Posts Tagged ‘Hacking’

How to Hack a System, Step by Step

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

You found my old blog. Thanks for visiting! For my new writing, visit mikesententia.com.

A reader, Mike E, asked for a step-by-step on how to hack a system, based on it’s symbols, like a Goetic sigil, planetary sigil, or Enochian sigil. This post is my answer.

Special thanks to Mike E for reviewing this post. It’s a much better explanation now than what I initially sent him.

By the way, this is a long, technical post about fairly complex direct magick. If that’s not your cup of tea, feel free to skip.

Review: Why Hack a System

Want to use a system you’re not familiar with or initiated into? You need to hack it.

The most common reasons I’d hack a system:

  • Working with someone who knows a style of magick I don’t, this lets me see what they’re doing, read the instructions for the systems they use, etc.
  • A spirit or mage is bothering you. If you can hack their system particularly well (I’ll explain what that means later), you can tell it to remove all connections to you, stop responding to them, and otherwise stop them without needing to fight.
  • Occasionally, I need to do something but don’t have the right system.

Remember, systems can handle many simultaneous users. Kind of like a website. You can hack and use a system without interfering with anyone else.

Before Hacking a System

If you’re new to direct magick, follow The Step by Step Guide to Learning Direct Magick until you get to “hacking systems” in the last section.

If you already know some direct magick, the main skill required is making good sensory connections, in particular, aligning to a signature at a small scale. This series explains how.

Hacking a System, Step by Step

For this post, I hacked the Enochian system and a Thelemic system, and wrote each step I took.

The Enochian System 

Enochian tablet via Wikipedia

The Enochian system is used by the Enochian spirits / Angels to help them interact with human mages. Like the Wizard of Oz’s machine, it creates an impressive-looking projection of the spirit operating the system, including visions and sensations that make you think of angels. Like a well-written computer program, it can handle some conversations without a sentient spirit operating it.

When you hack it, you can connect directly to the spirits behind the system (the wizard behind the curtain). When I train with spirits, I prefer to talk to them directly, rather than talking through a system, though I can’t quantify the benefits. But it gives you a much better sense of who you’re working with. I’ll explain how to do that in this post.

I picked Enochian because the spirits associated with that system are helpful and not aggressive. Later, I discovered that spirits normally considered demonic, like the Goetia, are often just as friendly. The holographic projections are demonic, but the spirits behind the curtain just want to help.

A Warning

Hacking a system is a bit like crashing a party: Not a huge deal but not entirely polite. It will get the attention of all the spirits who own that system, even ones you weren’t thinking about. Be prepared to apologize.

Step 1: Connect to the System

Engage your mental posture for doing magick and focus on the symbol. (I often call this “meditating on the symbol”). I chose the letter Un. When you feel a shift in energy, the system has connected to you.

Meditating on Graph (the letter that looks like a rotated L) didn’t connect me to the system. I think it’s too close to English for me, so I just think of L, not Enochian.

Alternately, if you know a ritual technique like vibrating names, you can use that. Anything associated with the style should trigger the system to connect to you.

Step 2: Align to the System’s Signature

This is why this technique is intermediate direct magick. You must align to the system’s signature. Quick overview (details in that link):

  1. Using your signature building blocks (at a medium scale), broaden your signature to include all signature building blocks you know.
  2. See which of those building blocks connects with the system’s signature.
  3. Discard any that don’t connect.
  4. Repeat for smaller scales.

(For details on how to do each of those steps, see this series).

Practice aligning to a signature before hacking a system. Become good at it. Practice by aligning to friends’ signatures, the signature of systems you already use, and other tasks where you kind of know the signature already.

Mike E (the reader) requested visuals. I wish I could give you a visual to make this work, but I can’t. Here’s why:

Visuals signal your overall intent to your unconscious mind. If the task is fairly simple — one your unconscious already knows how to do, like closing outside connections — visualizations work great. But if the task is more complex, your unconscious may not know how to do some steps, a visualization won’t help. Your unconscious will know what you want it to do, but it won’t know how to get that done.

