Sigils mesh well with my brain for making magic, so I make sigils frequently.  I also share most of them publicly in case they are helpful to others.  I even make sigils I expect I will never personally use.  That means I sometimes get asked how to use sigils, from people who would like a little more guidance than the blurb tacked onto the end of every sigil post I make.  In this post, I write about how to determine which sigil will work best for you, and some methods how to use sigils.

For a more thorough examination of this subject, I highly recommend Laura Tempest Zakroff’s book Sigil Witchery.  You do not need to be an artist to make your own sigils.  There is a logic to building them, and her book walks you through how to do it.

What Exactly is a Sigil Anyway?

Generally, a sigil is any sort of drawing that carries magical intent or meaning.  This can be as simple as a free-standing pentagram or peace symbol, or it can be an incredibly complex arrangement of various symbols

I think of sigils as simultaneously being both self-contained magical spells, and a component to other spellwork.  This means they usually work simply by existing, but can also be incorporated into ritual and other magic as a component to increase the impact of the sigil or add its power into something else, same as using a candle, incense, chanting, etc.  That means using sigils can be as simple as looking at them, or you can get incredibly complex about incorporating them into larger workings.

I usually use the construction method taught by Laura Tempest Zakroff, where I decide on specific intentions and incorporate related symbols into the final design.  However, this is not the only way to make sigils.  Sigils and other magical art can be created by pure intuition, built out of runes or other magical alphabets, or made using the plain old English alphabet.

All methods of creation are viable and valid, but they can impact the magical nature of the finished sigil.  If you are making your own sigils, it is important to figure out a method that works well for you.  If you are looking to use sigils created by other people, it is important to figure out which of those sigils will sing for you.

How to Discern If a Particular Sigil is Right for You

Just because a sigil works for someone else, does not automatically mean it will work well for you.  The magical intentions worked into a sigil during its creation may not mesh perfectly with your needs, or the magical nature of the sigil may not mesh perfectly with your practice, or the symbology used may contradict or be meaningless to your personal symbology.

When you find a sigil out in the wilds of the internet, take some time to evaluate whether or not it is right for you.

Wild Sigils Often Only Have a Title

Ideally, sigils that you find will have more description attached than just a title like “love sigil”. The true meaning behind this sort of simple title will vary drastically from person to person and situation to situation.  I would be extremely wary of any sigils you find which are so vague, because you have no idea what it is actually intended to do.  Is that “love sigil” good for building self-love, deepening connections with friends and family, finding a new bestie, encountering a new romantic fling, finding someone you could share the rest of your life with, entrapping an unwilling subject with magically imposed obsession, helping a rescue animal know that it is safe and loved, or something else entirely?  All of those intentions could potentially be titled “love sigil”, and not all of those intentions are compatible.  If all you have is a title, you have no firm way of knowing what kind of magical energy was put into it.

Sometimes those vaguely titled sigils were originally posted with more information, but the graphic of the sigil has been divorced from that info through successive repostings.  Check for a link back to a blog or social media post with more info.  Failing that, do a Google image search (right-click the image in your web browser to bring up the option).  Hopefully that will lead you back to the original source where you can get more information.

You may find a very vaguely defined sigil that calls to you, but you cannot find its source or more info.  In that case I strongly recommend doing some divination and energetic exploration to make sure it’s right for you before using it.

Fully Described Sigils

If you are able to find a more specific description, or even better, a list of magical intentions that were worked into the sigil, you will be in a much better position to decide if it will work for you.  Carefully consider what you want to use the sigil for.  Compare that to the intentions/description of the sigil.  Do they match up?  If they match perfectly, you’re good to go!

If there are some differences, consider whether or not the unneeded intentions will interfere with your use of the sigil.  If a sigil for finding a job includes the intention that the job be easy to reach via public transit, and public transit is not available in your area, using that sigil could prevent you from getting a job.  This is because a core component of the sigil, public transit access, is not possible.  No job matching that parameter will be found, so the sigil will return no jobs.

Does this sigil lack intentions that are critical to your situation?  If it does, would it still be useful if you did magic to include that separately?  For example, if you need a job with certain hours, does that need to be included in the sigil, or can you work that intention into a magic spell that uses the sigil as a component?

