So one thing that I find confusing, but interesting, is the practice of evocation by opening the sigil and staring at it. But in the Lesser Key of Solomon, it says to wear the sigil, for enforcing obedience.
I was recently reading “A Modern Goetic Grimoire”, and the author definitely follows the traditional approach. But others seem not to.
Members of BALG, especially veteran evocators with success and established contact, which method do you advocate, and why?
I don’t wear sigil tees because they’re a bit too twee for me.
I don’t use Solomonic methods that need to “enforce obedience” in any way, because I don’t believe I work with entities that don’t actually want to help in the first place. I also avoid some of the more dogmatic and religious elements coming out of the JCI system as blinds, and this is one of them. And finally, I don’t see why it would make a difference where the sigil is located physically or whether it’s attached to my clothing or a chain around my neck when I open it as long as I can see it.
If you’re of the mind that the entities are all aspects of your mind, it boils down to doing whatever it takes to convince you, the operator in your heart and mind that the magick will work, that’s all you need. If it matters to you whether you wear it or hold it, then you made it matter, and so it does.
The concept seems kind of silly and nit picky to me, but that’s the thing with ceremonial mages, they like all the details and psychodrama.
So, try both, and keep what feels best for you.
What works for some doesn’t work for all, there’s no definitive answer, there is only what you can get to work for you, and you won’t know what that is for sure until you try.
I wear sigil pendants of those I’m closer to. Have sigil tattoos of some. They are not necessary, helpful in a way yes, but not mandatory. I have gotten contact simply drawing a sigil. Half the time I dont even do that. Sigil is a focal point, not necessary. Your mind and intent is main thing that matters in my opinion. Sigils help but arent the end all be all by any means. I do not own a sigil pendant for instance of every single infernal I may call on. And I wont even buy one unless I make proper contact and we vibe well beforehand. I also dont “force obedience”. My method has always been to approach respectfully, I view them as external sources with their own thoughts and their own personal sovereignty. It’s worked fine for me simply calling and speaking to them in a friendly nature, I have no reason or need to “force obedience”. In the instances we don’t vibe, fine, I’d just go elsewhere but still maintain peace between us.
I use them both ways. I use sigils to connect, and I “open” chaos sigils. But with spirits, I open sigils to connect with them, and I wear them with and for the same intentions. I don’t have any tattoos, but I have necklaces and I ink sigils on my self plenty. I have a familiar’s sigil on my arm at the moment.
I think both approaches are interesting, I see wearing a sigil as something with the connotation of respect or binding perhaps, and can understand how a person would seek to rule a spirit by wearing a sigil, but forcing a spirit is not my intent in wearing them.
Different sigils have different instructions to cast even in the Keys. You can do which ever you feel like regardless of the initial instruction. I advocate always for “try it and find out.” Experiment. Go out if your way to test different methods yourself and see what happens.
Some Solomonic sigils are supposed to be made with leather or blood. Construction paper and pen work just fine for me.
Ive never “opened” a sigil with staring or anything like that. The process of drawing the sigil is casting it for me. The ritual, if there is one, and recitations are also casting it. If it’s a Solomonic seal that I already made, I recast it by tracing it with my wand, scissors, or fingers and reciting the words around the circle, preferably in the correct day/hour. There are some sigils I do “wear” by keeping them in a pocket watch, wallet, shoe, pocket, or other such places depending on what is most appropriate.
I also think of it like an aspect of layering. Yes perhaps leather and blood will make it more powerful or faster, maybe blowing money on a solid gold pentacle of the sun will intensely charge the power that pentacle brings, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t do it the instructed method or some other fanciful way when. Just take mental notes about different ways and see what feels best for you.
Thanks to all for their comments! Especially a shout-out to @MottledZeitgeist . Yes, there’s been times where I’ve cast by drawing a sigil, as well. As for wearing the sigil, I think it would work for me more for invocation than evocation.
The blood probably does indeed do more, however, but I tend to be to squeamish for draining myself. The gold would be something else though. It has so many magical properties. It would be awesome one day to get a whole set of genuine golden sigil plates and test them out.
I keep a pendant of Marbas’ sigil in my wallet that has been opened to let his energies be in my space. I have a blooded Belial sigil on paper in my wallet for the same reason.
Concerning opening sigils, I’ve done it a lot of ways. I’ve opened it on paper as you spoke of. I’ve sent energy into a permanent one and then open it inside myself or on the card or whatever the sigil is on. I’ve drawn them in the air with a finger or a wand and opened them that way, too.
