Sigils: A How to Guide

What are Sigils

A Sigil is a type of symbol used in ritual magic. The term Sigil usually has referred to a kind of pictorial mark or symbol that has magic power associated with it and is a representation of the creator's desired outcome.

Sigils have been around since the dawn of time. The first humans created Sigils in caves, and many different religions have some form of a symbol that represents the religion and its power.

Sigils used to be mainly associated with the summoning of Angels and Demons. Today Sigils are created to accomplish the practitioner's intent or will.

The current use of Sigils was discovered by Austin Osman Spare, an English artist, and occultist. He accomplished this in the early 19th century.

Sample of Sigils created by Austin Osman Spare

Today's Sigils are extremely powerful and should be a cornerstone of any magic practitioners' spells. They are relatively easy to cast and have the flexibility to be used in many different situations.

How to Make Sigils

You will need a piece of paper, something to write with, and a statement of intent. Making Sigils is one of the least ingredient-heavy forms of magic you will encounter. This is one of the many reasons why Sigils are so beginner witch friendly.

The first step you will need to take to create a Sigil is to make a Statement of Intent. A Statement of Intent means what do you hope or want this spell to do.

Let's say we are writing a statement of intent for a Protection Sigil for our safety in our home. We could write something like this "It is my will to be safe and secure in my home." When you write a statement of intent, it is best to use statement phrases that begin with "I wish" or "It is my will."

Another example of a statement of intent could be, "I wish John Smith and his energy to never come near me, my home, or my school again, so mote it be." In this example, we made a statement of intent for a Banishing Sigil.

Once you know what you want your spell to accomplish, write out your statement of intent, the next step is to cross out all of the repeating letters. Let's practice with the first statement of intent example, "It is my will to be safe and secure in my home."

Now that you crossed off all of the repeating letters, you should have W, B, F, D, C, U, and R, left. We will now be rearranging of how our letters look to design our Sigil. You want your Sigil disguised, no one should be able to figure out what your statement of intent is, or it will lose its magic.

Here is an example of how you could change the U and R and how you can draw them together.

As you can see, I have taken apart points of the letters. You can do this, and you can also curve lines and change shapes. Do what feels right. Allow your subconscious to take over when you are disguising your Sigil. If it is obvious what the letters are, redo it until you no longer know what letters you used to create your Sigil with.

Now you know what you want your Sigil to accomplish, and you have written out your statement of intent. You have crossed out all of the repeating letters and designed your Sigil. Now what? You want to charge your Sigil to give it power.

How to Activate Sigils

There are many different ways to activate a Sigil, and everyone has a preference. Some witches will use the same method over and over again. I recommend against this. Depending on the intent of the Sigil will usually determine how I will charge it. I will admit my preferred method is to use personal energy. I find this to be the most effective for many of my spells.

Here are some methods of how you can charge your Sigil and which way might work best for the spell. The first four examples will be of the elements.

Activate your Sigil with the Fire element:

• Draw it on paper (or something safe to burn) and burn it. Collect the ashes and take them to an open field. Toss the ashes into the air and let them blow away.

• Carve it into a candle, light it, and let the sigil melt away. Collect the wax after letting the candle burn down and bury the remaining wax into the earth.

Charging with the Fire element might work best with these intentions: passion, desire, love, romance, protection, banishing, energy, inspiration, motivation, competition, athleticism, strength, empowerment, success, leadership, courage, bravery, anger, power, destruction, and purification.

Activate your Sigil with the Water element:

• Draw it on something soluble and dissolve it in water.

• Draw it on a rock (or something non-soluble) and place it in running water.

Charging with the Water element might work best with these intentions: change, adaptability, intuition, maturity, rebirth, renewal, mental health, emotions, dreams, sleep, psychic powers, travel, cleansing, beauty, appearance, and healing.

Activate your Sigil with the Air element:

• Draw it on wind chimes and hang them up.

• Draw it on a balloon, blow the balloon up, and release it.

Charging with the Air element might work best with these intentions: speech, eloquence, communication, intellect, memory, knowledge, information, education, school, song, music, mental power, divination, spirituality, and happiness.

Activate your Sigil with the Earth element

• Draw it on something biodegradable and bury it.

• Draw it in the dirt somewhere that the weather will wear away the Sigil.

Charging with the Earth element might work best with these intentions: grounding, centering, nature, growth, birth, fertility, health, the physical body, prosperity, money, savings, career, job, employment, business, protection, home, family, trust, stability, reliability, practicality, and strength.

Activate your Sigil with the Personal Energy method:

• (Touch) Imagine your energy flowing through your body like blood. Imagine that energy starting to flow and gather in your hand. Touch the Sigil, keep the intent in your mind, and imagine all of that energy flowing through your hand into the Sigil. Let go of the Sigil to cut off the energy flow.

• (Breathe) Take deep, purposeful breathes. With each inhale, imagine energy flowing into your lungs with the air. Each breath gathers more and more energy, pooling in your lungs. When you feel ready, take one last deep breath and hold it. Bring the intent of the Sigil to the forefront of your mind and exhale that pool of energy onto the Sigil.

Charging with the Personal Energy method might work best with these intentions: confidence, anti-anxiety, self-love, personal characteristics, anything intimate.

How to Use Sigils

The great thing about Sigils is you can use them in so many different situations. If you can develop the right statement of intent for that particular situation, you can use a Sigil.

Once you have charged your Sigil to use, it will depend on the purpose of the Sigil to determine what you do next—going back to our example Sigil that was for protection in our home. We would need to draw the Sigil somewhere in the house, away from where people may see it.

Here are some examples of how you can use your Sigil.

If the Sigil is to protect yourself, you can draw the Sigil on your shoes' sole. You can carve it into a piece of jewelry or a watch.

If the Sigil is for safe travels, you could draw the Sigil on paper and put it in your glove box, under your seat, or in the trunk of your car. Suppose the paper is too fragile for your liking. Another option would be to carve it on a piece of wood.

If your Sigil protects against nightmares, or maybe it's for adequate rest, try placing it somewhere in your bedroom or near your bed. You can use a marker and draw the Sigil on the tag of your pillow (make sure to keep an eye on it, so it doesn't fade away).