Disclaimer: The following is an experiment.
Having recently decided to roll up my sleeves and do some practical magick (as opposed to my usual meditative/contemplative practice), I was faced with an endless list of possible methodologies: petitioning, turning statements of intent into symbols or mantras, rituals, etc. One thing that is quite difficult for me is visualization. I’m no expert on this but I may be aphantasic—can’t see anything when I close my eyes and try to visualize something. This makes MANY prescribed banishings, rituals, and practices quite difficult. I can IMAGINE anything, but the mind is a dark screen with faint static when I try to picture something. Very strange. Interesting when imagining and visualizing are distinct this way.
I’ve come up with a method using audio sigils that can be replicated with free software.
The Goal: Turn a recording of a statement of intent into an ambient soundscape for immersion.
Steps:
Again, this is just an experiment. Curious if others have utilized audio sigils in similar or different ways and what their mileage has been.
Having recently decided to roll up my sleeves and do some practical magick (as opposed to my usual meditative/contemplative practice), I was faced with an endless list of possible methodologies: petitioning, turning statements of intent into symbols or mantras, rituals, etc. One thing that is quite difficult for me is visualization. I’m no expert on this but I may be aphantasic—can’t see anything when I close my eyes and try to visualize something. This makes MANY prescribed banishings, rituals, and practices quite difficult. I can IMAGINE anything, but the mind is a dark screen with faint static when I try to picture something. Very strange. Interesting when imagining and visualizing are distinct this way.
I’ve come up with a method using audio sigils that can be replicated with free software.
The Goal: Turn a recording of a statement of intent into an ambient soundscape for immersion.
Steps:
- Setup: Have available recording software. Many paid and free variations. I use Reaper ($60 one-time fee or a very generous option to continue evaluating pre-purchase without any restrictions). Audacity is a popular free option.
- Have a microphone. Could be built-in laptop microphone. Or you could record a voice note on your phone to have an .mp3 or .wav file you can then import onto a track.
- Set up track ready to record. Very simple tutorials available for all recording DAWs.
- Record Desire: Arm track to record. Speak your statement of intent. As always, take care in formulating the SOI. Stop recording. Or simply import SOI recording into the track.
- You now have a waveform, a chunk of audio you can manipulate to your heart’s content. Have fun with this. No rules here.
- Manipulate: I recommend stretching the waveform as much as 5x or more. This will create a drone-like audio. Then copy this stretched waveform and paste repeatedly for your desired session duration.
- Add FX: You can then change the pitch (I’ve been going low, like -12 semitones), add reverb, delay, and other FX to make it more ambient sounding. Most DAWs will have stock plugins that can do these things. A popular free reverb plugin I recommend is Valhalla Supermassive. Magical sound design techniques like convolution can vastly alter the source sound. Want to merge your voice-based drone track with the sound of a cello, an ancient cave, guitar cabinet, or a chant recording? Endless options. Kilohearts Convolver is a great option. Some DAWs may have convolution engines built in.
- Experience: Decide how you want to experience/charge/activate/plant the sigil: lying down via incubation, while drifting off to sleep, on a jog. I’ve been using the Lumenate Nova meditation light mask which uses flickering light stimulation tuned to specific frequencies to help induce trance or hypnogogic states. Basically a portable Brion Gysin dream machine that looks like a sleeping mask. Neat device and platform.
Depending on your setup or preference you could work with this audio without exporting with headphones connected to the computer or audio interface. Or you could export to .wav or .mp3, upload it to your preferred cloud storage, and listen to it from your preferred device and headphones/earbuds. Recommend eliminating outside sounds.
- Combine: This method can also be done in combination with more common visual or mantra techniques. Go multimedia if it feels right.
One interesting element is how compact this is. If there are multiple steps that would be separate sigils in the pictorial approach (Gordon White style shoaling method), simply add those steps to the recorded SOI. Or maybe make a master audio sigil and then gaze at or activate other drawn supporting sigils in a trance state.
- Experiment: No rules here. Follow your gut. Use for one-off practical magick, journeying/pathworkings, incubate a vision or active imagination session, create an audio sigil to attune to a deity or operation (Om gam ganapataye namaha, Om mani padme hum, a ka dua, abrahadabra, “Odin, share with me the secrets of the runes,” “Paging the ascended masters” )
Again, this is just an experiment. Curious if others have utilized audio sigils in similar or different ways and what their mileage has been.