I made the Fibromyalgia Management Sigil after I had several people with fibro ask me if the Sigil for Healthy Bones and Joints would work for them.  Since fibro does affect bones and joints it might help a little, but the intention of that sigil is more for helping heal and soothe damage from injuries, not chronic illness.  The more targeted fibromyalgia sigil is far more effective for people with fibro because it directly addresses issues directly related to that chronic illness.  And, if they want to, they can always use both sigils to help address different aspects of their particular condition.

Ways to Use Sigils are as Varied as our Practices

As long as the way you use a sigil is compatible with its intention, it is a valid use of that sigil.  As in, I honestly cannot think of a single way to use a sigil that would be universally wrong.  There are no blanket taboos.  Step outside of the idea of “how do I use sigils”, and instead focus on “how do I do this magic”, with the sigil being a tool to help get it done.

Instead of getting hung up on “sigil”, think about it the way you would any other magical power of component.  What do you want to accomplish, and what will help you accomplish that?  What other components and correspondences should be incorporated?  Is it enough to just have the sigil present to do its thing, or do you need to make a big deal out of it?

Keep it Simple

The simplest way to use a sigil is to have it present.  This can be by printing it out, drawing it somewhere, or having an image of it visible on your phone, computer, tablet, etc.  Exactly where you put it will most likely be related to what it does.  A sigil to protect your home should be placed on or in your home.  A sigil for your health should be kept on an altar, in a space where you spend a lot of time, drawn on your body, or carried on your person.

Simply by being present, placed with intention, sigils will do their work.  This is particularly advantageous for those of us who are spoonies, or for workings that are ongoing.

• Print out the sigil and place it somewhere
• Draw the sigil invisibly using water, salt water, moon water, mineral water, herbed water, etc.
• Draw the sigil in primer or paint before painting the surface with your intended color (I did this on my front and back doors)
• Draw the sigil astrally with an athame, incense, wand, or other tool
• Draw the sigil on any appropriate surface with pencil, pen, marker, paint, etc.
• Slap a sticker or decal on any appropriate surface
• Meditate on the sigil
• Visualize the sigil while focusing on its purpose
• Draw or inscribe the sigil onto a candle and light it

Body Art

Applying sigils as body art can be especially potent for sigils that affect the self (physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually), or for sigils that are very personal.  If your intention includes “I need/want this thing”, be that for healing, manifestation, or banishment, then body art might be a fantastic way to go.

There are many different forms of body art, and ways to apply sigils to your body.

• Draw directly on the skin using a temporary tattoo marker, permanent marker, body paint, or makeup
• Draw directly on the skin using consecrated oil or water
• Draw directly on the skin using a lotion and then massage it in
• Draw magically onto the skin using visualization, or by inscribing with a magical tool above or on the skin
• Print onto temporary tattoo paper and apply that to your body
• Tattoo your body

Carefully consider how placement will affect the intention of the sigil.  A healing sigil for healthy operation of the cardiovascular and respiration systems should probably be placed on or near the sternum.  My Sigil for Healthy Bones and Joints will probably be most effective when placed over an area that is experiencing issues following an injury.

If you have open wounds, rashes, or other skin irritation, do not put anything on the area that could cause further irritation or infection, even for the sake of applying a sigil.

Do you want this body art to be visible to anyone you meet?  If staying in the broom closet or avoiding visible body markings of any kind is important to you, then you will either want to apply the body art in a hidden location or apply it invisibly.  Anointing oils and waters are excellent choices for temporary and invisible application.  For tattoos, white and glow-in-the-dark inks are an excellent invisible choice.  White ink, when healed, is barely visible or invisible with the naked eye.  Glow-in-the-dark tattoos glow under UV light, and (depending upon the base color chosen) can be otherwise invisible to the naked eye.

Before you get a tattoo, I highly recommend that you carefully consider whether or not the sigil in question is something you want to have working on you constantly for the rest of your life.  If the answer is no or maybe, temporary body art is probably the better way to go, even if you recreate it on a frequent or semi-regular basis.

It is true that you can get a coverup tattoo, but even when covered up the sigil will still be there and doing its thing.  Sigils do not have to be visible to the naked eye to retain their power, so truly eliminating a magical tattoo is not easy to do, if it can be done at all.  Magical removal will probably include lasering off the ink, and it will definitely require extensive banishing and cleansing rituals before, after, and ideally during any removal or covering.  Removal will work best if you laser it nearly to nonexistence, and then get it covered by a magically inclined tattooist who can use banishing magic while they apply fresh ink.

