As far as ‘sigil magic’ goes you can debate its validity forever. You will not be able to wait for the right study to come out and ‘prove’ it. You simply have to try it and test the results for yourself. We’re often taught by science that our subjective experience is not to be trusted so we need expensive instruments to protect us from our self-deception. What this ignores is that we never have anything other than our unreliable subjective experience- even when when we use it to take measurements from those expensive pieces of equipment.

It is indeed easy to set up a sigil experiment. You can start by using Grant Morison’s ‘pop’ methods if you like. And using sexual orgasm as a ‘charging’ method is definitely the easiest! Set the result for something completely random such as ‘it is my will to see a blue feather/midget man/performing elephant’. ie- soemething not beyond the bounds of probability but that is also sufficiently unusual. My own personal experiments verify for ME (and me only) that..rather scarily…it works!- and that it works with an alarming degree of regularity.

Of course its possible to claim that this is simply a cognitive filter being applied- the ‘subconscious’ (or whatever you want to call it) is sorting for blue feathers/performing elephants and alerting you as soon as one arrives.
Maybe so but really the argument is irrelevant. There is the experiment (sigil working) and the correlational result (blue feather). The rest will always be theory- interesting though it may be.

In my experience, though, the synchronicity that such experiments produce are way too freaky for a simple ‘psychological’ explanation to suffice. As a freelancer I have performed the same experiment to produce jobs and have had the phone ring within minutes of a working from someone random offering me a project.

The more ‘old school’ magical traditions are right to advise some caution with this technique although we can stop short of the hysterical accusations that such practices will invoke ‘the devil’ within you.

its more a matter of cause and effect- you might actually get what you asked for:- and thus be forced to deal with the reality of having it rather than merely the romantic image that exists in your head. Also it is possible (though not likely if you are reasonably sane) for the practice to descend into paranoia and superstition. This is why most traditional magical schools combine such practices with a framework such as kabbalah or Sufi teachings…but that’s a whole other subject.

The truth of the matter is that there ARE gods. Fairies too!

Systems designed around logic ei all of our intelectual institutions, are self-limiting primarily because they’re based in language. And language is inherently self-limiting. The stars, and the earth don’t speak english.

Reality is in fact limitless and it’s boundaries are absolutely infinite in every way imaginable. That means any perceivable scientific ‘laws’ are utterly relative to the perceiver and thus subject to change.

Ronald Mcdonald does indeed rule the world with his Lord Voldemort burger/sigil style. And if his reign continues he will destroy the world.

Religion isn’t the enemy. It’s our oldest storehouse of ancient knowledge. Indeed it has been used my the institution for corrupt reasons. But Im pretty sure ronald prefers the methods of mass-hypnosis via complete control of the mass media in todays world.

I think the dawkins books anti god, anti’religion is a trick that Ronald/Voldemort is pulling on us in order to keep us away from perhaps what could be the only hope for our redemption/survival.

At esoZone 2007, Trevor Blake asked the sorcery panel if there were any modern manifestations of magic becoming science the way chemistry came from alchemy and astronomy came from astrology. (notes: http://metaphorge.livejournal.com/971430.html video: http://www.altertube.tv/view_video.php?viewkey=6e7c8170902bcf2e1555&page=12&viewtype=&category=mr)

My answer would have been graphic design.

“An upcoming article in April’s Journal of Consumer Research will present recent research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the University of Waterloo, Canada that claims that exposure to images of corporate brands can effect how…

From the JREF:

—”2.2 What is the definition of “paranormal” in regards to the Challenge?

Webster’s Online Dictionary defines “paranormal” as “not scientifically explainable; supernatural.”

Within the Challenge, this means that at the time your application is submitted and approved, your claim will be considered paranormal for the duration. If, after testing, it is decided that your ability is either scientifically explainable or will be someday, you needn’t worry. If the JREF has agreed to test you, then your claim is paranormal.”—

The bottom line is that I’ve never seen any evidence that anything exists outside of what science can encompass once its tools and methodologies are brought to bear. The prize, as awesome as it sounds at first glance (I was a huge debunker when I was younger) is by and large just publicity for Randi

Maybe my faith in the narrative of science makes me a bad Magician or a good Transhumanist. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t know how to “prove” spells, ect work so I really don’t bother. It tends to be a time wasting argument and proves falsely divisive.

What I can bring to the table, though, are those techniques and technologies that do play well with others despite whatever dogmatic attachments may be associated with them. The psychological effects of corporate logos, sigils and the like seem to be one of those things.

I’ve got a few more I’m going to be poking at in the next few weeks.

Anyway, difference of opinion on Morrison and magic, aside I’m glad to have you along for the ride.

When we approach reason, down to the bottom, we come to a recursive, self-affirming discourse which has, necessarily, nothing other than itself to which it can appeal. Any other system would be laughed out of town under those same conditions, but we seem to have privileged reason.

Not saying it doesn’t do the work, just saying there’s no reason to Expect it to do the work, or believe that it does anything more than what we’ve tailored it to do.

No magician or psychic has ever been able to show any paranormal phenomina in a controlled environment. Heck there is a prize worth a million dollars (not to mention a nobel prize and ever lasting fame) to any one that can.

As Transhumanists we each have the potential to change the world. I understand that you sincerly believe that you can perform magic and that you have invested alot of personal time in learning magical techniques. But it doesn’t work and your time could be more efficiently spent in Grinding youself and the world. As a former Witch can I recommend two books?

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown

I know you have a open mind and are interested in expanding your knowledge and I honestly think you will find them useful and interesting. Derren Brown is a magician himself and a expert in NLP so you may pick up a few techniques if nothing else.

‘Reason has built the modern world. It is a precious but also a fragile thing, which can be corroded by apparently harmless irrationality. We must favor verifiable evidence over private feeling. Otherwise we leave ourselves vulnerable to those who would obscure the truth.’