ॐ

The magical poppet is one of the most commonly used implements in sympathetic magic, which follows along on the theory that “like creates like.”  Although TV shows and movies typically show poppets as the stereotypical “voodoo doll,” poppets have been around for a long time, and used in a number of different cultures and religious belief systems. There are many ways to create a poppet, and they can be used to harm or to heal; if you create a poppet of a person, anything done to the poppet will affect the person it represents. Bear in mind that some magical traditions discourage the use of poppets. If you’re not sure whether or not it’s okay for you to use poppet magic, you may want to check with someone in your tradition.

A poppet is usually made from cloth or fabric, but you can also make one from clay, wax, wood, or just about any other material. You can fill your poppet with herbs, stones, bits of wood, paper, or anything else that suits your needs. In addition to magical items, it’s a good idea to include some cotton or polyfill as stuffing material.

Once the poppet is created, you’ll need to connect it to the person it represents, which is typically done by using a magical link of some sort. Remember, the poppet is a useful magical tool, and can be used in a variety of workings. Use it for healing, to banish harmful people from your life, to bring abundance your way – the choices are practically limitless.

Anisha here and I have a witchy tip to share with you today i am a witch who does not know how to sew to save my life. So when the day arised that i needed to make a poppet or doll babie "voodoo doll" I came up with this idea. Now in hoodoo you use what you have to make it work especially without spending alot of money and thats exactly what i did. So if you dont know how to sew a simple way to make a poppet is out of clay. Of course you can also use corn husk dolls, twigs or an already made figure candle but this is my prefer way.

Step 1: get black or red (color depends on intent) play dough from the dollar tree. If they dont have those colors buy the yellow play dough they have.

Step 2: if they didnt have the color you wanted and you bought the yellow. Go to your local grocery store and buy food coloring (in my case i bought black food coloring)

Step 3: wear gloves it gets messy when you dye your play dough and then let it dry for 5 mins. The yellow play dough is very easy to dye and it will change colors.

Step 4: once dried roll play dough into a ball and smash flat into a round flat thin cake.

Step 5: put the herbs/oils you want to use in the middle of the flat cake. Also add personal concerns or anything else you want inside your poppet.

Step 6: Now roll your play dough into a clinder shape where everything is now covered in the middle.

Step 7: shape play dough into a human figure and now you have a poppet made without sewing!!

Dolls and poppets are utilized across many faiths, however often witches neglect to “breath life” into them. Not doing so doesn’t make them wholly ineffective, however going the extra step really amps up the potency, especially when using it as sympathetic magic or creating a protective being! It’s a relatively simple step, but highly dependent upon which path you follow. I’ll briefly cover my methodology.

Foremost, I would like to specify the difference between the two types of dolls I utilize. One being sympathetic magic, the one most often thought of when people think of dolls and witchcraft. Voodoo dolls. This is a misnomer, as the common portrayal off voodoo dolls in media have skewed the original purpose of such dolls. Originally the dolls were used by practitioners not to affect people, but as a guide to the sufferers ailments and treatments – more akin to a “medical chart.” However, they have since (and really, in European magical traditions for centuries) been used to heal or harm a specific victim in which the doll was made to their likeness. This is a sympathetic doll, made in their likeness, usually incorporating some sort of personal affect (hair, clothing, blood, etc.).

The second type, and the kind I most often use, are dolls not based on any individual, but instead exist to act as a guardian of sorts or facilitate change/growth/health/etc. These are unique and very much a product of your imagination. Create them to be whatever you see fit.

That being said, let’s begin;;

Sympathetic Dolls: Begin by first, stitching the doll together in the likeness of he/she you wish to influence. You can be as general or as specific as you want – matching hair, eyes, facial features, build are all common concepts. Traditionally the dolls were stuffed with Spanish Moss (most probably due to the abundance in the American South) however you can stuff it with anything you have on hand. If you have anything of the persons, now would be the time to use it, hair can be wrapped and stuffed in the doll, pieces of their clothes can be folded and placed inside, blood should be on a scrap of cloth, dried and then added.

