~ Poppet Magic ~
Notes from the Poppet Magic Workshop

VooDoo Dolls, Baby Dolls, Wangas, Dollies, Dollys, Poppets, Kolossos, Fetishes, Effigies

Using poppets is one of the oldest forms of magick. The type of magick used when dealing with poppets/dollies is called sympathetic magick. The basic idea is 'this represents that, what I do to this will affect that."

Once used to lure animals and aid in the hunt, today this form of magick is most often employed for healing purposes. Artifacts dating to 4BCE Greece confirm the use of 'dollies' in ages past. "Kolossos", as they were called, were most often used to bind evil spirits rather than people (though binding people was certainly not unheard of.) Rough human forms were shaped from clay, lead or wood and then the figures would be bound, hands and feet often tied behind the back, heads turned sharply to the left or even completely around. Pins, nails and other objects would be inserted, the number 13 being a favourite to insert. These poppets would then be encased in a lead vessel and buried to bind the intended person/spirit.

The Hollywood VooDoo doll as we have all come to know seems to be just that ... Hollywood. These seem to have more in common with the Greek Kolossos than with real VooDoo artifacts. With the limited knowledge of VooDoo that I have I'll just say that most of the items that I have encountered don't even have the appearance of the Hollywood icon. There are a group of dollies that I came across in my research of poppets and those were called 'Wangas'. These are dollies that are meant to embody Loa spirits to aid in particular magickal workings. Reliable VooDoo information seems to be difficult to come by so rather than prove my ignorance I'll go no further down this path.

MATERIALS
>> CLOTH/FABRIC
Natural materials are best, even more power will come from cotton that you have dyed yourself. Think of the purpose of your dollie to help you decide on a material: red silk for sex, soft blue cotton for healing, cheap black polyester for binding. Some fabric is easier to sew than others too, felt and fleece is very forgiving. You may want to think about thread colour too to add just a touch of some other magickal energy. One really great idea is to make the poppet from clothing belonging to the target!

>> ROOTS/WOOD
The mandrake root is often depicted growing in the shape of a human form. There is a long process that one can go through to dedicated a mandrake and influence the roots to become even more human like ... I'll leave this for another time. Many other roots share similar human-like qualities. Gardeners will often dig up a carrot that has an uncanny resemblance to a human form. Similarly a human form can be whittled from a piece of wood (apple is said to work well). Considering the properties of the wood to the purpose at hand.

>> CLAY/MUD
Clay is a wonderful material to work with and if you are not planning on keeping your poppet around for ages it is a great material to dispose of. You could easily plant it in the earth, or place it in water and it would easily disintegrate. Alternatively, when dried it would be simple to smash or otherwise destroy the item.

>> WAX
A very common material to make poppets from. A popular spell calls for 7 new white candles to be 'softened' and shaped into a human form. Consider adding oils or even colouring the wax to suit your purpose.

>> PAPER
In a pinch you could use a piece of paper and give it the distinguishing features of the target. If you are fond of burning spells this would be a nice alternative.

>> FOOD
The thought occurred to me that you could literally make a poppet out of almost anything - even food! A fertility poppet of whole grain bread, a sex poppet out of a banana split ... your could even consume your enemies!

COMMON ADDITIONS
(to stuff inside, mix with clay or wax, inscribe or mark)
- Taglock - something that will link the dollie to the target and connect them to one another
- Items from the ‘target’ i.e. hair, nails, body fluid, clothing
- A photograph of the target may be used
- If no personal item is available then the name of the individual should be written on a slip of paper and inserted into the head of the poppet
- Copal is often used as the heart
- Stones and gems to aid in healing or other purpose
- Spanish Moss as stuffing (especially for ‘doing a job’ on another)
- Marking with distinguishing features
- Symbols/runes/words (write backwards for confusion/binding)
- Calamus for domination
- Rosemary for healing

WHAT TO DO WITH IT?
First you will want to 'christen' your poppet and give it life. Here are two examples that I found:

1.
(John Doe) you are, [downward stroke of cross on name]
And (John Doe) to me [cross-stroke of cross on name]
You will always be. [hand pauses, then over dollie for next part]
You will think what i tell you to think,
Walk where i tell you to walk,
Talk when i tell you to talk,
Do what i tell you to,
Go where i send you,
And speak when you're spoken to.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

2.
Little one, I made you and now I give you life
I name you (John Doe)
His body is your body
His breath is your breath
His passion is your passion
His blood is your blood
Though separate you were
Now you are one.

Your actions after this point will depend on your purpose or style of magick. You may want to consider one of the following: bury, burn, keep it hidden, sleep with it, whisper to it, tie it up, keep on alter, melt it, smash it ... again, think about your purpose.

WHEN YOU'RE DONE
Sever the ties, give thanks and then take it apart, bury, burn it, toss it away, destroy it or do whatever you feel should be done, just be sure to 'complete' the spell and clean up your workings.

OTHER NOTES
- Employ the power of numbers and colours to reinforce your magickal intent
- 6, 9 and 13 have all been popular numbers to use with poppet magick
- consider chanting while sewing, there is a great deal of magickal power that can be stirred up with a few stitches and bit of focus
- if you are going to use pins, some feel that only new pins should be used and that the pins should never touch
- pins may be used to focus power or to 'draw out' illness after inserted
- do what makes sense to you!