The solution? Break the problem down into chunks your unconscious can handle. Train your unconscious to do each step in sequence. Then you can associate a simple visualization with that sequence, and it becomes another single step you can use in larger, more complex techniques.

Aligning to a signature is a complex task. If I give you a visualization, it won’t help, since you need to train your unconscious first.

I explain this philosophy, and how to build these visualizations, in this series.

Step 3: Choosing the Right Alignment Scale

First, a refresher on signature scales: A complete signature is made of smaller signatures. Think of a rope, made of braided twine, which is made of twisted thread. Or a rock, made of molecules, made of atoms, and so on. We call the complete signature the “top-level signature.” We say the building blocks are X levels or scales down.

So if rope is your top-level signature, then twine is 1 level down, thread is 2 levels down, and so on.

See this post for details.

Most systems check to see if you’re aligned to its signature using the signature scales it normally works with. So if the system works at the twine scale, and you align at the rope scale, you won’t get in. But if you align at the thread scale, you’ll get in, and probably be treated as a high-level user who can issue special commands, like telling the system to remove all connections it’s made to you (in the computing world, we call that “admin access”).

Unicursal Hexagram via Wikipedia

I can feel which signature scale a system uses to check my alignment. Enochian seems to check the signature at 3, 4 and 5 scales down (if the top-level signature is rope, twine is 1 scale down, thread is 2, and so on). The Thelemic system (using the sigil to the left) checks at the top-level signature and 1 and 2 scales down. It will be easier for you to hack the Thelemic system than the Enochian system.

Not sure if you’ve aligned at a small enough scale? If the system responds to you, you have. If it won’t respond to you, you haven’t.

Mike E asked about using the easier-to-hack Thelemic system to help you hack the Enochian system. Cool idea, but it won’t work. Unless a system has a command to align to another system’s signature, it can’t help you hack another system. And if it did, the “help you hack” system would probably require you to align to it at the same scale it uses to hack, so it wouldn’t let you hack systems you couldn’t hack already.

Step 4: Guide the System Into Your Mind

You want to guide the system into your mind so it can read your thoughts. “But wait,” you say, “won’t it realize my mind is in my signature, not its signature?” If it just makes a connection to you, yes. But if you guide it along a connection that smoothly shifts from the system’s signature to your signature, it will add that signature shift to its connection, causing your commands (in your mind’s signature) to look like they’re in the signature the system expects.

First, smooth your connection. Hold the end that’s connected to the system, so that it stays in the system’s signature. (To do this, keep that end of the connection, and the signature you want it to have, in your thoughts). Hold your end in your signature. Make another connection and trace the first connection, the one that goes to the system. Anywhere you hit a large or abrupt signature shift that’s hard for you to follow, break it up into several small signature shifts. Now you have a smooth signature transition along the connection.

Now, pull the system’s connection through your connection. This is a simple command, so I can give you a visualization: Visualize a thread sticking out of the system. Grab it. Guide it into your connection. Once the system’s connection is in your connection a bit, it will follow your connection the rest of the way, adopting the signature transition you just set up. Hold both ends of your connection in their respective signatures while you do this.

Give the system a minute to connect to your mind, then communicate with it by slowly by thinking a sentence, focusing on each idea. (One idea may be several words. For example, “red ball” should be sent as one idea, rather than abstract red then an image of a colorless ball). My first instruction is usually “Requesting basic usage instructions,” which will cause the system to tell you what commands it accepts.

Contacting the Spirits Behind the System

To talk with the spirits who own the system, rather than the holographic projections the system gives most people, just ask the system “who owns you?” It will connect you to the spirits.

Introduce yourself. Explain that you wanted to see how the system worked, but that if they want you to leave, you will. (If they say yes, leave. Remember, you’re crashing their party). Pick something you’re trying to learn, and ask them if they’ll teach you about it. Let the relationship grow like it would with a person you just met, where you find a common interest to work on for a little while, then call a few days later with something else.