Once the doll is complete and you’re satisfied with its image (in truth, dolls have been made out of anything and everything, the only crucial step is the following), you must give it life. For sympathetic dolls, this can be as simple or difficult as you wish. I prefer to take the simple route and sit with the doll and focus intently on the person you wish to connect to it. I then mentally stitch the spirit of the person to the doll (either at the heart or at the feet – as a short of shadow). Vocalize your intent and revel in your creation.

Conceptual Dolls/Guardians: These are my personal favorites to create, in all honesty. I find poppets to be a lot of extra work, however they are useful in remote healing/hexing. These, as I mentioned, are beings of your thoughts. Tulpas, in a way. Begin by gathering your materials and ideas. Create a doll to symbolize whatever you wish to accomplish. As far as this tutorial goes, I’ll use the example of a Guardian or a doll for protection. It can look however you wish, and be as simple as sticks tied together, to the most intricately created doll you could muster. I, personally, stick with a small doll (no bigger than 8 or 10 inches) with yarn hair, simple clothing and a painted face. I often stuff mine with herbs associated with my will, as well as batting and sometimes stray scraps of fabric.

After your doll is complete, take it to the Crossroads. It can be a door, a gate (I use the gate of a remote cemetery near me), a cemetery, even a maternity ward if you’re that committed and light a candle. Fill your mind with intention, then connect with the energy of your crossroads. Feel the planes converge, and bend this erratic energy to your will, funneling it through your consciousness and into your doll. See the energy shape, bend, coalesce into a being of your intent and give it a Name, as there is much power in a Name. Connect its energy to our physical plane by allowing it refuge within the fabric of the doll you have created. Leave a gift at the Crossroads, and blow out your candle, sealing in the doll’s spirit. Use it as you desire, but do not neglect it.

Thus ends this tutorial!

Best of luck,

I regularly get quite a few asks in regards to recommended books – asking if I have a list, etc. – and I always have to go into an explanation about, while learning from books is perfectly fine and fitting for some (I dare say even many) the true body of my practice comes not from books, but from teaching spirits. Yes, I can’t deny, I’ve read plenty of books, but they never stick with me like the lessons learned through spirit. Of course, I’m also the person who is always saying: Just do it.

Witchcraft is a continuous learning experience and sometimes you have to just trust yourself to get things done. There always seems to be a lot of fear-mongering in the community: words of warning, deterring and mysterious statements – all of which I’ve never bought in to. I’m all for pushing you into the pool – sink or swim – and if all else fails, I’ll throw you a line and drag you back out (with an wink). Fear is the Witch’s worst enemy: fear of the Unseen, fear of the Unknown, fear one’s true nature, and it is in the deep and dark recesses that one might find truth. Do not give into the fear – overcome it – for when the mind is poisoned by fright, the frightful things come knocking.

I digress. Familiar spirits: the wise and knowing (occasionally mischievous) dead – be they devils, discarnate witches, Ancestors, it matters not! For the Witch and the Familiar are a dynamic pair!

Conjuration

In the night, collecting your items which you will take with you to the cemetery: Chalk/Pemba, a black/white/red candle and a few offerings that echo who you are. These offerings – paired with later spoken words – will attract like-entities who jive with who you are and what it is that you seek. You may bring a vessel with which to house the spirit, or – as I recommend – you may wait and create a vessel befitting the spirit, with touches of personal flare. These offerings need not be extravagant. Things like: beads, coins, spirits (as in the alcohol kind), food, fabrics, and anything that you think sums up who you are.

Once you arrive, locate a place such as a mausoleum, a brick gate-column, anywhere with a wall on which you might draw a door. It’s best to choose a place where no one person is interred, but a variety or none at all. This is so that you don’t get stuck kicking it with whoever happens to be buried there and disturbing their “peaceful rest” or what have you. In regards to the door, don’t be afraid to personalize it as well! I’ve always been favorable to the pointed-arch, but do what you feel fits.

Arrange your offerings before its mouth and place the candle at its center. Take a moment to collect yourself and focus on the kind of person you wish to bring through. Don’t dwell on minor details, just construct a general energy or set of principles. Alternately, you can ask for someone who will give you what you need and not what you want. This is for those who wish to grow and grow quickly, accepting the obstacles that come along with growth. When you’re fully prepared, light you candle and place your palm on the door.