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 and color 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.  That makes it an even worse idea to impulse tattoo a sigil than to impulse tattoo kanji if you are not literate in Japanese.

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.  If you are considering tattooing a sigil created by someone else, I recommend checking with them.  If the creator is hostile about tattoos, that can potentially adversely affect the efficacy or energy of the sigil when it is tattooed.

If possible, find a tattoo artist who is of a metaphysical persuasion to create your personal ink.  There are a lot of them out there, but it may require traveling.  Failing that, make certain the artist is not hostile about magic and witchcraft, because you do not want that hostility transferring into your sigil and interfering with its magic.

Most sigil tattoos I have seen were done in black ink.  This is common, long lasting, versatile, and effective, because black is a neutral color.  However, it is possible for other colors to contribute to the magic of a sigil.  Take some time to consider what meanings different colors have for you, how those associations mesh with the meaning of the sigil, and whether or not inking in one or more of those colors is something you want to do.  Even if you settle on black, taking the time to deliberately consider potential factors or variations will contribute to the effects of the sigil in a positive way.

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.

Destructive Activation, AKA Kill it With Fire!

I would be neglecting the proverbial elephant in the room if I did not address the idea that the ONLY way to “activate” a sigil is by burning it.  This idea comes out of chaos magic, and the irony of some chaos mages insisting that there is one and only one way to activate sigils is not lost on me.

If burning a drawing of the sigil makes sense for you, your practice, and your sigil, go for it!  This can be extremely effective for sigils that are about transformation, banishment, or cleansing, since the act of burning irrevocably changes the paper (and the sigil) into something else.

Other destructive methods include drawing it on rice or edible paper and then putting it into water, burying it in your garden, or even throwing it in the trash or toilet.  All that is required is to make certain that the energy of the destruction is compatible with the intention of the sigil.

Kitchen Witchery

It is easy to include sigil magic into cooking endeavors.  This includes, but is not limited to magic for wellness, community, and manifestation.  It works very much like any other component that you can add into your cooking magic.  These are just some potential uses related to kitchen witchery.

• Draw the sigil in oil on the base of a pan or pot before cooking (will not work well with complex sigils)
• Draw the sigil into your dough or crusts
• Visualize the sigil as you cook your food
• Draw the sigil with a tool before, during, and/or after cooking
• Draw the sigil onto containers of food, spices, or other ingredients
• Engrave, etch, carve, paint, or woodburn the sigil onto tools, equipment, or surfaces
• Use a sticker with the sigil to seal packaging for edible gifts
• Stamp the sigil into cookies
• Decorate food items (cakes, pies, centerpieces, etc.) with the sigil

Witchy Crafting

You can use the sigil as a centerpiece or component of witchy crafting.  This means using the sigil as a decorative motif or focus for something you make with your hands.  Use your imagination and skills for your favorite crafty projects, and figure out how to incorporate a sigil into it for magical empowerment.

This can be incredibly useful for making magical gifts, or for creating enchanted or empowered items.  Altar cloths, divination cloths, clothing items, ritual items, tools, altar objects, devotional objects, offerings, boxes and containers, and more are all possible with a little creativity and resources.  These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

• Engrave, etch, carve, paint, or woodburn the sigil onto tools, equipment, or surfaces
• Make a painting, drawing, or other empowered artwork of the sigil
• Embroider the sigil onto a cloth, wall hanging, object, or clothing item
• Mold it in modeling clay to use as an altar piece, ceremonial object, magical component, or utilitarian object
• Woodburn it onto something you can use in your practice
• Make it into a quilt
• Incorporate it into a resin piece
• Mod podge it onto a box
• Carve it into wood or stone
• Cast or forge it in metal
• Incorporate it into stained glass
• Knit or crochet it into an item
• Fabric transfer, paint, or silkscreen it onto fabric
• Incorporate it into a mosaic
• Print it out and color and adorn the sigil and paper
• Print it onto waterslide paper and apply it to candles, glass, plastic, or other surfaces

Simply including the sigil into your creative work will imbue it with the magical power of the sigil, but taking additional ritualized steps will increase that power.  Working at a consecrated space, in a meditative or ritual way, and with tools that have been dedicated to magical work, are all things that can increase the impact and potency of your sigilized arts and crafts.

