What are sigils? It seems like a simple question, but as with any topic in the witchcraft and pagan communities the numerous answers vary wildly. In Chaos Magick you forget the sigil you made as it works in your subconscious. I, on the other hand, keep a detailed list in several books scattered about my apartment so I can easily access them when necessary.

The dictionary definition of a sigil is “a sign, word, or device held to have occult power in astrology or magic”(Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This means that almost anything could be considered a sigil. Think of your favorite fast food logo. It was designed with a specific intent in mind, and even the colors were picked to try and influence those who passes by.

I love tattoos, and I’m one of those people who get them a bit impulsively. Last year around this time I got an amethyst cluster on the inside of my right arm near the elbow for free from an apprentice. At the time it was just something I liked aesthetically. After some soul searching I realized that all of the tattoos I had represented different cycles in my life.

This led me to the idea of turning my crystal cluster into a sigil to help me accept myself and what happened in my life up until that point. I used similar practices outlined on the Sigil Daily website. Of course not all of these options will work with a tattoo.

Another thing that makes tattoo sigils interesting is that they live under your ever-growing, ever-changing skin. The energy just from that creates potent magick. Combining that with symbolism and intent and you’ve got something intense on your hands. For this reason I don’t recommend tattooing yourself with sigils steeped in negative energy because you’re directly linked to that energy and are constantly feeding it a part of yourself.

The next tattoo I got I planned it out with the intent of making it a sigil. Dealing with depression for my entire life, the symbolism of the moth always spoke to me. Along with the moths, I made sure the design incorporated eyes representing the third eye, intuition, and divination. Another way of adding extra oomph to the sigil (I guess at this point it can even be considered a spell) is scheduling your appointment around the moon phases and time of day correspondence. Color magick is also something you can play around with.

And of course there’s the part where you actually get inked. Tiny needles penetrating your skin over and over again is painful no matter how you look at it. When getting tattooed you earn the art. Use this time to focus on your intent for the sigil, and the pain will help cement it into your conscious and subconscious.

This is a form of some serious magick, and I don’t recommend it for beginners because 1.) you’re still new to the practice and you don’t know what jams with you yet and 2.) this is a permanent sigil/spell. Make sure you know what you want and that it is well thought out, clear, and concise. Think about this long and hard before getting anything. I mentioned before that I’m impulsive when it comes to tattoos, and that’s fine, but when it comes to magick on this level make sure you’re dedicated to it.