Hi my lovelies,
I trust we have all had a magickal Spring / Summer. I know hosting the three Instagram challenges #OMGItsJuneWitches#OMGItsJulyWitches#OMGItsAugustWitches were all a fantastic success and I absolutely loved seeing what everyone else was up to!! That said I’m also announcing my #31WitchyThings Instagram Challenge for October which feel free to follow me on my Witchy Instagram @ www.instagram.com/missimoinsane as we head into Autumn (Fall) now what with Mabon / Autumn Equinox this weekend coming – many Mabon Blessings to you and yours!!
What’s Mabon? Click HERE to see the blog I wrote on Sabbats.
So it’s usually in these darker months that we tend to focus more on the darker aspects of our practice and it’s this time of the year a lot of us start looking at Shadow Working. Now I touched on Shadow working before in fact I wrote a whole blog on it HERE. But also over these darker months I’d like to get back into writing for you all so I’m looking for ideas (either further in depth of what I’ve already wrote or stuff I haven’t yet covered). So absolutely feel free to comment here, the facebook page, facebook message or contact me on one of my other social medias.
If you wish to catch up on my previous Book of Shadows / Grimoire Prompts & Information please feel free to click HERE
Thank you all for the support. I've now made a dedicated facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BookOfShadowsPrompts/ so if you go there turn on all notifications you won't miss these blog posts!!
Prompt 16. Sunday 11th March 2018 - The 16th prompt will be.. Deity Offerings & Fae Offerings (another more hands on).
Advanced note. If you don't know what Deity is you might want to check out this blog post HERE also if you want to know more about God/Goddess check out this blog post HERE and finally if you want to know more about the Elements & Deity check out this blog post HERE. If you've already read those posts or are not a beginner you'll probably want to skip those blog posts!!
Another one completely open to your own interpretation and beliefs. It is important to note this is my take and my understanding.. A lot of people have different views and similar views and the same views in fact.
Offerings.
This blog post looks at SOME different types of offerings not just Fae & Deity offerings. I also want to point out that this blog is not just for those believers
in the fantasy, mythical and even legendary beings we’re not looking at The Fae, Fairies, Pixies, Gnomes, Elves etc.. Nor Mermaids or Sirens,
Unicorns or Griffins in these blog series (so feel free to look into any of that at your own leisure!) This week
we will be looking at offerings with a mention of The Fae, God, Deity, Ancestors, Spirits, Beings, Other
Realm Dwellers etc..
For the purposes of this blog post I will be referring to ALL ‘little people, pixies, elfs, elves, gnomes, fairies etc.. etc..’ as Fae or The Fae.
So this week is a lot more open
focused. I know not all Pagans follow
this kind of belief / system, nor do witches, other spiritual people, mundanes etc partake in offerings of any kind. Some take part in multiple kinds of offerings depending on beliefs and views same with Religious people..!!
There are many different types of
offerings throughout religious and non-religious faiths and cultures. Often offerings are given to honour, show thanks, respect, gratefulness, appreciation etc and in hope to continue being watched over and receiving
luck, love, money, good health, abundance, guidance etc.
Some offerings are made almost as a payment for their requests it's like a good faith payment in
hope that a certain Deity / Deities / Being will lend themselves and/or their specialities to the situation
at hand. Some offerings are made in the
name of others. Offerings can be made in
exchange for physical items too such as when you take something from nature be
it a herb, shell, pebble, flower, feather, stone, water etc.. be it for any
reason, but especially if you’re hoping to use it in magickal workings, it’s a
kindness to leave something in return. Offerings would also be given by Tribes to their Spirit Animals, Spirit Guides & Totem Animals and such. - You can read more about them in my blog post here.
I personally have left 1 pence coins, 1
pence coins with pentagrams/pentacles drawn on them, light a
candle (but do not leave fire unattended), incense, herbs, left fruit and drink, another idea I
have done is to buy a bag of small semi-precious stone chips or beads and leave one of
them, seeds you have purchased (planted or left), baked Fae stones (I’ll leave
some YouTube links further down this blog!), bread or other baked goods and I'll go on to mention a few others.. Offerings aren't always left in exchange for goods while out and about though! Some offerings are done at home, a place of worship and/or other locations..
This can be anything from a kind
gesture such as donating your time, goods or finances to a worthy cause to aid others.
