Sigil Witchery by Laura Tempest Zakroff

288 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, Llewellyn Worldwide
Release Date: January 8, 2018

Nonfiction (Adult), Religion, Spirituality

The book is divided into the following chapters.

Introduction
Chapter 1: A History of Mark Making
Chapter 2: The Meaning of the Mark
Chapter 3: Making Magick
Chapter 4: Design Guidance
Chapter 5: Practice Exercises
Chapter 6: Gallery
Conclusion

The information in the book is thoroughly researched. I appreciate the explanation and diction she provided for the word “sigil.” The notes she provides for making your own sigil are very helpful. She begins with early civilizations but reminds the readers they should not be referred to as primitive. She describes different cultures use of symbols including Arabic, Chinese, Egyptian, Berber, and Kabbalist. She covers the history of tattoos, graffiti and tagging. The rest of the book covers the different symbols and meanings. If you are looking for a book on symbols, marks, or sigils, this is definitely a book to read.

At the time of receiving my netgalley copy, I had a severe family emergency and was unable to provide my review for this book. Now, I am finally getting back into things, have purchased this book, and wish to give my review.

This book is absolutely stunning. It's not what I thought I was getting into, as I thought it would mostly be a history and explanation of what sigils are. Instead, I received an excellent step by step basics on how to create my own sigils. This is an invaluable resource that I cannot recommend highly enough to interested parties.

Sigil Witchery is an easily read and understood book on the history of sigils and gives you an understanding on how to create your own. I was amazed at just how informative this book was, and is one of the few that I will be buying in both electronic and physical copy to add to my non-fiction library.
I highly recommend this book for those interested in sigils and how to use them.

Sigil Witchery is a wonderful primer on sigil work. In our witchcraft classes we teach students many methods and approaches to magical practice, sigil work is one important aspect that is perfect for intermediate students. This book provides a very good introductory foundation that can help a student come to understanding of the concepts and ideas behind sigil work without too much complicated insight. Of all the sigil books I have read, this is the best so far for getting started.

I would recommend this book for anyone seeking a primer on sigil work and also for anyone seeking to begin practical application of sigil work to their craft.

A clear. concise and easy to use guide on how to do sigil magick. The author has taken this subject and made it accessible to anybody interested in giving this magickal practice a go. The writing style made me feel completely involved and made me rethink my previous thoughts on the subject. Looking forward to practicing some sigil magick soon!

Fantastic reference book for those wishing to pratice or for art historians interested in marks.

I'm new to learning witchcraft, and so this book felt a little advanced for me, but with a bit of studying I bet I'd understand it better. Fascinating concept, though.

This is a book about sigil magic, something that has roots in a spectrum of ancient cultural esoterica but became popular with the rise of chaos magick in the 1970s. The book starts with a general explanation and some history of some of the systems where sigil magick began. It then continues with a full chapter on pictorial art from cave paintings to symbols used by secret societies, hitting a few little known facts but missing out obvious things like Runes, which is later explained.

I have mixed feelings about this book. As a book about art and how to apply drawing techniques for interesting looks for sigils, it excels. On magic... not so much. I have no doubt that the author's spells would work for her, but the explanations of how sigil magic works falls short and in some instances contradicts safety information I've read from more experienced and trusted authors on the subject.

I noted that an early reference to the method used in chaos magic(k) gave me the impression that it had been taken from a couple of variations that might have come from Internet forums and thought the author could benefit from reading the book by Austin Spare where that particular method originated, then later she talks about having read that very book and suggests it's difficult to follow.

She also never mentions anything about charging the sigils, which is an important step in the process. For people new to sigil magic, I'd suggest people start at the known authors; Spare, Carroll, Hawkins and possibly Hine.

I think this book would be a good resource for someone who already has a working knowledge of sigil magic and is looking to expand on the artistic possibilities. Her information on art materials was excellent and it's clear she knows her stuff on that. This would be a good supplement for visual appeal and some alternative approaches, plus some I've read about elsewhere like motion sigils get more attention here than in the earliest sources.

