Uploaded to the records of the Malakite Empire, accessible to all within it.
Sith Sorcery: Fundamentals
Introduction:
This work isn’t complete today and may never be. It is intended to be a living reference that grows with the collective understanding of the Empire. Sith sorcery has existed since the first Sith Order. The rites and rituals of the Sith race were incorporated into the use of the Force. This gave rise to a tradition today called Sith sorcery. It is fundamentally a use of the Dark Side. It differs from other uses of the Dark Side in that it utilises incantation, ritual procedures and a practice that can be quite elaborate. While it is easy to see the art as something entirely disconnected from logic, I do not believe it is impossible to study under a rational lens. What is important is an appreciation for the logic of metaphysics. Attend to the deeper, mystical, meaning of the world and the Force and you will find reason in apparent madness.
The Force:
The Force exists in all the world. It is a metaphysical element of life itself. While all life has some connection to the force, some life forms are born with an atypically deep connection to the Force. Sentient life forms that are born with this atypical depth will be referred to as force sensitives in this work. While non-sentient life forms sometimes demonstrate a unique depth of sensitivity, this subject matter is outside the scope of this work. Force sensitives are typically born. It may be possible to induce artifical sensitivity utilising the Dark Side (more on this later) but I have yet to encounter any verifiable claim of this occurring. Matukai spiritual practitioners believe a connection to the Force can be engendered in those born without sensitivity using rigorous physical disciplining.
Force sensitive individuals have the potential to utilise their connection to the Force to materially affect themselves and the world. Force sensitivity alone does not assure that an individual can utilise the Force volitionally in this way. While in rare cases an untrained force sensitive will utilise the Force instinctively, utilising the Force typically requires practice, study and instruction. In the distant past there were many different practices across the galaxy for utilising the Force. Few survive today as they failed to match the depths of comprehension achieved by the Jedi, then the Sith Order. They would be sublimated by superiour teachings, then go extinct. Jedi records might retain documentation such primitive practices today, but Sith do not waste their time with inferiour things.
The Light and the Dark:
In the distant past, the predecessors to the modern Sith and Jedi Orders made no differentiation between Light and Dark side. Both were studied as part of a whole Force. Undifferentiated. But the weakest among this early order objected to the depths of study others pursued; they were fixated on worship, rather than progress. So they warred, and those among them that valued mastery over the Force left. That splinter would discover the race known as the Sith, and go on to create the first Sith Order. Those that were content to be instruments of the Force, would become the Jedi Order.
The fundamental distinction between the Light and Dark side is one of mastery. The Light side, as a practice, requires the release of the self. To be a part of the world that is, and seek service to the Force itself. The Jedi ask, and the Force answers. The Dark side, as a practice, is the inverse. It is the self placed before the world. To impose oneself on the world. The Sith subjugate, and the Force serves.
Some Sith try to romanticise the Dark Side, as a rich expression of emotion. They look to the Code of the Jedi and see how they reject their own emotions in direct contrast to the Sith. This is a weakness to be discarded. An excuse. Emotion should be used to free yourself, but those emotions that emphasise the primacy of the self are the foundations of true power. Fear, hate and anger are intrinsically selfish. They will make you powerful, because they serve only the self. Love, affection, friendship and empathy are outward looking. They emphasise care for something other than the self. Excise them, if you would grasp power. Make no apologies. Appeal to no higher morality. Understand, control and take. Or live forever subject to those that did.
Sith sorcery has no equivalent in the Light. There is no complex practice by which the world is altered. This is because the Dark Side emphasises finding new ways to control, change and break what exists in the world today. This is antithetical to the Light, which is defined by an acceptance of all life. The power of the Jedi is in asking, and having the Force answer. They are servants, being gifted power. The Sith take. The Force will resist, as all elements of the world do, but it is not your master. It is another element of the world to be understood and controlled. This is the essence of Sith sorcery; developing new ways to bend the Force to your purpose. This also, is why the Force will try to take so much from you in return. It will resist. It will change you. Do not fear it; overcome it.
The Laws of Sorcery:
Our goal now understood, I aim here to outline the methods of sorcerous practice. In ritual that has come before, there are observable and consistent elements. I present them here as Laws. This is not an exhaustive list, but I aim to define elements for consideration in practice.
1. The Law of Sympathy:
Like affects like. There is a sympathetic connection between similar things that should be incorporated into any spell or ritual. If you would break bone then carry bone as a focus. If you would steal life then incorporate blood. If you would break the land then shatter a rock. Aim to align your practice with the law of sympathy. When you experiment, to develop new methods, gather things that are alike to what you aim to affect and experiment with them. This is also why some practices require first that the practitioner is victim of the power. To be acted on by something, to be changed by it, is to make it a part of yourself. Not all lessons can be understood with words alone. Embrace the lessons in your suffering.
2. The Law of Symbolism:
A symbol is as alike to a thing, as its material. This is the law that underpins a great many elements of ritual that appear to be madness. Signs and symbols carry a metaphysical weight that should be incorporated into practice. The first Sith sorcerers drew on the religious practices of the Sith species to invoke symbols of control, death, life, domination and so on. Those symbols are worth seeking to this day, for ancient symbols carry the weight of their history. They gain power for their use. Recall that the Force connects all life. If you would dominate life itself, dominate the Force, you must find symbols that are significant to life. Personal symbols may be incorporated if they align the practitioner with their purpose, but remember that the more universal a symbol is - the greater its power.
