We draw the symbol on a scrap of birch bark before the sun clears the roofline. The ink is iron gall, the gesture deliberate. The line curves into a spiral, then a dot at the center. It is not a wish. It is a signature. Law of Attraction symbols are visual anchors for intention: geometric or archetypal shapes that a practitioner charges with a specific desire and then repeats or carries as a focusing tool. The key fact: these symbols do not attract anything by themselves; their function is to train the subconscious mind to recognize and act upon the frequency of the desire.
Meta: Learn the history, symbolism, and daily practices of Law of Attraction symbols, plus common misconceptions and four real FAQ answers.
Definition: What Exactly Are Law of Attraction Symbols?
A Law of Attraction symbol is any shape, glyph, or image that a person consciously associates with a target outcome — abundance, love, health, protection — and then uses repeatedly as a trigger for the subconscious. Unlike a sigil, which is a compressed written statement, a Law of Attraction symbol is often a pre-existing archetype: the infinity loop for flow, the heart for connection, the spiral for growth. The symbol is not the energy. It is the file name the mind uses to open the file.
The practice rests on the principle that the subconscious mind responds more directly to images than to language. A person who stares at a spiral for two minutes each morning will, over weeks, prime the neural pathways that associate that shape with expanding opportunities. The symbol becomes a cue for the brain to scan reality for what matches it.
Where Did Law of Attraction Symbols Come From? A Short History
The modern Law of Attraction movement traces its written foundation to the Kybalion (1908), a pseudonymous text claiming to distill Hermetic principles. The principle of Correspondence — “as above, so below”, justifies the use of symbols: a shape on paper can correspond to a state of being in the world. But the specific use of personal symbols for attraction was formalized by Austin Osman Spare in the 1910s.
Spare, a British artist and occultist, published The Book of Pleasure (1913) in which he described sigilic magic: a desire is reduced to a written statement, the letter repetitions are rearranged into a monogram-like glyph, and the glyph is then consciously “forgotten” so the subconscious can act on it unopposed. Spare called this method the “death posture” of the conscious will. Modern Law of Attraction practitioners often adapt Spare’s sigils without the forgetting step, keeping the symbol visible as a daily reminder instead.
The term Law of Attraction itself was popularized by Esther and Jerry Hicks through their Teachings of Abraham series (from 1997 onward). The Hicks introduced “vortex” and “allowing” concepts but did not emphasize symbols heavily. It was the early 2000s online occult revival, forums, later Instagram, that merged Spare’s sigil aesthetics with the Hicks’ audio-streaming vocabulary. By 2015, “manifestation symbols” were a staple on social media, often stripped of their Hermetic and Sparean roots.
The fire is not decoration. It is the altar. And the shape you choose carries a specific valence that affects how it interacts with your subconscious. Here are the most common Law of Attraction symbols and what we mean when we use them:
Infinity symbol (lemniscate). The horizontal figure-eight. In Hermetic thought it represents the eternal cycle of giving and receiving, the energy that never ends. We use it in abundance work to signal that wealth, like breath, circulates rather than gathers.
Spiral. Found in Neolithic carvings and Celtic art. The spiral is the shape of a thought returning to its source. We draw it when we want to break a pattern by forcing the mind to loop on a new trajectory. A clockwise spiral for growth, counter-clockwise for release.
Seed of Life or Flower of Life. The overlapping circles from sacred geometry. Each circle’s center lies on the circumference of its neighbor. We use it for attraction that requires multiple coordinated conditions, a new job, a move, a relationship, because the geometry models interdependence.
Runes (Fehu, Wunjo, Gebo). The Elder Futhark rune Fehu (ᚠ) means cattle, which interprets as mobile wealth. Wunjo (ᚹ) is joy, Gebo (ᚷ) is a gift or exchange. Runes predate the Law of Attraction by at least fifteen centuries, but their phonetic resonance works the same way: the sound of the name triggers a concept. We pair Fehu with a spoken “fay-hoo” when we write it.
Heart. Not romantic only. The heart in alchemical texts is the furnace of transformation. We use it for self-compassion work, warmth, or protection against internal criticism.
The human consequence: a symbol that does not match the core desire leaves the subconscious confused. A person seeking health who draws the infinity symbol may attract eternal circulation of illness if the mind interprets the symbol literally. That is why we say: choose the shape that matches the feeling of the outcome, not the outcome itself.
