Magick squares are one of those things you’ve probably seen but didn’t realize how great of a tool they can be to enhance your magic.
Their power comes from numerology, a branch of divination.
You’re probably familiar with the fact that many numbers have associated meanings, and many common symbols have associated numbers.
A magick square is a way to draw out these patterns into a new form.
The purpose of this article is to teach you how to make your own sigils for use in Wiccan sigil magick through the power of magick squares.
Read on to learn more.
What is a Magick Square?
Remember when the Sudoku craze struck all those years ago? Well, that type of puzzle is an example of one Magick square.
Magick squares are simply an arrangement of numbers in a square grid where every row, column, and diagonal each add up to the same number.
The numbers used are 1 up to the last number, and each can only be used once.
An important thing to remember is that there aren’t just one or two ways to do this. If you think of all those giant puzzle books, there are thousands of ways to do it for each number.
This means that if you produce your own, it will be more powerful. Remember: the act of creation and personalization is an important part of any magic.
It also means that you can make dozens of sigils of the same meaning by switching up the magick square you use. You can make truly one-of-a-kind patterns for personal use.
Using Magick Squares for Sigils
First, you’ll want to pick a number. Many people like to do this by associating one of the classical planets. This is because the traditional sigils in ancient times were made this way. They are called the planetary sigils.
I find this less interesting than just taking other associations or even your own spirit number. For more information on basic numerology, see my article on it: Spirit Numbers.
The way we’ll use the magic square is to create a sigil. A sigil is just an inscribed diagram or symbol with magical power.
This means you can use this method whenever you don’t think the classical runes or symbols are personalized enough for your spell.
I love this method because it really makes the spell my own rather than blindly copying someone else.
Creating the Sigil
At this point, you’ve chosen a number and made the square (examples below if you’re lost). Now you need a word or phrase related to the square number.
We’ll convert the letters into numbers. Don’t worry if you haven’t made a square that contains all 26 letters. You can loop them.
A = 1
B = 2
C = 3
Etc.
If you only used 16 letters, then when you get to P = 16, make Q = 1, R = 2, and keep going.
Now draw a line from each number to the next on the magick square. Some people put a piece of paper over the square to get a clean sigil.
I like to draw right on the square several times to get a feel for the shape. Then I freehand draw it where I need it so that I can focus energy on the symbol for the magic or spell I’m doing.
I know that’s a lot. The example below should clarify it step by step.
Divination Sigil Magick Example with Tarot
Here’s one way I use magick squares to make sigils for tarot divination.
First, pick a topic for a tarot reading. In this example, I want to do a reading centered on family. Family is usually represented by the number 6. Let’s say I want to focus on the topic even more by understanding my purpose in my family.
This is a 5.
So, I’m going to make a magic square where everything adds up to 65 (if you use a number this big, you can look up an automatic magic square generator online):
Here it is. Now the focus phrase for my reading will be purpose. These letters correspond to 16, 21, 18, 16, 15, 19, 5.
Now we draw lines between these numbers. Many people also put circles at the start and end, but this isn’t necessary. We’ll skip that step.
Here’s the sigil on top of the magick square:
I like to enhance the power of the sigil by creating a more symmetric version. Just flip the drawing across a mirror. This gives you a beautiful and more traditional look:
Now we can use this in any place we’d use a symbol or rune in a spell. For the tarot reading, I inscribe it on paper to be placed under the tablecloth where I do my reading.
Famous Planetary Sigils
Maybe this seems like a lot of work for symbols no one will recognize. You could also just use some of the standard ones that already exist.
I won’t reproduce them all here since many sites already have them. A good list of uses can be found at Learn Religions.
These were created using the same magick square technique. Over time, people figured out which lines to make straight and curved for the best look.
None of the above directions are set in stone. Looking at the planetary ones can help to inspire your own versions.
For example, this is what Venus looks like:
It can be used in love spells.
Other Uses
After you experiment with these magick squares and sigil magick for a while, you might find one you really like or use often.
The one above isn’t all that interesting, but sometimes they come out really fancy-looking, especially if you figure out a lot of symmetries to copy across.
One way to get better-looking ones is to pick words that don’t repeat letters. This gives the sigil an open and flowing look to it rather than the “loops” you see in mine.
You might want to inscribe this more permanently. Some people like to burn them into pieces of wood as a personalized rune set. You could also turn a protection sigil into a necklace or pendant.
I’m working on getting a “full set” of personalized runes by just painting my favorite ones onto small stones. The possibilities are endless.
Remember, the next time you encounter a symbol in a spell someone else has written, you can make the spell your own by substituting your own sigil for it.
Get creative!