A good request is “Teach me how to communicate with you more effectively, so it’s easier for you to read my thoughts, and so I can read your responses more accurately.” The easier you are to communicate with, the happier spirits will be to talk with you.

Questions?

Is there a post that’s confusing you? Leave a comment or email me at mike@magickofthought.com and let me know.

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How To Hack a System

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

You found my old blog. Thanks for visiting! For my new writing, visit mikesententia.com.

Initiations are the gatekeepers of magick. Before you can channel the Reiki system, you need an attunement. Before you can initiate someone else, you need another couple attunements. Golden dawn and other ritual styles are similar: Many levels of initiation, each with its own rituals, capabilities and price.

This post will show you how to bypass those gatekeepers.

Part of the initiation is social convention. Before someone will train you, you need to be part of the group. I can’t help you with that.

But initiation has a magick component, too. If a style requires initiation, the systems behind that style only work with initiated mages. They won’t talk to outsiders. This post is about bypassing that, so you can work with any system from any magick style.

This post builds on the rest of the series. Start with the first post here. Also, this is intermediate direct magick (the rest of the series was beginning direct magick). You’ll need good control of connections, the signatures of those connections, and your own energy. If you’re not there yet, click here to see where to start.

How Initiation Works

Hacking lives in the differences between the big picture on how something works and the details of how it works.

You already know the big picture: Systems only work with initiated mages.

Here are the details: Systems work best with a mage whose mind is aligned to the system’s signature. Some systems will work with you anyway, and even help you align your mind. But systems that require initiation only work with mages whose minds are aligned to their signature.

That’s the point of the initiation ritual: An initiated mage (who can work with the system) initiates you. The system aligns your mind using the procedure from the previous two posts. Once you’re done, you’re aligned enough for the system to accept you.

Levels of initiation work the same way. The better aligned your mind is to the system’s signature, the higher level you are with the system.

You can see how the techniques in the previous two posts let you initiate yourself, as far as the systems behind a style are concerned. But that’s a lot of work if you just want to use a system once. Here’s how to quickly align your communication to a system’s signature for a single session.

Matching a Signature Temporarily

Earlier, I said that systems only work with a mage whose mind is aligned to the system’s signature. Really, that’s a bit of a simplification. The system doesn’t know what signature your mind uses. When the system connects to you, it uses a connection in its signature. If you can communicate using that connection, you can use the system.

There are 2 ways accomplish that. Neither is the “easy way.” One requires less technique but more effort, the other is faster but more advanced. That trade off happens a lot. Here are the options:

  1. Change your mind’s signature to match the system. That’s what we did in the previous 2 posts. It’s the less skill, more effort method. It’s also semi-permanent (which is good in some cases, bad in others).
  2. Create a connection that translates between your signature and the system’s signature. That’s this post. It’s the quick but more advanced technique. Also, it’s temporary, so it’s best for hacking a system once, not using a system every day.

Translating a Signature With a Connection

A translation connection translates between 2 signatures. One end works in one signature, the other end works in another. Put in a message with signature A, and you’ll get the same message in signature B. The connection translates for you.

Don’t think of it like translating words, idioms, or anything at a language scale. We’re translating signatures. It’s like adapting computer connections, going from a PS/2 (the old round keyboard connectors) to USB. A friend explains it as connecting two sculptures, one of smooth clay and the other of angular metal, by making a series of small transitions between the two. The translation is closer to a re-arranging of wires than going from French to English.

The translation connection lets you bring the system’s connection (in its signature) into your mind (in your signature).

How To Make a Translation Connection

  1. Find the signature of the system (or whatever you’re translating to). To do that, connect to the system with a normal sensory connection.
  2. Make a connection with your signature on one end and the system’s signature on the other. To do this, you’ll need to know how to align to the system’s signature.
  3. Smooth the transition throughout the connection. You want a lot of small adjustments, not one big jump. Hold both ends of the connection in your mind, trace from one to the other, and split any large shifts into a series of small ones.