This could be putting out bird seed in your garden / planting seeds in your garden or planters in your home for The Fae, birds and other creatures. Planting seeds and flowers could also be an offering to Deity(s) / God(s) or even ancestors and other beings. - I know in my garden I have planted some Sweetpeas and some Livingstone Daisies because they were always in my Nana & Granddads gardens, they loved them and since sadly both are deceased I thought it would be a lovely way to keep them alive. So honouring my ancestors in a way as well as the sustenance they provide to a variety of creepy crawlies. – Plus I harvest them (and other plans such as Lavender and Rosemary that I have planted myself) for incense and other ingredients. – Sweetpeas that I know of have no noted magickal properties but from what I have read they do have connections to Fairy magick and offerings plus the sweet airy fragrance has correspondences with Air element.
This could be to the Elements or using the Elements! Some creatures / beings / deities may have certain elemental correspondences or like certain smells so your could leave an elemental type offering with water such as perfume, oils, sharing of ingested items wine, tea, fruit juice etc.. It could be a fire offering such as cooking something over a fire, lighting a candle, cauldron offering. It could be a wind offering such as something made or purchased such as wind chimes, bells, incense (which could also represent Earth and/or Fire), feathers etc. Finally it could be an Earth elemental offering such as herbs, or as mentioned incense, flowers, seeds, planting etc. There are many many types of elemental offerings. I think by far lighting candles or herbs and/or incense are the most common though.
Other offerings may include sharing of foods such as ‘breaking bread’, soup kitchen, setting a meal place for the dead, sharing of the harvest, food donation, sharing what you have with deity, pouring wine on the ground or in the sea..
Offerings to The Fae may include honey, fruit juice, fruit, and other sweet tasting food and drink. Some people offer bird seed, other seeds and/or nuts. Smaller items like setting up a fairy house, garden, nook. You could make miniature furniture or other items to give to them in offering as gifts that aren’t food or drink based, or that as dedicated to containing said food and drink. I mentioned earlier Fae Stones / Offering Stones which are biodegradable, green for the environment and can be made in a multitude of ways. I prefer to use all natural products including edible glitter as opposed to real glitter which is tiny shards of glass that can damage and hurt animals and other creatures.
Offerings to deity, ancestors, spiritual beings and entities, etc.. May include things I’ve already mentioned other material items such as dedicated items, trinkets, personal or sentimental items, jewellery, altar space, your time, your thoughts, your energy, your thankfulness, artwork / crafted items and the list goes on..
Some people set up whole altars dedicated to an ancestor, deity, the dead, etc.. as an offering. These may be added to over time, sat at while praying, giving offering, showing respect or doing workings etc.. Some place fresh flowers or herbs or food/drink daily or fresh candle burnt daily. I absolutely love looking at Tumblr blog 'Fuck Yeah Altars' and also pinterest for altar ideas, offering ideas, or just to see what everyone else is making and doing. Not that I like to copy but I love new ideas, learning and seeing what other people are doing. - You can see my main altar and other things I post on my main Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/missimoinsane/.
I also mentioned before about Gardens and how setting up a Garden could be an offering. You could also set up a Moon Garden (as mentioned in my Moon blog post) in a dedication / offering to The Moon - A Moon Garden, in this sense of the term, is a garden created using white plants and/or white flowering plants only. So as the white reflects the glow of The Moon. - You could also follow the Perpetual Moon Calendar which would make this Moon Garden dedication / offering a lot more personal. I also have a free printable I designed on that blog I just mentioned.
Note. Some Gods / Goddesses, Saints, Beings, Entities, Fae etc etc may be dissintereded, dislike or even offended by your offering so it really does pay to do your research. While I'm sure MOST would appreciate any natural gesture that came from your good will and intentions some may like it even more if you took the time to do the research and find out what they like.. It may bode well in your favour.
Activity..
Research about various types of offerings.
(Optional) If you have a Deity or particular Faith / Religion / Belief why not look up what your particular God/Goddess/Belief correspondences are for types of offerings they might like to receive.
(Optional) Create / Buy some offering pieces.
(Optional) Journal about your offerings / thoughts and how they worked out.
Book Activity..
(Optional) Copy down any information from above you think you will find useful.. especially offering ideas, types of offerings and if you did the research on your particular Deity/Deities or other beings that you work with and found out what they like and don't like it might be a good idea to note that.
Interact with me Activity..
(Optional) Share your offering ideas and experiences in the facebook group and/or with me.
Thank you all for the support. For anyone wishing to share, ask for help, talk about BoS / their book and relevant content (or for more information, ideas and unmissable blog posts go to new Fb group https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoSPrompts/ Also as previously mentioned you can go on the website version of this blog over on the left there’s a ‘subscribe by email’ so you don’t miss a single post from me. If you’re on the mobile version scroll right down to the bottom and click ‘view as website’ and that should take you to the website version where you can expand, navigate to the left and subscribe by email :) I will continue to share this on my Patreon *for free* and also on my Twitter and in various facebook groups.. & Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BookOfShadowsPrompts/
Imogen x
Next weeks prompts No.17 - Different types of Witches.
