Poppet Magic

What Is A Poppet?

Poppets, a magical doll used to represent a particular person during spell work and ritual magic. These dolls have been much maligned and misunderstood over recent decades mainly due to the media of film and TV portraying the popular image of a doll stuck full of pins in an effort to maim or curse.. Whilst it is certainly true that what has the power to heal has the power to curse, the poppet doll is a wonderful tool to engage the positive side of magic.

Poppets have been used throughout the ages for all kids of purposes and have firm links to Voodoo, although they are popular to many cultures. They can be made from all sorts of materials, clay, wax, mud, and cloth, in fact anything that can be molded to represent a person and these dolls have been used for both malignant purposes as well as benevolent. It is a magical doll that has been made for a magical or a ritual purpose. The doll is made to represent and therefore substitute the person for whom the doll has been made. The making of the doll itself is most important and will usually take much concentration and focus of intent. Ideally the doll will have items belonging to the person it is intended for and these would be worked into its making, for example, it could be made from material belonging to a garment that has been worn by the person, hair and nail clippings can be used, even bodily fluids such as blood, semen, saliva, have all been used throughout the ages. The important thing is to link the poppet to the intended person as thoroughly as possible. Once the doll has been created to the makers satisfaction life is “breathed” into the doll by blowing the breath into the poppets “mouth”, this is traditionally done by blowing through a drinking straw. The poppet is then “named” and is from then on considered to be the person it was designed for. The poppet is then looked after with great care until the spell is done and then destroyed completely, destroying the link between it and its human counterpart.

These magical dolls are a wonderful example of Sympathetic Magic which is one of the oldest and most commonly performed magical arts, particularly in modern day Witchcraft. Sympathetic Magic works on two principles or “laws”, these being the Law of Similarity and the Law of Contact and the poppet illustrates these beautifully. The Law of Similarity states that like produces like, which means that the Witch or Magician can produce a desired effect simply by imitating that effect, so a poppet is made to represent and therefore substitute a particular person. The Law on Contact states that whatever is done to an object will equally affect the person to whom the object once belonged or has had contact with. We use this principal in poppet magic by obtaining something that either belonged to or came from the person for whom the doll is intended as outlined in the paragraph above.

Finally it is the magical intent that “feeds” the spell being created, this forms the link within the ether between the poppet and the intended recipient and is created by the will of the practitioner. In the end it is the intent, will and magical ability of the practitioner that brings it all together and finalizes the outcome.

Poppets are a very versatile form of spell craft and can be used with great success in all areas of magic, the most common being in healing, love magic, protection, banishing, prosperity and of course hexing and cursing. Another use of the poppet, however, is in Ritual where the dolls are used to represent aspects of the God and Goddess and can also be used to tap into certain energies. A good example of this would be the Bridie Doll, traditionally used at Imbolc (Feb.1st) to honor the Goddess in her maiden form, to welcome in the spring and to celebrate the fertility of the land. Another form of poppet that many of us have made as children is the corn dolly, made to represent the Goddess in all her abundance or made to represent the Sacrificed God, or John Barleycorn the spirit of the corn itself.

The Museum of Witchcraft at Boscastle in Cornwall has an excellent collection of Poppets from all across the country representing both the benign and malignant use of these magical dolls. The display shows that this was a popular form of magic used throughout the ages by people from all walks of life and for many diverse reasons. The Museum is well worth a visit for this collection alone.

Types of Poppet Dolls:

WAX-

soften candles and shape them into poppet figurine. Rub lavender oil, or similar onto your hands first for ease, and ensure the wax is not too hot. Use small pieces of coal or gems to adorn the poppet. For a more powerful effect use hair, fingernails, or some token or possession of the recipient.

CLOTH-

Cut round a template on two pieces of cloth, stitch almost all the way up, then fill with herbs, or hair (depending on the spell) Adorn with colored threads, or draw symbols on. The name of the recipient can be written on the poppet.

PAPER-

(quickest way) simply cut paper into poppet figure, you can anoint with oil it draw symbols on it. You can even stick a photo on it of the person the poppet is intended for.

WOOD-

carve poppet into figure, glue on hair or use a piece of cloth from the clothing of the recipient of the spell. Use paints or color crayons to adorn the poppet.

ROOT-

several plant roots can be carved into poppet figures. (potato, apple, ginseng..)Make sure the poppet is finished before using it, do not carry on carving once you start using it. This poppet is for short term use as it will inevitably rot within a short time of making it.

CLAY-

mould into poppet shape, be sure to create a hollow to place hair, fingernails or herbs, etc, before sealing. Adorn with paints or by carving with a sharp object.

In modern days, the most common poppets are filled with herbs and incense. But pure Witchcraft still uses the practice of urine, blood, fingernails and hair.

The poppet dolls will be magickally charged by the Witch, using a simple spell, chant, song, dance, drumbeat. etc

Depending on the desired outcome, use the elements, winds, or moon phases to bring life to the magick.

IMPORTANT: Take really good care of your poppet when not in use. The last thing you want is to accidentally drop it and break it, or set fire to it etc. Wrap it in white cloth and keep it somewhere safe. To dispose of a poppet, dig a deep hole and bury it. Be sure to sever the magickal link between the poppet and the person before disposing of.

This information was shared in the good faith that no reader will use this to bring harm to another.

Authors Details: Unknown Source - submitted by Clay Foster

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Poppet Magic

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Legend & superstition surround voodoo dolls, & the uses of the dolls have been a closely guarded secret until the past few years. Most rituals are connected with revenge, harm & hate, but there are also love, success, luck & health spells, as well as protection or dispelling evil rites. The doll one uses is merely a symbol; it is the power the magician infuses into the spell which brings force to ones intentions. Each doll/poppet below comes with instruction card. Shipped to USA Addresses Only