Sigil Shoaling: A Chaos Magic Tool
Readers please take note: This article was written in May of 2022, but all the material pertaining to sigil shoaling is relevant as ever!
a messy view of your witch-guide’s altar :)
Today is the final Thursday, the final Jupiter’s day, where Jupiter will be in his domiciled sign of Pisces. Our planet of expansion moves into Aries on May 10th, 2022, so very soon, bringing with him a shift from water to fire, from interior to exterior, mutable to cardinal.
Jupiter has been bathing us all in some really… interesting energy the past few weeks, meeting up with Neptune in April, and prompting what feels like a veritable tidal wave of nostalgia, blurred boundaries, emotionality, and more, and that’s to be expected. Jupiter in domicile in Pisces is extremely strong, and orients us towards the highest expression of Piscean energy.
When Jupiter moves into Aries, it may seem like we’re heaving ourselves from salt-water to dry land, but the shift is not without its merits. Jupiter has dignity in fire sign Aries, and so this is a place where Jupiter is still really strong. In Egyptian terms, Jupiter has dignity in degrees 1-6° Aries, and so perhaps our initial ingress into the sign of the ram will be fortuitous, or at the very least, memorable and change-making.
∞
On March 5th, just two months ago, we witnessed our annual cazimi between the Sun and Jupiter, and on that day I spent time crafting, and launching, a set of sigils tethered to Jupiter in Pisces’s supportive power. As the two months have elapsed, I have seen beautiful manifestations of these sigil workings in real time, and so wanted to share this technique of sigil shoaling with you, in case you haven’t heard of it before.
What is Sigil Shoaling?
Sigil shoaling is a technique that derives from chaos magic, a branch of magic that shirks traditional rules and mechanisms, and instead relies on the energy of the magician as an individual, working in energetic resonance with their chosen materials. It’s a form of manifestation, if you will, one that flouts particular techniques like those outlined in traditional astrological magic.
The idea is that we create a group of sigils, which are symbols or images that are infused with your magical intention, and set them into the astral plane all at the same time, like a little school or shoal of fish swimming together in the open sea. Each sigil in the shoal has an equal opportunity to express its intent in the world, and is only reliant on the activation of one magical cue in particular, the activation of the “leader” sigil.
When sigil shoaling, we create a set of intentions, perhaps between 10-13, though you can create fewer if you like. It’s like making a bunch of small manifestations at once, rather than one simple wish or goal. The sigils are designed individually. We then create one additional sigil for something we know will absolutely come true very soon, something like “I go for a walk tomorrow,” or “I drink tea tomorrow.” Something you know you’ll actually do within a set period of time. This action in the future activates the set of sigils in the shoal, turning them “on” and awakening your spell.
After creating my sigil shoal, I tended to it on a weekly basis, on Jupiter’s day, preferably in Jupiter’s hour, but we can’t always get to the altar in time—work as you must for your own schedule. I’m going to outline the steps of sigil shoaling here, and hope this serves as a helpful guide in the future for your workings.
When to Start a Sigil Shoal?
As I mentioned before, I started my shoal for this particular set of sigils on the cazimi day of Sun-Jupiter. You can look for connections like that between the Sun and your chosen planet to launch a set of spells for growth and manifestation, as the Sun is so much about visibility, expansion of one’s reputation, and has connections to Apollo, our god of divination.
Similarly, waiting for a fortuitous transit, like the Sun connecting with your Venus or Jupiter, may be a lovely time to do this kind of working. However, as this is a chaos magic technique, you can do it whenever you please :)
Sigil Shoaling 101
Materials:
Pad for writing + writing implement
Plain paper for drawing sigils, you can use thick stock paper if you want a sturdy sigil
Scissors
Candle
A plate, platter, or altar space where you’ll be able to lay out your sigils
Your preferred anointing oils/tinctures/materials (not required but nice to have)
Any other offerings attuned to the planets in question
Actions:
Get out your writing paper and write 10 - 13 statements which you’re going to turn into sigils. I would recommend writing general affirmative statements like, “My work inspires many,” or “My clientele grows daily,” or “I attract those who most resonate with my perspective.” You can combine those statements with more specific statements around whatever you’re trying to attract, and throw in a couple “nice to have” statements like, “I banish all fear.”
After you’ve written all your desired statements, pick your “leader” statement, your “I drink tea tomorrow,” or “I pet my dog tomorrow” - something you know you *will* do, which will activate the sigil shoal.
When you have your statements, spend time crafting sigils for each of them. They can be intuitively drawn symbols, or you can scroll down for a more in-depth explainer on sigil-making (which is how I create mine).
Draw your sigils on your plain paper, and feel free to write your little affirmative statements beneath the sigil so you stay clear on which sigil is which. If you need to, cut the paper so that each sigil is on its own little card, or piece of paper.
Shuffle the sigils like you’re shuffling a deck of cards, or mush them around until you feel like they are complete, shuffling can be considered done.
Placing the cards face down in a pile, flip over each one individually, and let your eyes move across the sigil in its entirety. Trace the lines it makes, spend time with each in contemplation. You are “turning on” the sigils here, giving them an energetic link from you, to them.
Once you’ve moved through your whole pile, the sigils are active! Notice that they may feel like they’re gently buzzing, or humming :)
At your altar, arrange the sigils around your candle, and lay out any other offerings you’re making at this time. If you’re anointing your sigils with an oil or herb product, do so now, holding the intention that you’re activating and awakening the energy stored in these symbols.
If you’d like to carve symbols into your candle, do so now. I always like to cleanse my candles in incense before using them in ritual, and this would be the time to do that. When your candle is ready, light it, and imagine all the energy you’ve created pouring into the candle, and that energy bouncing back to the sigils, empowering them to do your bidding in the astral.
If you feel called to read a poem that resonates with your vision, or read your own prayer or poem, or one of the Orphic Hymns, this is the time to do so.
That’s it! Your intentions are now set.
Tomorrow, make sure you do the action that you’ve tethered to your leader sigil—drink your tea, pet your pup, whatever it is make sure you do it!
Tend to the sigils as you see fit, on a weekly basis or even monthly if that’s more comfortable. And keep your heart and mind open for affirmations that your messages have been received.
Sigil Making 101
There is no one way to make a sigil, but here’s the technique I favor.
Draw a nine-boxed table, like you’re going to play tic-tac-toe, and number randomly 1 - 9.
Write your affirmative statement below, keep it short, and go through, crossing out any repeating letters.
Now refer to the Pythagorean number table, and draw lines that connect the numbers based on the letters in your statement.
Once you’re done, you’ll have a shape! Feel free to fine-tune it or add detail to it that feels most magical.
Sigil Number Table from HoneyMallow.com
