Different traditions have different names for this type of magic, but I call them Poppets. Historically used for a variety of magical purposes, including healing, prosperity work, and energetic connection just to name a few. The most common image though, especially from those who are outside the magical community, is the one Hollywood has weaved – where poppets are used for cursing or causing harm to another. Yes, they can be used in that way, but it is a very narrow view of the magical potential they hold.
What is a Poppet?
For those who are not familiar with poppets, they are basically a representation of a specific person in a doll format. Most commonly one created by the caster through the process of material, sewing, and adding other things inside to link it to the person.
The links can be writing their name on a piece of paper, hair or nails of the person, blood, dirt from their grave, and so forth. The stronger the linked item to a person, the stronger the poppets connection. Items like hair, nails or blood link it deeper because these are specific ties to the DNA – thus the energetic fingerprint of a person.
Then you can use the poppet in magical works directed at them, without having to have them present, yet having the very direct strength as if they were.
Creating a Poppet
Poppets incorporate several different magical techniques in their making.
First being, representational magic. The poppet you create represents a person, but due to the materials and construction, it is more powerful than just a picture or name representation in a spell. This not only focuses our mind in a more solidified way, but also the energies we are weaving or breaking around them.
Color magic, in both the materials being chosen to create the poppet, but also the thread that will bind it together. If you are creating the poppet for a very specific purpose, the colors can reflect the objective, adding that energy directly into the person.
Knot magic. As you are sewing up the poppet, this is a great time to weave in some knot magic through chanting, prayer, or spoken spells. Again, directly incorporating it into the person as you create their poppet.
Added ingredients. As you fill the poppet you can add herbs or other apothecary items to boost the purpose and enhance the connection of poppet to the person. Be careful here though, as the inside of the poppet is unchangeable once finished.
On the outside of the poppet you can also add sigils, words, their name, and so forth. Again, think permanent and not changeable once it has been placed. The simpler the poppet, the more versatile it can become in a variety of different spells. Don’t make it too simple though, because you want the strong connection between poppet and the person. It can be a balancing act to find the right middle ground.
Ancestral Poppets
My use for poppets is more ancestral directed. It started with my Ozark women/ great grandmothers. As we went deeper they wanted poppets as a connection and representation of them. I allowed them to guide me through the process of what should be added, what kind of knot magic to use, and what to fill them with.
The ties to their poppets required a road trip. I needed dirt from their graves, sand from the banks of their river, and some specific local plants that were commonly used by them.
The base material was the same for all of them, but the thread color used in the sewing was unique to each. After the were sewn up, I put the name of each on the outside along with a symbol for each and our ancestral symbol for all. Once they were all completed I did a ritual to consecrate them and burned a seven day candle to set them.
Using Ancestral Poppets
So what was the purpose of creating ancestral poppets? To give them something solid, like their own personal effigy in my sacred space. A visual representation specifically set and infused with their energy when we work together.
If one of them has some spell work to do, lesson to teach, or story to share, I take their poppet and place it against my self-effigy on my altar. I experienced a distinct difference in the weight of their energy, the palpability of it in the space and the workings. It really does give them a conduit in which to inhabit and flow more easily from.
Sarlida has always been heavier in the spell work side and is the one most often used. She not only adds to the energy of the working but also to me and the space. I worked with her for quite awhile before creating the poppets, and it was her who directed and showed me how to create them. There was a distinct difference between the presence and power in the spell work prior to creating them and then after which has made me a believer.
I do not create poppets for all my ancestors, just the ones who I am working deeply with and who ask for it. Up until recently it has only been my Ozark women but recently another has requested a poppet.
Alice and Her Poppet
Alice is my second great grandmother who immigrated to Indianapolis from Galway, Ireland with her husband and her young daughter (my great grandmother). I have spent years trying to find genealogy information on their roots to no avail due to various different road blocks there. However, Alice recently came forward and started interacting with me. One story later, where she gave me some clues as to her home, and I was able to find not only where they lived but also all the church records listing their families, siblings, parents, and so much more.
During one conversation with her she showed me a recipe for a potato soup that included a spice I have never used before and a way of cooking it I hadn’t tried before. It was the best potato soup I had ever made, and my family loved it. I have always been pretty basic in the spices department when it came to cooking because I didn’t have a good feel for what went with what. That has all started to change because Alice is all about the kitchen, cooking, and directly feeding magic into the family through food – not a new thing for me, but definitely in a much more potent way.
When Alice asked for a poppet I knew it wasn’t going to be the same process, the biggest being because I could not travel that far to get dirt from her grave. So I did what I always do, I listened and let her tell me how to create it. She is really big on using three specific herbs – parsley, rosemary, and Thyme – so those were a staple in the mix. She also wanted her poppet red – and I can think of a couple of reasons for this. The thread was 3 different colors because of three different foundational energies that not just link her – but also the family magic aspects she is so heavy in.
She is currently sitting with my effigy since she is very front and center right now. Her lessons and spell crafting are blending well with my community-family work and my personal family. She has also brought in two other spirits, but it will be awhile before I chat about them I think.
In the End
There are so many positive and productive ways to incorporate poppets into our magical workings.
As it is the season Ancestors are at the forefront of the collective consciousness, it provides an opportunity to expand this practice into ancestral work. My one caution I would express though – if they have been dead less than 10 years, do not make a poppet for them. This has to do with the Well/ the Underworld and the work our dead need to do there. As a death worker I have rules to abide by, set by the Keepers, and this is one of them.
Do you have an ancestor that is very present in your magical/ spiritual life? If so, perhaps they would like a poppet too. It is definitely something I would ask, especially if they are heavily involved with your magical practice – it weaves a whole new world of working.
I also suggest checking out the book Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison – It is a wonderfully book that also has different poppet ideas and uses. If you want to listen to my review on this book, you can go HERE
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