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Sigils - Blog Posts
Part 2 : Most Common Symbols/Sigils and Signs in Common!!! These are only a few of them!!
Warding
I've covered warding recently in my protection post. But here I will go into more detail on what warding is, the most popular ways to ward and how to create them as well as when to know when a ward is no longer useful or has been broken. I will also go into baneful warding and what it is.
What is warding?
Warding is a form of defensive magick which acts as your first line of defense against negativity. Be this baneful magick from another practitioner or negative entities and general negative energy. There are multiple ways to ward with each practitioner warding differently to the other. Wards come in all shapes and forms, and there is no limit as to how much warding you should do, you protect yourself as you see fit.
What is baneful warding?
Baneful warding is a form of warding in which the negative that hits a ward gets sent back to its source. Baneful warding is seen as a more "advanced" form of magick, however not too advanced for a novice to do with the appropriate amount of research. Baneful warding can come in the same forms as normal warding would.
Warding jars
Perhaps one of the most common wardings on this post, warding jats usually contain ingredients charged with the intention of warding. These ingredients usually range from herbs to bodily fluids such as saliva or blood. These jars are either buried on the practitioners property, left above entryway, left on an altar, or are carried with the practitioner when they want protection on the go.
A warding jar might contain: ashes of a warding sigil, bodily fluids, herbs and plants, crystals, bones, warding or protection oils, spices, metals, glass shards etc. These jars are then sealed with black or white wax (or are sealed in any other way, with glue, tape or simply just with intention).
When a warding jar is broken, you might find the contents of the jar to become moldy, the jar shatters, the seal might break or the contents of the jar to go off, you also might feel that the jar no longer has its power. When this happens, if the jar is intact, break the seal and empty the contents into the bin/trash or return them back to the earth. You can then cleanse the jar with your preferred method of cleansing and reuse the jar for another ward or spell.
Talismans and symbols
Talismans are objects which are charged with the intention fo protection or warding. A well known example would be the Nazar, known to ward off the evil eye.
Symbols are used to represent something or represent an intention example would be the pentacle/pentagram, a well known protection symbol. Another example could by the Eye of Horus, a symbol used by the Ancient Egyptians for protection, health and restoration.
You can create your own talismans and symbols to aid in warding. These might be used to ward against a specific thing, or can be used as a general ward to all negativity.
A talisman or symbol might break or feel like they're no longer useful once theyve done thier job. If this time comes, you can simply dispose of the old one and create a new one.
Sigils
Sigils are created and can be programmed with any purpose necessary. May this be warding ot cursing, they can be used for almost any working.
Sigils can be burnt to activate them, with the ashes being used in spells to add extra power. Sigils can be put up around your house or around your room for warding. These sigils can look like anything, simply draw them with the intention of warding.
Crystals
Crystals can be placed above entryways or in windows to act as a ward. Crystals can also be added to spells to give a desired effect or worn as jewellery to act as warding or protection on the go.
Some examples are: black obsidian, black tourmaline, clear quartz, amethyst, hematite.
When a crystal ward has been broken, the crystal might shatter, or go missing. Or you may feel the crystals energy feels different than usual. With crystals you cam simply cleanse and recharge the crystals to be used again!
Spells
Warding spells can be as simple as a dressed candle, or can be a complex ritual. Warding spells differ from practitioner to practitioner. Similar to warding jars, these spells might include the use of herbs, bodily fluids, crystals, plants etc. The methods of creating a warding spell vary, as there is no one way to create one.
When a ward breaks down, you might feel the ward break, or if it does what is intended, you might feel something bounce off the ward. Depending on the negativity sent your way, the ways in which you might feel a warding spell break down vary, this could range from feeling sluggish or nauseous to downright feeling psychic attack. (Whenever this happens, please consult a doctor, mundane before magical. What you may feel is a magical occurrence could be explained by illness, so please consult a doctor of you feel this way constantly)
Warding is a great form of protection which is used very often in a persons practice. While not all practitioners use warding, this is just to inform you of the ways you can ward to keep yourself safe in your practice!
fadingskies' guide to: Sigils
So, what are sigils?
Sigils are symbols used commonly by witches to change or alter a situation, way of life or bring new things in. Sigils can be an effective way of manifestation or protection. Sigils are symbols charged with the intent of the person who uses them.
How can I make sigils?
