The other day I made a comment in a private chat that the theme for sigils is and remains “fuck around and find out.” And indeed, sigils have always been the most agile of magical techniques:
- They’re free: I’ve made them with sticks in dirt and sand on the beach and you can create more permanent ones with nothing more than slips of paper from the trash and a pencil or pen. You could literally get everything you need to launch sigils from the lottery counter of your local convenience store. If you were completely without resources, living on the street and hungry, my magical suggestion would be to snag some napkins and one of those little lotto pencils and make yourself some sigils.
- They’re easy to create and launch: Yes, you can fancy the process up with candles and incense and sparkly markers and special timing… but you don’t have to. You also don’t have to masturbate (that’s just a nice side benefit really). I’ve launched perfectly successful sigils using nothing more than my will and a particular way of unfocusing my vision. I’ve launched them on planes and trains and in bathrooms and in the middle of meetings and public parks and bars and… well, anywhere and everywhere.
- They’re supremely flexible: Just try to find a spell for a free bicycle, or a low cost vacation near water, or the knowledge you need to invest successfully… your ancient grimoire isn’t going to have much to offer. But with sigils you can ask for anything and everything you can articulate: “I get discounts and free samples” “My boss thinks I’m awesome” “I get a new lawnmower for cheap” “My chickens are healthy and productive”
- They’re safe: You aren’t going to call up a demon or offend a god or monkey’s paw yourself into trouble with sigils (unless, I guess, you are deliberately sigiling for those things, which… don’t do that). At worst, you will increase the amount of chaos in your life a bit, which is what all effective magic does anyway. In my metaphysics, sigils are like little imps (the more chaos inclined might call them servitors) — tiny spirits that you create and send out on these tasks to help move things in your favor. They’re like little friends and they love traveling in groups, so make lots and set them loose!
- They’re iterative: Sigils not working? DO MORE. Try different approaches. Adjust your statements. Fire off multiple batches until you see results. Sometimes people are like “I’ve been considering a sigil for a new job for a few months now and I’m not sure how to frame it and when to launch it for maximum effect and I want to get the statement just right and…” Dude, you could have launched two dozen sigils in the time you’ve been trying to make that one perfect statement!
— I have a job I love / My new job pays twice as much / I love working from home in my new job / My new boss loves me / I find my perfect fit for my new career / I have all the money for things I need and want / People come seeking me for exciting opportunities / My new job is exciting but not stressful / I am valued for my abilities and experience / I am well paid for my work / My job is fulfilling and meaningful / My new job is the perfect fit / People at work think I’m great / My new job is stable and lucrative / The right people find my resume on line / I get tons of interest in my skills and talents / I don’t have to work weekends at my new job / I have tone of paid time off / My new medical insurance protects me and my family / Everyone at work loves me / I make friends with my colleagues —
Remember, sigils get lonely and they’re small! They like having lots of friends to help them.
If you get motivated and creative, you can have an endless supply of sigil magic moving through your life. And that’s how agile as a whole is supposed to work. Want to be more creative? Explore drawing, paining, poetry, dance… Want to have a business? Try out several ideas quickly and cheaply to see what pans out. It’s a playground and a laboratory. And this is where we get to the bad news. Because the world seems to be less of a playground right now. Classes are cancelled or overbooked, supplies are hard to come by and expensive, it’s not easy or cheap to travel. We are in a time of rapidly increasing costs and limited resources. You can’t always count on getting what you need quickly or easily or cheaply. And that means you have to rethink your approach… but it doesn’t mean you stop being agile.
If you wanted to do some sigils, but the pretty cards and sparkly pens were out of stock and backordered, would you stop? Would you wait? Or would you grab some junk mail envelopes and a bic and get busy? Sigils are my go to example, but lots of magic is like this. Kitchen witchery, nature magic, working with local spirits. You need very little in the way of supplies to make your world a more enchanted place.
In fact, constraints can actually make being an agile magician easier. When everything’s an option, then it can be overwhelming to figure out what to do… you get decision fatigue! But with constraints in place, you quickly realize that you need to operate within those constraints. It forces invention and creativity… which are the skills you need to be successful in this crazy environment anyway.