How To Hack a System

Connect to the system using a translation connection. It will handle the rest. Here’s why:

When you connect to a system, it follows that connection back to your mind. That’s how it finds you to read your thoughts. We need to get the connection that the system makes to translate between your signature and its signature. You do that by connecting to the system with a translation connection.

When the system traces your translation connection, it adds that signature shift to its connection. (See the Technical Note at the bottom for why). Now the system’s connection translates between your signature and its signature, so your messages show up in the system’s signature and it responds as though you were initiated.

That’s it. Just use a translation connection instead of a normal one.

Is it really that easy? Well, yes and no. Once you can make a good translation connection, yes, you can use almost any system you want. But making a good translation connection is intermediate direct magick.

The key is scale. Remember, signatures have scale. Large-scale signatures are made of small-scale signatures, in the same way molecules are made of atoms, which are made of protons and electrons, and so on to smaller scales. If you match at the atom scale and the system checks signatures at the molecule scale, you’re all set. But if the system checks at the proton scale, it will notice that you’re not aligned.

Here’s the rule of thumb: If you can align at a smaller scale than the system’s users normally work with, you can probably hack it. If not, you probably can’t.

In my experience, systems that are intended to be used by groups of people are easy to hack. They can’t require perfect alignment or new initiates wouldn’t be able to use them. The Golden Dawn or Reiki systems are good places to start.

What To Do Once You’re In

Once you have access to the system, send it this message: “Requesting basic use instructions.” Most systems have a readme, and that’s how you get it. It will tell you the commands the system accepts, what they do, and generally how to use it.

Make sure to ask for the “use instructions,” not just “instructions”, because most systems have one general readme and another for someone preparing to use the system.

Practicing Hacking Systems

Before you can hack a system, you need to find it. To do that, focus on a symbol associated with the system’s style. You can find the symbols online or at your local occult shop.

Start with a system known for friendly spirits. Reiki, Enochian, something like that. Not the Goetia.

Technical Note on Translation Connections

For advanced mages curious about the details of translation connections (feel free to skip this if that’s not you):

Connections don’t carry energy. Instead, one end absorbs the power, and the other end uses that power to emit energy. Think of it like heat flowing through metal, or how a rope transmits pulling (it can transmit the force without the rope itself moving much), not like how a hose carries water.

Connections, and all other magickal structures, have a signature. It only absorbs power from energy matching its signature (it absorbs some power from energy that partially matches its signature). When powered, it emits energy in its signature.

A translation connection has 2 signatures, one on each end. One end absorbs one energy signature, powering the connection. Power doesn’t have a signature; it just flows through the structure, eventually powering the other end of the connection. (Power flows more efficiently, losing less of its pressure and drive, if each signature shift is small. That’s why you want to make a smooth path, meaning a lot of small signature shifts, instead of a few big jumps). The far end of the connection produces energy matching its signature, which is different than the signature of the energy that came in.

When you trace a connection, you’re tracing each signature shift that happens along the way. If you don’t, your connection winds up with a different signature than the one you’re tracing, and you won’t see the connection (or the thing it leads to) clearly. This is why the system’s connection takes on your signature shift when it traces your translation connection.

Making Better Translation Connections

Connections are made of many smaller connections, like how rope is made of twine which is made of thread. A rope-scale connection carries a rope-scale signature. The twine-scale connections that comprise it carry the twine-scale signatures that comprise the rope-scale signature.

Translation is an approximation. You are making a signature that looks like the other signature. The smaller you can match it, the better the approximation. To translate a signature well, you’ll want to use small-scale connections to translate the small-scale signatures. To improve your translation, focus on going to a smaller scale.

Most systems reserve some functions for high-level initiates. Things like initiating others and high-level techniques for that style. It separates newcomers from high-level initiates by how well their mind is aligned to the system’s signature. To access the advanced functions, you’ll have to translate more smoothly and at a smaller scale so the system’s view of your mind through the translation looks like an experienced user, not a newcomer.

