At kitchen Witch we are fortunate to already have a blog and video from Rachel Patterson, sharing her wealth of experience and knowledge about poppets, as well as a blog from one of our fabulous students, Eva, sharing how she makes them, here are the links to those –
Therefore, this blog is meant to be more of an aide memoire, there is a video to accompany this blog here –
The ‘classic’ poppet is usually person shaped, however they don’t have to be. Think about varying the shape as to what your intention is, as well as who you are undertaking this spell work for, as this adds an additional layer of energy. For example, if for an animal, the shape of that being. If for friendship/love, maybe use a heart shape, or flower.
This way of spell working, together with candle magic, are possibly the oldest, easiest, and most versatile, ways of incorporating magic into our daily lives.
Any material can be used, use what is to hand for the stuffing, then add layers of energy to your intention with dried herbs, whole spices (powders tend to leak out), dried flowers, crystal chips, pebbles, folded paper with words or sigil…to name but a few, add a comment below on what else you do or would use. Colour magic can be added to boost the power of your intention.
Disposal of your poppet once it has completed its task, if you don’t want to recharge it, can be done depending on what you have used. If material, in the rubbish/trash or burnt, however if you have used crystals, it would be good to remove these beforehand, as they can be cleansed for future use. If you want to bury your poppet, all the parts used should be easily biodegradable and be of no risk to wildlife. It may be worth considering using a vegetable or fruit as these will rot down, adding nutrients to the soil. Suggestion - make sure it is indigenous to your area, as well as soft/adaptable enough to have herbs or petitions inserted.
To recharge your poppet, undo a small area of a seam to add more herbs/crystals, or make a powder from the herbs, which you can sprinkle onto your poppet. Alternatively, hold and talk to your poppet, explain that you want it to keep working, then draw energy up from the earth, down from the sky, and from the air around you, then channel this into your poppet through your hands.
Books mentioned in the video –
Pagan Portals Poppets and Magical Dolls by Lucya Starza
Poppet Magic by Silver Ravenwolf
A Kitchen Witch’s World of Magical Plants & Herbs by Rachel Patterson