Thank you all for the support. I've now made a dedicated facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BookOfShadowsPrompts/ so if you go there turn on all notifications you won't miss these blog posts!!
Prompt 14. Sunday 24th February 2018 - The 14th prompt will be... Protection, Repel, Banish (Workings).
Another one completely open to your own interpretation and beliefs. Hopefully though you'll have something a bit more hands on and practical things to do this week. As well as more information for your books.
Protection, Repel, Banish (Workings)
Here we are at week 14..
I’m really unsure where time has gone!!
- So I feel like we have done a lot of educational and not so much hands
on so this week I thought we would look at some simple spell work – Protection,
Repel and Banish. But of course I need
to chat away a whole bunch first and bore you to death as per usual hehe.
So first of all there are many types of spells and many
types of those types of spell and many ways in which we can do all of
that.. So 3 types of spells / workings
would be ‘Protection’, ‘Repel’ and ‘Banish’ – I’ve banned these 3 together
while very different we can tackle them the same.
As said there are many ways in which we can go about doing
this. First let me say that you don’t
always have to cast a circle, call the quarters, invoke spiritual or divine or ancestral
beings etc. And as mentioned there’s more
than a few items you could use such as different coloured candles; I found most
common to be Black – Negative, White – Purity, Brown – Home / Earth not to say
that other colours aren’t used) I of course did a blog on Colours & Candles
which you may find useful for reference – though you should have wrote that in
your BoS! I also mentioned in the Herbs and Stones
section of this blog entry that there are many different herbs and stones you
can use which have Protection, Negative Repel and Banish properties and the
same with essential oils. Also you could
look more into the Elder Futhark runes or other runes and symbols such as The
Vegvisir which I believe in Norse Mythology is used for guidance (as in travel)
and protection. Similarly Sigils can be
created for protection, repel of evil or negativity or bad entities etc and
even to banish bad emotions, fears, anxieties etc..
Before we continue I guess I should clear a few misconceptions
about magick and the best way for me to do that is to explain it though my
beliefs. Which are that there’s no
Hollywood magic.. Sorry but you’re not
going to wave your wand and turn you rat into a teacup, a pumpkin into a
carriage or magically make something appear in the physical form – Side note,
no you do not NEED a wand to do magick!!
The magick we are talking about here is based on your intentions, your
energies and the way I see it working is that you’re putting your energies and
desires out there into the world, nay into the universe and possibly even into
other realms, dimensions and planes of existence.. You’re workings are working towards a goal
and setting intentions for you to then carry out. For me if I have a stone in my pocket to aid
me with anxieties that stone is there as a reminder that I am strong enough to
get through this event and it’s not some other dimension portal thing that’s
going to magically suck all the anxieties away.. I don’t feel that by burning sage you’re
going to purify anything but I do feel by burning sage and BELIEVING in it and
not doubting and putting your positive energies into doing this activity of
burning sage and putting your request physically out there that things happen
more so when you work towards it and believe.
I don’t believe by just burning a candle, hanging something over a door
or having a statue is in and of itself going to do the magickal deed. I do however believe that by doing the act of
burning a candle or seeing items over and over again or even (as mentioned in
my sigial blog) how when you’ve had an item in one place so long it blends in
and becomes part of your home and part of your furniture that you don’t really
see it any more and then it becomes a part of your subconcience and you notice
it without noticing it (I’m hoping you know what I mean as that’s difficult to
explain) and then that subconscious part is the part that does the magick it’s
the part that creates dajavu that makes you think of other things and can
associate two unrelated things (which most call coincidence) which we say is
fate. There’s a very fine line for me where
I struggle with the wanting to believe and the doubt. I struggle with “‘if I can’t see it then it’s
not real” yet I expect people to believe me when I say I have fibromyalgia and
I’m in terrible pain – pain can’t be seen.. doesn’t make it not real? So there for if I believe in pain which can’t
be seen which is caused by the chemical reaction in the brain and not physical
damage or issue then why can’t I believe in magick? Deity?
Fate? Spells? I diverse..
For me I feel doubt or disbelief is why people feel that magick doesn’t
work for them.. Much like keep telling
yourself you’re going to fail that test.. You will. You’re not going to get a job.. You won’t. No one likes you.. They won’t. Try being more optimistic, more positive and
believe even in the impossible and that’s when the magick starts..
So now I’ve waffled for a bit, you still here? Good!!
