Poppets and Poppet Magic

[Cunning Witch Angus]

--Poppets--

Poppets have been used in witchcraft and other such practices of magic for many, many years. The most popular form of such a doll is of course the famed Vodoo Doll popularized in many a Hollywood film. But what are they used for now? How can one practically use a doll that looks like someone else and that is essentially someone else for spellwork? Certainly such a thing is only used for malicious black magic?

Well, no they aren't. There are many different types of dolls. I am going to go through your House, or Guardian Dolls, Healing Poppets, Cursing Poppets, and Familiars. Each of these has a different purpose to a practitioner and these are some of the most used ways that I have come across in my research. Each one can be used by just about anybody with fantastic results. So let's begin.

What is a Poppet?

Now, what is a poppet exactly? Well the word poppet comes from the Middle English word for popet meaning Puppet. It has been used in witchcraft and folk magic as a representation of a person for the purposes of sympathetic and sometimes even contagion magics. It can be made from anything from wood to corn stalks wrapped in the shape of a person. The most famous of bases for a poppet is of course the Mandrake root, which we will be talking about later.

Contagion? Sympathetic, what are you on about, Angus?
Contagion and Sympathetic magics are categories of magics against a person or place or thing. Sympathetic magic deals with creating representation of said person for the uses of healing, cursing and protecting. The object of focus can be a picture or a name or a, you guessed it, poppet.

Contagion magic has to do with focusing a spell onto an object that is connected to the target in some way. This could be hair, nails, a key that they have held, anything really that they have touched or have a close emotional and/or physical connection to. It is even said that one can exploit the dirt from a footprint. I have heard of a hex where the witch drives a iron nail through the footprint of her enemy in order to falter his steps and make him filled with doubt and apprehension.

One can combine these two schools of magic for an even more powerful focus for one's spellwork.

How do I make a Poppet?
Poppets can be made from just about anything. I personally have found the best base to be wax as it malleable and easily found. All one has to do is create the image of a person and concentrate on who it is supposed to be. Whilst making such a thing if you have any of the persons hair or nail clippings, blood or saliva etc mix this into the base somehow. When this is finished it is time to name it.

In your own way prepare you ritual. There are many methods of naming a poppet but one of the easiest ways is to name it by its name three times and breath the breath of life into the doll after each time you name it. For example: Paul Simon Paul Simon Paul Simon . You must tell the poppet that it is Paul Simon, treat it as though it were a person. "Thou art Paul Simon, now and forever for I am your maker and I have deemed it so." Hold the poppet to whatever entities you have with you in your ritual space and tell them that who you hold is Paul Simon. "Before you, o Black Spirits of the starry North, I hold Paul Simon. See him and know him as I know him. Paul Simon, Paul Simon, Paul Simon." And so on and so forth.

The Poppet is now named. This example of course is for if you are healing and protecting the poppet, but what of the other ways? Let's go into them one by one.  

[Cunning Witch Angus]

House Guardians

Above is an example of a Cornish House Doll from the Cornish witchcraft site that I will list below.

This doll is meant to keep out unwanted spirits and is usually kept by the fireplace. This one is very artistically done but if you have a hand at craftsmanship then you can make them this way. By technicality this type of doll can be considered a familiar, but usually familiars increase the spellwork of the witch and run errands outside of the home.

Another type of House Guardian is the Mandrake root. The Mandrake has a lot of history with magic in general. It is said to grow where a man has had the Angel Lust, his final ejaculation when he is hung. Thus the Mandrake's powers over love and death. It also has the power, when burned in an incense, to exorcise evil spirits.

There are many ways of harvesting a Mandrake root, and I have a method that I will list here when I have the time, but I do not have my notes at the moment. So perhaps that is for another time. The Mandrake is said to groan loudly and kill anyone that pulls it and I have never heard of anyone dying recently from Mandrake death. However, I have heard that the roots do actually groan when you pull it, so who knows. There are tales of magicians pulling the root using a hound and a rope. Very fascinating really.

When you have harvested your root in the specific way you will need to carve it to look more humane. If you are a female you should carve it in the figure of a male and if you are male then you should carve it in the figure of a woman. You will then need to bury it again. Bury it in a place that seems to fit with what you want. Bury it for a full lunar month and every three days you should water it. In the water should be a bit of milk or some of your blood if you want to go the whole nine yards. This is to bind it to you, its future master. Or mistress, what have you. At the end of the month dig it up and bring it home in a cloth. It should have achieved a certainly different shape based on your carving.

Now to the actual working. Create your ritual space in the manner that you see fit. Then wash the Mandrake, now called a Mannikin, with a cooled-down infusion of herbs aligned with protection. As you bathe it charge it with your purpose and name it. Tell the Root its name and that you are its master/mistress now. Pass through some incense with the intent of your working clear in your mind. When you feel you have finished close your ritual and place your newly formed House Guardian in a place of honor where all may see it. The final thing that you must do is dry the root, for it will be quite moist. One can do this in an oven or pass it over incense smoke that is in allegiance to the Mandrakes duties every day for several months until it is dry. Never let anyone touch it.

On full moons you should feed the Mandrake root with a bit of your blood or a sprinkling of milk, reminding the Guardian of its duties to your home and its master/mistress. If you should need to dispose of the Mandrake burying it is the best option as it is a very respectable thing to do. Bury it with much thanks for what it has done for you and mourn at its passing.  

[Cunning Witch Angus]

Healing and Cursing Poppets

Above is a picture of some cursing poppets made of wax from the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle, Cornwall.

Cursing is probably the most famous use of poppets. It is really not all that hard and barely even needs mentioning, but for the sake of consistency I will explain how it might be done. One would use the method of naming the poppet that you have created.

