All My Love to You, Poppet
Ok, so the image accompanying this post is a ‘voodoo doll,’ but it amused me, and it is technically a poppet.
While I was aware of them, my first real introduction to working with poppets was in a 2000 dracona.net class POPPETS, POTIONS, AND AMULETS taught by Yvonne. I am a crafty girl, and this kind of sympathetic magic seemed right up my alley. I really enjoyed working with them and have used different types and different representations over the years. This was just the first and was a very memorable tool.
Here is my journal post about the working that I shared with the class/group:
I did my poppet a little differently. Someone mentioned making a personal poppet, that represents them, but is reused for different things. I liked this and this is what I made. I enlarged the pattern a bit to make it easier to work with. I made it in some white cotton knit material I had left from making robes for some friends. I embroidered a heart on it. I divided the heart into 4 sections and sewed one red, one blue, one yellow, and one green. I made it so it was on both sides of the front piece of material. One of the main things I need to work on right now is balance. I filled it with a combination of 9 herbs that represented things I wanted to increase in my life, some natural cotton from the nearby fields, some of my hair, a medicine braid that I just removed from my hair, the extra threads from the embroidery, a pinch of salt, and a raw amethyst. I have a natural affinity with this stone.
I used cotton stuffing for the rest. I stitched it with a black thread and chanted “This is mine, This is me, As this thread binds, so bound are we.” I have used variations of the “This is mine, This is me..”chant since I discovered it during a meditation during my dedication, when I had to connect to an object. I will finish this up tonight and consecrate it tomorrow during the ritual I am doing. It is a good day for it, day before the Full Moon, Wednesday, Moon in Cancer….
Sympathetic Magic
Poppets are a very strong form of sympathetic magic. The Law of Similarity states that things which seem alike are alike. Effects resemble causes. So, in this case, I made an image of myself and told my magic that this image represented me. So, when I was casting magic on the doll, or poppet, I was casting magic on myself. This was basically a better way for me to focus that energy.
I don’t necessarily work magic on other people without their permission. I might send simple healing energy their way, but no active magic. After my husband’s recent heart attack, I still asked him for permission to work advanced healing magic on him, even though we have been together for about 25 years, and I’ve been a witch all that time (which meant he said not only yes, but hell yeah! but I still asked). So, I am not likely to make a poppet to inflict my magic on another person, YMMV.
Make Your Own Poppet
Here is an outline/pattern that you can print at any size, and then cut out from a fabric of your choice to make your own magical poppets.
Materials
1 (12-inch by 12-inch) square of felt or other material to match skin color or your magical intent
Small scrap of fabric in the appropriate color for heart (green or blue for healing, pink or red for love, etc) (optional – I embroidered mine)
Embroidery floss or fabric paint to match eye and lip color
Yarn to match hair color
Sewing thread
Sewing and embroidery needles
Cotton Batting or Fiberfill for stuffing (optional)
Herbs, Incense, Stones, and Candles appropriate for purpose
A taglock (a bit of fingernail, a lock of hair, a picture or other memento of the person whom the poppet is intended to represent)
Instructions
1. Print and cut out the poppet pattern.
2. Fold material, right sides together.
3.. Pin the pattern on the material, then cut out.
4. Sew, craft, create and dedicate poppet to its purpose.
5. Proceed with poppet magic.
Things to think about before/while you make your poppet:
- What’s your current magickal need?
- What is the purpose of your poppet? What ingredients might you use (herbs,oils, stones, colors, etc.)?
- How long will you keep it for? How will you discard it when you are done?
- Make and Dedicate the Poppet
Have you done poppet magic in your practice? How did it work out for you? What worked best, or didn’t feel right about making/using your poppet? Is this something you will incorporate into your practice in the future?