Make a plea. Ask (aloud is best) for a spirit to come – one willing to teach, one glad to teach (and perhaps one that is patient, if you happen to need that!). Again, don’t get bogged down in the details. Be specific enough, but receptive to what Spirits come. Knock three times – Beetlejuice, anyone? – and wait. It may take a few moments (I like to blame in on the traffic) but you will know when they have come. Having the Sight helps, but so long as you are attune, their presence will be clear. Introduce yourself – if fitting your abilities, allow them to introduce themselves, as well. Sometimes names are a little tricky to make out – for me, anyway – so it may take a while before you get their name down completely. If you cannot hear them, you may give them a name: you’ll know whether or not they like it, don’t worry! If they don’t, keep spit-balling until you get one that sticks.

Spend a few days getting to know them – it may work out, it may not. Be amicable, you can always repeat the process if you don’t jive quite right. If you get on nicely, however, you should construct a Spirit Vessel! It offers them a physical attachment to our plane and thereby allows their energy greater access to this world. After that – I can’t say, as all relationships are different and all have different lessons to teach and values to instill. It can be a very personal experience and you may find that keeping a journal of their teachings valuable, and it’s always fun to look back on the how far you’ve come.

For more useful information on a similar subject, I recommend checking out my post: La Muñeca de Tutela!

In retrospect, I suppose this doesn’t have to be done at a cemetery – that’s just where I’ve always done it and is most probably a reflection of who I am! So, by all means, mix up the locale! Go to your witchy place – even if that happens to be a bedroom (chalk comes off of most walls just fine – trust me, I know).

Making hallucinogenic flying ointment: various recipes. Flying ointment is an herbal hallucinogenic salve applied by witches for the purpose of soul-flight. I aim for this guide to provide a variety of recipes and ingredients to choose from, highlighting both psychoactive and non-psychoactive entheogens.

Historically accurate recipes

Egyptian

The Greek Egyptian magical papyri describes a religious consecrating oil producing visions called kentritis, the most likely ingredients being Verbena officinalis (vervain) and Mandragora officinalis (mandrake). It is also likely that because of the spread of the Mithras cult from Central Asia, and therefore their hallucinogens, that Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) may be a component in the kentritis oil.

Grimoire

I only found one mention of flying ointment in a grimoire, and it was comprised of multiple unnecessary herbs that had to be handgrown and picked in a complex ceremony. For simplicity’s sake, we may consider the only psychoactive herb in it: vervain. In essence, this ointment is comprised of a single entheogen.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that most grimoires also use hyssop as a consecrating oil. The Keys of Solomon use in the water and hyssop ceremony both vervain, sage, valerian, and hyssop.

Witches’

A traditionally described ointment from reputable sources on the history of witchcraft. These sources describe two recipes.

Parsley and poplar leaves

This recipe contains no psychoactive ingredients, however parsley and poplar are sacred plants in the witchcraft tradition. Unless parsley and poplar are undiscovered hallucinogens ;)

2. Water parsnip, Acorus calamus (sweet flag), cinquefoil, Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Papaver somniferum (opium/poppy)

Our modern recipes

One could make the authentic recipes described above, but there are many other options other than what the old books say. For example, although the uses of opium and fly agaric as ingredients in flying ointment is rather unsubstantiated, they are used as entheogens in other facets of European occultism (opium as incense in Liber Juratus for example) so it would not be far fetched or unauthentic to include them in your ointment.

A typical recipe for us might look like:

2-3 cups of oil

A small amount of wax

1 ounce of dried henbane

10 grams belladonna

10 grams mandrake

5 grams opium

4 ounces fly agaric

10 grams vervain

Add as much parsley, sweet flag, water parsnip, cinquefoil, and poplar leaves as you want. They aren’t poisonous or hallucinogenic so their inclusion is for religious symbolism more than anything.

If one is using the ointment for an indigenous American ritual like a mesada (Originating in the Andes mountains, translating as “altar ritual”) or velada (Mazatec Mexican origin, translating as “candle ritual”) which I would love to outline in a guide later, then it will be fitting to use:

1 ounce datura

1 ounce brugmansia

This could also be used for European rituals as datura and brugmansia are in many ways more desirable because of their more hallucinogenic properties rather than sedative/toxic and because of their more consistency in effects. I made my first flying ointment with brugmansia, and it works just fine. It just isn’t entirely authentic.