But I work with a lot of entities that don’t have sigils, so I consider them a nice to have. I mostly call on signatures at this point, even if I go through the motions of using a sigil.
I have a sigil/seal tattooed on my left wrist for Lilith. I have found that this has had no bearing in my ability to evoke her or any other. So I don’t believe the positioning of a sigil matters as long as you can see it.
I love that you used the word twee…
Yes , engraved on medals , then add some herbs in a hole above the metal , let the medal touch smoking of Temple Incense for some time and wear it
One spirit (President Amy) who I work with requested that I make a sigil to carry with me at all times during our work. I drew it on a piece of paper and asked if that was all right, they said yes, but pointed out a flat white beach rock in my altar collection and suggested I could draw it on the rock. I did, and they said that was fine, then I got the bright idea to try engraving it on the rock. Well, I’m not that good at engraving with a dremmel tool, turns out, so it’s kind of a janky engraving and I gave up halfway through trying to put a hole in it to turn it into a pendant… the spirit thought this was HILAAAAAARIOUS. I did not bloody myself in this venture but I will likely try again at a later time to at least finish boring the hole in it if I get a better bit. Anyway, I put that rock in my wallet. I asked if I could just buy one and they said no, they wanted me to make one, even if it turned out janky.
Usually I just draw sigils on paper or myself for the limitation of the work. Since I’m developing a relationship of an ongoing nature with this particular spirit, I accepted the request as appropriate, and it does seem to have deepened the ease of my ability to connect with them. It allows their energy to be ongoing in my space and fast to tap into. Like adding someone to my contacts list.
The more I contemplate it, the more I believe with greater firmness that the spirits of the Goetia are basically Djinn, or their magic system was designed with djinn magic in mind. One consistent thing in Djinn magic is that you carry the djinn with you in a kind of vessel during the work. Crowley was no fool and he had a lot to do with the goetia, if I am right? At least in translating part? I don’t know, I’m not good on the lore of it. But point is, there is REASON for some of the stuff in it.
There’s a reference in an old photo copy from a library version that says you wear the seal of the spirit on you, opening it away from you is not correct. I suspect the answer is have both. One before, but definitely create one that doesn’t feel distracting, like a piece of square paper hanging off you, or something silly.
Because, if they DO operate like, or actually are types of djinn for the most part, it makese sense that some of these spirits prefer or even require this as an aspect of the system to make an operation successful or even get successful reached during the evocation process. If only my clairs were fully open, I’d try it tonight.
Try anyway, it’s a full moon, ask for their aid in opening your clairs to perceive them! Sure, it’s easier when you’ve got pretty good clairs, and my UPG is that mine are pretty good, because I’ve outright had spirits tell me to stop diddling around with tools for babies when I can hear and converse just fine without needing a black mirror / pendulum / whatever. But a full moon in October is as good a time as any to do some magick to try open up your clairs if you want them.
I don’t know much about djinn magick at all, but I’ve felt recently compelled to learn more about it, so I’m not surprised to hear that the practice of writing a sigil on myself or carrying a sigil with me as a vessel is in alignment with djinn practice. I’ve always felt like some djinn and demons / goetic spirits are likely just cultural interpretations of the same but not all. Some djinn are more like fae, elemental spirits, spirits of the land of the desert. I do wonder if you’d have to really be there to work with them best.
No , Goetia are not Djinn
Djinn are spirits from Mars, Demons are not found at one planet , but many planets or worlds according to thier Hierarchical arrangement when they were angels of white light , wearing the seal you red not about what’s talking , but it’s different thing
My take on wearing sigils, or keeping them on your person.
That which is like a thing, is that thing.
Sigils are therefore part of the being and carrying them around is helpful for connection.
If only.
When I first started I was nearly clairvoyant anyway, and had supernatural powers, including healing. Now, I cannot even see light in the pineal gland. Last year was death to my senses. Now it is more about finding a way to stop dying. My kundalini raising was almost finished, and then outside forces basically slew me. NEVER attempt real spiritual work with filthy humanity anywhere nearby. The yogis say as much in more polite terms. For good reason. The world works feverishly to stop those who could have grown.
Right now it is more abut shutting off my mind and somehow reactivating whatever parts of the Manipura chakra that govern clairaudiance. Weird that the navel chakra is what does it, but I’ve seen evidence time and again that it does.