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Hi, lovelies! Today I thought we’d learn about sigil magic together. In case you’re reading this thinking ‘what the heck is a sigil’ don’t worry! I’ll explain everything you need to know as well as providing you with some step by step info on how you can use sigil magic yourself. I hope you enjoy this topic as much as I do! If you want to learn more about magick and spell casting, check out these posts on manifesting, our spellcasting 101, this guide to what spells actually are and this post about magickal symbols as well as this one specifically about protection symbols. What is Sigil Magic? Sigil magic involves using the power of symbols to help you clearly state your goals and intentions. Working with sigils will take your magic to the next level. This is because sigils work together with the power of your subconscious mind to optimise the power of your magic. The ubiquitous yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. So what exactly is a sigil? For those of you unfamiliar with the term, sigils can sound quite mysterious. In truth, a sigil is not mysterious at all but simply a practical tool which can be used to enhance your magical practice. A sigil is literally just a symbol which has been charged with magical intent. Because symbols have always played an important rule within human cultures (think about the ancient cave painting or Egyptian hieroglyphs), working with sigils is something that comes naturally to us. If you're unsure about the difference between a symbol, a sign and a sigil, check out the following list: A sign represents a point or an idea in a fairly clear and straightforward manner. Think of a road sign etc.A symbol represents a more complex or abstract idea or concept. Symbols may have a hidden or deeper meaning or truth than what we see at first glance.A sigil is a carved, drawn or painted symbol which is believed to have magical powers. Working with sigils will literally supercharge your magic. In order to understand how sigil magic works, I’ve broken down the process into an easy to follow step by step guide below. Enjoy! Our 3 Main Points for Creating and Using Sigil Magic Sigil Magic - Creating Your Personal Sigil The first step in working with Sigil magic is to form a very clear intent about what you would like to achieve. This might be something like ‘I would like to receive a promotion at work’. It is often useful to physically write this intention or goal down on paper as this will help to increase the power of the intention. Always write in the present tense. Such as ‘I will receive a promotion at work’, rather than ‘I would like to receive a promotion at work’. This is what you want to look like when you receive that promotion you wanted! So, for the example we write onto a piece of paper: "I WILL RECEIVE A PROMOTION AT WORK Once you have written this onto the paper, the next step is to scramble the words. A common tactic is to remove one of the repeating letters. This would leave you with something like: "IWLRECVAPOMTNK" Alternatively, you could remove ALL of the repeating letters AND the vowels. This would leave you with something like: "CVPMNK" Once you have done this you simply overlap the letters creating an abstract design. This can look any way you wish. I’ve included an example for you below. The means of creating a sigil can be as abstract or as simple as you like. It’s really up to you. An example of a sigil, simply created by overlaying letters. Once you are happy with the sigil you’ve created its time to move to the next step. This means giving the sigil you have designed a physical base. If you are planning to destroy the sigil once you have finished with your spell, I’d recommend simply tracing the design onto paper. Alternatively, if you plan on keeping the Sigil in the form of a talisman you may consider burning it onto wood, carving it, forming it from metal or embroidering it onto a beautiful piece of cloth. Sigil Magic - Sigil Spell Casting Now that you have crafted a personal sigil it is time to use it within your spellwork. The idea, as with all spell casting, is to release internal energies so that they might manifest your desired outcome in the physical world. Spellcasting with sigils requires three distinct steps: Charge the sigil with your energy. The simplest way to do this is to stare at the sigil until you almost begin to hallucinate. It can and should feel uncomfortable to stare at the sigil for this long. The more uncomfortable it is, the higher the level of energy. The point here is that the sigil becomes associated with a heightened feeling. Some witches also like to charge their sigils by staring at them whilst taking a cold shower, or by wearing the sigil and reflecting on it during a time of fasting. Either way, the more the sigil becomes associated with a heightened feeling, the more powerful your magic will be. Now that the sigil has been effectively charged with energy, the next step is to ‘sink’ the sigil. By sinking, I mean that that energy and intention of the sigil needs to become buried in your subconscious mind. Just as you were loading the sigil with tension before, now is the time to release the tension. Some people use pain to sink the sigil. The can be done by holding two weights and stretching out your arms in a T shape whilst staring at the sigil. You should keep your arms lifted and continue staring at the sigil as you feel more and more pain in your arms. At the moment the pain becomes too much you should call forth the intention which you have fixed