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Getting Started...

darknes

20:26 / 19.12.01

I've been lurking about on barbelith for a couple of months, and i'm ready to jump out and interact and live the life, i guess. i like a couple of the site's discussion groups, but i'd really like to participate in this one, get better at consciously affecting my reality, as it were(its ok to call it magik here right?). however, i find that i have a lack of basic vocabulary, starting with 'sigil.' can someone recommend a good entry-level text that might bring me up to speed on this board's discussions?
much appreciation,
b

the rake at the gates

09:30 / 20.12.01

the best places for infomation on sigils and other results/chaos magic, are 'Grant morrison.com', if you not familar, he's the writer of the invisibles, on his site theres a excellent section on magic for beginers called pop magic, a great place to get started. also theres phil hines site, called 'a5e', which is a bit more disjointed but has more infomation on a wider range.
sorry but i dont know how to make shortcuts, if you can find them they should give you plenty to go.

Naked Flame

09:40 / 20.12.01

Sigil: an abstract graphical representation of one's intention, which is charged through creating a state of high personal energy and then released into the world to Do Its Thing.

Usually, anyway. There are a few alternative wrinkles which people are busy exploring, some of which is happening here.

As for a book to bring you up to speed... well, I don't think anyone here uses terminology in quite the same way, so most of the time it's an excercise in translation for all of us. Just read, period, and absorb everything you can. Particularly the stuff that seeems paradoxical.

(edit- no book is a substitute for practice and your own experience, IMHO.)

[ 20-12-2001: Message edited by: Flame On ]

Ayrkain Kaivar

09:40 / 20.12.01

Flame On is right. There is no teacher that even comes close to experience. However, I actually found a book based on the more basic chaos magic techniques. It's called City Magick by Christopher Penczak (Weiser Books, not Llewellyn). It actually lists the Invisibles series in the bibliography, and it has helped me to understand sigils enough to start asking the kind of questions I wanted to here on the board. But honestly, if you want to figure it out, read pop magic for free.
Long live the Wank Method!!!

Trijhaos

12:06 / 20.12.01

Books are all well and good if you have the money to spend on them. If you really want to get up to speed on all this go to the Chaos Matrix. Its got a large number of textfiles on the whole magick thing.

Bear

14:10 / 20.12.01

Here's a nice little thing showing a sigil being made -

Sigil

It isnt very long, but you know its the basics at least

Tamayyurt

15:37 / 20.12.01

oh and, I may be jumping the gun here but when you do cast your first sigil...let us know what happens!

Rev. Jesse

16:45 / 20.12.01

Sigils? *pah!*

Drop me a line when you summon a daemon with one of Abramelin's magic squares and tell me how it goes.

-Jesse

darknes

16:56 / 20.12.01

Thanks everyone, i'm (and, apparently, have been)well on my way. I will certainly keep the barb updated as to my progress...

Ierne

17:43 / 20.12.01

Rev. Jesse: The Abramelin working is only feasible if one has enough money and free time to devote about six months to absolutely nothing but the working. (i.e. not feasible for most modern practioners!)

Not sure how using the squares outside the working would fare, though they have a rather erratic reputation. The book's still in print, I posted a link over in grant's djinn thread.

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