® SIGILIZATION
OVERVIEW:
The term is from the latin 'sigillum', meaning 'a signature'. A sigil (pronounced /'s?d?.?l/ or /'s?g.?l/; pl. sigila or sigils) is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose and is a pictographic form or linear figure that represents a specific being or intentions. The term sigil derives from the Latin sigilum meaning "seal," though it may also be related to the Hebrew ????? (segulah meaning "talisman"). The old norse binding rune is an example of the idea. However, sigila differ from runes as they are designed not to represent an alphabet but are created to form a glyph, composed of a variety of symbols or concepts which carry intent and inherent iconic meaning.
A sigil may have an abstract, pictorial or semi-abstract form. It may appear in any medium, physical or virtual, or only in the mind. Visual symbols are the most popular form, but the use of audial and tactile symbols in magic is not unknown.
Sigilia are commonly found in Jewish mysticism and Kabbalistic magic (being an especial focus of Sefer Raziel HaMalakh and other medieval Jewish mystical sources) upon which much of Western magic is based.
Austin Osman Spare, in his Zos Kia Cultus, refined the use of sigila by themselves, i.e. outside of ritual. His technique, now known as sigilization, became a core element of chaos magic and from there, has developed into a popular element of Western magic.
In medieval ceremonial magic, the term sigil was most commonly used to refer to the occult signs that represented the various angels and demons that the magician might summon. The magical training books called the grimoires often listed pages of such sigils. The most notorious of these lists is found in the Goetia, in the Lesser Key of Solomon, in which the sigils of the 72 princes of the hierarchy of hell are given for the magician's use. Such sigils were considered to be the equivalent of the 'true name' of the spirit, and thus granted the magician a measure of control over the beings.
In 20th century magic a sigil is most often a linear figure created to be a visual concentration of the will of the magician. The concept was created by painter/occultist Austin Osman Spare. He devised a method by which a statement of intent for any specific magical spell is rendered into a linear design, in which the original intent is completely buried. That figure - the sigil - is then charged with the magical will of the creator, and becomes, in effect, a current of energy with a will, or a 'spirit' that brings about the intent of the spell.
In the modern magickal circles, sigils are symbols that connect to a specific set of ideals by which spirits or god-forms may be summoned to awareness, and controlled, depending upon the purpose at hand. Sigils are also used in divinatory practices, ceremonies and for a myriad of other reasons.
WHY CREATE ONE?:
The sigil itself is said not to call forth the spirit/energy, but serves as a physical manifestation of it, to give a physical focus through which the practitioner can achieve the desired shift of consciousness or mindset.
Some sigils represent the secret names of spirits and god-forms who manifest themselves according to each practitioner and their personafiable forms thereof. But again sigils are not limited unto this, for there are a variety of purposes they can offer to the adept.
Sigils can be created for any specified purpose, using the energetic intent of the creator and the empowerment of the will of the practitioner during the rite it is to be employed within, so a sigil can represent both a complex concept or a simplified one.
Sigils can also serve to identify a logo of an order, organization or group. Even individuals, solitaires can adopt their own personal sigils by a simple method of selecting a letter from a source of their name, a rune or a decorative alphabet such as the Theban, or even from the Tameri or Enoch, which ever feels right for you to use. Whichever you chose to incorporate into your sigil, remember it must suit you as it will have a personal, secret meaning that only you should know and are often inscribed on magickal tools used in all esoteric practices and ceremonies. Sigils can also serve as amulets, talismans or keys.
Sigils can be designed from geometric shapes, astrological signs, or symbols used in alchemy, but t hey can also use numerological and gematrian concepts to further empower the sigil itself. They may be of various signs, be associated with a specific pantheon or practice, or could include a combination of both/all. Some of the best sigils are attained through intuition, inspiration and meditation.
USING SIGILS:
There are many different theories on sigils and their uses, many different ways to create them, and here I will give a few methods here, but ultimately it will be up to you to create your own method and know when and how to use them.
In his essay "Pop Magic!", Grant Morrison explains the process for creating and activating sigilia as such:
The sigil takes a magical desire or intent - let's say 'It is my desire to visit Rwanda' (you can, of course, put any desire you want in there) and folds it down, creating a highly-charged symbol. The desire is then forgotten. Only the symbol remains and can then be charged to full potency when the magician chooses.[...]
Charging and launching your sigil is the fun part (it's often advisable to make up a bunch of sigils and charge them up later when you've forgotten what they originally represented).
Now, most of us find it difficult at first to maintain the precise Zen-like concentration necessary to work large-scale magic. This concentration can be learned with time and effort but in the meantime, sigils make it easy to sidestep years of training. To charge your sigil you must concentrate on its shape, and hold that form in your mind as you evacuate all other thoughts.
Almost impossible, you might say, but the human body has various mechanisms for inducing brief 'no-mind' states. Fasting, spinning, intense exhaustion, fear, sex, the fight-or-flight response will all do the trick. I have charged sigils while bungee-jumping, lying dying in a hospital bed, experiencing a total solar eclipse and dancing to Techno. All of these methods proved to be highly effective but for the eager beginner nothing beats the wank technique.
