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Writing Magick

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19:48 / 06.08.04

I want this thread to be pretty general, from hypersigils to cuneiform word viruses. So feel free to go on any "related" tangents.

Now, the topic I want to bring up is writing as a means to enter into a virtual reality, a fictional universe. I've recently been writing a lot, a piece a lot longer than I’m used to (trying to write a novel for those of you who don't know yet) and even though I have had a lot of hypersigil effects I'm some what used to these now. The thing that's really surprised me is how easily I fell into the universe I created. How realistic it all feels. How hard it is to tear myself away. I'm having to perform banishing rituals after I write just to be able to get on with my day. This, for me, is unheard of. I've only had to banish after magickal workings and most of the time not even then. What do you all think? Is this normal? Anecdotes and explanations welcome.

22:17 / 06.08.04

I've yet to really experiment with hypersigils and such, but I've thought quite a bit about it.
One thing I've wondered is this: how close to the real world does the story have to be? Will setting the in a complete fantasy universe limit it's effectiveness?
If you have any experience on this, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, I guess I'll have to get off my ass and do it myself

23:55 / 06.08.04

Well, that's generally recommended anyway...

(Do you really expect to get the same milage that somebody else got, when they're driving a buggy with a different number of wheels?)

--

03:15 / 07.08.04

Yeah, I experinced similiar effects with my "Punkmodernist" hypersigil of 2003, which was designed to introduce change into my life. It's kind of slow-working though, probably because my avatar in the book was female (I'm not sure if this actually has anything to do with it, mind). Girl works dead-end supermarket job, girl is anti-social and health-obsessed, girl gets contacted and initiated into an occult secret society, girl finally loses her virginity and sheds her armor via reichian means, girl saves world from lizardmen and lion demiurges... Granted not ALL these things have happened but some have... since I've finished it I've gotten a new job and gotten into contact with an occult group, so that's some progress towards change. The book I'm working on now is strictly for entertainment value (also i want to publish something and the hypersigil was way too specific and personal for others to really be entertained by... Plus i was reading a lot of Grant Morrison and Robert Anton Wilson at the time and watching the Matrix films so that bleeded into it as well).

There is something seductive about creating worlds and inserting yourself into them, however. There's a lot I could blab on about all this but GM's way more eloquent about it then I.

04:11 / 07.08.04

One thing I've wondered is this: how close to the real world does the story have to be? Will setting the in a complete fantasy universe limit it's effectiveness?

I used to think that your hypersigils had to be firmly tied to your current life to be effective. But recent experimentation suggests that it doesn't matter. It's all symbolism. So if you have certain key symbolic connectors in your story to tie it in with your life and you have a clear intent for the piece, it doesn't matter if it's really realistic or wildly fantastical. You'll get similar results.

For example (and this is extreme) say you're doing a hypersigil to combat cancer. You can either do a very serious drama about someone overcoming the disease with a stiff upper lip or you can do a sci-fi story about a dashing hero outwitting an amorphous growth of an entity. If you pour enough of yourself, your will, your determination into it they'd both be equally effective.

Skeleton Camera

11:51 / 07.08.04

here (scroll down)

I worked with an abstracted version of my own reality - not to mention multiple characters that represented aspects of myself. The story took place in a setting much like where I grew up, albeit "spliced" with friends' settings and totally fictional spaces. The storylines were also spliced - some fictional, others taken from stories I'd heard or read that had an immense effect on me (such as Joyce Carol Oates' "Where are you going? Where have you been?")

Mind you this wasn't an intentional hypersigil until "the end", either, it just worked out to exist between real and fictional reality.

Complete fantasy worlds can work as easily as real-life stories. But the metaphors have to be right on the money, I think, meaning unswervingly correct for you. Create a parallel world in every aspect that is "linked" via your intention to real life.

