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Right, sigil craft and the art of intent. First step is to work out a Statement of Intent (SOI). This statement needs to be short, and to the point. It should also be well defined without being wordy. Think of something you want to be, not how you want it to occur. A good SOI would be 'I will pass my English exam'. This statement is clear, defined and doesn't limit the way that the success will occur. When writing an SOI, don't define how it will come to pass - this isn't your job as a magician. The SOI will find the path of least resistance, and in defining it too heavily you will stop it from being as effective as it could be.

Another thing to avoid is using too 'magickal' words - you don't need to add anything mystical, just something clear, quantifiable (it has an outcome that you can measure), and achievable. This last point is important - don't make up an impossible SOI or it just wont happen. Chaos Magick is all about possibility and probability - even though there is a ridiculously remote chance that you will mutate into a bird, its likelihood of happening is so minute that any degree of magick will not shift the probability enough in your favour to give you a reasonable chance of it occurring.

Another incredibly important thing to remember in writing an SOI is that magick will always try to take the easiest route first. If you write an SOI saying 'I will not see another dirty dish for as long as I live' you may go blind, or just drop dead.

For this exercise I am using the SOI 'My business will become successful'.

"I will get what I want."

cyberdemon wrote:"I will get what I want."

Try to be more specific, what is it that you want? This is non-quantifiable as an SOI, as 'what you want' will change from moment to moment.

"I want to get an high score on my university exam" is this spesific?

Try not to use language like 'want' because it's obvious your SOI is something you wish to happen. It's better to use 'I will' then it is to use 'I want'. Also, a high score isn't easily quantifiable - what is a high score? Consider 'I will get 70% in Chemistry' or 'I will pass my exam'. Shorter is better, but don't specify exactly how you will achieve the outcome.

Clockwork_Ghost wrote:

cyberdemon wrote:"I will get what I want."

Try to be more specific, what is it that you want? This is non-quantifiable as an SOI, as 'what you want' will change from moment to moment.

Well, when I say it, I have 3 very specific goals in mind, all of which have been the target of all my recent personal work..

cyberdemon wrote:
Well, when I say it, I have 3 very specific goals in mind, all of which have been the target of all my recent personal work..

Okay, then you have a choice. Either make three SOI's, or pick one. [grin]

Can he make a one SOI containing all of the three goals?

What about "I am" style? I've read somewhere that this works better. I'm not questioning but rather like to hear an opinion from someone with expertise and experience.


So here's mine:

"I will pass driving exam."

EternalReturn wrote:What about "I am" style? I've read somewhere that this works better. I'm not questioning but rather like to hear an opinion from someone with expertise and experience.


So here's mine:

"I will pass driving exam."

Yes, 'I am' statements are very good too, so long as you visualise something quantifiable and at least feasible. A good rule would be 'I will' if the essence of the SOI is to achieve something, and 'I am' if the goal is to become something. Don't be afraid to challenge anything, it's important to challenge all truths in magick - it ensures things don't become dogma.

Atzmuth wrote:Can he make a one SOI containing all of the three goals?

Only if all three goals were directly linked, and achieving the whole was reliant on achieving each part, and that would itself over complicate things. Servitors are simple things, and they don't handle complex instructions well. Think of them as dogs - you wouldn't tell your dog to roll over, bark three times and fetch the stick all in one command, you'd break it up into three separate commands.

Clockwork_Ghost wrote:

Atzmuth wrote:Can he make a one SOI containing all of the three goals?

Only if all three goals were directly linked, and achieving the whole was reliant on achieving each part, and that would itself over complicate things. Servitors are simple things, and they don't handle complex instructions well. Think of them as dogs - you wouldn't tell your dog to roll over, bark three times and fetch the stick all in one command, you'd break it up into three separate commands.

The goals are linked, they're dependent on each other to be achieved as a whole!
But fine, three sigils.
I'll keep the SOI's a secret for now.

cyberdemon wrote:
The goals are linked, they're dependent on each other to be achieved as a whole!
But fine, three sigils.
I'll keep the SOI's a secret for now.

If the three things are co-dependent on one another you may wish to construct a single sigil, so long as the results are quantifiable and you can refine the SOI to a single statement. Remember that the longer your SOI is the more complex the sigil will be, and the harder the servitor will be to program and to monitor for effectiveness.

