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The Winter Prep Sigil: For Getting Through Dark Days

The Winter Prep Sigil: For Getting Through Dark Days

Last updated on: December 13, 2023 at 1:53 pm by Laura Tempest Zakroff

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The Winter Prep Sigil: For Getting Through Dark Days 2023-12-13T13:53:01-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

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We tend to think of using magic for specific things and moments, applied in certain rituals. But magic is part of our every day life, just as are the seasons. And sometimes we need magic just make our way through the seasons.

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year is all about the days getting shorter until we reach the Winter Solstice. Our days are punctuated with experiences like looking out the window thinking it must be at least 5pm – but it’s actually only 2:30pm. Here in New England, not only are the days shorter, but the temps are dropping as well. For many, this time of year is a battle with SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. Often amplified by a variety of emotional and physical stresses brought on by the holiday season and social expectations. Our bodies want to hibernate, just like the trees, plants, and the rest of the animals who have much better sense than humans.

It’s time to pull out the winter clothes and linens, clear out the garden, and pull down the storm windows. We may add extra lights, up our vitamin dosage, or make use of additional self-care techniques to help out our minds and bodies. So why not add a little magic to the winter prep to help ease our way?

All of this was on our collective minds when my virtual Sigil Witchery workshop took place on November 11th(sponsored by the Fellowship of the Ancient White Stag ASW as a benefit for the New Alexandrian Library) A big part of the workshop is collectively crafting a sigil together. This exercise really helps folks understand the process. A good majority of those sigils show up right here on this blog. (Just search #sigil and you’ll find them!)

In this particular workshop, we crafted what we dubbed “The Winter Prep Sigil.”

Winter Prep Sigil Whiteboard

Built Into This Sigil:

combatting SAD
gratitude/acknowledgment of the past year
reflection/turning inward
rest & recovery
safety & security
staying healthy and making good choices to support health
family/relationships/support

Working out the design, different variations, bottom sigil was final design at end of workshop

Design Notes

Once I sat down to finalize the sigil design in ink (with a much more steady hand than drawing on my laptop screen with a pen can provide), I made some slight changes. I decided to add additional lines to emphasize light and support. The end effect of the sigil is a sun contained within a secure house, reaching out into the world. A little birdhouse in your soul if you would.

The Winter Prep Sigil (final version)

How To Use This Sigil

This is a shared magic sigil. You are welcome to use this sigil however you see fit that is in alignment with the intent of the sigil. You can use it in addition to the earlier sigil, in combination, or on its own.

Here are just some ideas for use:

– place on your altar or any other where you may interact with it daily (your phone screen, the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, front door, perhaps) – use through to Imbolc or longer if needed, as it takes a while for us to truly feel the light has returned.
– place on white or yellow candles to help bring a little extra oomph
– anoint the sigil on your skin with a winter-related anointing oil (I love “comfort and joy” from The Veiled Crow – they also make it as an incense, room spray, bath scrub, etc) or use it in a room spray.
– incorporate into a light-based ritual (Solstice, Advent/Epiphany, Imbolc, etc)
– if you have a fireplace, add the sigil to the kindling (in paper, or draw/carve onto logs if you don’t mind a bit more work)

The Winter Prep Sigil by Laura Tempest Zakroff is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

To find out more about this method of crafting sigils, checking out Sigil Witchery.

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laura tempest zakroff

seasonal affective disorder

About Laura Tempest Zakroff

Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, performer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from RISD (the Rhode Island School of Design), and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of the bestselling Llewellyn books Weave the Liminal, Sigil Witchery, Anatomy of a Witch, and Visual Alchemy as well as the Liminal Spirits Oracle (artist/author) and the Anatomy of a Witch Oracle, The Witch’s Cauldron, and co-author of The Witch’s Altar with Jason Mankey. Laura edited The New Aradia: A Witch’s Handbook to Magical Resistance and The Gorgon's Guide to Magical Resistance (Revelore Press). She is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops online and worldwide. You can read more about the author here.

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