Sigil Shoals and Robofish
What is a shoal, and how do you use it? A 'shoal' is a group of fish who, having no particular goal, find themselves instinctually following the potential of kinetic movement. A shoal idles and the fish composing it do not know where they are headed, and so they swim aimlessly. However, you can easily categorize the movement of each individual as somewhat erratic. That is because the shoal will naturally follow the kinetic movement of its members; if a fish moves against the general movement, the shoal moves with it, because there is a chance that that fish sees something or knows something the others don't. If the fish continues towards its goal, the shoal then becomes a school of fish, with a clear goal in mind. It is a process of trust and community.
I first encountered the concept of sigil shoaling in Aidan Wachter's excellent book, Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic. Wachter describes this process as steering a ship.
"I think of this approach as driving a ship. You can't un-travel the sea you have already travelled, so instead you change course as needed. In this case, you change course by adding more sigils, and this is how you 'steer' towards your intentions in sigil magic."
-(p.91, Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic)
Gordon White has also written on the subject on his blog, Rune Soup, and his book, The Chaos Protocols. Otherwise, it can be difficult to find documentation on the topic, and although it exists, it tends to be on blogs and since devoid forums. Hopefully this blog post will help you understand how and when to cast sigil shoals, as well as the advantages behind them!
The short answer to my earlier question is that a shoal simply consists of multiple sigils, each internalized and launched together to achieve a certain goal. That said, there are a few details to iron out. Sigils are hyperspecific commands to the greater macrocosm around us, and as such, it is important that the signal be clear and loud when casting our shoal. This can be remediated by finding our line of direct action, or moment manifest. The inclusion of a robofish is optional, but in my opinion should be considered mandatory. It eases the process by giving direction and momentum to the shoal. This process allows us to create a broader range of possible channels through which our desire can be made manifest.
Before we begin, I should probably introduce the terms I'll be using today:
Robofish: When trying to understand the formation of fish shoals and schools, scientists introduced artificial 'leaders' by introducing remote-controlled, artificial 'robofish' to existing shoals. The shoals quickly morphed to follow the movement of the robofish, and it is this concept we aim to emulate.
Black Swan: A black swan is an unexpected event; something coming from out of nowhere. The black swan cannot exist if it is expected and ,often, the best things are those we do not expect. Perhaps a new business venture will prove more profitable than a promotion; enchant for a promotion and you are stopping yourself from achieving your goals.
Chaotic Manifestation: Letting our wishes manifest in a way that is unpredictable, yet controlled.
Moment Manifest: Your moment manifest is the future you wish to achieve. Rather than focusing on the object or experience you want, focus on how your reality has changed and evolved with its presence in it.
Line of Direct Action: Your roadmap to what you wish to see manifest, including the smaller details. For example, a business shoal may benefit from something along the lines of 'I gain new clientele every day', and it'll be more efficient to acquire new clientele than to ask for more sales because those people will come back again and again.
I like to build my sigil shoals off of a 'moment manifest', which is just a fancy way of saying goal. I figure out the epitome of what success means within the context of this spellwork, and I go from there. The point of a sigil shoal is to create a spell within which we welcome 'chaotic manifestation', and invite the presence of a 'black swan'. This means that we want to open ourselves up to as many different channels or avenues through which our desires can come to us. The black swan is a paradoxical concept which we utilize to draw to us the possibility of an unexpected, yet highly fruitful event. We can further guide our shoal with the use of a robofish. These are all things to keep in mind when creating a highly efficient shoal.
The robofish is nearly indispensable. It serves to guide the sigil shoal towards manifestation faster and is very helpful to set as a habit. The robofish should be constructed from a statement of intent regarding something very likely to happen. I personally use the command 'I drink tea tomorrow' for all of my shoals, each sigilized differently. I have a set routine of drinking medicinal tea three times a day, so it’s a nearly guaranteed event. Because it is so likely to happen, the robofish becomes the leader of our shoal of sigils, swimming away from it (becoming realized) and inciting the rest of its members to follow in its path, transforming the shoal into a school with a clear goal: manifestation. For an added bonus, I will drink my tea while performing my daily offerings to the shoal. The robofish also allows a certain amount of control over the shoal, because it can serve as the switch between 'active' and 'passive' when working a complex shoal, or one more permanent, which is definitely something I want to experiment with.
To create your shoal, you'll first need to find your moment manifest. Meditate on it, and form it within your mind, define it, and sigilize it. I often enter into trance and let my hand move however it wants to, capturing the moment at its peak. Otherwise, you can formulate a clear and concise statement of intent that you can sigilize following the typical method. Then, think of what it is you need to overcome, and what could help you achieve your moment manifest. For example, 'I am free of any and all debt' is a great statement for someone aiming to purchase a new house, as is 'My real estate agent is efficient, knowledgeable, and affordable.' I also like to throw a few 'nice to have' sigils in there. Something that's a nice extra but not necessary to the goal. Running with our house example, 'My property is clean when I take possession' would be wonderful.
All in all, I like to have anywhere between 3 and 13 sigils. I'm sure you could have more, but I cap things off at 13 in all matters of spellwork for personal reasons. You can always remove and add sigils as you work with the shoal. Here's an example of a set of intentions I'd include in a shoal to find love:
'I am in a committed, loving, healthy relationship that fulfills me.' - Moment manifest.
'I attract those I am attracted to.' - Helps achieve your goal.
'I am attractive to many.' - Helps achieve your goal.
'Jealousy stays far from me.' - Something you need to overcome.
'My family loves my significant other, and theirs loves me.' - Nice to have.
'I am confident when interacting with those I am attracted to.' - Nice to have.
'I meet many people through many friends.' - Helps you achieve your goal.
'I only attract those of like-mind, and those who share my interests.' - Something you need to overcome.
'I drink tea tomorrow.' - Robofish. Make sure you actually drink tea the next day!
As time goes on and the events begin unfolding, I may intuitively swap out sigils for other intents, or add and remove sigils according to my needs at the time.
With each intent sigilized, trace your sigils out on cardstock or paper, and stack. Shuffle the shoal as if it were a deck of cards. Lay the sigils face down onto a plate or flat surface, as long as you can make sure it will remain undisturbed for several days. Pick up each sigil and stare at it intently, focusing your gaze on the shape of its lines, on the overall image of the sigil, and on how it dances or shifts as you stare at it. You'll know you can put it down the same way you know when to stop shuffling a deck of cards. Do this for each sigil, placing them down face-up. Maybe anoint them with a magical oil that suits your intention, and there you go! Your sigil shoal is launched. Go back to them each morning and shuffle the cards, doing the same thing again each time. Some choose to burn the sigils, but I do not find any use in this method.
With this done, you can go on and ritualize the shoal by setting a candle, invoking powers and agents, and other such things. I'll be discussing how to work with sigil shoals as spells rather than simple intention setting in a future blog post, which I hope you'll look forward to. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on instagram, or by sending me an email at mahigan@kitchentoad.com. Best of luck in your endeavours!
Cheers,
Mahigan
