How to Activate Sigils
If you are reading this it is safe to assume that you know what a sigil is, so we won't waste much time explaining that. A sigil is a magickal symbol that has been created for a specific magickal purpose. There are many methods for making these if making sigils is new to you, we recommend a quick google search to explore them. Some sigils have been around for a long time such as the sigils of the Goetic Daemons from the Lesser Key of Solomon, or the sigils for the five elements, pentagrams, runes etc. This article assumes you are either using your own sigil, a sigil that was made for you, or an already established magickal sigil.
Sigils can be on a virtually any surface you can imagine, statues, paper, metal, wood, glass, stone, etc. For the purposes of this exercise, you will need your sigil on whatever material you desire and some time. We will be using a very old method of meditation known as Tratak as well as visualization and intention techniques to activate the sigil so that we may either journey with its energy or bring its energy into our life.
First begin by grounding and centering, after this, we recommend that you set an intent by performing a banishing ritual, followed by an invocation to any spirits, gods, guides, or teachers you wish to work with. For this, you could do the Lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram, the star ruby, a shamanic banishing, elemental banishing, or simply smudge the area, whatever you are most proficient at or most comfortable doing. Once you have performed your banishing ritual you may invoke and call forth the spirits or guides you wish to work with. Depending on your practice this may involve casting your circle and doing an invocation, or simply inviting the spirits to join you. This is your ritual, do what you are most comfortable with. Once you have created sacred space perform either a chakra healing session or the middle pillar exercise if you are a practitioner of Reiki this would be an excellent time to perform a self-healing. Once your sacred space and magickal temple is set up you are ready to begin.
We will then be using Tratak meditation on the sigil. The definition of Tratak according to Wikipedia is below:
"Trataka (Sanskrit n. त्राटक Trāṭak: "look, gaze") is a yogic purification (a shatkarma) and a tantric method of meditation that involves staring at a single point such as a small object, black dot or candle flame.[1] It is said to bring energy to the "third eye" (ājňā chakra) and promote various psychic abilities.[2]
Purpose
By fixing the gaze the restless mind too comes to a halt.[3] It is said also that control of the ciliary (blink) reflex stimulates the pineal gland,[4] which Kundalini Yoga identify with the third eye. Trāṭaka is said to enhance the ability to concentrate. It increases the power of memory and brings the mind to a state of awareness, attention and focus.[5]
Description
The practitioner may fix attention on a symbol or yantra, such as the Om symbol, a black dot, the image of some deity or guru, a flame, a mirror or any point, and stare at it. A candle should be three to four feet (1 metre plus) away, the flame level with the eyes. Relax but keep the spine erect and remain wakeful and vigilant.[5] The eyes begin to water. Some authorities recommend that the eyes should then be closed and the yogi concentrate on the after image, while others persevere with staring for 30–40 minutes. As per yoga and Tantric texts, the eyes of one who got siddhi in trataka will appear like burning charcoal in colour. [6]"
Now that you know the definition of Tratak you have a general idea of what it is. For the purposes of this ritual, we will be performing Tratak in our sacred space with our sigil. For this we recommend that the lights be dimmed or off, you keep your spine erect and concentrate on your breathing for the first 10 minutes, keeping your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth, breath in deeply to the count of 6, hold your breath for the count of 6, exhale for the count of 6, hold for a count of 6 and repeat.
Once you feel you are in a relaxed and altered state, you will then focus on your sigil, keeping your eyes slightly squinted so that you do not need to blink as often, and focus and stare at the sigil, do this as long as possible, eventually things will fade to black and you will be in touch with the energy of the sigil. If you know the meaning of the sigil, for example, if it pertains to a spirit, has a magickal purpose, etc, you will then begin to think of this energy, spirit, task, or purpose once things fade to black, and you will continue to stare at the sigil while contemplating and feeling the energy and the meaning of the sigil. Do this as long as you can and imagine the spirit, energy, or magick of the sigil connecting to your current life, as well as your past, and your future lives.
If it is for a spirit, ask the spirit to present itself to you in a way you can comprehend. If it is for a magickal purpose visualize the magickal energy leaving the sigil and influencing your life in all the proper ways for your goal to manifest (let go of the outcome, simply ask the energy to go where it needs to) if it is using runes or other such magickal sigils allow the energy to fill your body, mind, and spirit.
Once you feel as though you have a thorough connection with the energy you can then come out of meditation and finish.
If you have cast a circle, be sure to do the proper banishings etc. If you have simply invited spirits, now is the time to thank them and ask them to leave. Close your sacred space as you normally would. Ground and centre.
The more you do this exercise the more that you will get from it and the stronger the results will be.