Monday, August 21, 2017

Sigils

I got a message asking what I knew about sigils. Well, not much, so here is some quick research to get us all started with the basics.

So googles definition:
sig·il
ˈsijəl/
noun
plural noun: sigils
an inscribed or painted symbol considered to have magical power.
archaic
a seal.
"the supply wains bore the High King's sigil"
literary

a sign or symbol.

From Wikipedia:

A sigil is a symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a type of pictorial signature of a demon or other entity; in modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, it refers to a symbolic representation of the magician's desired outcome.

In medieval ceremonial magic, the term sigil was commonly used to refer to occult signs which represented various angels and demons which the magician might summon. The magical training books called grimoires often listed pages of such sigils. A particularly well-known list is 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.

A kameas (magic square) sigil.
A common method of creating the sigils of certain spirits was to use kameas (magic squares) — the names of the spirits were converted to numbers, which were then located on the magic square. The locations were then connected by lines, forming an abstract figure.[1]
The use of symbols for magical or cultic purposes has been widespread since at least the Neolithic era. Some examples from other cultures include the yantra from Hindu tantra, historical runic magic among the Germanic peoples, or the use of veves in Voudon.

In modern uses, the concept was mostly popularized by Austin Osman Spare, who published a method by which the words of a statement of intent are reduced into an abstract design; the sigil is then charged with the will of the creator. Spare's technique, now known as sigilization, has become a core element of chaos magic.
The inherently individualistic nature of chaos magic leads most chaos magicians to prepare and cast (or "charge") sigils in unique ways, as the process of sigilization has not been rigorously defined. Sigils are used for spells as well as for the creation of thoughtforms.[2]
Unlike with traditional sigils, whose creators made use of traditional lore passed down from generations or from books, modern users often create sigils entirely themselves and devise individual means of "charging" them with metaphysical power.
A "hypersigil" is an extended work of art with magical meaning and willpower, created using adapted processes of sigilization. The term was popularized (if not coined) by Grant Morrison. His comic book series The Invisibles was intended as a hypersigil.[3]

A pinterest link for even more sigil ideas

Some Image searches and I found some somewhat common examples. 










Sunday, August 6, 2017

August Magic Mail iss heeerrreee

I did the video a little different this month. Stuff is being moved to storage, stuff is being installed and painted, and basically that means stuff is everywhere!

So, you get a small and a tad boring tour of my "library" 😃