Sharing is caring, right? So here's one way of building servitors - my way. I
really like symbols and symbology, so my method is pretty heavy on that.
First, I decide what the servitor's going to do:- What it will do
- What physical object it will be bound to
- Where it will get its energy from
- How long it will operate
- Anything that it should *not* do
Sometimes I'll pre-choose a name and form for it, sometimes I'll let those emerge on their own.
Once I know how it's going to work, I write The Program.
For every piece of information that I know about how I want the servitor to behave, I scour my books and the internet for symbols that correspond to that. I will develop small drawings, combinations of symbols connected and positioned in such a way that I feel the drawing conveys the intent of that particular aspect of the servitor, based on the meanings of the symbols.
http://symbols.com/ is a fantastic, though at times circular, online resource for this. I have my own book where I've collected all the symbols that I like from various places,
including some that I created.
All of the small drawings are then arranged together, and connected (with more, germane symbols!) to form the "program" of the servitor: a complex, intricate drawing comprised of many symbols, that represents all aspects of the servitor's operation.
This drawing will be inscribed, one way or another, on the physical object that the servitor will be bound to - its physical link to this world - but that's later.
Here's an example program from a servitor that has since reached the end of its operating time frame, and been disassembled:
My next step is to abstract the program, forming The Seal.
I abstract The Program by removing the specifics of the program - if, for example, there were a portion of the program representing "time limit of 3 months," I would remove the "3 months" part, leaving just the information that there's a time limit.
This first abstraction serves as an "gateway" to the servitor - anywhere that The Seal is placed serves as a link for communication and energy transfer back-and-forth from the servitor. When used in a magical working, communication or energy pushed into or drawn from The Seal
will flow, if at all possible.
The primary reason for the abstraction is so that the servitor can be referenced, summoned, and drawn upon in other workings of mine, and even third-parties, without revealing its inner workings, and potentially making it easy to manipulate or corrupt it.
The secondary reason is so that The Program may be thought of as a way to birth a servitor, and that same servitor re-used with the Seal - rather than having The Program used for both creation and reference - leading to situations where it might be unclear whether creation of a new entity, or use of the old was intended.
Here's The Seal for the above Program:
The final step of preparation is to abstract The Seal, forming The Sigil.
The sigil is formed by, well,
sigil-izing The Seal to form a yet-more-abstract glyph. For The Sigil, preserving the symbols from The Program and The Seal in their entirety is not necessary - all that is is that The Sigil evokes the idea of The Program.
The Sigil is an "eye" for the servitor, through which it may
choose to look, listen, speak, or send or receive energy. This contrasts with The Seal, which offers the servitor no choice. For giving The Servitor an eye in a new place, or requesting its assistance in some related magickal working, The Sigil is appropriate. With The Seal, one can command the servitor. With The Sigil, one can make requests to it.
To make a (perhaps unnecessary) parallel with the computing world, The Program is the servitor itself, which, if one possesses it, grants full and total control and knowledge of the servitor. The Seal grants read/write permissions, and The Sigil allows read-only access.
Here's The Sigil for the above Seal:
Once the three glyphs have been prepared, it's time to activate the servitor.
This process varies for each servitor - I just pick some relevant spirits, deities, or other energies to the servitor's intent and whip up an invocation.
The ritual is just this invocation, while I inscribe/affix The Program to the physical object to which the servitor will be bound.
If I haven't chosen a name or appearance yet, I meditate afterwards and allow the servitor to form and reveal itself.
Let's review the end result:
You have created a servitor. Either it has a name and form that you chose, or it revealed its name and form to you in meditation.
The servitor is bound to a physical object in this world, to which its Program is attached. To dismantle the servitor, destroy the image of The Program.
The servitor can be commanded in other magickal workings with its Seal. You can carry a Seal with you to always have access to the servitor's base/core, or you can work the Seal into other magickal rituals to command its assistance in the ritual.
The servitor can be contacted through its Sigil. Use the Sigil to expand the servitor's sphere of influence, or give the Sigil to other magicians to allow them to draw on (and energize) the servitor in their own works.
Finally, a few notes.
As the creator of the servitor, you probably won't
need the Seal or Sigil on-hand to communicate with or command the servitor - the servitor was, after all, born of and comprised of your own mental and spiritual energy, and as such is somewhat a part of you. You don't need special instructions to wave your hand, so you probably won't need special help to manage your own servitor.
To make an extended analogy, you may sometimes partake in feats of manual dexterity which require great planning and concentration - so, while you don't
need special help for normal tasks with your hands, sometimes it doesn't hurt to expend the extra effort - so too with the Seal and Sigil.
However, if I were to, say, create lots of defensive servitors, and wanted to weave them all together to protect my house, in addition to
telling them about that desire, and having programmed them to do it, I'd also create a seal or two, using each of their seals, to effect that effect.
And that's how the leopard got its stripes.
