One of the most common messages I get on Tumblr goes something like this: “What is your process for creating sigils? It can’t be as simple as scrambling up letters, so what’s the real secret?”
The truth is, there isn’t a secret. Making sigils is actually quite simple. Anyone can do it. Even for a complete newcomer, the process should take less time than a coffee break. While there are many, many ways to create sigils — magic squares, automatic drawing, grid overlays — the methods don’t really matter all that much.
In this post, I’m going to show the step-by-step method I used for creating the most recent sigil I’ve published. It came at the request of a young woman who wanted to catch the romantic attentions of another female. It said simply: “She will see me in a romantic way.”
As you can see, I’ve gone with the most basic sigil-creation method here. I’ve written out the text, and I’ve isolated the consonants from the sentence. While there is an “occult” tradition behind this method, I wouldn’t get hung up on thinking that it’s the “right” way to make a sigil. It’s no better than any other method, it’s just easier to explain.
This first step is meant to abstract the coherent words into a less-coherent jumble of letters. The words stop being as meaningful, but the symbols behind the sigil’s intent remain. To keep things simple — and to speed up my next step — I arrange these letters into a grid.
The next step is to abstract the remaining letters even further. Here, I’ve simply started combining elements of the letters together. I generally start by picking two letters from the grid of consonants, and start combining lines, curves, curls, dots, and other pieces of those letters together.
I try to keep these new symbols as simple as possible — four or five pencil strokes at most — because I’ll be further combining them in the next step.
From here, I generally play around with a few ideas, combining elements of symbols as I go. Sometimes these ideas come easily, as seen in the picture, but sometimes it can take pages and pages of sketches to find one I like. In particularly thorny situations, I’ll even start the entire process over from scratch, just to give myself a clean slate.
Once I’ve found a design I like, it’s time to start on the final design. Much like every other stage in the process, there is no one “right” way to do this. This is also the step where most people could happily stop. When the sigil looks and feels “right” to you, it’s done. The sigil is complete, if you want it to be.
In my case, however, I’m also making art for my website and social media. That means creating a version of the sigil that will (hopefully) catch other people’s eyes. There are countless ways to do this — charcoals, crayons, digital painting, markers — and I’ve experimented quite a bit over the years.
I also like to have an excuse to play with ink and brushes, so that’s how this one came together. I like that it’s a little unpredictable — with streaks and globs and splatter — and I’m always thrilled when a happy accident improves the design.
As you can see, I create tons of variations, tinkering with brush sizes, stroke direction, the amount of ink in the brush, and other stuff. While I liked some of these versions, none of them looked quite right. So, I kept going until I found one that did.
A few ink-soaked pages later, and this version was the clear winner. From here, it was just a matter of scanning the image in and doing a few technical things in Photoshop to make it look better in black and white. I add the text, the watermark, and … that’s it.
Here’s the finished version.
As you can see, there’s no great secret to making a sigil. Nor should there be. Sigils are about focusing intent, and even a few pencil scratches on notebook paper can become a perfectly wonderful sigil with the right intent behind it. Yes, some people (like me) like to do a little showing off with things they picked up from art class, but that should never be a barrier to creating your own personal sigils.
Questions? Thoughts? Leave a comment or drop me a message.
To create a Sigil (symbol) in the tradition of Austin Osman Spare:
Write out your desire as a positive declarative statement, as though it was already the case.
Select all the consonants, with only one instance of each required.
Create a symbol which incorporates each of these letters.
Memorise the final symbol as best you can, by visualising it with your eyes closed.
When you can, perform an auto-erotic act. At the moment of orgasm visualise the symbol sinking down into the white light. Repeat this act periodically until your desire is fulfilled.
You should expect that you will have to perform certain acts to reach fulfilment. In the example given here that would include applying to jobs that you think will meet your requirements etc.
Depending on the desire expressed you may have to wait a while (in some cases several months) before the desire in the astral realm manifests in the physical.
If you follow all of these instructions then the final piece of the puzzle is to know deep down that the desire will manifest, as it has already happened outside of time.
The Formula of Atavistic Resurgence Zos-Kia Cultus
Austin Osman Spare created this Stele embodying the secret glyphs and sigils of the Cultus.
“There is a Grimoire of symbology, of vague phonic nuances that conjoins all thoughts and is the cryptic language of the subconscious world.” AOS “I teach the equal reality of all things, man and his illusions: Dreams shall flesh …some day.” AOS
Whatever the value of Spare’s contribution to art and psychology, his contribution to experimental occultism is supreme, for he discovered a method of reifying the dream world under the controlling aegis of the fully conscious will. KENNETH GRANT
The arts posted in this social profile are not directly related with our society. Politics, sensationalism, homophobia and racism is completely contrary to the practice and teachings of the Fraternitatis S.’.S.’. and Thelema.
