A note before we begin: a poppet is simply a handmade doll, a word that was carrying that meaning in England long before Wicca existed to claim it, and long before Hollywood pinned a different name to a different tradition entirely. This working belongs to neither. It is older than both, and it is made of nothing but paper.
A Handmade Doll, Nothing More
A poppet is a handmade figure used in spellcraft to represent a person and to carry them through a working of magick. Traditionally, poppets have been shaped from wool, straw, roots, wax, potatoes, cloth, or paper. Every material carries the same intention: a stand-in for the person, and a vessel for the healing meant to reach them.
This is a working my grandmother kept in her own hand, and her own words for it were plain: a poppet is a handmade doll. Nothing stranger than that, and nothing borrowed.
What You Will Need
- Paper Two identical sheets, enough to cut two matching human shapes.
- Scissors For cutting the two poppet shapes.
- Pen To write the name and the ailment.
- Candle One blue candle, for healing.
- Peppermint Two tablespoons, finely chopped, fresh or dried.
- Rosemary Two tablespoons, finely chopped, fresh or dried.
- Nettle Leaf Two tablespoons, finely chopped, fresh or dried.
- Fire-Safe Dish To hold the poppet as it burns.
The Ritual
Take the paper and cut out two identical human shapes. On one, write the name of the person you wish to heal. On the other, write their ailment. Place one on top of the other, with the writing on the outside.
Sealing the Edges
Light the blue candle. Use the melted wax to seal the edges of the two papers all the way around, leaving the head open. If the wax will not hold, a dab of Elmer's glue works just as well and will not weaken the spell.
Filling the Poppet
Sprinkle the peppermint, rosemary, and nettle leaf inside the poppet's head until it feels full enough.
Naming the Poppet
Speak the name of the one who needs healing as you name the poppet, then seal the head with the candle's wax.
The Visualization
Hold the poppet over the candle. Visualize the person's ailment leaving their body, and a blue light filling them in its place.
Once the visualization fades, place the poppet in the fire-safe dish and light it on fire. As it burns, chant:
After the Fire
When the fire is out, take the ashes outside and blow them into the four winds. Bury the candle remains at a crossroads, or under a pine tree in your yard.
"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." John 9:6–7, KJV