Ward Against Random Racists & Bigots was originally published to The Balancing Path column on Patheos Pagan, on July 6, 2020. It is presented here with some edits from the original.

There is a very active cross section of racists, bigots, transphobes, xenophobes, misogynists, and other prejudiced people who look for convenient opportunities to hurt individuals they are prejudiced against.  These end up being random encounters which result in anything from harassment to vandalism to beatings to murder.  Random encounters are hard for potential victims to prepare for, and even harder to predict. The sigil, Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots, is intended to help reduce the frequency and severity of such encounters as much as possible.

Just like a raped person never asks for it, none of us ask to be targeted by random hateful individuals.  Sometimes we simply have the misfortune to simultaneously exist in the same space as those who hate us for existing, and they see an opportunity to create harm.

I am nerdy, so I got to thinking about how a huge portion of the most devastating hate crimes I hear about are essentially like D&D random encounters with monsters. There you are, just minding your own business and going about your life, and *BAM* random attack by some prejudiced person to ruin your whole day, and possibly your whole life. Like in D&D, your chances of such encounters are higher or lower depending upon where you are, but they are still essentially random.

This sigil is an effort to ward off those encounters, to encourage bystanders to provide aid to those who are targeted, and to reduce the severity of the damage caused by random encounters when they do happen.

The only difference between the two sigils on the worksheet is the number of lines on the two asterisks.  One has six, and the other has eight.  Use whichever you prefer.

The Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots is Charged with these Specific Intents

Protection – To provide whatever shielding or protection is needed for victims of random hate crimes.

Able to do Things Undisturbed – Those who belong to a group targeted by discrimination will be able to go about doing normal life things without being disturbed by discrimination and hate.

Overlook Potential Victims – That prejudiced individuals will fail to find random targets for their hate.

Especially Children and the Most Vulnerable – Those who are most at risk of serious harm from random hate crimes need extra warding and protection.

Harm in Minimized – In the event of a hate crime, the harm will be as little as possible.

Help is Accessible – That in the event of a hate crime, the victim will be able to reach help, and that help will be given.

Bystanders Intervene – Bystanders will notice the occurrence of hate crimes and discrimination, and will aid in any way possible.

How to Use the Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots

You can use this sigil in any way that is in line with its intent and makes sense for your practice.  This particular ward is built such that it can be used for personal warding, or for more generalized warding in an area, for a group of people, or as the focus for a more global protection working.

Some specific ideas are to:

* inscribe it on a candle
* print it or draw it on a piece of paper and place it on your altar or somewhere you see regularly
* put a copy in your wallet
* use it as the wallpaper, login background, or screen saver on your phone, tablet, or computer
* make something crafty and include the sigil in your creation
* use it as a focus for meditation
* draw it on the body using salted water, anointing oil, an herb blend, makeup, body paint, henna, markers, temporary tattoo pens, etc.
* put it in your glove box or somewhere else in your car
* post it in a spot overlooking a room or area which you want to ward
* and so on

Your rendering of the sigil does not need to be perfect.  Intent is what matters, so do not worry if you don’t draw multiple perfect lines, circles, and spirals.  As long as the elements are there, it doesn’t even matter if it looks like chicken scratches.

Like any sigil, it will be most effective when it is used in conjunction with real-world actions if any are possible.  The sigil alone is not going to fix everything, but it can help you avoid random encounters, and hopefully reduce the severity of the encounters you do have.

If you wish you use this sigil as a focus in workings to help the world in general and anyone who needs it, you are welcome to do so.  Instead of focusing the sigil for a single person/situation, send the intent to help anyone who is struggling and could use the benefits of the sigil.

Please read On the Care and Use of Sigils for more information about how to use sigils.

Tattoos and Body Art of the Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots

If you want to get a tattoo of any of my sigils, you do not need to ask me for personal permission.  Permission is granted.  However, I do recommend that you carefully consider whether or not the sigil in question is actually something you need working on you constantly for the rest of your life.  If the answer is no, temporary body art is probably the better way to go, even if you recreate it on a frequent or semi-regular basis.

I also strongly recommend using a temporary body art method to test-drive any sigil before getting it permanently inked.  This can let you test the impact of the sigil, including how placement changes the effects.  This isn’t just some cool design that you like.  It is a piece of magic and will have impact beyond aesthetics.

If you do decide getting a tattoo of one of my sigils is the way to go, I would love it if you showed me how it turned out!  You can send me a message through my website or social media.  If you post the photo to the internet, please tag me on social media so I can see.

Print-on-Demand Purchase of the Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots

I have set up the Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots print-on-demand in my RedBubble shop, so it can be more convenient to use for those who do not have the time/skills/energy to redraw or recreate the sigil. I have set the items in the shop to 0% commission, so the prices you see are the base prices. Due to my own health problems, I am incapable of doing order fulfillment or running a business, and as a spoonie witch I want the convenience of purchasing for myself as well.

Print-on-demand is provided purely as a convenience, not as a business endeavor. That means I am unlikely to rush to meet any requests for available items or sigils, and I have no control over RedBubble’s order fulfilment processes. I have not purchased or tested the vast majority of products available from RedBubble, but I have set them up in ways that I hope will be issue-free.

Sharing the Ward Against Random Racists and Bigots

The sigil graphic does contain enough text to help clarify it when it is shared out in the wilds of the internet, but best practice is to include a link back to this article.  That way others who see it can find out exactly what it is charged to do, in detail.  Sigils are most effective when the user knows exactly what they were created to do, and that is also the only way they can be certain this sigil is right for them and their situation.

This sigil is Creative Commons licensed:

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as they credit Sidney Eileen and license their new creations under the identical terms.

Want to Make Your Own Sigils?

I use the method described in the excellent book Sigil Witchery, by Laura Tempest Zakroff.  You do not need to consider yourself an artist to make your own sigils.

Want More Sigils?

Go to my Sigil Magic page to find all of the sigils I have created and shared publicly.