If you liked this post, consider visiting my current blog at mikesententia.com.

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Hacking Systems

Monday, March 15th, 2010

You found my old blog. Thanks for visiting! For my new writing, visit mikesententia.com.

This week’s theme is systems. Start with Direct Magick Fundamentals: Systems.

Today, in Advanced Direct Magick: Using systems you aren’t supposed to. “Hacking systems.”

But I’m Not Initiated

Direct mages don’t have dedicated systems. We use the same fundamental systems as everyone else, but sometimes you need to use a ritual style’s system.

When that happens, you hack the system. Yes, you’re going where you’re not supposed to. Yes, this will sometimes get you into trouble. But if you never do anything that might get you into trouble, you will lead a very boring life.

Why Hack a System

  • Hacking a system lets you access the useful things it can do.
  • Work with new types of magick, learn more.
  • Disable an attacker that relies on systems.

How Hacking Works

Systems control access by only using their signature for all connections and communications. If you can’t handle their signature, you can’t get in.

Normally, you adjust to their signature through initiation and practice. The system sets your mind up to handle its signature each time you use it, and it does a massive setup during initiation.

As a direct mage, I work with many different systems and many different parts of my mind. A system adjusting my mind interferes with other things I want to do.

Plus, the normal way is slow.

Hacking a System

1.  Connect to the system using the beginning direct magick technique
2.  Match the system’s signature
3.  Make a connection that smoothly transitions from your signature to the system’s signature
4.  Communicate normally with the system

Yes, I’m saying “A connection that changes signature lets you access any system.” It sounds like magic. Not the good kind, but the ridiculous wishful thinking kind.  Mea culpa.

Here’s why it works:

The system connects back to you with small connections that go through your connection. The small connections start in the system’s signature.  Since your connection is also in that signature, the system is happy.

As the small connections go through your connection, your connection shifts signature, and the small connections automatically follow that shift. That’s how tracing a path works. The system doesn’t complain because the transition is smooth.

When the system’s small connections reach your mind, they’ve shifted to your signature, and will interact with your mind naturally.

When your thoughts go back to the system, they go through the same signature shifts as the connections did, and end up in the system’s signature.

That’s all there is to it. If you’re working with an advanced system, you’ll need to shift your message into the system’s signature instead of the neutral signature.

Hacking Systems Well

Hacking well requires good signature matching.

I’ll do a week on signature matching at some point, but here’s the gist:

Signatures are like molecules.

Think of the top level signature is as sand, made of many grains. Each grain is made of many molecules, which are made of atoms, which are made of…

To match a signature, view it at the smallest scale you can. Line up the elements of your signature with similar-looking elements of the target signature. This alignment will be imperfect, but that’s OK.

Use those mappings to construct a signature that matches the target signature at a larger scale. The signatures at that level will look even closer because their building blocks are already aligned.

Now repeat until you get to the top-level (largest scale) signature. Each time you go up one scale of signature, the alignment becomes even better. The smaller the scale you start with, the better the top-level signatures will match.

Most systems require a very tight match to access to the best commands, like denying someone else use of the system. If you can’t hack a particular system, try matching the signature more closely by starting at a smaller scale.

Useful Commands

“Requesting basic use instructions” makes the system explain how to use it. It won’t go into every feature, but it gives a good idea of the normal usage. It ends with a list of additional topics to ask about (“Requesting instructions for X“).

“What commands are available?” gives a list of the commands and what they do. This is your user manual.

“Deny access to that person (use the person’s signature)” makes the system refuse their commands. If someone is using a system to bother you, this shuts them down*. Denying access requires much better signature alignment than most commands.

*In this case, when you trace the attacker’s connection, you will find the system before you find the person commanding it.

Finishing Up

When you’re done, disconnect from the system. Don’t just stop using the connection. Actively take it down.

If you don’t, the system will stay connected to you and start shifting your mind’s signature to initiate you. It’s not malicious, but it will cause problems.

If you liked this post, consider visiting my current blog at mikesententia.com.

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