Sigil magic

[darkemeralds]

I've been working with sigil magic lately. I don't know if it works, but it's turning into a form of creative expression that I didn't expect.

The concept is that written words have power (they don't call 'em "spells" for nothing). You distill a statement of intention down to a simple clear phrase, then remove the vowels, then remove any duplicate consonants, so "My intention is to find a five dollar bill" becomes:

I FIND A FIVE DOLLAR BILL

which becomes 
FNDFVDLLRBLL

which becomes:
FNDVLRB

Then you take the remaining consonants and create a glyph from them, something that abstracts them enough that they aren't really "readable" anymore, like so.

Once you have your sigil, you launch or activate it through meditation, focused intention, ritual, etc. Then you're supposed to basically forget it. Let it go out into the world. It should be difficult to remember which sigil means what after a short time has passed. The idea is to let it melt into your unconscious mind, which will then act on it. Some magicians burn theirs.

But not me.

After a couple of dozen sigils, I began to develop a personal style. I got some paint pens and a stack of blank black business cards and a circular punch. My activation ritual morphed into the act of coloring, then photographing, cropping, and stylizing each sigil image with a drop shadow, then storing the image in a special file. I stick the paper original on my wall with Blu-Tac.

Pretty soon I had a collection.

So I decided to make magical house art out of them. In a further act of activation-consecration-launch, I'm now gluing them between glass bezels and hanging them on my front door jamb.

This house of mine gets witchier by the day.

Comments

[donutsweeper]

Oooh those look really neat!

[darkemeralds]

They do, don't they? It was kind of a brainstorm. The glass bezels I knew about from a friend who's a stained-glass artist, and it suddenly hit me. I'm pretty pleased with the results so far, even though the silicone sealant I'm using to stick the whole thing together is really messy, stinky and volatile. I expect to have my front door pretty thoroughly ensigiled before too long!

[dine]

those are gorgeous and make great decorative bits on your porch - and knowing that there's meaning behind them makes them even more intriguing

[darkemeralds]

Thanks. I feel like it's a sort of coming-out (or at least a DGAF) to my respectable neighbors. :D

[sasha_feather]

Those are beautiful! how neat.

[darkemeralds]

Cheers!

[firecat]

These are amazing!

[darkemeralds]

Thanks. I feel like I've discovered a craft form that I've been looking for all my life.

[firecat]

That must feel wonderful!

[panisdead]

I love them!

[sporky_rat]

Lovely! Those are super fancy.

[jesse_the_k]

Very nifty, and very well done.

There's a non-toxic goo that's sold for jewelry making--I can't remember its name, but one uses a premade bezel, then lays down a drawing or flower or wevs, and then glops this goo on and it dries clear and hard.

[darkemeralds]

That sounds interesting. I googled "non-toxic clear goo" and came up with at least a few leads.

I had several of my images of sigils reduced to under an inch in diameter with the idea of making them into coat buttons in acrylic, then sewing them to a black coat. There, the lighter weight of a non-glass casing would make a huge difference.

ETA: Ooh! Maybe something like this?

RESIN! That's the keyword

[jesse_the_k]

http://www.rings-things.com/Products/Jewelry-Resins-and-Resin-Supplies
does some explaining

If possible, I'd recommend consulting with someone in person--if you don't have a local bead/crafts store, then Michael's/Joann Fabrics &c. Because some of these products are toxic as all get-out!

Re: RESIN! That's the keyword

[darkemeralds]

There are so many cool things on that site! Thank you! I see buttons in my future.

[lizziebelle]

What a neat idea! And they're beautiful.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks. I'm having a lot of fun. The magic may or may not work, but there's a magic to just making pretty things.

[ravurian]

This is such a cool primer, and a really lovely means of artistic meditation and expression.

And that is probably the most banal comment I've ever left for you anywhere in the course of our entire friendship... <facepalm>

[darkemeralds]

Heh. Not banal. It says, "Hey, I read your post and even though I already knew all about this practice, I took the time to leave you a comment."

Comments are love, as we used to say on LJ back in the day.

[tehomet]

That is so cool. Art magic!

[darkemeralds]

And magic art! I'm up to nine sigils around my front door now. :D

[bluemeridian]

I love the idea and they look gorgeous in the bezels!

[darkemeralds]

Thanks. I'm very pleased with the bezel effect.

[mangopip]

This is so cool.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks! I keep making more of them. They're so pleasing to the eye once they're under glass--like some kind of jewels, almost. I shall cover my whole house with them!

[lyr]

Your sigils are so much more aesthetically appealing than mine!

[darkemeralds]

Hi! Happy New Year! I think of you every time I ride Gudrun, the ebike that you named. I hope you're well and practicing lots of magic. 🌈

[lyr]

Happy New Year! I think of Gudrun every time I see someone riding a bike to do errands, rather than obviously for leisure or racing, which is what most people here do. I'm well, and especially practicing magic on new Year's Day. I like to work little symbolic rituals into the first day of the year. I hope you're doing well, too!