to the sigil, in our case ‘I will receive a promotion at work’. As you lower your arms and release the pain you should also release the intention of the sigil. The sigil would now be considered as ‘sunk’ and is ready to be destroyed. The idea of sinking the sigil always involves two extremes, often pain followed by ecstasy. You could also work with sex magic to release the sigil.Now that the sigil has been sunk, the final step is to destroy the sigil, thereby releasing its power. Alternatively, you could place the sigil near the area you wish to influence, thereby drawing its power and energy towards the target. There are pros and cons to both methods. In the case of destruction, the sigil is released from its physical basis and the energy is free to seek the target on its own. This means that the magical energy of the sigil can travel greater distances. Strategically placing the sigil near the target will create stronger energy and may help your results to be more potent. The con here is of course, that you must be in close proximity to the target for this to work. If you are an absolute beginner I suggest starting with a paper sigil. Once you begin to see interesting results you may like to move on to more complex and permanently placed sigils. Wait until you've mastered simple sigil magic before attempting more complicated spell work. Sigil Magic - Destroying Your Sigil If you are destroying the sigil, please consider how permanent and fast you wish the results to be. Everyone wants to see quick results, but generally speaking, the faster the result the more superficial the magic. Powerful magic flows deep and takes time. Therefore consider your wish that something might happen ‘right away’ compared to the wish that something might happen ‘when the time is right’. To destroy the actual sigil itself you can use your hands to tear it. Through tearing the paper the energy of the sigil will be released. You can also burn the sigil. Some witches also like to cut their sigil into pieces with a knife or scissors. Although this has no real benefits in terms of the magical power it releases, some witches feel like the psychological effects of cutting the sigil do enhance the overall results of the magic. Use scissors if you like, or rip the paper. This can be very satisfying sometimes! Why Does Sigil Magic Work? Sigil magic works in the same way as all other forms of magic in that it helps to focus and clarify our intentions towards a clearly stated goal. This allows our subconscious mind to begin looking for ways in which the goal can be achieved. If we have been extremely clear about our stated goals, magic helps us to manifest these goals within our physical reality. Allowing our subconscious mind to work in harmony with the conscious mind as well as the collective consciousness or the universal mind is what powerful magic is all about. Sigil magic allows us to focus and train our intent in a highly specific manner by using the ancient and powerful language of the symbol. We're all part of a collective consciousness. I actually do have my own theory about why sigil magic works which may or may not be correct but I’ll leave that up to you to decide. My theory is that all of reality is in fact, part of one unbroken whole. It is literally one thing occurring simultaneously in space-time. That means that the things we perceive as happening now, in the future or in the past, are not really divisions but more like throbs within the one basic reality. This one reality moves within itself and the things that we perceive as ‘manifestations’ are simply movements present within the space-time structure of the overall whole. The sigil works as a medium through which the movements of this space-time reality can be translated into the physical plane. So long as the process is properly understood, I believe that we can affect great change within our lives using the magical power of the sigil. The power of sigils is infinite. While I’ve tried to cover the basics of sigil magic, as well as talking about some of my own personal theories as to why sigil magic works, I’m quite sure that I will have left something out. The theories surrounding magic, witchcraft and the powers of the mind are so vast and complex I encourage you to continue reading and researching the subject until you feel comfortable in your own understanding. And in terms of sigil magic itself, please test it out and see how it works for you. Like all magic, sigil magic requires highly individual exploration and testing. Most of all, enjoy the process and have fun! May all your dreams become reality and as always, Blessed Be! xoxo Amythest Shop Our Favourite Sigil Resources Sigil magic and candle magic work exceptionally well together. Carve your sigil onto the candle and then let it burn away completely to slowly and powerfully release the energy of your spell. Because white candles can be used in place of any other colour that your spell states, these white beeswax tapers are great to have around the house. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/38WnZIw This is a beautiful book talks all about sigil witchery. It's very well researched and contains the history of sigil magic, some of the author's personal sigils and with spaces to create your own sigils. Click here to buy https://amzn.to/2HJZXo8 This gorgeous page about protection symbols is a wonderful addition to your book of shadows. It can be scaled to lots of different sizes so you can even print a copy to hand on your wall as a poster! Click here to check it out in our Etsy store.