So let’s look at the topic shall we first what do I mean by Protection,
Repel, Banish? So protection comes in
many forms.. Protection for yourself,
your friend, lover, partner, children, your family,home, pet, car, school,
place of worship…..And I don’t mean
armed bodyguards, bars on the windows and a can of mace/pepper spray at the ready.I’m talking about that unexplained other
world magickal kind of protection.That
which makes you feel like a near death experience you were touched by an angel,
the hand of god, fate, luck…..That
feeling that someone is watching over you and protecting you..That wanting for God to protect or some
divine intervention to happen to keep you, your loved ones and the things you
love safe and sound and filled with positivity and happiness.Same with Repel and Banish..
These three are some of the very basic beginner things, so
easy to do yet so powerful. As mentioned
before we can use candles, stones, herbs, oils, a mixture of the above… We can also pray, write our intentions on
paper and burn it, give offerings to the divine in exchange for our
request.. And it’s not just our culture /
religion / faith that does this.. Where
is the line between religions such as Christianity that pray to God for the
safety of their children, Muslims who give offering in thanks for the safety of
their children, Pagans who light candles and send out their intentions for the
safety of their children.. I can
continue.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to go sacrifice your first
born (in fact I beg of you please don’t do that!!) It can be simple things like when you make a
cup of tea or coffee stirring clockwise to bring or anti-clockwise to remove or
place your hands over the mug and think of your desire request it be grateful
for what you have say some words - this is very similar to blessing! Some people do this with the water they bath
in to bring positivity by day and wash away negativity by night. Perhaps try holding your hands over the water
and asking for the negative energies of your day to be washed away. Perhaps try adding sea salt for purification
(or any salt, even Epsom salt) perhaps try adding this to a bath again blessing
the water and asking for the negative energies to be washed away. Salt carries water element properties as well
as purification properties; Epsom salt is also really good for physical body
relaxation and healing!! (If you’re like
me you can’t get in a bath.. make your
own shower salt scrub perhaps use oils or herbs and put your intentions into
the scrub for its purpose to aid purify you and remove negative energies!!) you
could also add herbs or essential oils that have the properties you
desire.
You could also try some more traditional witchy tips like..
Hanging a besom (broom) above your door to ward away evil.
Burying iron coffin nails under your porch steps to keep
your property from harm.. - Iron is known
for warding off evil entities and energies. So by simply having them around can
protect you.. I know people who also
wear them in jewellery during ritual.
Coffin nails can also be used in curses and more “bad / dark” magick
workings so be careful how you use them.
The use of Salt placing it on your window sills, or any
entry way to your home, gives protection so spirits and entities cannot cross over - unless invited by you (this is why
circles are often cast with a ring of salt protection). – This is also a good one for keeping out
slugs, a few other creepy crawlies and is great against damp and mould!
Add a bell or chime over your main entrance door so when it rings it
will scare evil spirits away and keep them from entering your home. Bells also clear vibrations and a lot of
people use them to start and end rituals and workings especially those where you’re calling
upon a spirit.
Witches ball - take a clear ball (typically glass but
plastic will work) and put in various ingredients to make a protective witches
ball, inc some string inside and hang it in your window so spirits will be
attracted to the shiny object but get tangled in the strings and not able to
enter your home. Alternatively a bright colourful ball will attract and entrap or act like a scarecrow.
Dreamcatchers hang one in your bedroom window by night it
catches all the negative energies inc negative and bad dreams and then when the sun
rises in the morning it kills anything caught in the dreamcatchers web. – I’m actually very into dream catchers. Their history with the spider lady and her
children origin is a little creepy but one I enjoy.
Hang a hideous looking witch or more traditional looking witch (kitchen witch) in your kitchen
/ kitchen window to ward away negative energies and show that this home
(kitchen being the heart of the home) is protected.
Create a witches ladder of protection and hang it above your
altar.
Use smudge sticks of sage and smudge your home to clear away negativity alternative you can create an essential oil and water blend in a spray bottle if you're not allowed to set fire to herbs in your home. You can also include sage essential oil in your homemade cleaning recipes. - As seen here http://cleanmyspace.com/5-awesome-homemade-cleaners/ use these natural cleaners with essential oils. Note. Be mindful of what essential oils you use as some are not safe for pets, some are not safe for various furnitures and some may react with the products and create unpleasant smells.
There are many many many simple things you can do which will
have great effect. You do however need
to remember a few things first of all even if you don’t believe in the threefold law (everything you do good or bad comes back on you three times more) or
Karma still only do things with the right and true intentions. Be careful what you do, it’s similar to be
careful what you wish for and as Rumpelstiltskin says “all magic comes with a
price, dearie!”
