Setting Up for Sigil Witchery
There isn’t a lot of fuss that happens when I sit down to draw sigils, when creating for myself or anyone else. What’s most important for me is having enough paper to draw on, a reliable pen, and a comfortable place to work. Once I get down to drawing, the rest of the world disappears. But I’ve also been drawing for most of my life—a kind of trance state comes naturally to me as soon as the pen touches the surface of the paper.
If drawing isn’t your forte (yet!), then it may behoove you to take some time to prepare a clean and clear space for you to draw in. Make the environment comfortable for you (lighting, sound, chair, table, hot tea, cat), gather your drawing supplies, and sit down. Close your eyes and take three breaths, each one a little deeper and longer than the last one. Then open your sketchbook, grab something to draw with, and mark your paper with the date. (You can also add the time and location if you wish—it’s really nice to have this information when you look back later.) Then consider the sigil you’re going to make, going through the steps we talked about in the previous chapter. If the sigil is for someone else, put their name next to it, and begin to make your list of words. Consider the marks, shapes, and symbols those words represent, and build your sigil. Work at it until you get a design you are happy with. Over time, as you work more with sigils and drawing magick, your mind and body will recognize what you’re intending to do, and naturally enter that light-trance focused state.
An Instant Sacred Sphere
Maybe you feel the need to create sacred space around you while you work, but you don’t want to go into the process of ritually casting a circle or similar device. The idea behind circle casting is to create a container that protects in two ways: keeping whatever is happening inside the space inside, and preventing outside influences from disturbing the work. Although you may call upon the four cardinal directions in combination with the elements, it is indeed a sphere you are building, not a flat square. If you travel far enough in any direction, you will essentially end up coming from its opposite. Also, while elements may be associated with certain directions in a ritual sense, they are concepts that exist in all directions. I’ve already emphasized to you the power of your mind to create, so here is a very simple construct you can use to create immediate protective space around you:
From the east and to the west, an arching oval without rest.
From the north and to the south, close around me and all about.
From above and so below, follow with me wherev’r I go.
Simply think or say these words and visualize the structure of an atom surrounding you—you are the nucleus, and the directions and elements surround you like orbiting electrons. If you feel the need to the dispel the space cognitively as well, you can do that easily. Simply take a deep breath in, then exhale and push outward, releasing the orbits like how the sun breaks through clouds.
A Sacred Sphere of Energy
Note: If you start doing sigil work on a train or other mode of transportation that requires you to pay attention to outside stimuli, it’s not my fault if you miss your stop. Hazards of the trade.
Getting Over Getting It Wrong
It’s important not to get precious with your sigil exploration time. When I sit down with my blank page, my list of key words, or the name of the person I’m working on, I allow myself to be imperfect. I explore combinations and shapes, seeing what works and what doesn’t. If I find that part of a sigil is working, I draw it again, and add in other elements until it feels balanced and complete to me.
Don’t erase or scratch out anything! If you constantly erase every mark or cross out your work as you go along, you can’t evaluate and compare. It’s important to try out different compositions, angles, positions, and variations—and see instantly what works and what doesn’t work when you pull back from the page. In the sketching stage of making a sigil, don’t be nitpicky. Explore, and try out different combinations and orientations. If you do this, you will have a stronger sense of when your sigil ready. Constantly erasing breaks down your confidence and prevents you from seeing your progress. Sometimes a design you initially rejected has some elements you do want to use.
There is no shame in trying out ideas. Sometimes you’ll arrive at the perfect design on the first try, and other times you may fill an entire page (or three!) before you find a sigil that works for you. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s simply part of the design process.
Simple versus Complex
The general idea with sigils is to make them a simplified visual manifestation of your working. It helps to make them streamlined and reliably reproducible as necessary. Be careful about making your sigils too complex or “kitchen-sinking” them. Too many elements weigh down the design and complicate the message. Cleaner tends to be more direct and effective. Put enough marks in so you feel that the intention comes across clearly and feels complete without over-embellishing it. As you’re designing, think about what elements can be combined. Do you need to have both an arrow and a star, or can they be combined into a shooting star? Can that horizontal line double as the top of an anchor or a bar of a scale?
There are situations where you can definitely indulge in making your sigil more ornate and complex, if you feel it works for the design. Getting elaborate with a sigil that will be reproduced only once—whether for a temporary usage or because the application of it will take only one time—makes perfect sense. Examples of this would be a painting for your altar or a tattoo—and the complexity may add to the overall energy and feel of the sigil in a way that feels right to you.
Avoid Pictures and Pantomime
On a similar note regarding simple versus complex drawings, keep in mind that you are not illustrating a scene here. Remember that symbols stand in for something else with greater meaning, so don’t feel like you have to express every detail or be exceptionally literal in your sigils. Rather, it’s best to move away from being overly representational. A sigil is a complex idea filtered down into a very simple image.