How to make it

Just know that you will be working with wax, placing it on your dishes, and wax is a gigantic pain in the ass to clean up. So if you make it you got a lot of scrubbing to do. Also, wear gloves when handling the herbage material and keep windows and doors of the room open to prevent fumes from intoxicating you. You might also want to wear one of those paper masks. This is potent stuff, and you don’t want to be meeting spirits in your kitchen just yet.

Melt the wax in a crock pot (Do not attempt it any other way, slow cooking is the safest. Using a stovetop creates highly volatile oils that can cause a wax fire very quickly).

Meanwhile, place foliage and oil in blender.

Blend the concoction and pour it into a small pot.

Heat the pot on low for an hour.

Strain the liquid from the herbs.

Pour a small portion of the melted wax into the oil, enough so that it becomes a thick consistency. But be careful: while the wax is melted it looks like liquid so you might underestimate how much wax you put in.

Place outside the fridge (because it might cool too quickly, meaning the wax wouldn’t dissolve into the oil), and when it is cool, pour the ointment. It will probably be enough to fill two mason jars! (That’s about 30 doses).

And then you’re done! Apply liberally, but work your way up the doses slowly. You can apply more if you aren’t feeling it. It’s not too strong, you aren’t likely to completely leave this world on the witches’ ointment. Next I’ll teach you guys how to make a witches’ brew! Tripping with purpose.

EDIT: Some are upset that I have declined to put a warning on this post. Some may even say it’s irresponsible. I justify this by saying that the toxicity of nightshades is known everywhere and it is impossible not to encounter the ever-present warning about their safety.

I chose not to beat the dead horse. If you cannot do any research beyond what you read in this post, then nightshades aren’t for you and you should face the consequences of your own actions. I’m not a babysitter, so I’m not responsible for your own safety and well-being. You are.

I think also that the ‘dangers’ of the Amanita muscaria mushroom are vastly overstated and warning people not to ingest fly agaric because other members of the family are poisonous is a misnomer. There has never been a death from fly agaric. There has never been a death from transdermal nightshade for that matter, if I may be bold enough to say.

Touched on briefly here, I thought an actual recipe was in order – as, while the basics were accounted for, the numerous optional additives could not be covered in a brief foot note. As such, I bring to you the full recipe – including a number of particular specialization ingredients.

This oil has an innate duality. Foremost it is a love oil – but one that might not be the most healthy, depending on its application. It is used to conquer the heart of another, which is an idea in itself that has a number of connotations, each of which the oil is (or may be) uniquely suited for. The oil has the potential to control the heart of another in whichever way the witch sees fit – making them fall for a specific purpose, such as a traditional love oil, or to reign over the heart of another with an iron fist in a similar manner to Bend Over Oil. These two acts as the poles of a spectrum – for it covers both, and all in-between.

The Basic Ingredients:

Castor : Carrier Blend – 1 : 4 ratio

1 – 3 Red Roses*

1 – 3 Iron Nails*

Sulfur

(3) Red Chiles, dried

LOVE: Specialized Options 

Cinnamon

Ginger

Anise

Orris Root

Poppy Seeds

CONTROL: Specialized Options

Calamus Root

Licorice

Devil’s Shoe Strings

Black Locust Thorns

To create, simply fill an empty bottle – dark, red or amber glass being preferable, but not necessary – with the chosen additions (with the exception of the “*” ingredients) from above.

Making hallucinogenic flying ointment: various recipes. Flying ointment is an herbal hallucinogenic salve applied by witches for the purpose of soul-flight. I aim for this guide to provide a variety of recipes and ingredients to choose from, highlighting both psychoactive and non-psychoactive entheogens.

Historically accurate recipes

Egyptian

The Greek Egyptian magical papyri describes a religious consecrating oil producing visions called kentritis, the most likely ingredients being Verbena officinalis (vervain) and Mandragora officinalis (mandrake). It is also likely that because of the spread of the Mithras cult from Central Asia, and therefore their hallucinogens, that Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) may be a component in the kentritis oil.

