SIGILS: An Introduction

 

Greetings, fellow travellers! 

Today I am going to provide a cursory explanation of sigils in modern magic. Historically speaking, sigils have been used for many different purposes, including protection from evil, harnessing great and lesser powers, binding and controlling spirits and demons, etc. The legendary grimoire The Lesser Key Of Solomon, for example, provides the names and sigils of a number of demonic entities that may be used by braver souls for a number of reasons, but I'm not here to discuss that particular subject here. In the future, I may return to The Lesser Key and other vaunted tomes coveted by advanced demonologists for deeper discussion, but these are not texts to be used by dabblers in the occult. Believe it or not, there will be serious consequences for toying with forces one does not understand, and I advise you to exercise extreme caution when dealing with such matters. 

Do not take this lightly.

What I am going to break down here is the kind of sigil traditionally used in modern Chaos Magick. I encourage you to read more on the subject of Chaos Magick if you desire, but here I'm going to focus on the creation and usage of a simple sigil. First, we have to understand what a sigil represents. In short, it is a seal created by the practitioner to symbolize a specific goal or intention, not to summon or entreat the aid of any specific spirits. Each sigil created by the practitioner is a unique abstract representation of a desired goal, given a new shape through a simple process and visualized by the subconscious mind to tap into the greater forces that bind all of reality. That may sound like gobbledygook to you, but you have to come into this circle with an open mind. 

The practitioner does not have to believe in the magic behind the sigil in order to create one. The process of creating and charging the sigil is often seen as a therapeutic exercise, a means of visualizing one's desires and frustrations in an effort to purge them from the conscious mind. If we create a visual representation of our goals, we may be able to more easily realize said goals, magic or no magic. It's also a simple creative exercise, which can be enjoyable in and of itself. 

There are three primary types of sigil we can construct: destructible, temporary, and permanent. 

The destructible sigil is expendable and the very act of its destruction is what provides the necessary charge. Drawing your sigil on a slip of paper and burning it is the most common example of this, and it can be a very satisfying experience even for the practitioner who doesn't believe in magic. I prefer for my destructible sigils to be consumable, carving them into an apple I eat as a snack or maybe drawing one on a cupcake with an icing pen. I just find the act of physically consuming the sigil to be deeply gratifying, but that's a personal preference. Temporary sigils are meant to be transitory, drawn into the sand on a beach before the tide rolls in, or marked on the wax of a burning candle. Permanent sigils are made to be active for extended periods of time, and can even be recharged again and again if needs be. You can create a permanent sigil through pottery or sculpture, you can paint your sigil on a wall, or you can even tattoo your sigil somewhere on your body if you wish. Permanent sigils are made when one intends long-term results, such as protection from harm or sexual potency. The way sigils are created also depends upon one's intention, and the four elements (earth, air, fire, water) come into play here for more advanced users, but this is an introduction to the craft, so we'll set that aside for today. 

For today's example, I am going to detail the creation of a permanent sigil, the one that you see at the top of this page. This sigil I created was extrapolated from the phrase "TRAPPO will grow", which holds a double meaning for myself and the other members of The Esoteric Order. "TRAPPO", in this instance, represents both our Order and the podcast of the same name that served to bring us all together. My intention for this sigil is to draw in new listeners to the podcast, who may, in turn, join our Order. 

I must stress before I go any further that we are not "a cult" and we absolutely do not worship the hosts of a podcast. TRAPPO isn't even a show that discusses occult matters at all. It's a humorous podcast that primarily talks about recent music releases. We just like listening to TRAPPO and chose the name of our virtual clubhouse here as an homage and a bit of fun. That's all The Esoteric Order Of TRAPPO really is. We are in no way affiliated with the podcast, so if you think we're just a bunch of "new age cranks" here, don't hold that against the show. We encourage you to listen to TRAPPO, and you can find a link to the show's main page here.

Moving on, some of us are firm believers in magic and the occult, but we practice nothing harmful or malicious. I am a Chaos Magick practitioner and I take these matters seriously, but your belief isn't necessary to enter this circle. I only ask that you come into this circle with respect regarding the process I am demonstrating here. I began this journey as skeptical as you most likely are as you read this, but over time I have had numerous experiences that have fundamentally changed my perspective on basically every aspect of my existence, and I can tell you that Chaos Magick has honestly saved my life on one occasion, but that's a story for another time. 

Let's begin creating our sigil with the chosen intention: TRAPPO Will Grow. You can write your phrase down on a sheet of paper, but for the purposes of this demonstration, I have typed out my phrase on a drawing program on my phone:

Next, we must single out the consonants in our phrase, omitting all vowels and repeated consonants, leaving us with the letters T, R, P, W, L, and G. 

We begin the construction of our sigil with a shape representing the letter G:

Then we continue with the letter R:

Now the letter W:

And the letter L:

The letter T:

And finally, the letter P:

This leaves us with the completed sigil:

Now that the sigil is complete, there are numerous ways one can charge it. One method I frequently employ involves guided breathing. If I have drawn out a permanent sigil on a sheet of paper, I lay it on the floor in my circle of power, kneel before the sigil and inhale sharply through my nose, holding the breath in my lungs as I visualize the power residing there. Then I release that power through my mouth onto the sigil. I continue this process with a clear mind until I have imbued the sigil with sufficient energy. This form of meditation can last as long as one desires. For me, usually ten minutes, depending on what intention I have captured with my sigil. Other methods include projection of voice, stomping or dancing over the sigil, or marking the sigil with blood, tears or saliva, but you can invent new ways of charging your own sigils, as long as they make sense to you. One of my personal favorite methods involves charging sigils through orgasm, which is just a lot of fun on many different levels, but I understand that particular method may not be for everyone. 

I have charged this particular sigil with a chant, repeating the phrase "TRAPPO will grow" thirteen times, holding my open right palm over my phone as it illuminated the newly-formed sigil. Then I uploaded the sigil here and placed it on the blog's symbolic head. An easy and painless process. 

Now you understand what the symbol above means, and now you know how to create sigils of your very own. I encourage you to do so, but I must remind you to keep your intentions clear and as simple as possible. Short, declarative statements are most effective here. Don't say "I hope I get a passing grade in biology", for example. Instead, say "I will pass biology". That's really all you have to keep in mind. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit when you create and charge your sigils. Also, don't create a sigil with the phrase "I want to be a millionaire" and just expect to have a million dollars fall into your lap. Sigils don't work that way. You must allow yourself to be mindful, remaining open to the signs the universe will provide in the fullness of time, and be prepared to work to make these intentions reality. Chaos Magick isn't a genie that exists to grant you wishes. It is a tool you can use to alter the world around you, but you still have to strive to achieve your goals. The only shortcuts one may find in this world are fraught with peril. There is always a price to pay for meddling with darker forces, so I implore you to remain on the proper path. 

Thank you very much for joining me on this journey. Now tap into your true potential and reshape reality! 

Blessed be, Grand Mistress Mika