lengthy process to copy entire grimoires or magical journals, so consider planning out a manageable timeframe in which you’d like to complete it.
Younger generations are less used to handwriting than the rest of us, and even older generations are likely finding that they’re writing less and less because of the ease of email, texting, and voice-to-text. Writing is as much a physical skill as a mental one and it can’t take some getting used to if you’ve never done it or haven’t done it in awhile. I know that my hand cramps quite a bit when I’ve been out of the writing game.
Handcopying is an act of humility.
We have to also recognize that knowledge is gained through transference; it isn’t something that is innate to our human condition. In other words, we have to learn it from someone else (or somewhere/something else). To be a student is to humble ourselves before someone else so that we may learn. In becoming a student, we admit that we do not have all the knowledge and that we desire it. To admit our own ignorance and also our desire for knowledge is a humbling act. There is no shame in ignorance, unless it’s willful, and there’s no harm in desiring to change that state of being. Handcopying material also echoes the way that people learn – we learn through observation (in this case, “reading”), asking questions, and then mimicking what we’ve learned.
From a Traditional Wiccan perspective, none of us are above handcopying something. It is not “busy work”, as the purpose of handcopying material in Traditional Wicca has several, clear purposes: to preserve the tradition in written form, to pass information discreetly (To Keep Silent), and to help the student commit the material to memory. That, and there’s something to be said about having magical material written in your own handwriting. I can’t be the only one who feels that the act of handwriting one’s own Book of Shadows or magical grimoire is something akin to a binding document between you and Spirit(s). There is great power in the written word. There’s even greater power in possessing the handwritten word of someone, including your own. Our handwriting is just as unique to us as our fingerprints.
Handcopying serves as a tradition’s threshold guardian.
Ever know a person who’s refused to handcopy a tradition’s materials or any other material assigned to them as part of their learning requirements? It would be easy to look down upon those people or judge them, but here’s my take: it’s an easy way to weed out those people from your group or tradition. If a person cannot even commit their time and energy to handcopying magical material then how can they commit to even more challenging or complex magical operations? All of this, of course, is barring issues pertaining to mental or physical disabilities that inhibit handcopying.
Handcopying material will likely be one of the first assignments you’ll need to complete as a new initiate in a magical tradition. Sometimes even Probationers (those whose desire to be initiated has been accepted by the coven or group) are required to handcopy material. So, consider handcopying to be one of the threshold guardians you’ll meet upon acceptance or near acceptance to your desired tradition or group. How will you choose to meet that guardian? Because it really is a choice, whether you take the challenge upon yourself or not and whether or not you complete it. And a threshold guardian has one duty: to guard the threshold between you and whatever destination is on the other side. So, if learning a tradition is your desired destination then you need to be prepared to encounter and overcome the ordeals between you and that destination.
What if I don’t belong to a tradition or group but I want to experience the challenge of handcopying magical materials?
Is there a grimoire or favorite Craft book that has had an impact on you? If so, choose a few passages or exercises from those books that you have tried or would like to try and handcopy them into your personal Book of Shadows or magical journal. After copying them, write a few personal notes or reflections. This will help your brain synthesize the material in a way that makes sense to you and that you’ll remember. It’ll also be cool to look back in some time in the future at what you once thought of that passage or exercise.
Handcopying is boring/arduous. How can I make it feel more meaningful?
Handcopying can be a magical act. The thought, effort, and concentration put into handcopying magical material is inherently magical from start to finish. Consider using consecrated writing implements, magical inks, and paper. You could even commit to handcopying on specific days and during specific hours for additional energetic effects, especially if you align those days and hours with the energies of material you’re copying. Also, break it up into manageable chunks. You don’t have to handcopy an entire grimoire in one night or weekend. Commit to, say, 20-30 minutes per day. You may have days where you want to do more and that’s great. And you may have days where you don’t want to do jack-shit and that’s okay, too. Just get back to it as soon as you can to keep the momentum.
My hot takes on handcopying may not hit home with some of you and that’s okay. I’d still love to hear your thoughts or experiences of this time-honored tradition in magical spaces!
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