Poppet Magick: Bless the Home Poppet

I have yet to meet a witch who is not concerned with the state of their home. Bringing blessings into the home can lighten the air, improve magick workings, and bring peace into the home. The nature of the blessings the witch is trying to draw to the household can define what is placed inside the poppet in the end, but there are a few items, as listed below, which may be included for the purpose of bringing a general blessing upon the house. Also, remember to add personal items from each member of the household, and the house itself, to strengthen the blessing for all who live there.

Creating poppets for home blessings require a poppet that is durable and long lasting because the blessing for the home needs to be long lasting, as well. Once the witch has created it, the poppet may be recharged occasionally, as needed or as circumstance change in the home. For example, with each new year, the witch may wish to refresh the herbs used in the poppet and rededicate it to its use.If a new child joins the household, the witch may reopen the poppet and add personal items for the child as well as adding additional herbs, stones or other items to increase coverage. If a new pet joins the family, the poppet can be reopened to include items to reflect that as well. As long as the poppet itself lasts, it may always be renewed with fresh items and have additional items added, as suits the needs of the household, which may continue to change over the lifetime of the household.

• Poppet Idea:  Cotton or linen
• Color: Brown for general blessing and depends on specific blessing sought for other colors
• Herbs, plants, tree, etc: Elderberries, Meadowsweet, Ylang Ylang and others as needs apply
• Metals: As needs for the household apply
• Stones: Vivianite, Chalcedony Ylang Ylang, and others as needs apply

As closely as possible, create a poppet that resembles the household. If you are talented enough to shape the house similarly to the actually house, more power to you. If not, then a general house shape which is decorated in the colors found in the home, with small paint chips, or tiny swatches of carpeting, perhaps even tiny bits of tile, wood from floors or cabinets, ceilings etc, would be more than sufficient.

I suggest that the witch uses cloth due to the ever-changing nature of a household during the lifetime of a family. Swaths of the fabric in the furniture may be added inside the poppet, changed as the furniture changes over the years. As jobs change, or people marry; children are born or grow up, and move away, as needs of the individuals in the household change, a cloth poppet is much easier to make changes to than any other types. It is much sturdier and can withstand multiple changes over the years. After all, though new poppets may be made as needed, the hallowed nature of the long-term poppet contains any remnants of the original spell energy and of all other energy added over the years as you strengthen the poppet through use.

As you create the poppet focus on the specific blessings, the household currently needs. Add personal items from each person within the household, you may even choose to add dirt and/or dried plant matter from the yard of the home. Focus on the blessings desired as you collect and create the poppet.

If you wish, you may display it in the center of the household as you would a piece of art, or hide it in the center of the house if you wish to keep it private. Each witch, or recipient of the poppet, if it is made for another, must decide for themselves how to utilize the poppet best.

Poppet Magick: General Healing Poppet

One of the most common requests asked of every witch I have ever spoken with, and certainly, the most consistent request I receive, is for help with healing. In today’s world, there are so many diseases, illnesses, such a plethora of ways to damage our bodies, that there is always need for healing among friends and family. Whether an illness is diagnosed or undiagnosed, witches can provide assistance with the situation in a general manner with the use of a healing poppet.

Witches can create poppets to serve the needs of people with short-term illnesses, such as the flu, or a simple infection, but also, longer term problems, such as broken bones, cancer, AIDS, etc. The most important thing to remember is that using poppets to bring back health, does not replace the need for seeing a doctor, taking prescriptions, and following the doctor’s advice. Poppets, as sympathetic magick, are always used, in addition to, not in lieu of the assistance of medical professionals.

A healing poppet can be made using any medium and including any or even many items with magickal properties. Some items may be targeted directly for the heath problem, if the specific problem is diagnosed, if not, then the witch will want to include items that promote general good health. As long as the witch remembers to add something of the person and link it to the person, for whom it is intended, before casting spells with it, all is good.

