One of the best ways to work with space/time magic is through sigils. The contemporary understanding of a sigil derives from the works of Austin Osman Spare: "Spare developed a way of condensing his will so that it was more readily grasped as a totality. He did this by writing his 'will' (=desire) in sentence form and by combining the basic letters, without repetition, into a pattern shape, or sigil. This could then be simplified and impressed upon the subconscious mind" (Drury 2003, p 123). To actually charge and fire a sigil involves projecting the energy of desire into the symbol, then visualizing it in your subconscious and promptly forgetting about it. Most people burn or destroy the sigils they make. I have a different way of forgetting about what the sigils mean, though I sometimes burn mine as well.

For me, space/time sigil work involves using sigils for a passive form of magic or for magic that is time delayed, manifesting at just the right time. As I understand it, most people who do sigil work do it for results, and the sooner the better. I prefer my enchantments to take more time, and accordingly my techniques are based on this principle. There are distinct advantages to my approach. But first I want to discuss the technique of another magician for space/time work.

Phil Hine explains what probability scattering is in the following passage: "Probability Scattering is a technique which enables the magician to enchant towards low-probability events which lie beyond the possible range of possible options perceived at any one time with reference to particular spheres of operation." (1993, P. 74). Probability scattering is a means of manifesting a probability into reality. The probability needs magic to manifest because it would not occur normally. Hine's technique involves three circles, a diagram. The idea is to locate the probability in space/time. The circles serve as the scale of high to low probability, and can thus serve as an indicator of how much energy would be needed to manifest the magic. This approach to space/time magic seems linear, in that it charts probability by progression, but it is also accurate in the portrayal of probability, specifically that some probabilities need more energy to manifest than others. The idea then is to use the circles as a visual representation of what is needed to manifest the probability, using whatever other tools or techniques are appropriate to it. Sigils are one such tool that can be useful for probability scattering, though again a time delay may occur, depending on how much energy is required to manifest the probability. The Probability Scattering Technique is similar to one of my own techniques, but different enough in overall approach.

My technique utilizes principles of the comic book panels as well as Imaginary Time. This technique is discussed and illustrated in Pop Culture Magick, but it?s appropriate to revisit it here.

The essential idea is to use the panels as representations of probabilities you want to imprint on space/time magic. The way panels work in comics is that one panel represents one moment of space/time in the story being told. For action to occur, the reader has to visualize the action occurring as he/she reads the comic. The gap between the panels, which is called the gutter, is where the visualization occurs. Essentially, the gap serves as a link from one panel to another. The gutter, and its role in comics, is best explained as the following: "See that space between the panels? That's what comics aficionados have named "the gutter". The gutter plays host to much of the magic and mystery that are at the very heart of comics! Here in the limbo of the gutter, human imagination takes two separate images and transforms them into a single idea?" (McCloud, 1993, P. 66). You visualize the action, the energy, everything that is needed to change one moment into another. With this understanding of how panels work, it?s also possible to apply that understanding to the technique of using panels in magical workings. But it should also be understood that:

"These icons we call panels or 'frames' have no fixed or absolute meaning, like the icons of language, science and communication. Nor is their meaning as fluid and malleable as the sorts of icons we call pictures. The panels act as a sort of general indicator that time and space is being divided. The durations of that time and the dimensions of that space are defined more by the contents of the panel than by the panel itself." (McCloud, 1993, P. 99)

The panel serves as the medium for imprinting the magician's will on space/time, and worked with properly can bring multiple probabilities into reality at once. You do this by using more than one panel.

Instead of focusing on one probability, you focus on multiple probabilities, no matter how improbable. And instead of exerting a lot of effort to bring that one probability into reality, you use the panels to link each possibility to the other, so that when one possibility becomes reality, the other possibilities are also brought into reality. Think of whatever number of situations you have that need a probability to shape the reality of those various situations. Now draw however many rectangular panels you need to represent all the probabilities you'll be evoking into reality. In each panel draw a sigil that represents the probability you wish to evoke into reality.

I like getting colorful with these sigils and will use crayons and paints as well as a pen. Afterwards, draw lines between the panels, connecting the sigils, with the understanding that when one sigil comes into reality, others will also come into reality. Again, with the lines, be creative with colors. Use colors that create a strong sense of meaning and connection for you. When you're done with all the artwork, the challenging part comes.

This is when you visualize all of the sigils together, and all of their purposes, as you charge them. Some magicians will want to charge the sigils all at once. The key, if you choose to do that, is to keep the sigils firmly visualized as you charge them and distribute every bit of energy equally into each. This can be a bit exhausting to do in one sitting. But it can be done, and the lines that you draw between the panels help with that process. Visualize the energy spreading through the lines, into the panels and onto the sigils.

Another way to charge the sigils is to do one at a time. What I do in this case is focus on the first panel, charging the sigil up and visualizing the energy going into the next panel. The next day I visualize the first sigil again, charging it up, but then visualize the next sigil and charge that up as well, particularly focusing on the energy going from one panel to the next. I do this with subsequent sigils in the series, and when all of them are charged accordingly, I destroy them as I see fit, or keep them if that suits the nature of the work I wish to do with them, as one can charge sigils again and again, as needed.

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