How to create multi-layered magical workings

Multi-layered magical working Picture copyright Taylor Ellwood 2021

Recently I decided to create a new type of magical working, a multi-layered magical working. A multi-layered magical working is a working that is used to address multiple situations for a person in one working. It’s similar to the space/time sigil method I came up with many years ago, but the difference is that instead of creating multiple sigils and linking the manifestation of the possibilities into reality through the realization of one sigil (which pulls the other sigils into reality), the multi-layered working programs all the situations into one magical working and simultaneously addresses each of the situations through that working.

Also you can program the working with elemental, planetary and other types of specific energies you want to bring into play, and exclude other energies. This feature is inspired by the sphere of art work I’ve been doing, where one of the purposes is to create a distinct magical space that excludes unwanted energies and includes wanted energies. I’m basically creating a mobile form of the SOA that can be focused on a specific working and applied. One of the ways this is done is through the application of pentacles (like the planetary ones you see in the picture), but you could take any magical tool and use it for a similar purpose, or incorporate the concept into your working in other ways, like through the art itself. I’ll admit I chose to apply the pentacles as a way of bringing the planetary spirits into play with each of my pictures.

I’ve also set this working up so that I can integrate specific types of energies into the working. In the picture above, we see the second pentacle of the moon (for opening doors), the second pentacle of Mercury (for problem solving) and the fourth pentacle of Jupiter (for manifesting wealth). I did this particular working for a friend to help them address a few different situations, but in particular to help with the manifestation of a desired job. The planetary sigils were applied to open doors and help with the manifestation of the job, while also inspiring intuitive choices on the part of the person.

I did have to do a bit of fine tuning with this working, after it initially looked liked the results weren’t going to manifest. I did a bit of troubleshooting with the help of my spirits, and ended up bringing in Elephant to help clear some obstacles out of the way, as well as applying a bit of writing magic to the matter, to present an alternative perspective that helped open up the situation to a more organic approach. Within two days of making those changes, the desired result came through and the person got the job they wanted.

I take a generative approach to magic, where I’ll do a magical working, such as what I’ve described above, but I won’t treat the working as a static magical working, an isolated event…which is typically how a lot of magicians treat magical workings. Instead I consider the magical working to be generative, which means that I’ll make changes to the programming of the magical working as needed. These changes allow me to quickly adapt the working to whatever is actually happening, instead of having to start over again.

Drawing in picture copyright Taylor Ellwood 2021

This is another multi-layered magical working I created, specifically for me, and its a simple version of a multi-layered working. I created this working to help me draw in specific resources and allies to help me as I transitioned from being married to starting over with my life. I created this working within the first week of my life transition and it helped me manifest a friendship/business partnership with a hypnotherapist in Germany, as well as several mentors to help me with becoming a freelance writer. In addition to that I also ended up having a few job opportunities fall into my lap to do work where I’d get paid quite a bit more than what I’d previously been paid.

This is an ongoing working and what’s fascinating is that it’s continuing to attract opportunities to me that will help me achieve my short, mid, and long term financial goals and help me get my life reset, while also setting the way to manifest a long held dream of mine that I’ve been previously been unable to act upon.

Interested in getting a multi-layered magical working done for you?

Imagination made Reality Copyright Taylor Ellwood 2021

This is my latest layered working. I’ve applied the planetary pentacles I have to the painting, and treated it as an embodiment of myself, with those pentacles being applied for specific purposes that take the possibilities I’ve drawn in, via the previous working, and turning them into manifested realities because of how they become embedded in my identity.

One of those specific possibilities was the manifestation of a job for myself. I had interviewed at a company and didn’t hear back, but after this working was creating, I heard back for a third interview, got the job and found out they actually created the position for me, because they liked me and wanted to bring me on board their time. The bonus for me is that it provides a base level of financial and life stability to I can move to my next steps. There are additional situations being worked through this art magic, which I’ll provide an update on later.