Planetary pentacles are very useful but their purposes tend to be quite generalized. I personally find combining them with sigils, herbs, stones, and other magick items to be extremely potent and ensures a more targeted effect. The following process should ideally be done in it’s entirety on the correct planetary day.
Construction
Create a planetary pentacle (for instructions see this post) appropriate for your working. I highly recommend you use paper to make your pentacle as we will be writing on it and folding it up.
Sigilize the desired effect of your talisman. Be as specific as possible and remember to use positive phrasing (”I am” instead of “I am not”) and the current tense (”I am” instead of “I will be”). Once you have a sigil you are pleased with, write it on the back of your pentacle using an appropriately colored ink.
Reach gnosis and launch your sigil using your preferred method. If the talisman is for someone else, have them launch the sigil if at all possible. Sigil launching methods include but are not limited to:
Orgasm while looking a the sigil
The death posture
Drugs
Physical exhaustion
Hyperventilation
Meditation
Mantra
Fold your pentacle up and bind it with an appropriately colored string. Fold towards you if you are trying to draw something to you, away from you if you are banishing or removing something. It can also be useful to use the number of folds that correspond to your working or to add an appropriate number of knots (7 times for luck etc).
Place the packet in your container along with any herbs, stones, or other items you wish to include. I usually just use those little organza baggies but you’re welcome to use anything that suits you. If the talisman is for someone else make sure to include a taglock – particularly if you were unable to get them to launch the sigil.
Correspondence lists are outside the scope of this tutorial but many can be found online – I recommend Alchemy Works for planetary correspondences.
Decorate your container if desired.
Consecrate the talisman for use. How you go about this will depend heavily on your practice and paradigm so use whatever method your comfortable with. I tend to create mine during other planetary workings which includes reciting the Orphic Hymn of the planet being used over it, speaking it’s purpose aloud, and anointing it with consecrated oil or water.
Here is an example of a talisman I made recently. It’s nothing special to look at but it packs quite a punch. You can make much more elaborate and beautiful ones than this but boring ones are perfectly functional.
Talisman Care and Feeding
Talismans typically require some periodic maintenance – particularly if you intend their effects to last indefinitely. How you choose to do this is up to you however the feeding should be performed on the planetary day and hour that corresponded to your talisman and last the duration of the planetary hour. I find traditional spirit offerings of a tea light and incense do the trick quite nicely but feel free to get creative with it. In my experience talismans can go 3-4 weeks without any maintenance and much longer if you carry them on you regularly but your mileage may vary.
In our practice energy is one of, if not the main fundamental construct that allows us to manifest our desires through our intent. Our consciousness, and state of being allows us to mold, and impact the energy around us allowing us to create, and give birth to new entities, consciousnesses, and constructs. This post serves as a list of different forms of creation based on intent, energy, and thought. It will start at the purest form, and work its way down to the more complicated constructs that can exist through the simple use of intent, and energy.
Pure Source Energy
Pure source energy is energy that has not been assigned a purpose besides existing. This energy comes directly from source, and usually becomes a form of programmed energy in some form, or another. This is the only one on this list that is not made by intent, and energy, but much rather is the basis for it.
Programmed Energy
Programmed energy is energy that has had intent, or emotion placed into it, so that it can be used to carry out a goal, or bring that specific energy into a situation. These programmed constructs of energy usually do not have any cognitive function, and are just the pure essence of the intent, or emotion that was placed into them. All forms of energy have some form of programming in them except for pure source energy. Programmed energy takes on the traits, and purpose of the intent, or emotion, and is the most basic form of energy that shows some form of consciousness. There are many different various ways energy can be programmed, or take on some form of programming. These programs can even be rewritten, or transmuted by other energies, or consciousnesses.
A poltergeist is an entity that is created from non expressed high emotional feelings. These high emotional feelings usually manifest into a poltergeist by accident, and the person who creates them might not even know that they did create one. They are usually accidentally created by practitioners, or people who do not know they have a psychic gift. These entities are usually led by the intention of the high emotions, and are just made up of a high amount of programmed energy. They really don’t have much of a consciousness though, and they just pulled in the direction of the intent that they were created from.
Sigils in general are a type of symbol that are filled with a specific intent in order to be charged, and activated. Sigils can be pretty much anything as long as they can be filled with intent, and can be charged, and activated in order to manifest the intent. Sigils are assigned a specific intent, and then are given energy to use in order to further that intent. They are more advanced than simple programmed energy, because they act more as a producer of certain energies. As they are charged they transmute that energy into whatever the intent wants it to be, so that it can be used to fulfill its purpose. As you can see this makes them more like small intricate machines that are created for a certain purpose. In essence there are a lot more like simple servitors, and do not exactly have a complicated consciousness, but you can see the framework for an entity to start to form from the simple framework of a sigil.