We do not wear symbols as jewelry and expect them to work by proximity. The symbol must be handled, drawn, seen, and released. The following are experiments we have conducted and documented in our own practice. Each takes less than five minutes.
The Morning Mark
On a small square of unlined paper, draw your symbol with a pen that has a significant color (black for grounding, red for energy, gold for prosperity). Hold the paper between your palms. Breathe once, fully, and say aloud the feeling you want: “I am open,” “I am safe,” “I have enough.” Place the paper under your pillow or in your shoe. You will touch or step on it throughout the day, creating subtle reinforcement.
The Water Glass
Draw the symbol on a slip of paper. Place it under a clear glass of water at your bedside. The water absorbs the intention through the glass, modern proponents argue, because water carries vibrational memory (a claim associated with Dr. Masaru Emoto’s 2004 book The Hidden Messages in Water). We do not take a position on Emoto’s methodology, but we have found that drinking water that sat above a symbol grants a momentary shift in attention, a reminder that the day has a focus.
The Symbolic Bath
Draw the symbol on the inside of the shower glass with a bar of soap, or on your skin with a water-soluble marker. As steam fills the space, the symbol fades. The act of watching it dissolve is the release. The bath is the dissolution of attachment to the outcome.
The Carrying Mark
Some of us draw the symbol on the inside wrist or the pad of the thumb with a fine liner. We look at it during moments of doubt: at a red light, before a meeting, in line. The symbol is a cue to breathe and realign.
The difference is the role of forgetting. Spare required that the sigil be seen once, then consciously forgotten through distraction (his “death posture”). The idea: the conscious mind gets out of its own way. Law of Attraction symbols, by contrast, are kept visible precisely to remind the conscious mind. They are mnemonic, not subconscious programs.
There is also a difference in origin. A sigil is unique to a single statement; you cannot buy a pre-made sigil. A Law of Attraction symbol is often a traditional archetype (heart, infinity, rune) that a practitioner adopts. The trade-off: archetypes carry collective meaning (a heart universally signals “love”), which can either reinforce or conflict with your personal intention. We find that beginners do better with archetypes because the association is already built. Advanced practitioners may distill their own sigils.
Common Misconceptions
“The symbol itself has power.” The symbol is a tool, not a battery. If you never look at it, never touch it, never think of it, it does nothing. The power is in the repeated attention.
“You must not show anyone your symbol.” This is a carryover from sigil magic, where the secrecy prevents the conscious mind from interfering. For Law of Attraction symbols, showing the symbol can reinforce it through social accountability. Showing it is not dangerous; it just changes the mechanism.
“Only these five symbols work.” Any shape that consistently evokes the feeling of the outcome will work. We have seen practitioners use a coffee cup, a hexagon, a handprint, a feather. The symbol’s meaning is assigned, not inherent.
“You must draw it at a specific time or phase of the moon.” Timing amplifies attention, but no celestial event overrides the need for repetition. A new moon is useful for new intentions because the darkness invites projection. A full moon is useful for release. But a symbol drawn on a Wednesday at noon will still work if you work it.
FAQ
Can I use more than one Law of Attraction symbol at a time? Yes, but only if the symbols do not contradict. Pairing abundance (Fehu) with protection (Algiz rune) works. Pairing abundance with a symbol for “renunciation” creates confusion.
Do I need to “charge” the symbol? Charging is the act of focusing your attention on it. It does not require a separate ritual. The moment you draw the symbol and name your intention, it is charged. Repeating the charge simply refreshes the connection.
How long should I use the same symbol? Until the feeling of the outcome becomes automatic. Once the desire no longer produces longing, you can retire the symbol or repurpose it for a different goal. Some practitioners keep one “life symbol” for decades.
Can I use Law of Attraction symbols digitally (wallpaper, screensaver)? A digital screen is less effective than a physical object because the screen carries other associations (notifications, distraction). But a digital symbol seen intentionally, with the phone turned to airplane mode, can work as a visual anchor.
The symbol is not the energy. It is the file name the mind uses to open the file. If you open that file a hundred times in a week, the network of associated neurons becomes a highway. The highway does not carry you to the goal; you still have to walk. It simply ensures you do not get lost. For deeper practice, see our guide to creating your own sigils and browse the glossary of common manifestation symbols. For the full framework, explore the manifestation and Law of Attraction hub.