There are numerous methods to create sigils, but I'm going to share my preferred method and the one I choose to use. You will first need to start out by coming up with a strong intent for your sigil. It works better if your intent sounds as if you already have it. Instead of "I will be protected" try to use "I am protected from all who wish ill upon me or my loved ones". Notice how the last one was in present tense and was very specific about the sigil's purpose. I tend to cross out all vowels and repeating letters, as it makes the sigils easier to draw and less complex, but you can do whatever you'd like. Next you should look up "numerology alphabet chart" in images, which will come up with a chart with number and letters. Match the letters from your intent to numbers, and write them all down.
Now with the numbers, here comes the drawing, fun part. You'll next want to make a circle with the numbers 1-9, the order can be however you'd like, personally I just do them in their standard order. With the numbers, you can use them like a guide to a dot-to-dot, but that's really all sigil making is. A powerful dot-to-dot. Connect the numbers in order, and now you have a sigil. If you feel it looks a little bland, you can decorate your sigils however you'd like. I like doing mini-triangles in the corners, dashes through lines, circles on corners, ect. Your sigils are your own, have fun with it!
Where can I put sigils?
Anywhere! You can put your sigils wherever you'd like! I have sigils nearly everywhere in my house; my wardrobe (my wardrobe is kept in the corner of my room, before starting my witchcraft journey I was always getting bad vibes from my wardrobe), my pantry (I am sick of ants or the rats my cat brings in devouring my food!), my bookshelf, my bed and my desk (I want to bring productivity and intelligence to that area of my room).
Blessed Be, my little witchlings
... am I doing these right?
If not, it’s still fun anyways.
shifting sigils
Hey kiddos I'm really bad at being active here but todayyy I bring you sigils.
(I can easily shift to any reality I want)
(I am aligned with my desired reality)
(My belief in shifting is strong)
(Shifting methods work for me)
...
There are many ways to charge or activate sigils. Some of my favourite methods are:
drawing them on your body and then rubbing/kissing/blowing air on them
drawing them in a piece of paper and then putting your phone or an earphone on top while it plays a song you like
putting the sigil as your lockscreen then charging your phone
You can use any method you want, what matters most is intention.
affirmation sigils
every good thing i lose comes back to me tenfold
☽ I AM CLEANSED ☾
May you be cleansed, however much you need to be cleansed. May you be cleansed of all burdens that do not belong to you. May you be cleansed of emotions that do not pertain to you. May you know the difference what is your essence and what is tainting it. May you alchemize and let go. May you be cleansed.
Sigil°33
🕯️Like to claim🕯️
🔮Reblog to cast🔮
Personal Sigil Notes
I'm working on sort of system to add intentions to spells and such.
A combination of the symbols adds that intention and energy.
Triangle means it's for someone else
Upside down triangle means it's for me
The twig is health
The double v is love
The rings are connections or relationships
The double bracket is money (it should be legs down, but I was sketching and wanted to fit it in the bottom line)
So the large symbol above is my symbol for my love, health and relationships to be protected (the circle).
not even that into sematary but I’m so addicted to sayin “h- h- h- h- hauntaholics, real, haunted, maound”
This guy ?
Closed Practice Sigils and Omnimark.
Thank you for participating!
You will forget this.
Collaboration with photographer Ivan Muselli 2013
A4 collages and ink jet overprints
A norse runework starter pack!
Because runework is basically at the core of my craft, I use it all the time and I’m already more than familiar with it. Runework is super easy to incorporate into everyday life and it’s got a wide range of use so I truly recommend. It feels safe and reliable, and I don’t need to put a lot of time or focus on them. Now let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.
Their story real quick:
So in His endless search for knowledge, Odin the Allfather hung Himself and was pierced by His own spear in order to be alone with Himself. He accepted no bread and no mead until He found the truth He’d been looking for. And He did: through the darkness of His own mind, Odin saw the runes and reached for them. It was told they were so powerful He could bring a man back from the dead using them.
The basics:
The runic alphabet, otherwise called Futhark. Because I’m a history nerd I try to use the “elder futhark” as much as possible, though there’s a new one going around that’s really popular too.
The more complicated stuff:
Vegvisir (you’ll often find it depicted inside a rune circle like the second pic, especially on jewelry and pendants): Vegvisir is first and foremost a compass, and its name translated from Icelandic quite literally means “that which shows the way”. Historians speculate that its shape might be derived from old sailing wayfinders in Scandinavia, thus its association with the compass. It’s supposed to guide one’s way through the storm, according to a line in the Huld manuscript. (x, y)
Aegishjalmur (Helm of Awe): Protection, protection, protection! That’s what it’s about. All of its branches are considered to be “guarding” the center, thus making it a major protection rune. Once you get the gist of it, it’s super easy to draw and useful. If you’re a fan of dragons like me, perhaps you know Fafnir’s invicibility was drawn from this rune, as stated in the Fáfnismál: The Helm of Awe | I wore before the sons of men | In defense of my treasure; | Amongst all, I alone was strong, | I thought to myself, | For I found no power a match for my own. (x, y)
Aight quick presentation for other complex runes:
Now; How do I use runes? Where do I put them?