Servitors are an entity that is created from the energies, and intentions of a practitioner. They are entities that are commonly used to serve, or perform some form of task for usually the person who creates them. These entities are quite a lot more complicated then just some simple programmed energy, or sigil. These entities are usually given personalities, character traits, spiritual forms, names, housing, and a purpose. These entities usually release their energy in order to perform their purpose, because of this these entities need to take in energy into themselves in order to feed, so that they can continue to exist. They are most of the time subservient to the person who created them, but they do show a level of consciousness, and have even been shown to act upon it and go rogue at times. They are practically the beginning to a new simple entity that has been created simply through programmed energy, and intent. Though these entities usually do not have a lot of free will it has been documented that they can gain more of it, and learn to become self-sufficient.
Tulpas are an entity created primarily through thought alone, and usually do not have housing. They are actually quite a lot like servitors in many ways, but they have been known to have a lot more free will, and are not usually assigned a overarching purpose. These entities usually take very intense focus to create, and are kept alive through feeding, and continuous attention in order to give it energy so that it can continue to exist. They have quite a lot of free will because they usually are not assigned purposes at least not in the same way servitors are. They are more like equal companions, and friends that just happened to be attached to you, and your mind.
Egregores are thought forms that are created by the combined collective consciousness of a group of people. These will always form whenever a group comes together to further the same goal, and are like hive minds of energies for a specific group. These egregores still need to be maintained in order to grow more powerful, and to continue on existing separately of the consciousnesses that created it. Egregores are greatly influenced by the group of community members that are a part of it, and it builds its personality, essence, energy, and ideals off what the sum of them are thinking, intending, and releasing into the world. Egregores have pretty much complete free will, because they are not bound, or created in particular really by people. Their ideals, and intend come directly from the collective consciousness of all the people that are in the group, and will influence what they do, look like, and even act like. If these entities are greatly cared for they will eventually become powerful enough to exist without the consciousness, or energies of the group, and can continue on their own without them. Egregores can be created consciously if the group is aware of it, or in most cases will be created unconsciously of the group. Groups that are aware of it, and our magical practitioners of any type will usually create even stronger egregores when they come together, and if the egregores do eventually get strong enough they will take on a complete life of their own.
Godforms
Godforms are very powerful, and free willed entities. they usually evolve from one of the other constructs of programmed energy, and will become a godform when they finally become powerful enough to sustain life on their own. These entities are very independent, and do have their own consciousnesses, personality, character traits, spiritual forms, beliefs, ideals, and morals. Once an entity reaches this state, they don’t need whoever, or whatever created them, and are completely unique, powerful, individuals. They can do whatever they wants to, but they usually hold their dominion over an aspect of something, and are worshipped, and/or fed by people in order to get stronger. They’re practically gods that were created like other types of thought forms but are known for being a lot stronger.
Conclusion
The things that can be created from our consciousnesses, intent, and energies can greatly affect the world around us. Our creations a very powerful even if we do not know it, and we have a responsibility to understand what we are capable of doing. Intent and energy can be a powerful tool if we know how to use it correctly.
Asmoday as he appears in the “Stephenson” Ars Goetia, and as a commissioned piece (“The Demon Regent Asmodeus”, 2014).
You can see the Seal (Sigil, Lamen) of the Spirit in both images. The latter places the three heads on a geometric shape, as King Asmoday doth teach the arts of Arithmetic, Geometry and Astronomy.
The ring that Asmodeus holds is the Ring of Virtues, and he governs over 72 legions of inferior spirits.
It is said that he giveth the Helmet of Hades to the aspirant, which doth make one invisible to the other Spirits, so that thou canst retrieve the treasure (Terma) from its hidden location.
The Chaos star is a spoked device with eight equidistant arrows radiating from a central point. It was originally devised by the fantasy author Michael Moorcock as a symbol of chaos (infinite possibility), and has been adopted as a symbol of Chaos Magick. Its current rounded shape was devised by occult author and chaos magician Peter Carroll.
“The Chaosphere is the prime radiant or magic lamp of the adept – a psychic singularity which emitteth the brilliant darkness.It is a purposely created crack in the fabric of reality through which the stuff of chaos enters our dimension. Alternatively, it may be considered as a demonstration of the axiom that belief has the power to structure reality.” – Liber Null & Psychonaut
“Sigils and Mandalic Iconography consisting of hand drawn and digital elements. This concept is an exploration of a technique called Sigilization that was developed by the Magickian Austin Osman Spare which is of particular interest to me”
Occult Aspects 