[Opinion] The insanity of sigil magick

[akenu]

For the last few days, I've been thinking about how insane sigil magick actually is. It's basically the only system of Magick where you can begin with an empty book and a pen, and end up with a complete system of Magick tailored to you, including spirits, incantation, and even divination.

There is basically nothing else like it.

 

[Robert Ramsay]

It cuts to the heart of the matter. In the words of John Constantine: "I'll tell you the ultimate secret of magic: any c**t can do it."

All magical systems were invented at some point, and they all have the same potential for effectiveness. Chaos magic (of which sigil magic is one expression) cuts away all the stuff that can disguise the magic, and throws into sharp relief that when it all comes down to it, the magical system is just about choosing the tool that best suits you. You are the magic, not your tools.

 

[triad]

Technically, EVERY system started with a person, an empty book and a pen. Sigils are just a specific technology to accomplish what you're after.

 

[featherfae]

I love sigils, they were how I started out dabbling in magic and they're still present in my practice to this day. I love that the creation process is just as important to success as the resulting symbol itself. I really appreciate that it makes me put my intention into a simple, positive phrase and sit and focus on that intention for the time that it takes to make the sigil. Plus I love art and fibre craft magic, and turing sigils into art and embroidery is such a fun way to use them.

 

[akenu]

I love sigils, they were how I started out dabbling in magic and they're still present in my practice to this day. I love that the creation process is just as important to success as the resulting symbol itself. I really appreciate that it makes me put my intention into a simple, positive phrase and sit and focus on that intention for the time that it takes to make the sigil. Plus I love art and fibre craft magic, and turing sigils into art and embroidery is such a fun way to use them.

I love your enthusiasm, but beware, sigil doesn't need to be just a picture

 

[HoldAll]

There has been a thread which can't find at the moment where I held that sigil magic was only ever good for specific one-time results but not for long-term progress such as becoming better at something or improving one's general health. However, @Robert Ramsay suggested that the particular method of charging used may have an impact in this respect so that the popular 'lightning method' would be unsuitable for drawn-out developments where e.g. trance would be more appropriate.

Another possibility that has been brought up sometimes is turning a sigil into a talisman after charging, for example in order to ensure the consistency and stability of a desired process, with some even suggesting to display the sigil prominently in one's home so that it will become subliminally imprinted in your mind again and again even when you don't notice it anymore.

So what do you think? Has sigil magic inherent limitations or does (charging) technique have something to do with it?

 

[Seimulluh]

Well if sigil magick is simple, what about new avatar power, prayers, chantings, breathwork, meditation and manifestation...

 

[ahathoor]

I see Spare-Carroll sigil building as a small component in a potentially much wider magical practice... It is simply a way to take a magical intention, and transform it into something that the human mind can visually encompass without difficulty.

In that way, it doesn't really have "limitations" per se; the limitations are in the practitioner's knowledge and intuition, trancework expertise, pure magical "power" (whatever that is), and the remaining parts of the magical practice.

 

[akenu]

There has been a thread which can't find at the moment where I held that sigil magic was only ever good for specific one-time results but not for long-term progress such as becoming better at something or improving one's general health. However, @Robert Ramsay suggested that the particular method of charging used may have an impact in this respect so that the popular 'lightning method' would be unsuitable for drawn-out developments where e.g. trance would be more appropriate.

Another possibility that has been brought up sometimes is turning a sigil into a talisman after charging, for example in order to ensure the consistency and stability of a desired process, with some even suggesting to display the sigil prominently in one's home so that it will become subliminally imprinted in your mind again and again even when you don't notice it anymore.

So what do you think? Has sigil magic inherent limitations or does (charging) technique have something to do with it?

Interesting question. The death postures are definitely okay for a quick fire and forget, but for more interesting effects, it is definitely better to turn sigil magick a little bit ritualistic. Charging through chants, gestures, posism, working with a single sigil for a longer period of time. You can, e.g., use this method for astral projection.