Magical Activism and Changing the World

Sigils can sometimes be used to bolster magical activism or to affect change in the world. In fact, many sigils are created specifically to aid protests, protect marginalized and persecuted people, and create needed changes in the world. In these cases you are applying the magic of the sigil, not just to yourself, but to the society you live in and the world at large.

• Draw the sigil on signs or posters to carry with you at a protest or demonstration
• Use the sigil in magic or ritual intended to further magical activist efforts
• Wear the sigil on your clothing to visibly spread it into the world
• Use the sigil for body art, especially publicly visible body art
• Leave the sigil in public places (please do not vandalize or litter)
• Share the sigil through social media images
• Place the sigil prominently in magical community spaces

Incorporate the Sigil into Ritual or Spellwork

Sigils are extremely versatile, in that they can be used alone or incorporated into other workings as a component.  First, make sure the sigil and all of its intentions are genuinely compatible with your ritual or spell.  If there are intentions missing from the sigil, or intentions in the sigil that do not apply to your situation, be conscientious about including those considerations into your ritual or spell.  Bring in other things that will fill gaps or ward against unintended or unnecessary effects.

Most sigils can be incorporated in similar ways to any other sympathetic link or component.  Having a printout or drawing of the sigil in the working space and consciously including it in the magic is often sufficient.

Depending upon what exactly you are trying to accomplish, any of the uses listed above can also be incorporated into the ritual or spell.  An altar cloth with the sigil embroidered or painted on it can be a powerful way to include the magic of a sigil.  Destructive use like burning or breaking the sigil may be appropriate, especially if you are trying to banish something.

If you are making a jar spell, doll, or something else like that, you can incorporate the sigil into the finished item.  For a jar spell, this can mean drawing the sigil on the container (sharpie usually works well) or putting a piece of paper with the sigil inside the jar.  For a doll or stuffie, this can mean embroidering or painting the sigil on the outside, or including it with the stuffing inside.

If what you want to do in ritual or spellwork feels right and is compatible with the meaning and intentions of the sigil, you can do it.

Print-on-Demand

I have set up some sigils 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.

The exact items available for each sigil depends upon its purpose.  Basically, in setting them up I consider what uses are fully compatible with the purpose of the sigil.  That way, if desired, the item the sigil is printed on can be worked in as a sympathetic link to help further empower or focus the sigil.

The sigils that are intended to affect health, wellbeing, or social justice, are available on items that will be visible to others, to help spread the effects.  This especially includes clothing items.  Sigils relating to electronics are available on office supplies and cases and bags for phones, tablets, and computers.  Sigils relating to education or work or society are available on the backpack.  Sigils related to healing or manifestation are available on mugs and other utilitarian items.  Sigils related to time are available on the clock.  Sigils relating to heath or manifestation are available on pillows, blankets, and bedding, to work on someone while resting as comfortably as possible.  Sigils that can be useful to call upon while doing spiritual bathing are available as shower curtains and bathmats.

Every sigil is available as stickers, so that they may easily be applied to other items.  They are also all available as bags and pillows (which have a zipper, and I think the stuffing can be removed, potentially making it a big zipper bag).  Bags mean that things related to the sigil can be held within for empowerment.

Every sigil is available as items that can be purposed as altar or ritual supplies.  This includes an art board print, resin block, coasters, and scarf (essentially a large square translucent veil).

Go Forth and Make Magic

Whether you are using sigils you make, or sigils made by someone else, they are as versatile as your practice.  Be conscientious of the meanings behind the sigils and compare those meanings to the use you hope to put them towards.  Be wary of using sigils of unknown meaning, carefully checking with divination and spirit allies before using them.  Using vague sigils is not unlike trying to cook with a jar labeled “Asian spice”.  There is no telling what flavor profile you will get if you just use it without smelling, tasting, and testing it first.

Energies and meanings can potentially be amended when using sigils as a component of personal spellwork or ritual, but this must be done deliberately and carefully so the spell does not go awry.

Ways to use sigils are as limitless as your practice.  If it feels right, and makes sense for the purpose of the sigil, do it.

The vast majority of sigils are active simply by existing.  Additional ritual, spellwork, and applications are ways to focus the energy into a target and enhance the efficacy of the sigil’s magic.