A book review of Sigil Witchery, by Laura Tempest Zakroff, Kindle edition.
‘Sigil Witchery’ is a well written, referenced, and sometimes witty treatise on sigils that explains their history, how to draw them, what to do with them, and comments about it all. Zakroff is a talented artist and disciplined writer. Many of her drawings in the book are extraordinary and well worth studying… and perhaps framing for yourself. Her Instagram pictures portray what some would view as a ‘witchy look’ and also someone who would be wonderful to know. Her background supports what she writes very well. Her bibliography, drawings and suggested books are probably worth the price by themselves.
I think the book was more of a history and maybe a bit less on how to use sigils. It goes into drawings of cave men, ancient civilizations, and current sigil evolution. There is also a section on art and art supplies. That is not to say it leaves application out but there is a heavy dose of background which may be slightly off-putting to new readers who are just trying to figure out how to use them.
I like her pithy humor and comments on traditional thoughts about witchery. There are a few areas that are contradictory to ‘common’ belief. For instance, She doesn’t embrace the idea of burning sigils but thinks, with exceptions, they are easily learned and used as part of both the conscious and unconscious mind.
The humor helps keep the reading interesting and a few chuckles are always welcome. Here is an example that cracked me up:
On painting sigils on everyday objects:
** I suppose you could even paint sigils on your underwear if that inspires you. (Perhaps a handy location for a fertility sigil, if that’s your goal? Use caution.)**
Overall I give the book an 8 out of 10 with a bump up for the writing and history and a detraction for a slight lack of detailed application. I would buy it again.
A note about the reviewer (me). I’m new to Wiccan and all that implies. I am interested in meditation and anything that will help me with it. Recently I’ve been exploring Chaos magick/magic/belief systems.