Talking Board Sigils

A sigil is a magical symbol created to express a person’s desire. It is used to communicate to other realms of consciousness or to spiritual powers believed to aid in manifesting such desires. Consider that a talking board is similarly used for mystical communication, and we can see how a talking board may be used to inspire the creation of sigils.

A sigil is often derived from the spelling of a word or words. It may be comprised of letters from a person’s name, or a written affirmation, or a direct request. Let’s play with the following phrase.

HELP ME FIND MY MISSING WATCH

Begin by paring down the number of letters, removing all vowels, so that there is a more manageable amount to work with.

H LP M F ND M M SS NG W TCH

To further shorten this, remove any duplicate letters.

H LP F D G W TC

Now let us look at the landscape of a talking board, connecting our letters one to the other, and documenting them as a collection of unbroken lines that then serve as our sigil.

This can be done with the classic Ouija design, which features the letters A through M as an arch, beneath which is an arch featuring N through Z. However, this composition lends us little space between each letter, and makes for a flat sigil. My preferred method is to use a talking board in which the numbers are arranged in a circle. If you cannot find such a board, one may be improvised by writing each letter of the alphabet on an individual slip of paper and arranging those in a circle (this is an all-around swell method for creating a makeshift talking board when a more traditional one is absent, simply arrange the letters in a circle on a flat surface such as a dining room table, using a planchette or overturned glass as your pointer).

When we connect the spaces between each letter of our reduced phrase on the talking board below—Carnivalia’s Phantom Hour—the following emerges.

When we remove the board, the following sigil remains.

You may use whatever sigil you create as you would any other… writing it on a piece of paper to carry with you until your desire is fulfilled; use it in candle magic by etching it into the candle wax or placing it beneath your candle on a slip of paper; drizzle honey into your tea in this pattern… there are numerous methods for using sigils beyond the scope of this article.

Keeping with our current setup, a powerful method of using your sigil is to trace it out on your talking board. In this manner you are using the board not to receive a message from the spirit world, but to send one to it.

Begin by placing your fingers on your planchette or whatever you may be using as the pointer, then take some relaxing breaths. You may ritualize this working however you are inspired to do so, such as by first casting a magic circle, or lighting candles and incense, whatever appeals to you.

Once you are in a relaxed state, move the pointer from letter to letter to draw your sigil. Let your mind relax, setting aside any worries or concerns. Repeat this process of drawing the sigil by connecting the final letter to the first so that your movement is continuous. After you have done this for a little while, your body will remember the movement.

At this point you may allow your mind to sink deeper into a quiet trance, or focus on the emotions associated with your petition. Working with your sigil in this manner differs from prayer in the sense that you are not consciously forming words, but are instead allowing the sigil to represent your petition. This allows your talking mind to quiet, so that you are better able to reach a light trance state or focus solely on your emotions. Where you go with this is up to you. A deep trance can allow for the spirit realm to communicate to you, perhaps showing you in your mind’s eye where your missing watch is, or in other ways providing solutions to your problems. Focusing on your emotions, on the other hand, may give power to your working, as emotions are said to fuel magic, and this method helps you confront your emotions which is the first step to being able to move beyond them.

After you are done, your body will remember the sensation that represents your sigil, grounding it in your body.

And there you have it. If, like me, you have a love for talking boards and were looking for a new way in which to use them, then I hope this manner of working will be productive for you.