The Ward Against Tampering is a sigil that can be used to protect anything or anyone from tampering and harm, especially when the damage is intentional or predictable. It does this by discouraging people from tampering, and then biting back if they ignore the warnings and create harm.

When I created this sigil I wanted something to help protect my home. My intention was to put it over doors and windows, to supplement the other protective wards I have been using for years. A sigil like this could also be used to protect cars, lockers, bags and other personal belongings, murals, and more.

Once I had drawn it up, I quickly realized the intentions I chose were also applicable to people, to personal protection. It can also apply to protecting from hexes and curses, and any other protective situation.

I am a big fan of wards with teeth, that is, wards which bite back if they are violated. This is because I believe that people should be accountable for what they do, and bad behavior should have consequences. Baneful magic can be ethical, and baneful and blessing magic are extremely compatible. Thus, this sigil first tries to discourage people from touching, vandalizing, damaging, or harming the subject of the sigil. If they create harm anyway, it will bite back when the magic finds a way.

Intentions and Symbology of The Ward Against Tampering

The mail structure of the sigil is overlapping eyes at the center for awareness, shielded by crescent moons, with lightning bolts shooting out in the gaps.

Anyone who might wish ill or create harm will not notice the subject of the sigil

The best case scenario in any warding situation is for the ward to never even be approached. So, the moment anyone who might wish ill or unintentionally create harm is discouraged from noticing the subject of the ward in the first place. This is symbolized by the crescent moons, encouraging such individuals to just flow on by. The eyes at the center allow the sigil to see and recognize those who could create harm.

Anyone who might wish ill or create harm will pass by the subject of the sigil

Should the potentially harmful individual notice the subject of the sigil, the next step is encourage them to keep moving. This is symbolized by the crescent moons encouraging such individuals to flow on by.

Anyone who might wish ill or create harm will not touch the subject of the sigil

Should the potentially harmful individual notice the subject of the sigil and stop to look at it, the next step is to discourage them from interacting with it. This is symbolized by the crescent moons encouraging such individuals to keep moving, and the horns warn that it is a bad idea to touch or interact with it. The eyes allow them to see without touching or interacting with the subject of the sigil, and create a feeling of unease, that any actions are being seen and could have consequences.

Equivalent harm will be inflicted back on any who violate this sigil & Bad luck or injury will befall any who violate this sigil

I believe that people should be held accountable for their actions, and that bad behavior should have consequences. Thus, if someone does have the willpower or determination to violate the sigil and create harm, the magic will inflict back equivalent harm. This is symbolized by the dots over the crescent moons, representing action being reflected back upon the violator. It is also symbolized by the lightning bolts that protect any openings.

How to Use the Ward Against Tampering

You can use this sigil in any way that is in line with its intent and makes sense for your practice.  Some ideas are to:

• draw it onto an object you want to protect
• draw it over windows, doorways, and other entry points to protect a space
• place it in the center of a space you want to protect
• 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
• 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.
• print it onto temporary tattoo paper and apply it to your body
• and so on

Your rendering of the sigil does not need to be perfect.  Intent is what matters, so do not worry if you cannot draw it “perfectly”.  As long as all the elements are there, you are good.

Like any sigil, it will be most effective when it is used in conjunction with real-world actions.  Be sure to do what mundane things you can to protect the subject of the sigil, like securing things, especially when they will be unattended.

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 Tampering

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 Tampering

I have set up this sigil 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 Tampering

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 intended to do, in detail.  Sigils are most effective when the user understands the symbology and 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.