For example, when I teach theatrical dance, I talk about using body language and quality of movement to relay expression instead of relying on blatant symbols to cue the audience in. If you are sad or in mourning, you can reflect that in how you move without needing a Styrofoam gravestone prop to be on the stage or dripping tears with crying-like gestures to express your grief. Props, spelling things out blatantly, representational pictures—all of these can overcomplicate the message. This approach doesn’t allow for as much imagination or drawing new connections on behalf of the viewer.
The same is true for sigils: you’re not telling a story like in a book or play, outlining every scene—you’re crafting a succinct spell. The sigil is more than the sum of its parts; it’s the progression of those ideas merging into a new idea. Don’t get hung up on the parts to find meaning. Allow it to take on its own form.
I would like to note here, though, that fully representational works of art can indeed be used for magick. It’s just a different approach and method than sigil witchery. I often create paintings for spellcraft that use recognizable subject matter represented in a realistic or surrealistic way, sometimes with sigil work incorporated into them. Creating that kind of artwork is very different from your left brain dictating that you must have complex symbols and a storyline to make your sigil. Visionary artwork is steeped in expressing inner vision and liminal experiences, based in the language-less theater of the right brain. The left brain often clings to complex, easily recognized symbols for logical reasons; it prefers to be safe and contained. You want to be able to push past those surface associations and go deeper when designing your sigils.
Why Draw Your Own Sigil?
This part is for the person who may be asking, “But can’t I just copy someone else’s sigil? That sounds easier!” I suppose you could if that sigil really resonates with you and you take the time to sit down and connect with it. Symbols generally gather mea
ning because people resonate with them. For example, the Power Sigil I created (see it in chapter 6) was specifically designed for anyone to use. I didn’t sit down to create it for myself. My intent was to make a sigil that anyone who felt they needed power could connect with and use. As I drew it, I thought about all the different kinds of people who might find it useful in their lives, and what they were facing. Similarly, I draw sigils for clients who trust in my expertise to make something especially attuned to them. The sigil then belongs to them specifically, and they follow through with the application and acknowledgment.
But if you’re thinking, “Oh, I’ll just copy this sigil someone else made instead,” because you don’t want to take the time to craft your own, then you’re probably not going to achieve the desired effect. Sigils are very personal—they are created with your own intent for yourself or while focused on the needs of someone else. A healing sigil that I create for Jessica’s physical injury is not going to be like the healing sigil I create for Steve’s emotional issue. Both involve healing, but they are different people with unique needs and problems. So don’t be lazy.
Drawing Tech
There really is only one way to build up your drawing skills: PRACTICE! I so often hear the excuse “but I can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler,” yet all of us drew confidently as children. If you don’t consider yourself much of a drawer, but you can write with a pen or pencil, it’s time to ditch that baggage telling you that you can’t draw. And those of you who have gotten hooked on coloring books know how meditative and relaxing it can be to put pen or pencil to paper. The same is true for freestyle drawing. It’s often why we doodle when we’re on the phone or bored. It occupies the mind without taxing it. Drawing shapes without having a guide to follow is not terribly difficult; it just takes some practice and a dash of confidence. Sigils do not have to be perfectly straight to work. You just need to understand the symbolism in the marks made.
Most importantly, give yourself the chance to improve. Don’t look at your first drawings and think it’s hopeless. Keep drawing, and build familiarity with holding that pen, pencil, or brush. It’s no different than learning to use a new mouse, keyboard, or game controller—you just need to keep using it to become familiar with it. Pretty soon you will get the hang of it!
About Tracing
I’m all for tracing as a means of meditation (see the “Acknowledging Your Sigil” section in the previous chapter), going over the lines of a sigil again and again to achieve a trancelike state. But I don’t believe tracing is more helpful in teaching you to draw than is freestyling it. Consider the relationship of tracing to drawing like the way training wheels work on a bike; you don’t quite get the balancing trick of riding a bike until those wheels are really off and you’re on your own. So while tracing can help you get more familiar with a shape, it’s best to start seeing the shape in your mind’s eye. Then from there you are pulling it forth through your hand to create new shapes and onward to sigils!
Drawing Instructional
I’ve included here some breakdowns of some of the more intimidating shapes to help you along. You can definitely use rulers, tracing tools (found in the graphic design departments of art and office supply stores), compasses, and protractors, but I suggest building your ability to draw freehand. It increases your eye-hand coordination skills and your confidence in your drawing abilities. Sure, things may look rough at the start, but that’s what practice is all about.
Drawing Circles and Ovals
Circles
I remember exactly where I was when I learned how to draw more perfect circles and ovals. I was six years old and in a formal drawing class, tasked with drawing a candlestick and holder. It has stuck with me all these years. Whether you’re drawing a circle, oval, egg, or other kind of ellipse, allow yourself to sort out the shape by softly drawing overlapping spheres. Choose the one that’s closest to the desired shape and outline it in pen. Erase the additional marks.
In each row of the illustration here, columns 1–3 show building up concentric circles and ovals to get a precise, clean shape, versus column 4, drawn without guidelines.
