Sigil Magick

What is a sigil?

Historically, sigils were pictorial signatures of demons and angels that were used by occultists to summon them. These pictorial signatures were considered to be the true name of the entity, and knowing their true name gave the practitioner a mode of controlling the entity. In modern usage, a sigil is a symbolic representation of a desire condensed into a single glyph. They are most often used in ritual magick, predominantly in chaos magick. As a single image, a sigil is wonderfully useful as a magickal tool. They are each unique to the practitioner and hold considerable power. Because they are unique to each practitioner and cannot be deciphered, the intention remains mysterious to outsiders, thus increasing the power with which they work.

Just like other spells, a sigil is a means of attracting a desire. A symbol is just a symbol until it is given power by its creator, then it becomes a sigil. The purpose of a sigil is to connect to the energy of the universe but on a subconscious level. Interestingly, to make a sigil work, you concentrate your energy on creating the symbol and then totally forget its meaning to allow the universe to work towards its end. The conscious mind is removed from the equation, which allows the subconscious to take over and produce results by aligning with the powers of the universe. When the conscious mind gets involved, sometimes it can overthink or get confused. By clearly focusing the intent into the sigil and then releasing it to the unconscious mind, it can maintain its strength.

How do you use a sigil?

There are five basic steps to using a sigil – the order of the steps changes depending upon the practitioner and their magickal practice.

1. Write the intention.

Magick begins with a purpose, and sigils are no different. Make sure that your intention is positive and in the present tense. For example, if your intention is to not be lonely, change that into a positive by saying, “I want to make new friends.” Then write it as if it has already happened: “I have new friends.” Your intention is important, so take time to craft what you are asking for.

2. Simplify the statement.

Remove all the vowels to obscure the meaning. In our case, we are left with H V N W F R N D S

3. Create the sigil.

There are lots of different ways to make sigils. We will go through them in the next section, but for now, just know that you don’t have to be a great artist to make a sigil. You can use a variety of methods, ranging from a wheel to a magick square to your own creativity.

4. Charge it.

It is best to use a heightened emotional state to charge your sigil as that puts a lot of energy into the symbol. At the crescendo of your emotional state, visualize or look at your sigil and try to focus on just the image, not the meaning. However, this isn’t the only way to charge a sigil. You can meditate on it until the meaning blurs, and the symbol is all that remains. Or you can charge it using incense, crystals, or light from the full moon.

5. Forget it.

Literally, forget it. Set it somewhere out of mind for a while and forget the meaning attached to it. You may be wondering how you can forget something with so much of your energy in it. It is hard, so there are a few methods you can use. One is to forget it first and then charge it. Another is to make many sigils at once, so you don’t remember which is which. Another is to create sigils in a trance state. Or you could just let so much time go by that you no longer remember.

6. Banish it.

Banishing allows the energy to move out of the sigil and into the universe. Some people like to put a container around their sigils so that when the paper is torn, it rips the container open and allows the energy to flow out. You can banish it as you do in any other spell – burn it, rip it to shreds, bury it, drown it – it’s your choice! Some people prefer not to banish their sigils but keep them. And that’s ok. Keeping them can be powerful too; you just don’t want them to be directly visible all the time. So put one in a purse or hang it over a door, tuck them behind a photo frame or hide one in your closet.

How can I create my own sigils?

There are many ways to create your own sigils. A common method has been to use a kameas. A kameas is a magick square where all of the numbers in the rows, columns, and diagonals add up to the same sum. Kameas were historically used to find the pattern of the names of angels, demons, and spirits. The name of the entity was converted to numbers, which were then located on the kameas. The locations were connected by lines that made the pattern of the name. There are several different types of magick squares, so be sure to research the one you choose before using this method.

Chaos magick uses a different method for creating sigils, much like we described above. The intention is written out, and then the letters are condensed down into a monogram. This is usually done by removing all of the vowels. The intention or desire is then moved from the conscious mind to the unconscious one through a gnostic state to charge the sigil. The letters are then arranged in a pattern depending upon the practitioner.

Some people like to have the letters move from left to right, while others choose to incorporate them into a design. And some prefer to simply have the lines and curves with no adornment, while others add dots, dashes, and flourishes. There is no right way to design a sigil as each one is unique to the individual. If you don’t feel creative or artistic, no problem! Sigils are not about your artistic ability; they are about your intention and desire. Some chaos practitioners use a pictorial process similar to the written statement where instead of condensing letters, the image is condensed into its most abstract form.

A new way of producing sigils is by using an axis mundi. An axis mundi is the axis of the earth between the celestial poles. It is a vertical line that connects the heavens, earth, and lower regions as it is an abstract version of the world tree. Some practitioners design their sigil around the axis mundi to develop a deeper connection with the spiritual realms.

One of the most popular ways to create a sigil is to use a sigil wheel, also called a witch’s wheel. To use the wheel, follow the pattern of writing a sentence or statement for your intention. You can even use just a single word if you want. Then, on the wheel, connect each letter one at a time to create a pattern. You can choose to leave in the vowels or remove them. For our example above, you would start with the H, then move to the V, then to the N, and so on until the entire intention is complete. This pattern becomes the sigil for your intention. You can even make each word a different sigil. So we could boil our intention down to the two words ‘new’ and ‘friends.’ Then we would make a sigil for each one and connect them in whatever way we visually want. Each intention is different, so you can produce as many unique sigils as you like. Once you have the pattern, you can leave it be or add flourishes.

It is important for you to personally connect with the image of your sigil. If you don’t like how it looks or it just rubs you the wrong way, erase it and start again. Your sigil is your intention in a single, compact, and unique glyph packed full of magickal power. It should always be a representation that resonates with you on a deeper level.

Sigils are a wonderful way to bring a breath of fresh energy into your magickal work. They have been around since Neolithic times when humans began to draw with sticks in the dirt and then upon the walls of caves. They have influenced people in all cultures, from the yantra in Hindu tantra to the rune magick of Germanic tribes to Voudon and their use of veves. In each way, humans have created powerful magickal symbols that vibrate with energy to fulfill their desires in the physical and spiritual realms.