Grimoire

I only found one mention of flying ointment in a grimoire, and it was comprised of multiple unnecessary herbs that had to be handgrown and picked in a complex ceremony. For simplicity’s sake, we may consider the only psychoactive herb in it: vervain. In essence, this ointment is comprised of a single entheogen.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that most grimoires also use hyssop as a consecrating oil. The Keys of Solomon use in the water and hyssop ceremony both vervain, sage, valerian, and hyssop.

Witches’

A traditionally described ointment from reputable sources on the history of witchcraft. These sources describe two recipes.

Parsley and poplar leaves

This recipe contains no psychoactive ingredients, however parsley and poplar are sacred plants in the witchcraft tradition. Unless parsley and poplar are undiscovered hallucinogens ;)

2. Water parsnip, Acorus calamus (sweet flag), cinquefoil, Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Papaver somniferum (opium/poppy)

Our modern recipes

One could make the authentic recipes described above, but there are many other options other than what the old books say. For example, although the uses of opium and fly agaric as ingredients in flying ointment is rather unsubstantiated, they are used as entheogens in other facets of European occultism (opium as incense in Liber Juratus for example) so it would not be far fetched or unauthentic to include them in your ointment.

A typical recipe for us might look like:

2-3 cups of oil

A small amount of wax

1 ounce of dried henbane

10 grams belladonna

10 grams mandrake

5 grams opium

4 ounces fly agaric

10 grams vervain

Add as much parsley, sweet flag, water parsnip, cinquefoil, and poplar leaves as you want. They aren’t poisonous or hallucinogenic so their inclusion is for religious symbolism more than anything.

If one is using the ointment for an indigenous American ritual like a mesada (Originating in the Andes mountains, translating as “altar ritual”) or velada (Mazatec Mexican origin, translating as “candle ritual”) which I would love to outline in a guide later, then it will be fitting to use:

1 ounce datura

1 ounce brugmansia

This could also be used for European rituals as datura and brugmansia are in many ways more desirable because of their more hallucinogenic properties rather than sedative/toxic and because of their more consistency in effects. I made my first flying ointment with brugmansia, and it works just fine. It just isn’t entirely authentic.

How to make it

Just know that you will be working with wax, placing it on your dishes, and wax is a gigantic pain in the ass to clean up. So if you make it you got a lot of scrubbing to do. Also, wear gloves when handling the herbage material and keep windows and doors of the room open to prevent fumes from intoxicating you. You might also want to wear one of those paper masks. This is potent stuff, and you don’t want to be meeting spirits in your kitchen just yet.

Melt the wax in a crock pot (Do not attempt it any other way, slow cooking is the safest. Using a stovetop creates highly volatile oils that can cause a wax fire very quickly).

Meanwhile, place foliage and oil in blender.

Blend the concoction and pour it into a small pot.

Heat the pot on low for an hour.

Strain the liquid from the herbs.

Pour a small portion of the melted wax into the oil, enough so that it becomes a thick consistency. But be careful: while the wax is melted it looks like liquid so you might underestimate how much wax you put in.

Place outside the fridge (because it might cool too quickly, meaning the wax wouldn’t dissolve into the oil), and when it is cool, pour the ointment. It will probably be enough to fill two mason jars! (That’s about 30 doses).

And then you’re done! Apply liberally, but work your way up the doses slowly. You can apply more if you aren’t feeling it. It’s not too strong, you aren’t likely to completely leave this world on the witches’ ointment. Next I’ll teach you guys how to make a witches’ brew! Tripping with purpose.

EDIT: Some are upset that I have declined to put a warning on this post. Some may even say it’s irresponsible. I justify this by saying that the toxicity of nightshades is known everywhere and it is impossible not to encounter the ever-present warning about their safety.

I chose not to beat the dead horse. If you cannot do any research beyond what you read in this post, then nightshades aren’t for you and you should face the consequences of your own actions. I’m not a babysitter, so I’m not responsible for your own safety and well-being. You are.

