Almost regardless of what part of the world you’re in, the system in place is built to keep a certain “order,” one that largely benefits the people with the money. I know I’m not the only one who has been looking at the state of things for the last couple decades or more and thought how unfair it all is, but felt like there isn’t much I as an individual could do to upset the status quo in order to usher in something more equitable. And though the tide seems to be slowly turning now—the unionizing and strikes, everything spurred on by George Floyd’s murder, the increasing number of people either leaving organized religion or not claiming an organized belief system—the de facto ruling class are fighting tooth and nail to keep things from changing, to preserve the societal configuration that keeps them in control. Even though we may be cognizant of others fighting for the good of all, unless we are part of such a group or actively doing what we can already, it can feel incredibly overwhelming to assess one’s own capabilities in the face of these monoliths.
During such a slump, I found myself thinking, “If only there were some simple, accessible action anyone could take for a collective impact.” I remembered some of the worldwide magical workings that have popped up in recent years, like binding the Cheeto or a more recent one to impede the current Russian oligarch and his efforts against Ukraine. (As an aside, both of these were published by Michael M Hughes, author of Magic for the Resistance, a book I highly recommend for any activist practitioners out there.) But I wanted something that felt more…direct, I suppose. That’s when I came up with the idea of Ellis bombs.
A bit of back story: while sigils generally are used for particular effects or outcomes, in much the way a spell does, they can also be used to represent functions as well. A method I’ve seen in the past is using a sigil to substitute a certain ingredient that may be difficult to obtain otherwise. The Linking Sigil was created by the DKMU based on the concept of using a sigil to connect to some source of power or energy, and using that connection to bolster one’s work. From Jareth Tempest over at The Shadowbinder:
The main focus of [the DKMU] is a war on reality, that is, they are trying to make the world a more magickal place. One of their methods is called glamourbombing. This is usually done by creating a sigil that will go off when someone sees it and make them believe in magick if only or a little while. The problem they found was that each sigil was a one time deal. They had to go back and recharge the sigil every single time it went off, and that was a huge pain in the ass. So one of them had the genius idea to create a linking sigil whose job was to charge the other sigil. This could be done with a copy of that linking sigil. Just charge one copy and it would charge all the others and the they could recharge the sigils.
They began to tag places they felt had the energy they wanted. One of the first places they tagged it was the fantasy section at a bookstore. They wanted the wonder and amazement that people put out there when they were looking at books like Lord of the Rings and ██████████ [my redaction]. That energy would be added to the growing network of linking sigils.
The group began tagging the Linking Sigil, aka LS or Ellis, wherever they felt strong energy. Everything from ancient sites to the local arcade. They began using it for all sorts of experimental magick. It became very famous and very powerful.
With all that energy readily available, I find it difficult to imagine that there haven’t been other people who have considered its use not only as fuel, but as an explosive of sorts. As has often been said, the difference between something being used as a tool or a weapon depends on who’s using it. In this case, we could consider it as both, although as a weapon it’s being used more for disruption than destruction. We are simply upsetting the structure put in place by the ruling class in order to level the field a little, as it were.
Thus to the project itself. Now, I’ve been writing this post off and on for a few weeks but with everything happening around Roe v. Wade and who knows what else that’s being covered up, it seems better to get this out sooner than not. So there’s certainly room for refinement, but I digress. My thought is to create designs to be used in decals, stencils, digital displays, what have you, that are somehow affixed to buildings and other property relevant to this idea of dismantling oppressive power structures. Banks, government buildings, prisons, churches, even private residences or vehicles for those so bold, all connected to people and organizations that are insistent and persistent on keeping the non-elite under their thumbs.* These graphics would take the form of bombs, grenades, and other explosives—especially those used in demolition—emblazoned with the Ellis sigil.
As with most mass rituals, the effect would likely be strongest if these Ellis bombs were all detonated simultaneously at a set day and time. More so if that time is astrologically appropriate, such as Mars in Scorpio, or Pluto in Scorpio or wherever it’s exalted. Perhaps when the moon is in an appropriate mansion, such as the 1st (Aries 0° to 12°51´), the 4th (Taurus 8°34´ to 21°25´), or the 18th (Scorpio 8°34´ to 21°25´). Alternatively, a significant date could be chosen instead, such as November 5. David Rankine and Sorita d’Este developed a particular method of creating a linking sigil, whereby the placement of the planets is used in a circular grid to generate a sigil representative of such a date astrologically, which would be a useful addition to such an endeavor if the date in question is too far out.
Now as I see it, there are a couple of ways these bombs could be effectively deployed. First, one could place the Ellis bomb on a target, then simply destroy the sigil at the chosen time. While this is a simpler method, it also brings higher risk owing to the need to visit the target more than once. Given the proposed locations, even being caught there once could be quite dangerous. So the second method involves exploiting symbolic links, that affecting the representation of something affects the thing represented. In this case, one would use duplicate bombs, one designated as a charge and the other as a detonator. The charge is placed, and then the detonator is destroyed, setting off the “explosion” of the charge. In my mind it would be thematically appropriate to destroy the detonator by attaching it to a firecracker or other pyrotechnics! For those concerned with fire safety, an air-filled balloon could be a suitable alternative. The gesture could be further enhanced by attaching the detonator to a rudimentary structure of some kind representing the edifice so targeted, such that the structure collapses upon discharge. And indeed, if such a target is effectively impossible to reach safely, one could simply use this latter technique much as one would use a photo of an unsavory politician, for example. Regardless of the method, the desired result is to create an explosion of raw chaotic energy that would damage or destroy the metaphorical (and perhaps even physical) foundations and infrastructures of these establishments and the people who uphold them.
Naturally, the trick then is to decide on when to make this happen. I unfortunately don’t have any ideas, or perhaps the problem is that I have too many. But that doesn’t have to be my decision. I can simply put forth this proposal and let others decide what they want to do with the information, and when. In any case, I feel like this has a pretty desirable ratio of effort to result, which is probably my favorite aspect of sigil magic. It’s an incredibly low barrier to entry and thus makes it an ideal method for those who want to perform magic with limited resources, material and otherwise. And considering the populations I hope to aid with this post, we need all we can get of simple but effective methods of resistance.
*It should be noted that though the more public entities targeted by this method may outwardly disavow the existence of magic, it is statistically reasonable to assume at least some of them employ some magical/non-mundane forms of protection. In this case, rather than deploying against them right away, it would be more effective to have an initial phase of disrupting the support structures, progressively wearing them down until the main target is vulnerable enough to be approached directly. Thank you, video game strategy.
NAMA OD TELOAH 