Sigils: Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Resources

"A sigil (lat. sigillum, diminutive of signum, "sign") is a symbol designed for a specific magical purpose. They are designed to represent a glyph, composed of a variety of symbols or concepts with the intent and inherent iconic meaning. Essentially, sigils are symbolic icons that are condensed representations of more complex ideas or information.

A sigil may have an abstract, pictorial or semi-abstract form. It may appear in any medium, physical or virtual, or only in the mind. Visual symbols are the most popular form, but the use of audial and tactile symbols in magick is not unknown.

Austin Osman Spare, in his Zos Kia Cultus, refined the use of sigils by themselves, i.e. outside of ritual. His technique, now known as "sigilization", became a core element of Chaos magick and from there, has developed into a popular element of western magick.

Sigils have many potential uses. Spiritual protection is a common one, especially when used during goetic work. It can also be used to accomplish a desired end, such as writing down a result in symbolic form, and then burning it. A sigil can even be created as a personal glyph for an individual magician.

In a post-modern context, businesses may use logos as their sigils and invest them with a comparable degree of prestige or power. The idea that these symbols are consciously used as magical tools is a popular idea among some occultists."
- Encyclopedia of Thelema

"In Spare's system there are no "correct" or "incorrect" sigils; neither is there a list of ready-made symbols. It is of no import whether a sigil is the "correct" one or not, but it is crucial that it has been created by the magician and is therefore meaningful to him/her. Because s/he has constructed it for personal use, the sigil easily becomes a catalyst of his/her magical desire, and sometimes it will even waken this desire in the first place. This Pragmatic approach which dominates present-day Anglo-Saxon magic (Israel Regardie, Francis King, Stephen Skinner, W. B. Gray, David Conway, Lemuel Johnstone, to name but a few relevant authors) goes to show that Austin Osman Spare, rather than Aleister Crowley, should be considered the real Father of modern Pragmatic Magic."
- Frater U:.D:.

"Sigilisation is a method by which a desire/intent is encoded into a non-obvious form, i.e. a glyph or picture which does not immediately call to mind the original intent. Any magical intent can be written out, and the letters scrambled to form a picture, mantra or neologism, which can be repeated or concentrated upon until gnosis ensues. Alternatively, the sigil may be set aside until its original purpose is forgotten, and then hurled.

During gnosis or times of great emotional feeling, the sigil may be drawn, visualised or fiercely concentrated upon, to the exclusion of all else. This enables the so-called subconscious mind to 'reprogram' reality in accordance with will. Once the sigil is cast, it is forgotten, so that the desire's realization is not hindered by 'lust of result.'

The word, spoken or written, forms the majority of sigils. It is also worth experimenting with the keying of desires to specific smells, tastes or sounds. Sigils can bring about a wide range of results, from the most abstract to the 'mundane'. From altering dream-content, to habit and behaviour reformation, and arranging fortuitous co-incidences.

Sigils may be formed in this manner independently of any system of planetary or other symbols, and can be hurled forth without elaborate ritual. As a method of practical magick, it is simple and elegant; its effectiveness can be discovered through personal experiment."
- Apikorsus, 1986

Assuming that:

A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, G =7, H=8,
I=9, J=10, K=11, L=12, M=13, N=14,
O=15, P=16, Q=17, R=18, S=19, T=20,
U=21, V=22, W=23, X=24, Y=25, X=26

The Four Secrets of Success:

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

P-E-R-S-I-S-T-A-N-C-E
16+5+18+19+9+19+20+1+14+3+5 = 129%