06:35 / 09.08.04

Hello folks

been doing a comic strip where I have hoped for changes to occurr such as taking up an exercise regime and getting over my own Character Armour problems etc

To date nothing has really happened that I have put in the stories. i keep wondering whether I need to 'launch' the Hypersigil......ImpulsiveLad said in his experience this wasn't necessary but I am getting a little impatient with my own after a couple of months and no real manifestations.
If others on here have 'launched' or found it necessary to do so...How did you do it? (if you care to share)

Maybe it is the old Lust for Result thing getting in my way

ImpulsiveLad Adventures, thanks for starting this thread, very interesting. With my own story, I will be on the lookout for a Leprechaun who featured in my own comic strip

If that happens I will be most impressed!

10:03 / 09.08.04

ImpulsiveLad Adventures.......again I need to apologise. I only glanced over your thread earlier as I am in work and time is limited and as such I missed the most important point in your original post.

No sadly, I have not had such an experience where I am totally involved in the work to the extent that I need to
banish to return to reality. That sounds scarey and exciting at the same time.....wonder if Gene Roddenberry had the same experience.....imagine all the fantastic experiences he must have had......and the ladies (though whilst not racist, I agree with Eddie Murphy that a green girl might be a bit off putting!)

No the nearest Ihave had to what you describe is an intuitive head 'click' where the comic I was drawing just flowed out of me and the work was for what I can say 'inspired'.....no effort, the ideas just flowed and I was seemingly being taken along for the ride

I knew when it was time to stop when the work suddenly became laboured, after Ihad produced about 8 pages of work over a two hour period. Suddenly it was an effort and whilst I returned to normal consciousness the transition wasn't comfortable

It was like that feeling when you yawn and stretch and everything goes back and is slightly painful but prolonged

Strange sensation and I knew then and there it was time to stop working. Not exactly what you asked but I hope it was of interest

11:49 / 09.08.04

To date nothing has really happened that I have put in the stories. i keep wondering whether I need to 'launch' the Hypersigil......ImpulsiveLad said in his experience this wasn't necessary but I am getting a little impatient with my own after a couple of months and no real manifestations.

I've had to wait at least 6 months for most of my big hypersigil effects to manifest. Little things happen as soon at the first day but for life altering things it takes a long while. You have to give reality time to shift all the seprate elements into position for your result to come about. The more complicated the desire the more shifting and bending reality has to do. Hang in ther.

12:29 / 09.08.04

thankyou

at least I have something to judge it against now

thanks again

Joe

Skeleton Camera

13:23 / 09.08.04

I had to wait at least six months...

As did I - with both the comic and the conscious-hypersigil project. There was no specific time-delay for me but there was certainly no immediate results. The comic, as I said, took THREE YEARS to "properly" foment.

That said, the "click" that Joe described is part of the magic. That's the creative and inspirational moment and is just as important - and fleeting - as any manifest results.

13:34 / 09.08.04

1: did any of you 'launch' your hypersigils?

ie did you bungee jump as Grant Morrison allegedly did or masturbate etc (normal Sigil casting techniques)

and how important is

forgetting the intent (as you would for a normal Sigil)

13:51 / 09.08.04

Launching- No, I haven’t charged or launched any hypersigils in the traditional sigil way. The writing process and the reading of the piece by others provide the energies needed to manifest the desire. At least, that’s how it works for me. I do perform a little ritual where I destroy the story (if it isn’t very good or meant to be read by anyone.) If it’s something passionate I’ll burn it. If it has a smooth fluid tone I’ll throw it in the ocean or a lake. If it’s something mundane or something I want to slowly grow over time I’ll ball it up and bury it in the earth like a seed… you get the idea.

Dream- The possession, for lack of a better term, continues. I was writing a lot of notes for future chapters last night before going to bed. I was really tired but wanted to get everything down on paper. When I finished I went to bed without banishing and I had the worst night’s sleep. My dreams alternated between me sitting at my computer writing the chapters and me living in the fictional world. I woke up often in the night, tossing and turning. This morning I woke up exhausted and I didn’t even remember anything interesting or remotely useful for the novel.