Draw them anywhere and everywere. I wouldn’t recommend painting a ten-feet inguz on the closest police station but there’s still tons of places where runes can be useful. I draw them inside my wrists and close to pulse points, as way of “pumping” them into my system, so to speak. I write them down to focus my intent during rituals, choosing the one/s I need most atm. In a similar way, I envision them during meditation to clarify my intent. I also use them to decorate altars or devotional art. If you’re a norse pagan like me, maybe look up what runes your main deities are associated with! Quick rundown:
Odin is usually othala or ansuz
I often see Freyja associated with fehu, but that’s also the case for most of the Aesir
Tyr with teiwaz
Thor with thurisaz or uruz; etc…
What about bind runes?
By definition and according to historical speculation, bind runes are futhark runes which were merged into a single glyph (sometimes by carving them all on a single straight line, like oghams). They were super rare back in the viking age but they’ve become popular in the last few years.
People create them according to their needs. This aspect makes bind runes extremely versatile and personal because you can set really specific intents for them. They’re not exactly like sigils, though: when it comes to sigils, feeling and instinct usually guide people’s creation process. As for futhark bind runes, they’re made using existing glyphs from this specific alphabet. Here’s a bunch of bind runes that have been going around, just to give you guys a few ideas of what they can look like:
OKAYYY that’s all for me, time to sleep
My first Sigil: I remember my dreams.
I don’t really know what people generally call this method of sigil making, so I’m just calling it “Letter Shaping” because you’re using the basic shapes from certain letters. EDIT: It’s one of many variations of the ‘Spare Method’ created by Austin Oswald Spare in the early 1900s This is the most common form of sigil making, and it allows the most creative influence. As you see above the sigils are for nearly the same thing, yet the sigils came out completely different. Not because the purpose was different, but because I approached them both a different creative way, and that’s what I like so much about this method. There’s a lot of freedom and personalization involved.
(UPDATE: Here’s a link to a guide on how to deconstruct letters down to basic shapes)
In preparation for my next post, have…
The Theban Alphabet
It will be used in my next post! Think of it as a secret alphabet for all you in the broom closet!
Sigils: How-To’s and Where-To’s
(Pt 2)
Hello hello! Today we’re going to talk about the preferred method of sigil making for my dear friend. They have severe ADHD and autism, and struggle with focus- either hyper focused or unable to focus.
They prefer this method for its ease and organic feeling. The method I speak of is:
The Abstract Method!
The Abstract Method is a very artsy way to make a sigil. It’s incredibly easy.
First, you’re going to pick the thing you want your sigil to represent. I’m going with “protection” again.
Next, look at the word. What does it mean to you? FEEL where the lines go, how straight they are or how they curve. Everyone’s will look different, since words mean different things to different people.
Example:
Feel free to use mine (with proper credit of course), but don’t be afraid to make yours look completely different from mine! Feel your way through this method.
Sigils: How-to’s and Where-to’s
Sigils are little symbols that can channel intent to do spells or help in rituals. I find sigils are very low energy, and good for witches in the broom closet- or however you categorize being a secret witch. Stick these bad boys on the bottom of your shoe, as a doodle in a notebook, on a random sheet of paper, and no one will ever know!
There are several methods for making sigils. I’ll make a post covering each. Today, we’re covering the 1-9 Method! (If there’s an actual name for that pls tell me)
The 1-9 Method!
The 1-9 Method is a method where you assign each letter of the alphabet a number between 1 and 9 to make a sigil.
The first step is to take the alphabet and put it into a chart, with 9 columns, each labeled 1-9, so it’s organized something like this:
Once you get that all finished, pick a word or a phrase; I’m going to use “protection”.
This is where things get a little dicey. Some people say you have to drop all repeat letters. Some say repeats and vowels. I personally view that as garbage; doesn’t mean it isn’t a valid way to make a sigil. I just think that we organized the whole damn alphabet into 9 columns, so we should use the whole damn alphabet! I drop my repeats, so “protection” looks a like this:
Protection = Protecin
After that, we match every letter with its number on the table.
Protecin = 79625395
Now draw a circle. Divide it into 9 pieces, and start with your first number; in my case 7. Find point 7, and move to point 9, then 6, so on and so forth. Here’s how my circle started out versus how it ended:
I tried to include arrows, but it looks a bit confusing……. *sigh*
Hope you all learned something in my post! Have a fabulously magical day! 💜✨✨
Sigils for all intents and purposes!!