Clockwork_Ghost wrote:

cyberdemon wrote:
The goals are linked, they're dependent on each other to be achieved as a whole!
But fine, three sigils.
I'll keep the SOI's a secret for now.

If the three things are co-dependent on one another you may wish to construct a single sigil, so long as the results are quantifiable and you can refine the SOI to a single statement. Remember that the longer your SOI is the more complex the sigil will be, and the harder the servitor will be to program and to monitor for effectiveness.

I've done worse, I'm sure I can handle a single super-complex sigil. Super-confidence!

Okay, is anyone else joining us this round? Let me know and we'll move on to the next stage.

I think I am ready. First lesson: make a specific SOI.

Atzmuth wrote:I think I am ready. First lesson: make a specific SOI.

Absolutely. Have you come to a decision as to how your SOI will read?

Can I choose something for long term? Like "I will live in USA." Or "I will become a worldwide known film director."

Atzmuth wrote:Can I choose something for long term? Like "I will live in USA." Or "I will become a worldwide known film director."

Of course, as long as they're quantifiable and you don't mind waiting for the results to manifest. Be careful with the use of 'become' if it's not quantified - it would be better to use 'I am known worldwide as a film director'. Also, maybe refine the type of films, unless you feel like making porn or B grade horror - like I said, magick will take the path of least resistance, and porn is a very simple medium to become famous in.

I want to join! I just had super amount of work to do and there is more! [eg]

As I said in topic: "Little mage in his little cage" I am quiet scared to make even the simplest sigil. I want to start from makin my life a little bit more stable. Maybe new job/ some better payment/ passion to work/ smth like that. There is quiet of things I would love to give higher chance of propability in my life.

And my main goal is to ressurect my LUCK. ohh, that was impressive when I was younger I found lot of things on my ways. From money to friendships, cards were no match(oh lovely poker).

Maybe you have some suggestions? How would you make statement increasing your luckiness? Are you not scared of consequences of your wishes?

Thanks for the read...
aand! Praise Teh Sun \[T]/

Firstly you should define and quantify the outcome of luck - what do you want good fortune to achieve? Then write a brief statement as to what your luck will achieve in your life. Your SOI should be an 'I will' statement that declares a course of action, or an 'I am' statement that declares a state of being. Make sure that you don't set an SOI that is too rigid and limits alternative routes for the servitor to follow, and don't be ambiguous. [thumbup]

My luck is something that was very powerfull and activated on lots of situations but I never quantified it when I made my first rits and sigils.

I am not sure what I would like it to improve. Have lots of things in mind but desire is like: It would be cool to win lottery ticket but I will live without that/It is good I met him/her, It was long time since we get in touch and now he/she offers me some part time job(it could help but not for the long run)/and so on...

I always thought that luck is just another higher propability upgrade of what you wish in the long run.

Clockwork Knight: You said that I should start with "I am" or "I will"... but could it maybe be "I wish" or "My wish"?

I will try to define my wish this weekend. I can't delay it anymoar, time to start doin some magic, hehe... [eg]

Praise Teh Sun \[T]/

Try to avoid 'I wish' statements as they tend to be too indecisive and too open to misunderstandings regarding the final state. 'I wish it would rain money' as an SOI has no clear parameters - you're not defining a goal, you're instead offering an opinion. The goal is to be as clear and concise as possible without being too rigid. Let me know if you need any help in choosing the right words. [grin]

The next four days are going to be extremely busy for me. If you are interested in exploring a few different SOI's, feel free to post them on the thread. [thumbup]

Clockwork_Ghost wrote:Try to avoid 'I wish' statements as they tend to be too indecisive and too open to misunderstandings regarding the final state. 'I wish it would rain money' as an SOI has no clear parameters - you're not defining a goal, you're instead offering an opinion. The goal is to be as clear and concise as possible without being too rigid. Let me know if you need any help in choosing the right words. [grin]

Just to piggy back, while not necessarily directly related with creating sigils per se. But when when working with these or similar things and you use the phrase in your mind "I want" make sure you truly understand yourself before creating the will to get it. Because understanding our desires, understanding why we want things, why we want particular things, in a fundamental or raw sort of way not only do you increase your own emotional intelligence, but you are better able to focus your will to get what you want. There are many layers and depths not just to our personality, but our subconscious, and our soul. Knowing yourself is one of the greatest powers every person should attain.