13:59 / 09.08.04

By the way, Seamus, that thread of yours is great. I've studied it thoroughly since you linked it.

Skeleton Camera

16:12 / 09.08.04

(Thanks, ImpulsiveLad!)

I didn't charge any of 'em in the conventional sense. Once again I'll stress that only the last comic of the three was a conscious hypersigil- the others just sort of "came together" that way. The consciousness of it being a hypersigil is enough of a charge.
Making these things is weaving reality. You are taking strands of your own construction and intertwining them with pre-existing strands. The consciousness of this, and using the pre-existing strands as Signifiers of where your strands will go and what they will do, is what makes the thing work.
I'll also say that, being an artiste for quite a long time, the aforementioned "click" of creativity is a charge in and of itself. If you get that going and then pour all you've got into a piece, that work will be boiling in your unconscious.

18:17 / 09.08.04

This thread has given me lots to think about!

I am presently accumulating (stumbling across) objects, music, and pictures to use in a working, which may very likely end up as a hypersigil. I have used poetry before, but not straight narrative or a Q & A format. There are so many ways to approach this, and they're all good.

Magick is in the making, isn't it?

--

18:33 / 09.08.04

Well, generally the bigger the intended change, the longer it takes for the hypersigil to manifest (I've found, at least). I've observed that the changes i wanted to manifest in my life seem to be proceeding in the order in which they appeared in the book I wrote. That is, the main character got out of her dead end job and met some occultists in chapter one, and in chapter two she was initiated into a secret occult society. Now, in my own life, very shortly after the experiment (which took a year to write out) was complete I left a similiar job for a new one (and in this new job I made contact with coworkers who are also occultists) but now I find myself on the verge of joining an occult group.

I've been re-reading it recently and looking at the chapters ahead to see what trials await me. I knida wish I had my avatar shed her character armor and lose her virginity in a chapter earlier then chapter 7.

I notice that she loses her virginity AND changes herself after she literally goes through a Chapel Perilous experience. This unnerves me because I'm still slowly crawling my way towards confronting my worst fears, and it seems this change is getting closer and closer to me (which may account for the nameless dread I've been feeling as of recent). However, it's interesting to observe that I myself crossed the Abyss at the very end of the book, chapter 11, the Daath chapter. Something tells me I won't be advancing to this chapter anytime soon.

One very helpful aspect of the hypersigil experiment was it helped me learn the qabalah better, as each of the 11 chapters corresponded to one of the Sephira on the Tree of Life (for example, the book began on earth, mundane reality, the illusion, hence it was linked to Malkuth). Now I can pretty much look at the Tree of Life, pick out any Sephira and recall it's number, attributes, qualities, colors, godforms, whatever simply by recalling the chapter I wrote that corresponds to it. This is a good way to teach yourself the Qabalah, I feel (not that I'm like some kind of master of it of course).

18:43 / 09.08.04

I knida wish I had my avatar shed her character armor and lose her virginity in a chapter earlier then chapter 7.

You can always change it. It's not written in stone, you know. Ultimately you have control of your story and life... go back and rewrite it the way you like.

rising and revolving

19:14 / 09.08.04

I notice that she loses her virginity AND changes herself after she literally goes through a Chapel Perilous experience. This unnerves me because I'm still slowly crawling my way towards confronting my worst fears, and it seems this change is getting closer and closer to me (which may account for the nameless dread I've been feeling as of recent)

Yes.

Ain't it a bitch when you summon the various energies of the Tower towards yourself and then have to wait for the lightning to strike?

There's nothing quite like knowing it's coming, knowing that it's for your own "good" and knowing it's going to hurt like hell when it gets here...

20:17 / 09.08.04

For the notes, my experiences in hypersigiling (the RPG project and an earlier RPG working) had nearly immediate effects. As in, stuff happening while it was being written/played, or within a week. I think the RPG model lends a greater energy level to the working, perhaps, but it was certainly effective.