• Poppet Idea: Linen
• Color: Blue for healing is the default color as green can cause more problems if the nature of the illness is unknown.
• Herbs, plants, tree, etc: Allspice, Balm of Gilead, Chamomile, Cinquefoil, Eucalyptus, Garlic, Ginseng, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Thistle, Yarrow, Yerba Santa
• Metal : Tin, Gold
• Stones: Sugilite, Smoky Quartz, Petrified Wood, Amethyst, Amber

Create a poppet to represent your target. It can be a simple “Gingerbread Man/Woman” shape or something more complex. Embroider it, draw on it, whatever it takes to make it resemble the person for whom it is intended in order to strengthen the link for the sympathetic magick to work at its best.

As you create the poppet focus on the person, think about their physical, mental, and spiritual attributes. Think about what makes that person distinct from everyone else you know. Focus on the specific health problem they are experiencing. Think about what the symptoms are, the diagnosis, if there is one, the prognosis, and what needs to happen to help them heal.

When it is ready, the witch may stuff it with any or all of the above listed items, not forgetting to add something from the person to link to them. Speak a short spell and be certain to name the person the poppet is meant to represent and name the type of healing that needs to occur. Write a spell for good health on parchment and include it inside the poppet, anoint the poppet with healing oil, etc. do whatever

The poppet can be given to the person as a gift to keep near them or retained by the witch so that he/she may supplement the energy given toward the target’s healing on a regular basis until the healing has been completed. Even though loved ones of the ill can generally feel helpless in situations where someone they love is ill, as a witch, we do not have to feel the same powerlessness as the non-magickal folk feel. As a witch, we can still contribute our desire, intent ,and power to help resolve the situation in the way that best suits us.

Poppet Magick: Safe Travel Poppet

Whether traveling to work, school, on vacation, or simply to the grocery store, every witch needs protection during their daily travels. Roads are dangerous places in today’s society. Now, we do not have to worry only about car accidents related to traffic and drunk drivers, but also inattentive driver’s focused on texting while driving, carjackers, road rage sufferers, and many other dangers on our roads. Creating a Safe Travel poppet can help any witch to alleviate the fear and worries we may otherwise experience during the daily treks we are required to make in the course of living our lives.

I suggest using air-dry clay for this poppet because it allows the witch to create two “sides” to the poppet that can be shaped in a similar manner to match up. Items may be pressed between these “sides” for convenience sake. It is easily carved to make it customized so you may include any details you wish. Then, when the poppet is dry, it can be decorated with paints and it will be strong enough to stand up to the sometimes-jarring nature of daily travel, where hard braking and swerving to avoid danger is a part of life.

• Poppet Idea: Air-Dry Clay
• Color: Yellow
• Herbs, plants, tree, etc: Ash, Bladderwrack, Comfrey, Hemlock, Irish Moss, Mugwort
• Metal: Palladium
• Stones: Moonstone, Malachite

Focus on safe travel as you create two sides of the poppet to symbolize your vehicle. You may even add, as decoration, representations of “the people” that normally travel in it. Add in the herbs, metal, stones, and personal items belonging to each person who normally travels via the vehicle, to the center of the clay sides when they are joined. At the “north, south, east and west” points of the “vehicle poppet”, carve in Raido, Eihwaz, Nauthiz, and Algiz to protect the vehicle and people who belong in it. If you wish, create a personal sigil for safe travel and carve it into the center of the “doors” area of the poppet.

Once you have allowed the poppet to dry and harden, paint the car including the inner and outer color scheme of your vehicle, and paint the people inside the vehicle to represent those travelers normally found within the vehicle. Once the paint dries, store the poppet in the glove compartment, in a general storage area, in the door storage, etc. As long as the poppet is safe from flying around in case of sudden stops or swerving, or being stepped on and broken, it will begin the increase the safety of travel for those within, especially ones depicted on the poppet. Every witch should have poppet for safe travel in his or her vehicle.