Drawing Pentagrams
Five-Pointed Stars (Upright, Inverted)
To create an upright pentagram, it’s easiest to start in one of the bottom corners (left or right tends to depend on your dominant hand—I start in the bottom left) and draw upward. To draw an inverted star, start at a top corner, and go downward.
Drawing Six-Pointed Stars
Six-Pointed Stars
The easiest way to draw a traditional six-pointed star is by first drawing an upright equilateral triangle (all sides equal). Then on top of the first triangle, draw a triangle of equal size but pointing downward. If you’d like to draw more of an asterisk version of a six-pointed star, start by drawing an X. Then draw a horizontal line through the middle of the X. Or you could choose to draw a vertical line through the center instead. The key is to plan ahead so that when you make the six “slices,” they’re somewhat evenly spaced.
Drawing Seven-Pointed Stars
Seven-Pointed Stars
Seven-pointed stars take a little more planning, but they’re not that much more difficult to draw than a five-pointed star. However, I do find it easier to work the lines in pairs so you don’t lose your spot or forget where you’re heading next. It also helps to see the base shapes as a Star Trek motif or Pontiac logo. Follow the illustration to see how to draw your own.
Drawing Crescents
Crescents
Similar to the circle method, draw overlapping U’s until you get the shape you want for your crescent on the inside and outside. You can also sketch out circles to get your main outside line, and then decide how thin or wide you’d like your crescent to be inside of it. Ink the one that works for you and erase the rest of the extra lines.
Drawing Spirals
Spirals
Spirals are easy to draw, right? They are! But have you thought about how you draw your spiral? I have included this shape here because I want you to consider two methods of drawing spirals. In one method you start at an internal point and slowly circle out from it, expanding out. The inverse is to start drawing a curve and continue drawing inside of it, smaller and smaller. These tend to not only look different but feel different as well when you draw them. The inside-out spiral feels expansive and open, seemingly reaching outward toward infinity. The outside-in spiral slowly constricts upon itself—it’s contained and definite. Which spiral you draw depends on what your goal is with it.
OMG Art Supplies!
Going shopping for art supplies can be either an exciting or a daunting experience. There’s so much to choose from that it can be overwhelming—or inspiring! I’ll be your personal shopping buddy to help you make some excellent choices when it comes to buying art materials.
Everybody has a type of shop where they always feel like a kid in a giant candy store. For me, that place is anywhere that sells a decent selection of art supplies. Of all the jobs I’ve worked over the years, one of my favorites has to be when I was in college and did work study at the Rhode Island School of Design art store. I was totally immersed in all kinds of art supplies—learning about them, stocking them, helping other people find them, making recommendations, getting free samples—and I got an employee discount on top of my student one!
Which reminds me: by the way, folks, art supplies are not cheap—at least not the good ones that will last a long time and are easier for you to use. Dollar stores and big-box brands may seem like they are cheaper, but they are rarely archival, run out quickly, and may be full of harmful chemicals. Not that more expensive art supplies are automatically safer (cadmium, anyone?), but they pass more rigorous health standards and include proper labeling more than bargain supplies do. So do some research before buying your art supplies and you’ll get something that will be less of a headache to work with and may last a lifeti
me.
Also, if you can go to a real art supply store, there’s a really good chance that the people working there are also artists. Which means they tend to know a lot about what’s available, what works, and what sucks, and they’ll be happy to answer your questions. That is not usually the case at big-box office supply and craft stores, nor are their prices really that much better—though the occasional coupon can get you a good deal on a pricier item.
Sketchbooks
I recommend getting a small sketchbook to work in, preferably one that is marked “drawing” paper, as it’s usually about 80 lb. paper (the calculated weight of a ream of paper), which makes for a nice medium thickness of paper. I like a bit of room to move around on a single sheet of paper without getting cramped, so my ideal size of book is usually 8 x 10 or 9 x 12—which is also the same size as my scanner bed. I also like square books, although there’s no logical reason for why, besides the neat shape. There are all sorts of sketchbooks on the market, from true-bound to spiral-bound, hardcover to papercover ones. Be sure the one you choose is marked “archival,” or it may start to yellow and fall apart on you rather quickly. That’s also good advice if you’re looking to make a book of shadows or a grimoire out of a sketchbook—you want it to last!
About Paper Type and Texture
The texture for “drawing” grade sketchbooks tends to be fairly smooth, with just enough “tooth” to it to make it easy to work on. Hot press paper—watercolor or Bristol—is extra smooth, which can be slippery to work on but makes for really smooth, clean lines. Cold press paper is extra rough, giving you that classic “watercolor” paper effect. It’s really not ideal for drawing. Newsprint is good for figure drawing class, but it’s not archival, and the paper tears very easily. It’s meant for charcoal, not pens and pencils. It may look like a lot of paper for cheap, but don’t be fooled—get the proper drawing tablet with the archival paper!
Sigil Witchery Page 11
