Lars Helvete - Sigil Magic - Common Forms and Variations (A Book of Chaos Magic)

Sigil Magic

Common Forms and Variations

A Book of Chaos Magic

by Lars Helvete

COPYRIGHT 2015

The most characteristic method of Chaos magic is the sigil a small glyph which is believed to allow the internal occult power of the Chaos magician (Chaote) to project itself upon reality. It is very similar to the occult seals found in ancient grimoires corresponding to different angels and demons, though in the case of Chaos magic the sigil is made by the Chaote rather than taken from an existing book or tradition. In my book Sigil Mechanics I present a model as to why this is so with reference to Jungian psychology. In this present book, I seek to outline various ways in which sigils can be created, along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Provided one knows the principles behind constructing and using a sigil, any form of media can theoretically be altered into a sigil. Along with a list of various suggestions for alternative sigil creations, I will also explain how to increase the efficacy of sigil magic.

But first, some preliminaries are in order: How is a sigil made and how is it used?

In my book Sigil Mechanics, I state the following: "To make a sigil, the Chaote gives voice to her desire. She says, 'I desire a nightmare.' The desire is then written down. All repeating letters are removed, then all vowels are removed. The desire, as stated, becomes:

DSRNGHTMR

The letters are then superimposed upon one another, giving the sigil. An example:

The sigil is held tightly in consciousness in a state of tension, such as through sex, pain, concentration, etc. (It can be visualized or stared into). The tension rises to a certain point and is then relaxed, entirely. At this point the sigil is to be destroyed and forgotten."

Allow me to elaborate:

When the sigil has been held tightly in mind to the point of dissolution, the ensuing dissolution is known in Chaos magic as gnosis the mental oblivion which sends the sigil into the collective unconscious where it can work its magic. My model, in brief, proposes that the collective unconscious comprises a network where all physical and mental events in the cosmos are interconnected. Once sent into the collective unconscious, the sigil may then exert its influence. However, in order to ensure this it is vital that the sigil is both sank deep into consciousness through the aforementioned state of tension, as well as forgotten. If either of these two factors are lacking, the sigil may still be effective, but its efficacy is less certain.

A sigil, clearly, is an object and, therefore, a form of media. It is encountered by the senses first and then the mind. It is not a symbol, for a symbol represents something else. Rather, it is an embodiment of desire into a definite form. In making a sigil, you are objectifying desire and projecting it outward upon the external universe albeit through the "back door" of the collective unconscious. Nonetheless, the sigil itself must also have psychological power a power that influences the mind directly and allows for occult manifestation. This power can be defined in three ways:

1) By bypassing the conscious mind

2) By fascinating the conscious mind

3) By embedding itself into the conscious mind

4) By retaining its structure as it sinks into the mind's deeper strata (the collective unconscious)

As the sigil does not convey the desire, it bypasses the conscious mind and enters into the unconscious. Yet in order to truly pass into the unconscious, it must first fascinate the conscious mind you must find yourself intrigued by its form. This form, being an object of fascination, then both embeds itself into the conscious mind and does so in such a way that allows it to retain its structure. And because it is non-representational, it does not remain in memory for very long and, instead, sinks into the depths of the unconscious where it can bear fruit.

Once a sigil is made, it is then charged. To charge a sigil requires emotional or psychic tension of some form. It could be pain, sexual ecstasy, boredom, disappointment, rage, joy, laughter, etc any high or low response from the mind can theoretically work. In a mystic sense, the Chaote can treat her own mind as a constant provider of different high, middle and low states, and any high or low state that is, any state which registers as significant can be used in making a sigil. Anger is good. So is depression. Despair is also useful the mind gives many treasures in this regard, so long as the Chaote can put them to use.

For a sigil to work it must both conceal desire and serve as a point of focus. Visual sigils are the most common but it is possible to create verbal sigils, auditory sigils and action sigils. Therefore the sigil, in a technical sense, involves the objectification of desire in an image (or other media form) which lacks an obvious or inherent meaning. As it is without meaning, concentration, pain and ecstasy in regards to it becomes non-symbolic and non-referential. Because of this, once the sigil departs from the conscious mind it is no longer easily sustained by consciousness and is soon forgotten.

However, sigils are not the best means of attaining desires which cannot be banished from consciousness. For these wishes, an evocation is preferable.

Example: if the Chaote is in desperate need of more money, a sigil for money will not help, as her constant need for money will resurface the sigil into consciousness if not through the memory of the sigil itself, then by the gnawing desire. A sigil is most effective when it is both no longer desired or remembered. Up until that point, consciousness should have no contact with it and if it inadvertently resurfaces, it must be immediately banished. Otherwise, its efficacy is called into doubt.

This also implies that sigils may take a week or more to manifest results, for it often takes that long to both forget the form of the sigil and the desire at least at first. With practice, desire can be reduced and memory can be made more selective. But until that time, there are special methods the Chaote may employ methods which I will describe at the end of this work.

First, however, let us look at some alternative ways to construct sigils.

Sigils may be created in the following forms, corresponding to the senses:

1) Visual, corresponding to the eye

2) Verbal, corresponding to the mind and ear

3) Auditory, corresponding to the ear

4) Action, corresponding to the body

5) Three-dimensional, corresponding both to the eyes and body (potentially)

The tongue and nose are far too associative for the creation of sigils.

What are the benefits of different sigils, corresponding to different senses?

The psychology of every Chaote is different. Some will respond better, visually, and others will respond best through audio. Still others will be taken in by action. Yet, as a general rule, a sigil should be intense when it is present and easily forgettable when it is absent. If visual memory is prominent in the Chaote, visual sigils may be intense in their appearance, but difficult to forget. The same follows with the other senses. Thus it may be helpful to utilize a variety of different sigil forms in order to prevent the mind from becoming too habituated to certain styles. If the mind becomes accustomed to making sigils in only one way, the sigils may lose some of their effect, insofar as the mind retains too much conscious awareness of them. The more we see a specific type of form, the more we become conscious of it, and since sigils operate on an unconscious level, it may help to change these forms of periodically. Even if each individual sigil is different, so long as the