Sigils

250px-Sefer_raziel_segulot
Originally uploaded by babajiwotan.

A sigil is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose. The term sigil derives from the Latin sigilum meaning "seal," though it may also be related to the Hebrew segulah meaning "talisman". The old norse binding rune is an example of the idea. However, sigils differ from runes as they are designed not to represent an alphabet but are created to form a glyph, composed of a variety of symbols or concepts which carry intent and inherent iconic meaning.

A sigil may have an abstract, pictorial or semi-abstract form. It may appear in any medium, physical or virtual, or only in the mind. Visual symbols are the most popular form, but the use of audial and tactile symbols in magick is not unknown.

Sigilis are commonly found in Jewish mysticism and Kabbalistic magic upon which much of Western magic is based.

There is a theory that sigils are memes that are consciously used as magical tools by businesses (such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's, with their highly-recognized corporate logos), and invest them with a comparable degree of prestige and power.