sigilcraft

Sigilcraft is a practice within contemporary occultism in which a symbol, or sigil, is created to represent a specific intention and then charged with psychic or spiritual energy. The term sigil refers to a seal or sign believed to carry magical power. In modern contexts, sigilcraft is most closely associated with chaos magic, though similar techniques appear in other traditions that use symbolic representation to influence outcomes.

A common approach begins with a clear statement of intent, such as "I attract creative opportunities." The letters of the statement are reduced by removing vowels and repeating letters, and the remaining letters are rearranged into an abstract glyph. The design is then drawn, inscribed on an object, or stored in memory as a concise symbol. The sigil is then "charged" through an altered state of consciousness—meditation, breathwork, movement, or other gnosis—so that the energy associated with the intention is concentrated in the symbol. After charging, the sigil is typically destroyed or hidden to release the energy, allowing the subconscious to work toward the goal without ongoing conscious effort.

Within and beyond chaos magic, practitioners vary in method and emphasis. Sigils may be personal or shared, permanent or ephemeral, decorative or highly idiosyncratic. Some traditions stress ritual context, while others treat sigilcraft as a purely individual psychological technique. Critics point out the lack of empirical support for magical efficacy and view sigilcraft as a self-help or creative practice that can enhance motivation and focus rather than produce verifiable results.