My expectations of this book were totally wrong, this turned out not to be a fast read easy manual to make sigils. It is in fact an elaborate in depth study of symbology, set in cultures and traced to origins. After that it becomes an instructional book with a huge number of suggestions and even helps with the choice of art supplies. In short...a manual for the wannabee sigilist. I started out wanting to read it all but as it turned out, it was not doable to take it all in. It is a book that I will get, to be a standard of sigil witchcraft. I will need to actually study it. I find it intriguing, but daunting at the same time. Whatever it turns out to be, being a wannabee sigilist I crave it. Cannot wait till it is on my shelf!

A well written explanation of sigil making and use. The author uses easy to follow examples and keeps the reader engaged. Made me consider the symbols that I naturally graduate to in a new light. Good choice for libraries that have collections that may need up to date information on sigil making or modern witchcraft. Enjoyable read!

First let me thank NetGalley and Llewellyn for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. It is filled with plenty of information and also plenty of examples and places for you to practice within the book itself! It explains the meanings of various shapes, numbers, directions, etc. as well as how to create your own sigils and how to use them. There is also a section that discusses the types of art materials one can use while creating sigils.

This book was so informative and interesting! I enjoyed learning about sigil magick and the history behind it. And the author is such a beautiful artist...I just couldn't get over the pictures. I understood and could follow along very easily, so this book is wonderful for people who are interested and want to learn more about sigil magick.

FULL REVIEW TO BE PUBLISHED
I’ve seen so many books in the market that fill the description about introducing the reader to the subject of magic, divination, paganism and so on that I seriously thought there was a lack of interest and creativity in all of the content people were writing about, that everything was just being discussed with little novelty, if any.
Then only one thing I didn’t enjoy that much were the pages specifying which materials the authors uses when working with symbols and sigils, which were only for those interested in traditional art. There were some valuable glimpses of information now and then, but in general terms it slowed down my reading process as I’m not that specific public.
In the end, “Sigil Witchery: A Witch's Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols” proves to be a great addition for actually any witch’s personal library and a great guide for those who just discovered sigil magic. It has certainly opened a whole new chance for me.

Sigil Witchery is an upcoming book by Laura Tempest Zakroff, which will be published by Llewellyn on January 8th, 2018. Ms. Zakroff is well-known for her contributions to the Craft, and writes a column for Patheos entitled “The Modern Traditional Witch.” You can find that here. Having been a fan of the column, I, of course, decided to explore this book.

If you are looking for a guide to the “traditional” methods for sigil-making, with letters combined into a single symbol, this book won’t be for you. The “Spare Method” (as it is often called) gets surprisingly little page space in Sigil Witchery, and the author makes it clear that the text is not designed to teach it, nor more common ceremonial techniques like the Rose Cross.

Instead, this book is a guide to a highly intuitive, fluid, and indeed useful approach to sigilcraft. It will not please everyone, and some will no doubt prefer Spare or other methods. The techniques Zakroff presents are so utterly innovative, yet natural, though, that I’d recommend this book for almost all witches, whether they choose to apply it or not.

Of particular note is the historical information Zakroff provides. She neatly sketches the history of sigils against the broader context of human art and mark-making, and highlights such works within many cultures. While one could ask for a more in-depth history lesson, the purpose of the book is to teach practical techniques, and in this, it does not disappoint.

Zakroff prefers a method that, while unusual, works quite well. Simple, evocative symbols (crescents, crosses, and a million other shapes) are arranged to achieve a given meaning. Zakroff’s sigils are often elaborate, but highly charged with meaning from the moment of their creation.

I was quite surprised and pleased to learn that Zakroff eschews the common chaote practice of charging, releasing, and forgetting symbols in favor of something much less formal. As someone who works with sigils but rarely formally charges them, I was happy to know others do things in a similar fashion.

The author even includes an entire section with examples of sigils drawn from her own experiences, which a beginner would no doubt find very helpful. Indeed, the examples would be quite reassuring to someone just dipping into sigilcraft, as they highlight the sheer variety of sigils that can be created.