Now let me explain one thing before I continue here, this is my method of cursing via the poppet. There are perhaps thousands of different ways to curse someone, this is merely one method. Let me explain another thing: If you curse someone and you come crying to me saying something along the lines of "Oh, Angus, I cursed this person and I didn't mean to and now I feel bad." I am saying here in red and white "Curses, like chickens, come home to roost." I do not believe in the three fold law but I do believe that you have to deal with consequences of your ******** actions.

/cough So, after you have named the doll one will place it in the center of their working area. Then you will begin the widdershins walk. In three bowls you will have placed herbs that are aligned to your purpose. For a more firey curse I suggest using gingers, pines and peppers. A fire should be before the doll. As you move in your widdershins way begin to think of why you are cursing this person, build the energy up into a frenzy. Frenzied dancing is encouraged. Throw the herbs into the fire with shouts of what they will do to the victim. Then take your pin, that gorgeous long pin that you will drive into his person. Take that pin and charge it with all of your malice, all of your hatred and then drive it into the victim's heart. Now, this will only kill him if you want it to kill him and apparently it takes a lot of energy to do that, so let's start simple. One could drive it into his arm, or his head or his stomach or his genitalia, it matters not. When you drive it spit your curse into his face. You can make it as dreadful and as long-winded as you please.

It time wrap this doll in a black cloth and enclose it within a black box or a coffin as you can see above. Bury this on the victim's property and then turn away and forget. Dwell not on this person that you have cursed for malicious things will befall him, know that and will it into existence.

Healing dolls, on the other hand, are something completely different. Usually one would use a healing doll if the one to be healed is too far away. This is absent healing and it is quite useful if a friend is over seas and has come down with a sickness of some sort. In the normal way name the doll and it usually helps if you have some hair or a picture of the person. Light soft candles and burn a pleasant incense. Around the doll place herbs of a healing nature. Sit before the doll and breath for a few moments to center yourself.

Now stand and begin to walk around the doll in a clockwise fashion. Focus on the doll in the center, the person that you are trying to heal. You may chant a pray if you wish or chant an invocation of healing energies to enter into your body. In your own time walk towards the doll and lay your hands onto its body. Breath out deeply and see the healing powers working into the doll. Focus on a specific place if you need to, such as the heart. If you need to, and I find this helps, draw where the sickness is and focus on that.

Then bathe the doll in a cool infusion of herbs that have healing properties. Sing a lullaby to comfort and let the doll know that you are there for it. When you are finished wrap the doll carefully and set it upon an alter of healing that you have created. Every day or maybe even once a week come back to doll and do some more healing on it. I should also mention here that for cursing one can also keep the doll and stick pins into it whenever you feel the need or what have you. I have never done this, I like the leaving the doll buried on their property school of thought.  

[Cunning Witch Angus]

Familiars

Abover is a photo of a witch with many of her Familiars from the Witchcraft Museum.

Familiars have also been one of the defining things of witches. There are many methods of attaining, this is only one of them. One of them is by making petitions to the Devil who will in turn grant you the Familiar of myth. This is another method that I have come across. These kinds of familiars have many different names ranging from elementals to servitors.

The familiar has a base vessel (usually a jar of some type but roots work as well and so do mirrors) and into this vessel one must pour an infusion in alignment to what you want. Then you must create an entity that seems to fit what you are trying to accomplish. This can be an animal or something that you make up. It can even be a human that you have thought up. Whatever floats your boat really. For example: If I were trying to create a Familiar to find lost objects I would pick a hare for speed, and an eagles eye for quickly finding things; the herbs would be prophetic and Lunar in nature. Then, if it is possible or if you want really this is a personal preference of mine, have something that connects to your creation such as a drawing or a rabbits foot, as in my example. This is to be placed under the vessel or pasted onto it in some way so that it does not get lost.

Now for the name. One can divine the name through dreaming, or one can come up with any name that you choose. I personally like to use a sigilization method of Austin Spare and write out my intent and create a name from the letters remaining. I find this to be the best method for me. In your own way create your ritual space with your familiars vessel in the center. Name the familiar and tell it that you are its master. It is pretty much the same thing as creating your Mannikin, but with the familiar you will have a more personal connection and a much more spiritual one as you will be interacting with it more directly in your workings. Visualize the entity that you are creating clearly in your mind and project this into the vessel. See it taking form and moving and having life. It is an actual creature, you must know this and will it into existence. Command it to do its duties that you have assigned it. In your own time end your ritual and take your leave. Place the familiar in a place that you can see, but is out of harms way and out of people's sight. Every day for the next seven days feed the familiar with a bit or your blood and remind it of its duties. After this (if you intend to keep it after the seven days) feed it once every month and remind it of its duties.

If you have need to dispose of your Familiar summon it before you and reabsorb it back into your body. Then burn the vessel or bury it. Burying is much more respectful, but you should burn the paper that you wrote the details upon such as the name and if you drew a picture that should be burned as well. Or you can bury it, it is your choice really, I personally burn it because that feels like the right thing to do.  

[Cunning Witch Angus]

Sites and Books of Interest

Books:
Horn of Evenwood - Robin Artisson
Mastering Witchcraft - Paul Huson
Traditional Witchcraft A Cornish Book of Ways - Gemma Gary
Cunning Folk And Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions In Early Modern British Witchcraft And Magic - Emma Wilby
The Witches Familiar - Raven Grimassi (this one is meh...some good historic info, but that's about it)

Sites:
An Excellent Article on Cecil Williamson
Cornish Witchcraft
Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle, Cornwall
A General Overview