Cyber Cauldron

I have always loved poppets! I’m sure that my first experience of a poppet was from voodoo dolls! The idea of using an effigy for cursing or healing is using a form of sympathetic magick.

Now I am sure that poppets feel out of favour due to the Voodoo doll but poppets have been around for centuries. The word poppet comes from the Middle English popet, meaning a small child or doll. A word still used today as a term of endearment.

The poppet has many uses as they act as a physical representation of a absent person they become linked to the person by visualising and naming but the link can be made stronger by adding something from the person, hair (pubic, chest or armpit hair is better than head hair), nail clippings, fluids (tears, sweat, semen, urine, saliva or blood). Personal items from the subject should be given freely for good magicks or stolen for hexing and cursing.

Since poppets are neutral tools they can be used for positives as well as negatives but remember the rule of three.

Now poppets can be made from a number of substances carved root, grain or corn shafts, a fruit, paper, wax, a potato, clay, branches, or cloth stuffed with herbs although my favourite is cloth as they are easy to make and the amount of effort in creating them seem to be about just right for most spells. For simple spells then drawn on paper works and for complex healing and cursing wax or carving works best.

Now my personal feelings are that you should not use a poppet to cause harm or control another.

Before making a poppet you should decide what time of poppet you will need and gather your ingredince to make it for the purpose of these piece I will show you how to make a cloth poppet and describe a few different uses (healing, love and binding).

For basic poppet you will need

2 pieces of cloth (pure natural fabric cotton, calico or silk) (coloured cloth can be used depending on purpose (red for love etc)) cut into basic human form using gingerbread man cutter to get shape.
Filling – cotton wool
Wool for hair (yellow for blond etc)
Coloured pens (felt-tips will do best to have a set just used for ritual / spell work)
Parchment paper.
Needle and cotton (colour white or back)*

To make the basic poppet start to stitch the poppet starting on right hand side just above where the ear would be all the way around to the just above the left ear position (thinking of the person that you what the poppet to become). Then turn poppet inside out so seams are hidden then fill with cotton wool. Write the name of the person and purpose on parchment (sigils can be used) fold and place in head. Once filled take some wool for hair and stitch closed the top.

Using felt-tips draw basic feature eyes, nose, mouth and heart (*good embroiders can stitch features in correct colours).

For healing poppets you will need to look up the illness and see what it is and what organs are affected so you can select the correct herbs and colours you may also need to have a copy of greys anatomy (not TV series) so you can draw organs in the correct positions on the poppet. If possible use personal item of person in mix. If a person is experiencing pain you will need some pins or blackthorn needles these need to be inserted into the poppets at the site of pain before poppet is named (the act of removing pins is a sympathetic of removing pain).

For love poppets create the poppet in the same way as basic poppet but increase the size of the heart and cover the eyes before naming and use herbs that invoke the feelings you wish to create. If person is very resistant to being open to love bind the poppet before naming with white ribbon.

For binding you will need a White ribbon or cord to bind the poppet.

The poppet ritual (you will need a draw sting bag large enough for your poppet)

Cast circle in normal way

Call the related deity for your purpose and make a personal dedication.

Spend some time meditating on the person you wish to work on, search your feelings insure that your doing the correct thing.

If you feel that you are doing the correct thing then build your poppet while chanting

<persons name> as I stitch I stitch to you.
as I pull the thread I pull you close
Closer and closer,
Nearer and near
and when I knot you are here.

This is repeated until you are ready to turn inside out and fill.

Place filling in cauldron or bowl including herbs mix well and as you fill chant repeating until filled.

<persons name> as I fill <insert purpose (healing /love / binding)> to be.

Now add wool hair and stitch closed while chanting

<persons name> as I stitch I stitch to you.
as I pull the thread I pull you close
Closer and closer,
Nearer and near
and when I knot you are here.

Now add features while saying

I give you 2 eyes to see, 1 nose to breath, 1 mouth to speak one heart to feel.

(for healing add organs and pins at this stage in silence)

(for love cover eyes with ribbon)

Once you have completed the poppet you have to name and give it a purpose.

Stand up and face north (or the direction of your gods) place poppet in hand and hold over genitals and say.

I birth this poppet and name it <persons name>

The raise it to your heart and say

I birth this poppet and name it <persons name> and give it purpose

Then raise it to your lips and say

I birth this poppet and name it <persons name> and breath life to it

Then raise it above your head and say

<goddess name> and <god name> see what I have created give it your blessing and let the connection be made.

1. Healing ritual treat poppet as the person remove the pins and visualise the pain lifting away – direct the healing into the poppet as you would if person was present – ie do a normal healing ritual.

2. Love remove the ribbon from eyes and say you are now open to look for love and take a knife and cut heart open saying your heart is now open to love and send love energy into poppet.

3. Binding take cord or ribbon and wrap around poppet chant a binding spell (I like the one from the craft) I wined you I bind you <insert name> so you may do no harm, harm to other or harm to yourself (repeat 3×3)

At the end place poppet in bag and close and leave their until magick manifests.

Close ritual in normal way.

Once the magick has manifested the poppet has no more use so remove from bag and un name by doing the ritual in reverse and bury or burn poppet ritually

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