So where do we find such spells, rituals, workings
etc..? Well there’s so many books out
there and so many websites (though be careful with websites!) and they’re so so
so easy to write yourself – it doesn’t have to rhyme, it doesn’t have to be
long, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
A good rule would be not to ask someone for a spell, ritual or
working. Often people put themselves
into it making it personal and asking is offensive, and shows how lazy you
are!! It doesn’t paint you in a good
light especially if you’re trying to claim you’ve been a Witch/Pagan for more
than a week! Plus stealing other peoples
work.. copying other peoples work.. and it may not always work!! But I would advise books.. One book I like particular is The Elemental Encyclopaedia
of 20,000 Spells (or the cheaper version 5,000 Spells but if you have the
20,000 don’t get the 5,000 it already has them!). Which I like to take the spells write them
down and then adapt them and add too and change and make them my own and make
them personal sometimes it will be a one off thing I do. Others I’ll write the recipe down in my
working book and then if it works I’ll copy it to my Book of Shadows which over
time may be added, changed and recreated many times over. YouTube is also a great resource with YouTubers such as Molly Roberts -HerSpeak, Kelly-Ann Maddox, Adam Balan, Joey Morris, TipToeChick, Tarot Tribe Beyond Worlds, LadyGraveDancer, Earthly Alchemy, Raven Flower, Owlvine Green, Joanna DeVoe, DragonFeather369, Amethyst, Erick Silvermoon and CircleofHeka just to name a few.. Love Simple banishing spell with 3 limes by YouTuber CircleofHeka
Activity..
Research more Protection, Repel, Banish workings / spells / rituals.
(Optional) Write one..
(Optional) Practice one..
Book Activity..
(Optional) Copy down any information from above you think you will find useful.
Interact with me Activity..
(Optional) Feel free to share your experience with the group and/or me..
Thank you all for the support. For anyone wishing to share, ask for help, talk about BoS / their book and relevant content (or for more information, ideas and unmissable blog posts go to new Fb group https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoSPrompts/ Also as previously mentioned you can go on the website version of this blog over on the left there’s a ‘subscribe by email’ so you don’t miss a single post from me. If you’re on the mobile version scroll right down to the bottom and click ‘view as website’ and that should take you to the website version where you can expand, navigate to the left and subscribe by email :) I will continue to share this on my Patreon *for free* and also on my Twitter and in various facebook groups.. & Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BookOfShadowsPrompts/
Imogen x
Next weeks prompts No.15 - Amulets, Talismans & Charms
Sigils are used not just by witches and magickal practitioners but by everyone! Yes even the mundane and in truth you've been seeing and using them your whole life without realising it. Sort of. In the past Sigils have typically been given a bad representative, associations with demonic and none benevolent beings, or bad/dark magickal practitioners. I know when I first saw them / heard of them I strayed away and indeed for the longest time believing they're not a good thing. Oh how wrong I was. Sigils are not just bad, not just used in Alchemy, Dark Occult practices or in Malpractices by other Magick wielders! They are used literally for everything, even in the mundane world unrecognised.. In this blog I hope to clarify what they are, how to use them and in fact how easy it is to write your own!
The world Sigil comes from the word 'seal' - Think of 'wax seals' and how they were (and sometimes still are) used for sealing envelopes and often stamped with the family crest, official logo, professional title, royal emblem etc.. This sealed closure traditionally was used to not only show who the letter/goods were from but also of its/their importance and indeed that the envelope/package had not been opened by an intervening source nor had the contents been seen or tampered with and this seal was very much the security for the contents of the package. Thus in that respect it's like the power of said seal preventing people from sneaking a look as the wax seal show if someone broke in, literally! There for by adding this wax seal it signs our intentions and desired goals to keep the contents private and away from prying eyes. And ensures our receiver gets the contents in tact, as sent.
Signs and Symbols - Think of logos - the word logo comes from the Greek word logos meaning to create or the word of God (eg "let there be light"), brands, traffic symbols, even alphabets and numbers! Whenever you think of these your brain no doubt floods with associated imagery to a known 'thing'. Think of McDonald's - You can associate the sign, logo, what their brand / product is. Now think of a love heart - The shape, what it means to every school girl doodling about her crush right through to the congratulations on your wedding card. Now think of universal road signs like stop, no entry, go, danger... Think of the Zodiac signs, Monarchy Royal Stamp, The President's.. All those physical signs/symbols are associated with mental imagery and comes with a familiar attachment. - This is why one of the key goals for people employed to create logos is to create memorable simple imagery that sticks with us. But that's for another day.
Sometimes these Signs, Symbols and/or Sigils can come to us in our dreams - I will do a blog on this as part of my BoS / Grimoire Book Prompts Blog Series.
