Sigils of Bone, Ash, and Earth – Rites of Death, Entrapment, and Dominion in Autumn.
In the final season before the descent into winter's silence, Autumn offers the cunning witch a narrow but potent window to command what lies hidden—beneath soil, within spirit, and across place. This chapter unveils the deeper architecture of operative sigil magic, specifically as it applies to rites of death, spirit entrapment, and magical dominion. Here, the sigil is not merely symbolic, but physical and spatial—burned into wood, carved into bone, or formed in ash upon the land. It is built to anchor, to command, and to bind.
These sigils function within the broader current of Southern Hemisphere Autumnal energies, where cross-quarter days, waning moons, and dark nights strengthen the veil and intensify the efficacy of malefic or commanding rites. Each design is carefully crafted for a specific function: guiding the dead to their rest, holding spirits within circles, or asserting control over a person or a landscape. These are not wards or blessings. These are functional tools of power, imprisonment, and control—and their misuse is not without consequence.
In this work, a witch becomes a geomancer of influence, constructing traps and thrones in equal measure. These are not ethical neutralities—they are loaded with intent, consequence, and demand accountability.
Ethical Warning & Disclaimer.
This chapter deals with baneful, binding, and commanding magic. The tools and sigils described are not allegorical—they are operative and can yield results if built and used correctly. These rites should never be used lightly, casually, or without necessity. They are not for revenge born of ego, nor are they tools of indiscriminate harm.
Furthermore:
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You are solely responsible for the outcomes of these workings. This material is presented for educational and historical insight into traditional and contemporary Shadow Witchcraft.
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If you are mentally or emotionally unstable, avoid working with entrapment and dominion sigils. They amplify power—both yours and what you call.
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These rites do not replace trauma healing, psychological intervention, or real-world justice systems.
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Do not attempt spirit work or death rites on behalf of others without consent or knowledge of ancestral protocol.
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Never perform these workings on human remains unless they are legally and ethically sourced (museum relics, ossuaries, family ancestry), and with full understanding of the spirit’s culture and will.
Approach this chapter as you would a locked gate to an ancient tomb—with reverence, readiness, and full understanding that once opened, it may not close again.
I. Sigil of Hollow Rest – For Death Rites and Funerary Contracts
Construction:
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Draw a vertical oval—not a perfect circle, but more like an eye or tomb.
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Inside, carve a crossed spiral (symbol of passage and unravelling) from top-left to bottom-right.
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Above the oval, draw three descending chevrons; below, a single upward-pointing arrow.
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Place a single, small dot inside the spiral—this marks the spirit’s core.
Material Use:
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Carved into eucalyptus bark and laid at the head of a grave or altar.
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Drawn in ash on a flat stone placed over buried offerings.
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Burnt into bone or driftwood, then placed in the centre of a funerary circle of herbs (wormwood, pine, native basil).
When to Use:
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During the Dark Moon closest to Samhain (April 30–May 2).
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Just after the body is buried, cremated, or laid to rest (real or symbolic).
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When binding an ancestral skull or relic for companionship or guidance.
II. Sigil of Caged Breath – For Spirit Entrapment and Holding.
Construction:
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Draw a seven-sided heptagon—the number of binding and stasis.
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Inside, weave a snaking path, with no clear beginning or end (labyrinthine).
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Around the outer edges, mark four downward-facing hooks—one per cardinal.
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At the heptagon’s heart, a closed loop spiral, no break, representing sealed breath.
Material Use:
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Etched into a flat animal bone (preferably scapula or sternum) and placed under the spirit’s vessel.
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Rendered in charcoal ash onto hard ground inside a ritual circle.
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Carved into hardwood (ironbark, blackwood, or casuarina), then driven into the earth over burial dirt or spirit anchors.
When to Use:
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On New Moon nights, with no other illumination.
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During planetary hour of Saturn, or immediately following spirit conjure work.
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When a spirit is summoned and refused to leave, or when controlling a housed entity.
III. Sigil of the Crowned Crossroads – For Dominion over Place and Person.
Construction:
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A crossroad X inscribed within a perfect square—crossing north-south and east-west.
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At each corner of the square, draw a spiked crown—symbol of claimed sovereignty.
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In the centre, a black dot surrounded by three concentric rings.
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Draw four root glyphs (like branching veins) extending from each side of the square.
Material Use:
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Formed from ash on the ground at the centre of a crossroads during ritual proclamation.
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Burnt into wooden stakes and buried at the four corners of a chosen land or home.
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Drawn onto a poppet’s heart or base, if working dominion over a human.
When to Use:
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On Full or Dark Moons, depending on whether establishing protection or conquest.
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During Jupiter or Saturn planetary hours, especially at night.
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In ritual oaths, pacts, or land-sealing ceremonies—speak aloud your declaration of rule.
IV. Sigil of Silent Sovereignty – For Wordless Control or Hex.
Construction:
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An open triangle, with the point downward, base slightly curved.
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Within it, a double spiral with mirrored arms, like opposing horns.
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On the outer edges, three dots forming a mute triangle—symbol of unspoken rule.
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The base includes a bar (horizontal) with one notch—symbol of the hidden leash.
Material Use:
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Carved into the bark of a tree on your land, then sealed with your spit and wine.
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Burnt into a stick or bone, then hidden near the subject’s home, shoes, or seat.
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Drawn in ash onto a poppet, then sealed in a mirrored box or jar.
When to Use:
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During a Waning Moon, ideally just before sunrise.
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Mars or Saturn planetary hours for conflict and control.
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Not to be spoken aloud—done in full silence, without witness, without declaration.
The Architect of Shadows
These sigils are not ornaments. They are weapons, locks, and thrones. You do not draw them—you build them, bleed into them, command through them. Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere is your crucible: it tests the strength of your claim, your right to walk the line between the dead and the living, between control and collapse.
Use ironwood. Use blood-charcoal. Use bones from fox or crow. Render the lines sharp—clean angles trap better than curves. Speak little. Bury deep. Burn slow. And always bind what you raise.
You now stand at the threshold of sorcery that alters the fabric of death and dominion. The sigils offered here are not charms. They are contracts, cages, crowns. Drawn properly, they speak commands the world must answer—but only if your hand, voice, and will are unified.
As Autumn deepens, and the dark hours grow long, practice your hand with ash, with blade, with fire. Learn the syntax of the land’s geometry. Bury your sigils. Feed them with oil, wine, or blood. Watch the changes. Listen to the soil. If you trap a spirit, tend to the trap. If you claim land, defend it.
This chapter does not ask for belief—it demands action, accountability, and craft.
Build with care. Bind with purpose.
And always remember: the sigil remembers who made it.
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