To: alt.magick,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.lucky.w,alt.magick.folk,alt.pagan.magick,alt.paranormal.spells.hexes.magic
From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nagasiva)
Subject: "Voodoo" Dolls: Doll-Babies, Poppets, and Effigies (was how do you make ...)
Date: 7 Oct 1999 19:03:44 -0700

49991007 IVom

SabatoA@webtv.net:
# i am new and wondering how u make a doll, what u need, 
# and what can u use em for

dollies, poppets, effigies, and their like are used to
symbolize a particular or general person whom one wishes to
incorporate into one's spells or magic, whether as the target
of violence or healing, or as a participant in the energy of
the work, either known or unbeknownst to the target. usually
the pattern of construction is quite simplistic, though it
can range to anatomical delicacy. cutting out two pieces of
fabric in a slightly-larger-than human proportioned pattern
and then sewing these together can result in a very lovely
little doll. but any objects can be utilized (e.g. the toy,
after the food object, "Mr. Potato-Head") as long as it 
approximates a recognizable human body and inspires the
magic-user.  

often the head or some other aperture is left open for the 
insertion of personal items such as captured or donated 
hair, nail parings, personal objects, fluids, dust from
their footprint, or photos. if you can imagine it, this 
can be a part of the creation of the doll. it is important 
that something connecting the doll with the person be 
obtained and placed with or in it. this can be as simple 
as a paper with the person's name written on it (in hoodoo 
tradition often a certain number of times, such as 9).

the effigy is then used on the altar or in the area for the
spell, functioning as a target for what you want to have
happen to the person. prepare for your spell as you prefer, 
then contemplate, if not state aloud, the conditions and 
circumstances of the repercussions to befall the spell's 
target. communicate to the dolly as if it is the person. 
in effect you are talking to their soul, spirit, or astral-
self. if you wish to be helpful to them talk reassuringly 
and lovingly. if you wish to threaten them, then become 
angry and ominous. 

if you want something to happen to the body of the person,
symbolize this by doing it in miniature to the doll. if 
you wish them ill, you can write names of diseases or 
accidents on paper and pin them to the doll. if you want 
to help the person you can affix symbols of power, healing,
and love to the doll (with pins -- the notion that sticking
pins in a doll ONLY means harming them seems somewhat silly
to me, but if you wish, use tape or something). cradle the 
doll and tell it how much you love the person for whom it 
is standing in the spell. or toss it about and destroy it 
with knives, flames and fire-crackers if this is your intent.

if you merely wish to involve a person in your working and
the doll is their proxy, then explain to them whatever you
would normally explain and put them in the position that
they would occupy if they were present and participating
with full consent. you may provide them with miniature or
crude representations of their magical objects in order to
draw power from these. again it is valuable to obtain from
these individuals something personal to attach to or place
within the doll-baby. the association must be 
sympathetically or contageously sound.

if you wish the doll to be a target of an *unknown* person
such as for a love-attraction spell, then you can dress
the doll in the kind of clothes which would be worn by the
type of person you'd like to attract, write a number of
characteristics on a piece of paper and put these or
symbols for them in or on the doll-baby.

you can also use various magical formulary substances to
assist or empower your work, such as applying Love Me Oil
to the doll while muttering sweet nothings to them, or
sprinkling them inside and out with Hotfoot or Black Arts 
Powders. you can strap them to a candle and have it burn
them as it burns to the ground. you can stand the poppet
at the feet of the statue of your gods under their
protection, or in a basket of hearts and roses to bring
them happiness and love, or at the bottom of a Black 
Bottle buried near a well-known criminal's grave. the
dolly can ride on your broomstick during your ritual,
or on the tip of your sword. magical tools can be very
important in making sure the target 'gets the point'.

often the enactment you have carried out should be "sealed"
by doing something with the doll afterwards, such as burying
it or wrapping it up and placing it in an applicable location
(under the bed, at a hospital, in your underwear, etc.).
the idea is that once the intention has been expressed to
the doll (and therefore to the person) then it should be
carried through the magical spell to completion and 
'deposited' in an appropriate place (their back yard, a
specific region known for facilitating your desire, etc.).
certain areas such as graveyards (often for ill intent) or 
crossroads (sometimes just for conclusion of spells but 
also for luck or helpful energies) are legendary for burial. 
disposal methods such as consumption by flames (sometimes 
harmful intent, to some just a means of sealing the spell) 
or depositing in water (often running, but sometimes a body) 
can be excellent sealing techniques.

on the other hand some will preserve a poppet and
continually or repeatedly apply magical pressure to the
individual in question, even going so far as to imprison
or persistently torture them. the target of a love spell,
for example, may be kept in a woman's private drawer,
with her underwear, sexual supplies, and diary, etc. or
it may be worn in her brassiere or panties, and repeatedly
anointed with her sexual fluids (the "nation sack", a
magical bag for similar purposes, though with apparently
different magical technics -- the bag is not directly
identified *with* the love-target -- is usually affixed 
under the clothes in the hoodoo tradition). placing a hated 
enemy's doll-baby in a bottle with wasps or bees after 
anointing it with irritating fluids which cause them to 
sting and bite it repeatedly would be another good example.

as with most magic, the techniques of association and
significance utilizing common and reliable principles
of sympathy and contageon can be expressed using
materials and methods only bounded by the imagination
of the witch, mage, root-worker, etc. if one wishes for
personal reasons to adhere to any particular system of
symbolism or construction, then this is the business
and self-imposed restriction of whoever casts the spell.

blessed beast!
nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nagasiva) 
-- 
http://www.luckymojo.com/magi/  ; http://www.satanservice.org/
http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html
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