On the whole Sigils are often an image drawn, burned, painted, sketched, printed by what ever means of a visual creation. But some also theorise that sound can be a Sigil could be sound as sound has associations and feelings and empowerment. We are able to recall memories, feelings, physical associations, movies, parties, people, theme tunes.. This music could be electronic music, mantra, singing bowl, voice recording. I know YouTuber Kelly-Ann Maddox touches on this in her about Sigils video. She also suggests how Sigils have associations and in this way we could use scent also by use of perfume, incense, oils etc to create our own personal scent for workings - I know I like to mix my own oils and incense when I'm doing workings. I go find out their correspondences or what herbs/oils work best for my intention (same with candle colours, stones etc..) so in theory they too can be Sigils? Sorry I've detoured - but there's some food for thought!
That said putting Signs and Symbols etc aside Sigils are often created for a one time use, I'll explain how to create later. Though some are designed to be used over and over again and I'm know there's some ready for you to cookie cut and use for yourself - these can be found in books, the internet etc. Though this can come with a stigma. On one hand is the commonly used Sigil more powerful because of all the energies of all the people who have used it? Or is the energy from that Sigil spent from being over used again and again? Is a brand new Sigil more powerful because it's new (created by you hopefully) or is it weaker because it's never been used?
What can I use Sigils for?
As said Sigils can be used for Demonic practices and associations but also for Angelic correspondences too. Also as mentioned Sigils can be used in Alchemy and the Alchemy Table and Sigils can be commonly known/used or personal and designed specifically for you as a one off use or reused; I shall explain..
Sigils can be used as words, to sum up a meanings, as an alphabet all on its own such as hieroglyphics. It could be used in prayer, ritual, spells.. and various other workings. Sigils can be used by themselves as empowerment, as logos and/or brands and/or symbols, As a signature (your mark associated with just you), to seal.
How do I write my own Sigils? How do I use Sigils?
There are a number of different kinds of Sigils and Sigil creations, perhaps the most common two being 1. Sigilisation/Sigilization - The Austin Osman Spare method. 2. To Witches Sigils.
Let's briefly look at the Witches Sigils first, since this is not the method I use but one worth mentioning, I guess. The Witches Sigils is made up of a chart. Decide on a word that sums up your desire, for me and this example I used the word "Protection". Starting at the first letter follow the sequence of letters along drawing straight or curved lines to the next letter. - Some say you should draw a circle at the first letter and a cross at the last letter but I have seen it most commonly done without. As said this is not my prefered way of creating Sigils. Perhaps you might want to draw/print out this chart and stick it in your Books (Book of Shadows, Grimoire etc etc..) then use tracing paper over the top to draw your Sigils..
- In all honesty I'm not practiced or even well studied in this area. So a lot of the study for this you'd need to do yourself. Though the following information may help you and is the most common way of creating Sigils.
The Austin Osman Spare - Sigilisation/Sigilisation method is the more commonly used when creating Sigils.
Austin Osman Spare was born and died in London, England 1886 - 1956. He was an English Artist and Occultist. Today he is known for many things as he was greatly influenced by Symbolism and Art Nouveau and is recognised for his art which usually included a great deal of lines, mosters and sexual imagery. There are also a few Tarot decks featuring his working. And of course he is also known for creation method of Sigils which as mentioned is known as Sigilisation/Sigilization.
Austin Osman Spare - "It is not important whether a Sigil is the 'correct' one or not, but it IS crucial that it has been created by the magician and is therefore meaningful to him/her. Because s/he has constructed it for personal use, the Sigil easily becomes a catalyst of his/her magical desire, and sometimes it will even awaken this desire in the first place." - Book of Pleasures.
Austin Osman Spares method was simply to create a 'fusion and stylisation of letters to formulate a desire in a sentence'.
There are a 5 key points to this method.
1. The Intention
Note. Decide if this Sigil is going to be for 'mechanical' and thus created for one time use or if the Sigil is going to be for 'repetitive' magickal use for multiple use possibly used throughout your practice. If it's the later you may wish to write down your recipe of the Sigil and its meaning.
Step 1. The statement of intent is to be written in present or past tense, even if it is a want, desire, wish, future coming. Creating that you want something will only increase a want for that thing and not the thing itself. Creating that you have said thing will cause manifestation to occur properly - I touched on this in my 'how to make a manifestation box' blog.
So don't write "I WILL BE POPULAR BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR." simply write "I AM POPULAR AND I CONTINUE TO BE SO." - Another don't write "I WISH TO HAVE LOTS OF MONEY" but instead "I AM WEALTHY AND MY MONEY CONTINUES TO GROW" - Another don't write "I WANT TO PASS MY EXAMS" simply write "I HAVE PASSED MY EXAMS, I DID AND CONTINUE TO DO REMARKABLY WELL".
