Create Your Own Sigil In 3 Simple Steps : The Wheel Method

A sigil is a magickal sign or symbol that has been created to represent a particular intention or goal and have been used by Witches and occultists for centuries. Even in a religious context, sigils have been used by many ancient civilisations stretching back millennia – good examples of this are the Christian cross and the Jewish Star of David.

The word ‘sigil’ comes from the Latin word ‘sigillum’ which means ‘seal’ and they played an important role in Medieval ceremonial magick, where symbols were used to raise and control a specific entity, like an angel or a demon. A good example is The Lesser Key of Solomon, an anonymous grimoire of 72 sigils used to control 72 demons compiled in the late 1600s. But please don’t let this alarm you! In modern day magick, like the kind this post is concerned with, sigils are used for personal matters such as attracting wealth, protection, healing, setting stronger boundaries and used to represent an intention or thought and have no connection to demonology or dark magick.

It’s a good example of Chaos Magick, where an affirmation, statement, word or name is converted to symbolic form which is charged with very specific intention and is an incredibly powerful form of magick. It’s one of my favourite kinds of magick and I'm fascinated by their power and simplicity. They can be drawn, carved or burned into any kind of material, but usually they are simply drawn with a pen or pencil on a piece of paper. This makes them easier to destroy usually by burning either when activating them (more about this later) or when the magick is complete. Drawing it on paper also makes it easier to carry and conceal, particularly if you're in the broom closet.

Making a sigil is a great way to give a physical form to your intentions and goals and is an incredibly powerful form of magick. The great thing is there are many ways to make a sigil that is packed with the power of your intention making it a great form of magick for those Witches on a budget (like me!). It can also be a discreet form of magick for those practicing in the broom closet.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your own sigil using the wheel method

Step One - Intentions

When creating your sigil, it’s important to take your time to formulate your intentions before you begin. Your intentions are the very heart of your sigil and they are what gives this kind of magick power and energy. Sit somewhere quiet to think exactly what your intentions are. Be as specific as you can. Using this method, I have found that it works better to either chose one word to represent your intentions or a short and concise phrase only a few words long. This helps to keep the energy of your sigil focused and prevents more than one goal from being attached it. As with all spell-work, keep your intentions realistic and phrase them as positively as you can.

Step two - Simplify Your Intentions

Once you have your chosen word or phrase, you can simplify your intentions by removing any vowels and repeated letters, but this is an optional step so do what you feel is right. The more letters you remove, the simpler the final sigil will be.

Step three - Creating Your Sigil

The next step is to draw or print out a sigil wheel of your choice. This is illustration included is an example of a sigil wheel. The idea is that you use the letters on the wheel drawing a line from one letter to the next until you’ve spelled out your chosen words, and the shape that is created by the end is your sigil. For the first letter of the intention, I usually draw a dot on the first letter before I move on to the next, drawing a line from one letter to the next. I usually end the sigil with a dot. This is just my personal practice, but you don’t have to do this if it doesn’t feel right, go with your intuition!

Sigil Tips:

• This is just one of the many methods of sigil creation. Research other kinds to see which method works best for you and your practice.

• You can make your own version of a sigil wheel with the letters of the alphabet arranged so they are in different places. You could even arrange the letters into another shape like a square or triangle and see what difference it makes to the shape of the sigil that you create. There isn't a right or wrong way to make your own so go with what feels right to you.

• On a practical level, you can create your sigil in two ways. The first is to draw directly onto your sigil wheel and once you have finished, copy your sigil onto another piece of paper or object. The second is to use a piece of tracing paper or paper thin enough to see the sigil wheel through when placed on top, then trace out the spelling of the words you have picked.

• If you have chosen to use a phrase for your intentions, you might find it easier if you make a separate sigil for each individual word and then join all the sigils together when you have finished to form one complete sigil that embodies all your intentions in detail.

This post on sigils has been written for Witchbox by author of Astrology Magick, Earth Magick and Natural Magick, Lindsey Squire. We are very grateful for the time she has taken to write this just for us, so why not take a look at her Instagram @thewitchoftheforest. 

You can find more information about Sigils and one created by us for you in our Spellcraft Witchbox