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Magic That Moves The World…Starts With You

Magic That Moves The World…Starts With You

Last updated on: January 25, 2026 at 12:30 pm by Laura Tempest Zakroff

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Magic That Moves The World…Starts With You 2026-01-25T12:30:41-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I know many folks reading this now are new to magical resistance and resilience work. You’re feeling a lot of things: anger, grief, frustration, rage, sadness, fear, despair, and onward.

This kind of response is natural and very human. Our ability to connect and to empathize is one of the best aspects of humanity. Especially in the face of what evil other humans are capable of. We feel the urge to do something about it, even if it seems like there’s not much we can do. It’s one of the big reasons we and many of our ancestors have turned to magic in dangerous times.

I’ve been doing #WeAreAradia work for over a decade now. I’ve been community-crafting for nearly 30 years. This work has many forms, faces, and functions. Not everything is something you’ll see on the surface, nor should it be. Nor is everything you want to change within your sphere of influence.

The Truth About Sigils

I have crafted dozens of shared magic sigils over the years – many of which can be found for free on my Patheos blog and in various books. Many of these sigils were co-crafted with communities with the intention of a larger or specific reach. The ICE Sigil has been making its rounds again at a viral rate – which brings both new folks and naysayers.

It’s important to understand several important things about sigils – at least from my POV as a Witch, artist, and activist.

– Sigils are condensed ideas, they encapsulate a goal or vision into symbolic form.

– Magic symbols correspond to the cycles of our brains, the pulses of our body, and the rhythm of the universe. They help us to unlock the parts of our subconscious and unconscious minds, drawing us closer to solutions.

– However, sigils are still just symbols on their own. They require engaged work. They’re generally not going to do the heavy-lifting on their own and work everywhere all at once. The shared magic sigils take community, connection, application, and focus. They help guide changes, but they can’t do it on their own.

– Think of sigils as a means of spreading ideas – of communicating those goals. Ideas can help a whole lot, but action and focus must follow – and yet are still beholden to one’s sphere of influence, to physics, to our larger reality. They cannot solve all problems everywhere all at once.

Power With

Last week I wrote on threads and my author page about the difference of “power over” versus “power with.” The emotions I mentioned in the beginning? Those tempt us to engage with magic as the former, which can be dangerous and haphazard – especially if one doesn’t know what they are doing. They often blind us to the larger picture, to cause and effect, to being aware of the safety of others (and ourselves), the future we know we want in our hearts.

We have to hold those emotions, experience them, share them within our community – and then be able to shift and transmute that energy so that we can focus together.

The shared magic sigils are community guides for change. They are not cure-alls that make everything magically perfect in the blink of an eye. That is not this reality or universe or why we’re here.

Work for Tomorrow

We are here to connect, to build a better tomorrow collectively, to create a vision – that’s the promise of the Star. But that isn’t going to make the Tower disappear in an instant. You’re still going to have to move the debris while drawing the blueprints. And that work happens more quickly with more hands, hearts, and minds.

Magic begins with thought, but it’s brought through in our words, deeds, and actions. Magic begins with you and us.

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, and Anatomy of a Witch, as well as the Liminal Spirits Oracle (artist/author), 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 (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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