Q&A: A Question of Intent

I recently received an email asking my thoughts about one of the “rules” of sigil creation, and I thought it worth sharing. Here’s the relevant bit from the email:

I read your post about what makes a good basis for creating the sigil and I wanted to ask if a specific phrase would be ideal got a sigil? I’m not sure if it’s too vague, and it feels more like present manifestation than using the “I will” format.

So the phrase is essentially “I Am A Bad Bitch”. Pardon the language.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Here’s my reply.

It’s important to remember that sigils are really just fancy symbols. They only have the power and meaning that you give to them, so try not to get too hung up on doing it “right.” It’s art, first and foremost, and there are few forces in the universe that are more powerful than that.

Do you like the phrase? Does it have meaning to you? Will the symbol you create from it resonate with you? Does the thought of having that symbol accessible to you, whenever you need it, make you feel stronger, more vibrant, and able to move about with newfound agency in the world?

If so, there’s not a person on this planet who can tell you that it’s wrong, too vague, or incorrectly worded.

My opinion means less than nothing in this context. Your voice is the only one that matters. If someone tells you differently, their world is probably far too small to fit much magick inside.

I’m not the bad bitch here, you are. Own it. Use it. That’s the real magick.

Hope that helps.

I’ve made no secret of my disdain for the “rules” of sigil creation that came from this problematic era of occult study, and particularly the baseless 19th century assertion that all sigils must use the “I will” or present-tense formats. I’ve written about this weird, arbitrary limitation before, and just how nonsensical it is from a chaos magick perspective.

Here’s the short version: The concept of “the will” was very popular among intellectuals in the late 1800s. It’s not based on very much, and virtually all of the conclusions these people came to as a result of this theory are laughable today. When someone says “This isn’t a real sigil because it’s not in present tense,” or whatever variation, all I hear is a pedantic “um, actually” that, in addition to being completely outdated, brings very little insight or value to conversation. Or to the art of sigilcraft, for that matter.