--

01:47 / 10.08.04

Funny you mention the Tower Janus, as the events in question of chapter 7 proceed in a place called "The Tower". It is a curious state though, that weird mix of fear of change but also the excitement of it. Makes one jumpy as all hell though.

Impulsivelad, I can't really rewrite it... The thing was like a magic spell in narrative form and now that it's done I plan on leaving it that way. Finishing it was like trying to squeeze water out of a stone.

For the moment I'm just writing to enjoy the sheer act of creation (and also because I want to write something I can actually publish!) I may try a hypersigil again one day but for the moment I'm just kicking back and letting this one run it's course. I think everything happens for a reason and maybe certain things only happen whan you'reready for them (on a subconscious level at least).

04:04 / 10.08.04

I'm actually glad this topic has come up again. I haven't posted much on here for a long time already because I was actually working on a hypersigil. Well I'll have to say it's pretty effective. In the begininng of it I pretty much stayed in seclusion for 3 days in January doing nothing but writing. I would write about certain events in the past and present events as well. I was attempting to give the hypersigil a link to actual events and kind of trick it into playing out a desired result that I wanted as a result. However, I would write in a very incomprehensible manner so it would be hard to read again, but I would still remember key points where results would happen as they were written to take place in certain dates.
So far many of the results have happened during the dates set. There are still some results I'm waiting for, but I doubt the so called lust for results concept is going to be a bother.

19:16 / 10.08.04

Another technique I’ve been employing on and off for a number of years is free writing with my left hand (I’m a righty normally) to access whatever properties it is my right brain harbors. Has anyone tried something similar? Have there been scientific studies that prove doing something like this isn’t just a waste of time?

22:04 / 10.08.04

I hate writing freehand, feels nicer on keyboard. I want to usher in Project Laptop, where I can get the dosh to buy a good wee laptop. Ah shit it will never happen!!!

23:45 / 10.08.04

That's the spirit!

I'm sitting, writing on my laptop right now. How did I get the money? I got a tax refund. Of all the unbelievable ways to get unexpected money.
Didn't even have to wave my magic wand or anything.

Anyway, I've tried writing with my left hand several times, trying to train myself. But it's pretty damn hard. It's like having to learn how to write from scratch, only this time 'round your going through cocain withdrawal. That's what it looks like anyway. Hopefully it'll get better.

16:00 / 11.08.04

Impulsivelad,

Put very simply, the right side of the brain is the creative, imaginative, holistic (in that in problem solving the right brain looks at everything, not just the relevant bits of data) side and the left brain is the analytical, logical side.

Interestingly, studies have been done of brain activity when people use their nondominant hands to write. The result? Their brains did exactly the same thing regardless of which hand they used!

If you want to use more of your left brain, do things that involve logical decision making, like studying statistics (really) and figuring out why they work, for example. Logic puzzles use your whole brain and are more fun than statistics--at least to most people.

Personally, the right brain seems like a lot more happening place.

18:30 / 11.08.04

Thanks, gale, but I don't want to use more of my left brain. I want to further develop my right brain.

20:31 / 12.08.04

I remember a moment in the Invisibles where Sir Miles scoffs at [young] King Mob's attempts to do just that -- write with his non-dominant hand (I think Grant/King Mob is a rightie too) to try to bring out other traits in his mind and psyche. So Grant must have heard it works somewhere!

Skeleton Camera

23:29 / 12.08.04

It DOES work, in a variety of unexpected ways. I broke my right (dominant) wrist last January and spent six weeks writing, typing, drawing, painting, building, and generally functioning with my left hand. The most dramatic change was one of concentration. All the fidgety habits my right hand was used to, and the accompanying bodily habits, went down the drain. Writing became a more meditative, concentrated activity. I spent the time working on one main art project and achieved more in that one than anything else all year. So here's to the left hand!

