sigil

A sigil is a symbol created for a specific purpose, traditionally in occult and magical contexts. The word derives from Latin sigillum, meaning seal or sign. In historical usage, sigils were seals or signets used to authorize documents or to convey magical power; over time, the term has come to denote any glyph believed to carry personal or symbolic potency. In modern practice, sigils are most closely associated with chaos magic and contemporary occultism, though the concept appears in earlier grimoires and magical traditions.

Creation and use: The key idea is to encode a desired outcome into a glyph that is abstract and unique to the practitioner. A sigil is often seen as a personal symbol that stands in for a statement of intent. After a sigil is created, practitioners may charge it through focused attention, ritual, or emotional energy, and then the sigil is typically hidden, released, or destroyed as a way of letting the goal unfold without ongoing conscious effort. The practice emphasizes the separation of the intention from conscious thought.

In historical contexts, sigils appeared in magical grimoires as "seals" used for protection, invocation, or evocation, and the term can also refer more broadly to heraldic emblems or emblematic devices. In modern usage, sigil design ranges from simple glyphs to elaborate drawings. They remain a topic of study in folklore, magic literature, and art, where their forms and meanings vary across cultures and traditions.