Guise & Dolls

As many of you may or may not know, the books that I sell in my store are all curated from Thrift Stores and Yard Sales. I travel at regular intervals to specific places each week in search of rare and vintage books on Tarot, Astrology, Herbs, and other occult subjects. I have even cultivated relationships with the people who work at these shops who set things aside for me to purchase on my next visit. 

Some weeks I get lucky and make some great finds and other times, not so much. For this reason, I branched out and started offering my own writings on these subjects in the form of PDFs that you can instantly download for to your own device. 

When I was a professional Rootworker, people loved my handsewn dolls and found them to be not only beautiful but also powerful.  As I continue to grow and expand my store, I decided to add my dolls to my inventory. About six months ago, one person bought every doll I had in stock completely wiping me out! So, the past few weeks I have been hard at work with needle and thread replenishing my stock. The last time, I used the same pattern for all the dolls I had in stock, however, this time I decided to make dolls in various sizes and patterns for a greater variety. I am also working on some unique dolls that speak to the needs of today's society, such as this gender fluid poppet. 

While I am in the process of making my dolls, I have not yet listed them as I am waiting to do this all at one time. In the meantime, you can read all about my process for making dolls and how they are used. At the end of this article, I provide an easy spell for you to try. 

A Primer on Poppets 

Poppets are dolls made by sewing two human shaped pieces of cloth together and stuffing them with cotton or stuffing. Sometimes the color of cloth used to make the doll will also indicate its purpose, for example, a red or pink poppet for love, a green poppet for money, etc... These poppets can either represent a specific person or they can represent a person who has the qualities that you give to the doll during the course of its creation. 

In other cases, poppets are used to accomplish a goal that you wish to achieve that has nothing to do with a specific person. For instance, a Road Opening poppet might be made in orange cloth and stuffed with herbs and roots specifically for this purpose. Afterwards, you might write your intention on a piece of paper and pin it to the doll asking it to remove the obstacles in your way. 

When a poppet is intended to represent a specific individual, they are ritually linked to the person that they are intended to represent. Once linked any action enacted upon the doll can result in a similar effect on the individual. 

The foundation for establishing this link is accomplish in three phases. The first phase concerns your choices of materials for the creation of your poppet. Your choices include

1. Making the doll look as much like the individual as possible (homeopathic magic). 
2. Including something personal or intimate in the doll (contagious magic). 

That is not to say that you cannot do both, for example you can make the doll look like the individual as much as possible AND include their personal concerns in the doll OR even make the doll out of their own clothing. 

In addition to any personal concerns, a poppet will often, but not always, contain herbs, roots, sigils drawn on paper, crystals, etc... and anointed with essential oils which correspond to your goal or intention. 

The second phase involves the act of actually sewing your poppet, which is a magic ritual in and of itself. When I make a poppet, I gather all my equipment and materials such as my sewing kit, the cloth I will use to make the doll, and any herbs or roots I will place in the doll itself. I sit comfortably, put on some music, light a candle and some incense. While I am making the doll I visualize the person that it is supposed to represent, I speak their name with every stitch and explain what I hope to accomplish with the doll. 

The third and final phase of establishing the link between the doll and the person is the Naming Ceremony. In this phase you ritually name the doll for the specific person. The act of naming the doll gives it an identity and seals the link between the individual and the poppet. You will find many naming rituals online that range from elaborate to simple. Personally, I like to hold the doll in my left hand, look it in the eyes (the eyes are the window to the soul), and rub the finger of my right hand over it's heart in clockwise circles. Over and over I will chant "You are (name)." When I feel the time is right, I will say "all that I do to you, I do to him/her. So mote it be." 

If you feel you would like to use a more traditional incantation, you might say something like

This doll represents 

(N) in every sense

so be it done, they now are linked

their fates aligned, & destinies synched! 

When I am done, I will wrap the doll in a clean cloth and store it away until I am ready to use the doll for its intended purpose. 

Spiritual Cleansing Poppet 

Spiritual Cleansing is like washing away bad spiritual energy or feelings that have stuck to a person or place. This can happen for many reasons:

• feeling stressed in your body, mind, or emotions
• being around negative places, things, or people 
• going through hard times like divorce, getting sick, or losing your job
• doing mean or bad things to others. 
• having mean things done to you. 

When someone feels this bad energy, they might want to cleanse themselves. Some of the ways they do this is through the use of spiritual baths, egg cleansings, head or foot washings, or smudging themselves with burning sage. 

Another way is to use a doll, or poppet. To use this method, you will have to create a doll, such as the one in the photo here. You can make your doll in any color that you desire. You might use white for purity, or yellow for happiness, or even purpose for power --- it's up to you. 

Once you make your doll, take it with you to bed. Just before sleep, hold the doll to your heart and think about your desire for spiritual cleansing and all the feelings, emotions, and energies that you want to be rid of. Put the doll under your pillow. Some people like to put it inside the pillowcase, so it does fall out of the bed. While you sleep, the doll will pull those bad feelings and energies out of your and take it into itself. 

The next morning, take the doll and put it in a sunny window, on your altar, or another spiritual place where that bad energy will flow back out into the universe and (hopefully) transform into something more useful. If you desire you can spritz it with some Florida Water or smudge it with sage or palo santo. Remove the doll at sunset, wrap it in a clean, white cloth, and store it away in a safe place until you need it again. 

Carolina Dean 

Doll Maker Extraordinaire

12th House Books