Another refreshing feature of Zakroff’s method: she acknowledges sigils are not always black and white, and can include color, texture, and other features, as well. A section near the end about choosing proper paints and art supplies was particularly of interest to me, as a bullet journal fanatic and budding watercolor artist who loves to incorporate sigils.

I recommend this book for those with at least a bit of existing witchcraft experience, and especially those who have never tried sigils but want to learn. This is one of a number of new books addressing a specific topic in witchery, and might be best for the intermediate witch.

Overall, I assign this book four out of five stars. I only remove one star due to the lack of information about the traditional methods, but if you’re already aware of those going in, this book may well be for you!

I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT SO I WANTED TO READ THIS BOOK. a VERY INFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVE,a GREAT READ IF THIS IS YOUR AREA OF INTEREST

Sigil Witchery explores sigil magick all the way from the past such as heiroglyphics, up to the modern day present with graffitti. This book is different in that it does not show you how to make a traditional sigil using a kabbalah numbers grid. It would have been helpful to show how to make a traditional sigil rather than simply mention it and move on. The instructions on how to make a sigil were based on modern magick and witchy sovereignty. A discussion on why certain symbols were sacred to certain peoples were mentioned in many chapters which was a prelude to finding one’s own symbolic significance.

Personally, I wished a more methodical approach to sigil witchery was the focus of this book, as opposed to just making your own sigil without any specific system. There was a recurring theme of playing around with shapes and designs that does require a certain level of artistry in my opinion. Not only does this turn away a large audience, but for those looking for a more ritualistic and traditional approach to sigil magick, this book would not be satisfactory.

My advice to the author would be to devote some time to explaining traditional sigil magick in order to lay the proper foundation for readers.

First I'd like to thank net galley for supplying a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I loved this book. It was so informative and interesting and exactly what I needed.
I loved how it started off with a look at the history of art and symbols.

This book was about sigil magick. The author begins with a history of symbols, from cave drawings to various others. Then the author explains her method. It's not the chaos method, the idea of removing all the vowels and repeated letters to make a sigil, she uses symbolism instead. The instructions in the book were clear and encouraging. The author is a beautiful artist as well.

I think Laura explains her reasonings very well. I understood everything she had to say.

If you're interested in sigil magick, read this book. So insightful.

Terrific book - tons of examples - only sygil book you ever need!

It’s rare that I read non-fiction book, especially one that I read completely and so quickly … I’m still reading one that I started last year, really need to finish that book…. Anyway, Netgalley let me read Sigil Witchery and I just couldn’t help myself. I finished it within two nights.

It’s basically a guide on how to use and design your own sigils. Thankfully, it’s nice and easy to read with a good sense of humour thrown in. It’s not bogged down with lots of technical terms or going too much detail but there is the odd reading suggestion if you do want to delve deeper.

There’s a nice overview of what sigils are and how they’re used, as well of a brief history of them from different cultures. I didn’t know much on sigils before or how they were created so this was useful for me. It also talkes about another, more well known apparently, method of creating them from Chaos magicians which is going to be a new research point for me … hate not knowing things.

Zakroff’s method seems a lot easier and makes much more sense. There’s even a rough guide to what common symbols can relate to, to help design your own, like circles and animals etc.

To help you start off there’s some scenarios for which to make sigils for, then the author’s own to give you ideas.

Have to say my favourite part of the book was the artwork. There are some beautiful pictures from sketchbooks and the author’s works to show how sigils can be used in them that are really inspiring me to get back into drawing

Overall, well worth a read. It’s nice and easy to follow and gives great advice on designing and making sigils.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I requested it because I am currently writing a novel in which magical sigils play a part and I thought this book would be of help. It certainly was; however, I also enjoyed it on other levels. Sigil Witchery offers readers an interesting study of symbols that includes a review of the history of symbols in different cultures and thoughts on symbols and cognition. As such, it has something to offer a wider range of readers than its subheading as a "witch's guide" suggests. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the meaning and use of symbols, whether for religious or secular purposes.