2. The Creation
Step 2. Once you have your 'Power Sentiment/Statement' of intent simply write it out in all capital letters. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY CAULDRON FAMILY AND THEY ARE BLESSED- This is then where hairs are split. Some say remove all vowels (A, E, I, O and U) others leave them in. I personally remove them as this is the way I originally learnt and what I feel works best for me. This is your choice..
Step 3. Once the above is done simply cross out any letter that repeats itself leaving the original letter. Write out the remaining letters. Now here's the fun (and in my opinion addicting) part. First let's take the English Alphabet. Each letter you're left with you use to draw a Sigil. These letters can be drawn any size and any way up and are to form more of a weird picture. Now keep in mind some letters you don't need to be re-draw. For example if you have a "T" you already drew the "I" and an "L". Using a "B" which can also be a "D", "P", "I", "C". Drawing an "M" also covers you for "N", "V" and "W" I shall show you...
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY CAULDRON FAMILY AND THEY ARE BLESSED IABSOLUTELY LOVE MY CAULDRON FAMILY AND THEY ARE BLESSED BSLTLY LV MY CLDRN FMLY ND THY R BLSSD
BSLTLY LV MY CLDRN FMLYNDTHYRBLSSD BSLTY V M CDRN F
B S L T Y V M C D R N F
Step 4. Some people like to encase their Sigil in a circle - being that it contained, protected and gives power, plus it focuses the energy on what's inside excluding anything outside the circle.
Another way to do this is to match the English remaining letters from your sentence with the equivalent of another alphabet such as Elder Futhark Runes, Elvish, Witches Alphabet but to name a few which is when your creativity kicks in, it's how we have the super pretty Sigils which don't resemble English at all and that is very much the point of Sigils as you'll see in the next steps.
3. The Forgotten
Step 5. If you opted to write this somewhere as a future reuse Sigil then that's fine. But this point is where you put the Sigil away and let it manifest. Perhaps even in your manifestation box!! Maybe create a manifestation box just for your Sigils!! Put it somewhere where you won't see it, won't think of it, but when you do see it it will add to the growth of it's power. Allow it to do it's thing for however longer desired time. Some people skip this step entirely, others allow a day, a day and a night, a week, one lunar cycle.. The the idea is basically 'out of sight and out of mind your subconscious takes over causing things to grow. Plus by creating this you put your intentions out there to the universe anyway!!
4. The Charge
Step 6. Now congratulations you've drawn a Sigil. You may or maynot have hidden it away for a length of time. But this is an important step as you need to 'Activate' it.. So here's a few ways we can do this..
Meditation: You can meditate on the created Sigil.
Getting to know: Sleep with it, keep it on your person, look at it, give it life.
Sex: You can think of the Sigil or not during sex but most importantly during climax.
Masturbation: You can think of the Sigil or not but most importantly during climax.
Heightened Emotions: Like climax high state of emotions such as:
During grieving a loss, great sorrow.
Dring great happiness.
During fear / scared (watch a horror movie or those screamers on YouTube).
During hysterical Laughter.
During heightened anxiety.
Asphyxiation: (please practice responsibly) Hang upside down; Do not strangle yourself or anyone - this especially goes against the "and harm none" at the point of Asphyxiation look at the Sigil. <-- I don't recommend No. 6 but I'm putting it out there as there's people that do!
Exhaustion: Go for a run, do some exercise, the part of the brain that kicks in as we strive to stay awake use that to focus on the Sigil.
Etc..
5. The Destruction
Step 7. Use it for it's intended purpose but this should result in it being destroyed (or at least this copy if you wrote down the Sigil recipe to use again) To destroy you can..
Burn (fire)
Flush away (water)
Send it out to sea (water)
Bury it in the woods (earth) or at the beach (water/earth) - away from your home if that's what your working requires.
Bury it in a planter (earth) or in your garden (earth) - at home if that's what your working required.
If you drew it in pencil you can simply erase the image or if you drew it on a white board.
You can shred the paper into pieces and put it in the bin.
Etc..
Finished!
An alternative for entire destruction, those that wish to reuse, may wish to do so in a productive way.. Some simply write it and/or the recipe in their Books (Book of Shadows, Grimoire, Spell Book, Witches Journal etc etc..) and some like to make a bigger use of it like drawing it and having it framed on a wall (especially good for protection), carve it into wood and have it as a statue in your home, write it on paper and roll it up and put it inside a witches ball and gift to a friend, have it tattooed (please tattoo responsibly) - make it such a permanent thing in your homes that it becomes part of the furniture so you don't see it any more; you know like that new figurine for your collection you keep smiling and looking at then after a few weeks you don't even really notice it any more as you're now occupied with your new wall hanging..