The choice to embody a magical working in painting or writing or other forms of expression is a different approach to magic, because what it draws on is the realization that manifestation of any sort automatically creates a path from the desired possibility to the realization of it as a reality that becomes your life. It’s an approach to magic I’ve always preferred and when you add in layers to address different situations, it becomes a multiplicity of workings contained within and realized through the medium of creation.

I opted to create this working because I had given myself enough time to process recent life changes, and I’ve started figuring out what’s next. Creating this working is my way of saying, it’s time to make what’s next into the reality of my life and start living it. The beauty of a magical working like this is that really does become a declaration of your own readiness to embrace the opportunities that have been presented to you.

The Magic of Art is now Available

My latest book, The Magic of Art, is now available in print and e-book. In this book I share how to apply the mediums of art to your magical practice to help you achieve consistent results.

Best of all, you don't need to be an artist at a gallery. you just need to be willing to pick up a paint brush, sculpting clay, or scissors and glue (or whatever you want to work with) and start creating art magic workings.

In this book you'll learn my techniques for using art to create evocation portals, practical magic workings, and even magical tools that you can draw upon whenever you need them.

This book also features essays by other art magicians, who share with you their own approach to art magic and how it has helped them with their magical practice.

Artistic Tools and magical transformation

In a recent post I briefly discussed how artistic tools bring a practical element that goes beyond their symbolic representation in magical work. I favor using my paintbrush as a magical tool, or a colored pencil, or anything else along those lines, because there is a level of practical application that goes beyond the symbolic representation that the brush can represent.

In fact what appeals the most to me is that the practical application of a paintbrush involves transformation. A blank canvas is transformed by the very brush stroke that leaves a mark, a manifestation of the concept being painted. The same applies to pens, pencils, clay, and any other artistic tool you can think of. The tool is used to change something. This appeals to me, in terms of using magical tools because its not just a symbolic act, but an actual action you can take.

Of course there is some symbolism associated with the artistic tools. For example, I think of my brush as symbolically representing a wand and all the attributes associated with the wand. But the practical aspect appeals because it moves a tool to a level of expression that exemplifies and carries out the magical act of transformation. You don't get that same experience with more traditional tools, and given that experience is a crucial part of magical work, shouldn't we draw on whatever resources allow us to embody it?

Planetary magic update

The drawing you see in this post is for Jupiter. You can see all the drawings I've done thus far on my Facebook page. At the time of this writing I still have a few more drawings to complete. I chose to use colored pencils as opposed to water color paints, just to try a different medium out, instead of the same old, same old. In each case, what I chose to do was first look at the sigil I'd been given and use it to invoke the planetary energy into me. Then I started drawing letting the planetary energy guide my hands in the drawing. As you'll likely note the drawings aren't overly complex, nor are they meant to be. They are meant to act as gateways for the planetary energy, and represent the movement of that energy as I worked with it.

My next step is to place each gateway at appropriate places in my house, to capitalize on and direct the planetary energy toward specific areas of life that the drawings would be related to.

A Vision of Tomorrow

Each year I do a cut-up collage, which essentially serves as a magical enchantment for the next year. This particular magical working is inspired by William S. Burroughs, and I always make a point to listen to Burroughs when doing this working. This year's collage was dedicated to Bune as both an evocation of him for Wealth Magic purposes and also as a way of praising and raising attention about him.

At the same time this collage and the other one are magical workings for my businesses, or vision boards if you like. I'm in the process of rebranding for my main business, as well as working on the social media presence for Immanion Press, and I'm even doing some refining of magical experiments. It's a lot of work, but its also a lot of fun.

How this works is twofold. Your scissors is the tool of cutting. You cut any previosu meanings away when you cut the words and images out. Then when you put the collage together, you glue your meanings into the words and images, imprinting them with your desires. The glue is the imprint of meaning on the blank void of paper, bringing meaning with image and word to create an enchantment (or evocation) of the desired reality. You can fire the enchantment off a variety of ways, whether its via sex magic, or using your creativity as the firing mechanism, or showing it in a public space, with people sharing it as the firing mechanism.