Magical masturbation is more fun than the secular hand shandy, and all it requires is this: at the moment of orgasm, you must see the image of your chosen sigil blazing before the eyes in your mind and project it outwards into the ethereal mediaspheres and logoverses where desires swarm and condense into flesh.
The sigil can be written on paper, on your hand or your chest, on the forehead of a lover or wherever you think it will be most effective.
At the moment of orgasm, the mind blinks. Into this blink, this abyssal crack in perception, a sigil can be launched.
HYPER SIGILS:
A 'hypersigil' is an extended piece of artwork, be it a novel, song, dance etc, that is created with a similar intent as a sigil. People attempting to create a hypersigil optimally want it to allude to and be referenced by multiple other artworks to reinforce its 'strength.' The term was possibly coined by Grant Morrison. He used the word to describe his purpose in writing the comic book series The Invisibles. Morrison considers it the key to a memetic complex created with magical intent.
A MUCH TAMER METHOD:
-- Sent in by an avid reader; A.S. Thanks --
Fire Sigils: To create a fire sigil, you need to find a flat piece of wood that you will be able to destroy once you are finished. It is suggested to use one that is no bigger than a piece of tablet paper. It can be square, rectangular, any shape you can find. A piece of plywood will work fine. You also need at least two candles. The first candle is for burning your sigil into the wood, the second will be your spell candle and should be the appropriate color for your spell.
When you are ready to begin, sit in front of your altar (if you use one), and light the first candle. Hold the piece of wood in your receptive hand and hold the wood over the flame of the candle. Not too close, but close enough that you will be able to burn an image into the wood. Now, you must begin to focus completely on your goal. Meditate on your intention and don't allow your mind to wander. Think of a phrase, derived from your intent, and repeat it over and over in your mind if you wish- this can help your concentration. As you are focusing, the natural swaying of your body will move your hand and the piece of wood over the flame, creating an image. Don't TRY to sway and create an image- be focusing only on your goal. Allow the image to be drawn naturally.
When you feel you have sufficiently focused on your goal, take the piece of wood and look at the image that was burned into the wood. It will look odd and crude most likely, but try to visualize a definite image within it and draw the image you see onto a piece of paper.
Now, focus on the image you drew and memorize it. Close your eyes and be sure you are able to see it in your mind. Next, charge your spell candle and inscribe the image into it. Set it into your candleholder and focus once more on your goal. At the same time, stare at the image on your paper and focus on it. Slowly close your eyes and visualize the sigil as you are focusing on achieving your goal. Meditate, and focus solely on your goal and the sigil.
When you feel you can't focus on the sigil any longer, imagine it slowly fades away and disappears completely. Open your eyes and end the spell- close the circle, etc. Allow the candle to burn down completely. When you are finished, destroy the piece of wood by burning it if possible. You also need to do your best to never envision the sigil you created anymore. It should be gone completely from your mind and you should also never use that same image again in other spells.
I wouldn't suggest that a beginner attempt to use sigils in his or her magical workings. I would suggest having some experience first, and being somewhat proficient in meditation and focusing. Complete focus is so important. This is the only technique I use as far as sigils. I'm not all that comfortable using and creating them. It's just not my favorite type of magic. I prefer candle and herb magic, and usually only draw sigils if I am in need of something very, very important- say someone I know is deathly sick or injured- or if I am in desperate need of something or am sick. And that rarely happens, so sigil magic is a rare practice for me. Also, many people have different opinions of sigil magic and use them differently, create them differently, etc. -- Thanks A.S.--
OTHER INFORMATION:
OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
-- Thanks L.E. --
METHOD 1: Here's a different take on sigils I'm been experimenting with, & thought I'd see what you guys thought, or if you have other ideas that work well for you.
What I've been doing is to compose my statement of purpose & reducing to individual letters (as per the normal methods by Spare, Hine, Etc.) Then, instead of playing with a pictogram, I take the applicable planetary magical square (such as Venus for love spells) & plot out the statement on it (winds up looking like the angelic or demonic Goetic signs). Follow normal procedures from there.
Other ideas? Maybe these ideas work, maybe not. The first step is to try them out.
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METHOD 2: For those who are the more extreme among us. I am a sigil master for my own orders and I have found personally what really works for ME is something that truly empowers ANY working that I do.
As I continue to evolve within my own skill levels, knowledge bases - I create a sigil for myself at each successive level/initiation obtained / surpassed - consecrate it with body effluvia / blood and then the sigil is completed in its manifestation when it is tattooed upon my body.
Symbologically each sigil, in correspondence to its purpose is placed on a specific part of the body. With each "empowerment" done, each sigil is connected to the other/next/previous as each sigil is a part of the greater (which is still in process).
I use Spare's method of charging each sigil, and even when it is getting tattooes, I do the same. Then in meditation and/or rites - I invoke each of the sigils BY NAME and then continue with the work at hand.
I could not begin to explain the outcomes in merely mundane words..........
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