3. The Law of Domination:
You are Sith. You do not ask, you take. You do not uphold the natural order, you break it. Rituals and spells often incorporate a violation of the world either symbolically or directly. Blood is very common in Sith rites for many reasons, but pay attention to how it is collected. To collect blood from that which died naturally is to weaken your rite. The Law of Domination dictates that it should be taken violently, even painfully. A life taken for no reason but your practice is a direct violation of the natural order. It carries symbolic weight, and it observes the law of domination.
4. The Law of Sacrifice:
Sacrifice is done often as an act of worship. In the Sith, you must make sacrifices to gain power. But the Sith do not bow, and the purpose of sacrifice is not worship. Sacrifice is an act of rejection of the dominion the world has over you. Sith sacrifice loved ones, parts of themselves they cherish, ideas or treasured objects to break the power they have over the Sith. To place nothing before the self. So it is with ritual. Sacrifice grants the ritual greater power because it symbolically rejects the primacy of life. While personal sacrifices can add weight to a rite, the sacrifices of others are most common. Sacrificing the lives of others enhances the weight, and power, of a ritual. Grander sacrifices are required for grander results. The most impressive rites require sacrifices of life at a large scale.
The Elements of Practice:
These are the components of practice. Each is not always necessary for the use of Sith sorcery but generally each will enhance what you are trying to achieve.
Incantation:
Vocal expression of what you aim to achieve. When developing or exercising incantation remember the laws. Words are symbols, and symbols of greater significance carry the most power. Though the true meaning of many ancient incantations are lost (for knowledge of the original Sith language is rare) they remain powerful for the weight they carry. Learn as much as you can of the Sith language, if you hope to develop new paths to power.
Somatics:
Physical motion is fundamental to use of the Force in general. Gestures that align with your purpose symbolically, and express domination, are powerful tools in Sith sorcery. Many are rooted in ancient Sith religious practice, but where you cannot find gestures in history, gestures of meaning to the present will suffice.
Will:
The most essential element of Sith sorcery has no outward sign. To utilise the Force in such a directed and controlled way is an act of dominion. The Will of the caster is the foundation of conquest. Draw on the elements of yourself that speak most clearly to your purpose. This might be Hate of the inferiour, Fear of rebellion, Anger at your opposition or any number of elements. Look inward, and you will know. Find in the Dark Side the depths of your desire to conquer the world.
Artifice:
Objects (or even lifeforms) can be created to carry weight in Sith sorcery, and even power unto themselves. I do not know how such objects come to be. An area for another scholar to investigate. But such objects are tools that can be used to achieve or enhance sorcerous power.
Subjugation:
More can be achieved with more participants in a rite. Participants must be skilled Sith themselves, but they are not equal to the one leading the rite. The greatest Sith subjugates the rest to their purpose, and achieves greater power. Any given rite may have any number of participants, but there can only be one master.
Ritual Design:
This section outlines the steps to the conduct of a ritual. The distinction between a ritual and a spell is that a spell represents an immediate and controlled use of Sith sorcery while a ritual is the culmination of careful preparation and involved practice. It cannot be conducted without good planning and resourcing.
Preparation:
Gather the materials for the ritual. Take care to align each component with the Laws of sorcery. Choose materials for their symbolic importance, collect them at significant times of day (or night). Materials from the world you aim to affect are most ideal. Prepare any sacrifices and make ready the space you will conduct the rite. Spaces deep in the mysteries of the Dark Side are most ideal though you may prepare a space by burning incense of the first Sith to cleanse the air, carving in the walls or floor symbols of power and performing acts of symbolic conquest (such as defeating a hated foe there). Observe the Laws in each step of your preparation.
Foundation:
Mark the ground with the focus of your ritual. This is the foundation, on which you will practice your work. The structure of this foundation is typically a triangle. A pyramid. This symbol is powerful in Sith history. If there are many participants in a rite you must mark the ground with more complex geometries derived from the pyramid. Remember, there can be only one master of a rite. Build into your foundation a place of primacy for them. The substance and shape used to form the foundation can vary, but should observe the Laws.
Presence:
Once you have prepared for the rite, you must ready your body and mind for what is to come. Anoint yourself in symbols of conquest, power and purpose. Choose substances to do this that align well with the Laws of sorcery. Blood is ideal, especially if drawn from that which you aim to act on. Sometimes, it is appropriate to inhale or inject substances to deepen the weight of your Hatred, Fear or Anger. These substances can be toxins, incense, psychotropics (that release the mind from material constraint) or the smoke of burned sacrifices.
Initiation:
Seek in yourself the depths of your purpose. Seize the Force, and bend it. It is now that the Master will subjugate the Servants of a rite. Their power is to be offered and taken by the Master. It is now that incantation begins.
Sacrifice:
Sacrifices can occur immediately prior to the Initiation if practicality demands it (in the case of mass killings this can be a necessary practicality) but the ideal time to make a sacrifice is as the rite approaches its zenith. Servants can become sacrifices if you have the wit or might to coerce or fool them into it.
Domination:
The conclusion of the rite. This is a struggle between Master and the world. This is when the Force will bend, and wail, and howl in protest. When it will try to tear you apart. Your Will to power must be greater. If there is doubt, if there is anything but the self, you will fail. You may be scarred. You may be killed. But should you prove the greater, the world will be bent to your purpose. You will have victory.