I am a baby witch, who specializes in sigilcraft and herbs. I would be happy to make sigils for anyone who needs one! This is to help me explore my craft, and if you would help me, I would greatly appreciate it! I ask for no money, unless you want to give me knowledge. Which is also greatly appreciated, by the way.
How i make my sigils!
The way i make sigils changes a lot, it morphs overtime as i add new quirks to it, but this is how i do it right now.
As an artist, i like drawing simplified scenes as a sigil, like a picture book. As a writer, i love the power of words so i include the words of the sigil in them. For my love of nostalga, i write these words in a language in a children's book i love on dragons. They are nordic runes but the translation for each letter in the kids book may be historically inaccurate, i still use the kids book because of the good memories i associate with it. I personally use my sigils as promises to myself, rather than something like drawing luck or protection to me. They are about reawakening my own personal power.
Example one:
Purpose: to remind myself that my home is the part of my mind that was created at the hardest parts of my life. That my true self resides in the space that is empty of everything but me. That i can find comfort and clarity in difficult times.
Associations: caves, a dark hard to navigate place easy to be lost in, but if you look closely you will find life and beauty.
Words of the sigil: "Cave, please take me home."
Sigil:
Sometimes i will also intuitivly draw the sigil.
Example two:
Purpose: a promise to myself that i will do my best to keep my life peaceful, full, and happy.
Association: Stars. The star tarot card symbolizes hopes, faith, and looking towards a better future.
Words of the sigil: "I will maintain the peace I've grown."
As you can imagine, these complex looking sigils aren't great for doodling really small or on skin. My solution? Shrinky dinks!
I will draw the sigil i need on the plastic, then shrink it in the oven into a token or coin. Something about it being a trinket is very satisfying
I keep them in a pretty cup, shake them around for a nice sound, and leave them there until i need them!
Making sigils can be incredibly unique to the practitioner, there is no wrong way to do it! Have fun, try new things.
Active, And Passive Sigil Activation
Once you have your sigil all charged up, and filled with your intent all there is left to do is to cast it into the universe to gain what you want, and desire. This casting into the universe can be done in two ways actively, or passively. Both of these ways have their own benefits, and setbacks, but it is important to determine which way you should activate certain types of sigils, because it changes the way the energy is released into the universe, and allowed to manifest. So we will be taking a look at both these activation styles, and when they would be most effective to use over the other one.
Active Sigil Activation:
In active sigil activation the energy is usually released all at once, or in a very immediate fashion. This is usually done through the means of destroying the sigil to allow all its energy to manifest at once. This type of activation is good for sigils that only have to be used once, or in a single situation. Sigils I would use in this activation method would be sigils for banishing, exorcising, purifying, cleansing, manifesting, summoning spirits, removing negative energy, removing spiritual blockages, removing emotional blockages, and one off curses, among many others.
Ways to activate active sigils:
Putting the sigil on a piece of paper, and burning it in fire
Putting the sigil on a piece of paper, and submerging it in water until it dissolves.
Putting the sigil on a piece of paper, and ripping the paper in half.
Drawing the sigil in to the sand at the beach, and letting the sea wash it away.
Drawing the sigil in the air with your energy, and pushing through it in order to destroy it.
Making the sigil out of dust, or powder, and then blowing it away to destroy it.
Making the sigil in your mind, and then imagining it being destroyed to activate it.
Putting the sigil on food then eating it.
Drawing the sigil on a firework, and then set it off.
Drawing the sigil on a balloon, and then pop it.
Drawing the sigil on your body, and then wash it away.
Singing the sigil out loud for all to hear.
playing a music, or an audio sigil out loud for all to hear.
and much more…
Passive Sigil Activation:
In passive sigil activation the energy is usually released overtime through a very moderate, and controlled fashion. This is done through the means of charging a sigil, and keeping the sigil around with you, or in the area where the energy is needed for it to continuously produce its energy. This type of activation is good for sigils that are needed to continuously affect the world around them. Sigils I would use in this activation method would be sigils for protection, luck, empowerment, healing, psychic abilities, transformation, attracting energy, retaining energy, changing, and continuous curses, among many others.
Ways to activate Passive Sigils:
Putting the sigil on a piece of paper.
Drawing the sigil on your body.
Carving sigils into a candle, and lighting the candle.
Carving sigils into soap, and washing your body with the soap.
Making a sigil amulet.
Writing the sigils upon stone.
Placing the sigil as your computer, or phone background.
Posting an image of the sigil online.
and much more…