Manifestation box also known as a Creation Box, Dream Box, Wish Box, Intentions Box and probably a few other names..
The concept behind it being you have a box/container that closes (made of any material, I chose wood as it's more natural) - decorated if/as you wish. Usually a power sentiment (see below *) inscribed in the lid (or anywhere on the box.. It's your box!) and then items you feel correspond with your desires put in this box. That then is you dedicating a physical item to your requirement and in turn sending out your intentions, desires, wishes etc out to the universe to manifest, attract, make happen, achieve, grow, recieve, continue to have, build etc. Shut those contents away, allow them to be forgotten and allow it to manifest (show, grow, appear, become seen) over time. These items can be stones, charms, jewellery, materials, hair, something belonging to someone, a photo or simply write it on a piece of paper - words hold a lot of power. Some of my first things were:
A silver coloured coin (10p) to attract money/wealth or at least not lose it.
NUMBER 10: Number ten carries the energies of both the number 1 and the number 0. Number 10 resonates with the vibrations and energies of leadership, optimism, confidence, independence, creative powers, success, energy, originality, adaptability, determination and individuality.
NUMBER 1: The number one is individualistic and independent, showing leadership and drive. The 1 is masculine, focused, an originator and self-starter; it is also progressive, strong-willed, courageous, self-reliant and rebellious (in a constructive way).
NUMBER 0: The zero is the infinite perfection of our Divine Creator, and represents a connection with God. The number 0 is symbolized by a perfect circle without beginning and end. It is both nothing and everything, the Alpha and the Omega.
SILVER: Is healing and also represents The Moon and The Goddess. Color Meaning: Meaning of The Color Silver is associated with meanings of industrial, sleek, high-tech, and modern, as well as ornate, glamourous, graceful, sophisticated, and elegant. Silver is a precious metal and, like gold, often symbolizes riches and wealth.
A piece of rose quartz to attract love or keep being loved.
Rose Quartz - Love, Self-love, Family, Platonic Love/Friendship, Romance, Heart
Chakra, Balances yin and yang, restoring harmony after emotional wounding,
lowers Stress and Soothes, Happiness/Joy, Healing, Love Healing.
A pentagram charm to keep me on my path..
The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each point has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. - Typically a Wiccan / Pagan symbol.
That is but a few things I have done! I love symbolism and putting thought into things but it really doesn't need to be as complex as I make things.. Here's some ideas for YouTuber ' ThatRobynGirl ' of what you could put in your box https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD2ijZI27bc Here's my box..
Supplies I used to make my box..
A small screwdriver set (optional)
Paint brushes / sponges
A paintable box
Some acrylic paint (your choice of colour / colours)
Hardware spray paint (optional)
Clear gloss/satin/matte sealer/lacquer (optional but recommended)
Alphabet stickers & tweezers (optional)
A marker
Drafts pieces / feet (optional)
Hot glue gun
Fabric such as crushed velvet (optional)
+cardboard/stock
+ruler
+pencil
+scissors
You may want to add other decorative items.
* Inscribed sentiment.. On the box lid, write, paint, emboss, burn or otherwise place a phrase such as:
• “Whatever is Contained in This Box.. IS"
• “That Which is Contained Within: IS”
• “Thoughts Become Things”
• “Wishes Come True”
or some other present tense sentiment..
How to Make Your Own Manifestation box, what I did:
I go my box in a lot on ebay, but most places that sell craft supplies should stock them. Some may need sanding!
I took one of the small screwdrivers and removed the hardware (optional).
I measured the inside rectangle length and width of the box.
I used a brush and painted the whole box metallic black to absorb positive energies and repel negative ones. (2-3 coats!)
I spray painted the antique bronze coloured hardware and the white drafts pieces silver and let these dry. (Not the screws). Once dried I clear satin lacquered to protect them.
While the box was drying I used the measurements to cut down a cereal box to size. Hot glued my crushed velvet around it. Then hot glued it into the box once the box was dry.
I then took the lid and on the inside I chose my sentiment, Alphabet stickers and placement. Carefully, using tweezers and my nails, I stuck each character down.. (This took longer than everything else put together to do!) ..once happy I clear satin lacquered to protect them. - Instead of alpha stickers you could use marker and just write the sentiment.
I glued on the feet.
Reassembled the box with its painted hardware. I then used a silver sharpie to colour the heads of the screws.
