The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Sigils
The Power of Symbols

ORIGINS

The basic definition of a sigil is a seal, such as one used with melted wax to seal an envelope. However, in the New Age sense, and particularly with regard to magic, a sigil is an image that acts as a symbolic representation of the user’s desire or the intended outcome of a magical spell or ritual. The word sigil comes from the Latin signum, meaning “sign.”

HISTORY/LORE

In medieval ceremonial magic, the term sigil referred to occult signs representing angels and demons that could be summoned through the practice of magic. These sigils were considered equivalent to the names of these beings and therefore gave the magician a certain amount of control over them. One method of creating these sigils was to convert the names of the angels and demons to numbers, which were then incorporated into “magic squares” (arrangements of numbers in square grids where each number is used only once and each row, column, and diagonal adds up to the same number). When lines were drawn between the numbers, an abstract figure appeared.

USES

Although sigils are typically used by experienced practitioners of magic, anyone can create a sigil and use it in a ritual with the goal of manifesting a desire. Here’s a simple process you can follow.

1. Write a simple sentence in all capital letters using the present tense that embodies your desire as if it were already a fact. For example, instead of writing, “I WANT TO BE HAPPY,” write, “I AM HAPPY.”

2. Cross out any duplicate letters and rewrite the letters that remain: “I A M H P Y.”

3. Choose how you will incorporate these letters into a symbol. Some easy options are to use the letters themselves to create an image, or to convert them to numbers or Roman numerals based on their positions in the alphabet. For example, “I” is 9 or IX, “A” is 1 or I, and so on.

4. Once you have created your sigil, you can incorporate it into the ritual or practice of your choice, such as meditation.