00:46 / 13.08.04

fascinating stuff here.

just a quick question. is there any "rule" or guideline as to how long the written hypersigil needs to be? i suppose atleast longer than just a simple statement of intent or desire as per a regular sigil. as long as the will is there, i would guess it could be just about any length.

have i just answered myself? ;}

02:42 / 13.08.04

Yeah, I guess anything longer than a statement of intent. I'd say from a paragraph to a novel (graphic or otherwise).

20:25 / 15.08.04

decided to write something down in a quick outpouring of feeling.

i liked the idea of burning the hypersigil to send it off, so that is what i did.

had a curious sensation of some sort come over me as i did that. i felt...charged or anxious or something. the effect lingered for a while after all was said and done as well.

has anyone else experienced such a thing?

21:10 / 15.08.04

Oh I'm so happy you brought up the whole creative writing magic thing. I love this stuff. ImpLad, I definitely identify with your experiences of being unable to shake off the world you're creating. I wrote a short story a good few months ago and my main character haunts me, I'm kind of in love with her (very narcississtic because in a way she is me). I didn't write the story with the intention of magical workings but it seems to me now that everytime I write it brings me a bit closer to a very cherished and specific goal of mine. Which is nice.
Has anyone experienced something similar? I mean, written a a creative piece just for the hell of it and then found it was working in some way outside of itself? I started a thread about the magical uses of narrative about a year ago, got some positive feedback on the matter and wrote my first piece of narrative in about 3 years. As far as I can tell, the specific purpose for which the narrative was designed didn't come to fruition but it started me writing again. Maybe it's just the joy of the creative act but I find every subsequent story has brought about some positive change in my life which had been kind of stagnating for a time. But I didn't necessarily intend that when I wrote the pieces (although of course I wanted it. Who wants to be stagnant?).

10:00 / 17.08.04

I wrote a short story a good few months ago and my main character haunts me

A similar but opposite experience. Let me explain, planning the story that I'm currently writing and publishing up on the net (queworld.co.uk) I began out with one character and forming a story for them to wander about in. Then, over a couple of months this screen name/"fiction suit" started up in my head saying how good he would be in the story and now is the main lead of the story with the original character a second, but still important lead.

As for turning it into a hyper-sigil I don't know. There is a fairly detailed "timeline" to the sci-fi/cyber-punk type story I'm doing. And as I was writing it (started back in 2001, so I'm a slow writer) things seemed to mirror what I put down on paper. Especially the stuff about the American President and it was quite something when Junior appeared on the scene (that's my pet name for Dubya, not another character).

I suppose I could start adding elements to the story that can rub off/influence my own life. Both main characters have "love interests" (either just starting or a casual, psyhical thing) so it should be interesting to see how my own sorry love life changes (although you watch now I've verbalised it the powers gone out of it totally).

So a question for Imp and Seamus. The hyper-sigil stories you wrote. Was it the big plot points that you wanted to reflect in your life or the mundane little details that you were going for?

02:56 / 19.08.04

Interesting to come across this thread after being away from the Barb for so long, partly due to something I think was caused by writing hypersigils.

I've been experimenting with more magic recently and have been trying to involve my writing more in rituals, but don't often have a clear goal in mind.

The short of it is that I started work on a new comics project and set about creating characters. One of the characters I created was very much like the sort of girl I'd like to be with. A short while after that I met someone very much like the character and we hooked up.

Everything was going great until I had to go interstate for a comics con. I managed to pick up some work there and had to come up with a story. Stupidly, I guess, I wrote something about a boy and girl and the girl admitting to the boy that their love was a lie.

I came home from the trip late at night and my g/f was supposed to meet me. She showed up much later than expected and broke up with me. Completely out of the blue and for no reason she could give me except "just a feeling that things aren't right". A couple of weeks later she told me that she never loved me and it was a mistake.

It wasn't until I was going through some writing notes that this all hit me and after speaking to a couple of fellow magicians I really think that the hypersigil worked and little better than I thought and that I should really start paying more attention to what I'm doing.

If nothing else, it's thought me the importance of really fleshing out your female characters.

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