I think also that the ‘dangers’ of the Amanita muscaria mushroom are vastly overstated and warning people not to ingest fly agaric because other members of the family are poisonous is a misnomer. There has never been a death from fly agaric. There has never been a death from transdermal nightshade for that matter, if I may be bold enough to say.

🙏 - Which pantheon(s) do you actively worship?

🌞 - Which deity(ies) are you closest to/do you worship the most often?

✨ - Do you believe in patron deities? If so, do you have any that you know of?

🌍 - Which pantheons do you believe exist?

📜 - Have you ever made an oath, vow, or contract with a deity? If yes, how did it go (you don't have to share)?

📿 - What are three things you're grateful to your deity(ies) for?

🖋️ - If you could say anything to your deity(ies) right now, what would you most want to say?

💌 - What is your favorite form of deity communication?

🎭 - What is an emotionally impactful or a silly worship-related experience you've had?

❤️ - What's one memory of your practice that you reflect the most fondly on?

🥂 - What is your favorite devotional act or offering to give?

🎉 - Do you celebrate any festivals? If so, which ones?

🫂 - Do you syncretize any pantheons with one another? If so, which ones?

🔮 - Do you delve into topics like the occult or the mysteries? Do you do anything esoteric?

⭐ - What is something you wish people outside your practice knew more about?

📖 - Do you like the way your pantheon is most often portrayed in media? Why or why not?

🏛️ - Do you have a favorite statue or temple to your deity(ies)? If yes, what is it?

🔥 - Do you have a favorite myth or tale from your pantheon or others?

🧭 - What led you to your practice?

🧿 - Did you have any other spiritual beliefs before discovering your current practice?

🪽 - Do you believe in angels and/or demons? If yes, do you worship or work with any?

🪄 - Do you practice witchcraft? If yes, do you keep it separate from your deity worship?

🪦 - Do ancestors or human spirits play a big role in your practice?

🐾 - Do animal spirits play a big role in your practice?

🌱 - Does nature - plants, nature spirits, etc. - play a big role in your practice?

💀 - Do you believe in ghosts? If yes, have you ever had an experience with one?

This isn't an attempt to get folks to witch over from the witchcraft tag or anything. More of an attempt to collect whoever is interested in a more intentional form of community on tumblr into a tag dedicated to that. My hope is that this will be useful for people who want to see and celebrate each other's personal practices, see more real writing and personal reflections, find new witches and practitioners to follow and interact with, and want to cultivate a space that is authentic, empathetic and uplifting while still embracing critical thinking, reasoning and analysis.

Current Energy Mini Reading + Guidance 🪄

1. Follow + Reblog + Ask ( You can DM also )

2. Before asking clear your energy and be specific about what you want to know? If you're not clear on that, Mention how are you feeling nowadays for a channeled reading.

Note : I am Psychic It would be energy reading I don't use any tools so the messages would be more about your energy.

Howdy y'all! I was dealing with some bullshit that I would rather not deal with but a las, here I am. Anyways, did a little thing and thought I'd share for anyone who has to work with absolute vain, dumb pieces of shit like me. Please excuse how cringe the writing is, I really let my 13 year old emo me run wild with this but it felt fantastic to cast. As always, when cursing and hexing please make sure you stay safe. Ground yourself before hand, cleanse yourself after, don't damage yourself just to get one over on someone else. Happy casting.

Ingredients:

your rage

a black candle(ideally taper but a tealight or whatever will do just fine)

twine(so they feel like they're suffocating)

a sharp utensil or needle to carve said candle

Steps:

Carve the target's name into the black taper candle with the needle . Put a circle around their name and a giant X over the circle. This is to symbolize a bound mouth.

Wrap the candle with twine, visualizing the person being bound and silenced. Please practice fire safety. DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED. Keep in a safe dish or simply opt out of the twine if you know you don't want to sit there the whole time.

Light the black taper and say the incantation below. Let the candle burn down completely or fully past the engraving, focusing on your intent throughout the process.

Dispose of any left over remnants in a way that suits you. Throw it in the trash, a curse box, your jobs dumpster, just be eco-friendly please.

Incantation:

"May your lies and slander turn to dust,

In your mouth, words of me shall rust.

When you speak, the twine constrains,

Your words of me, bound in chains.

Feel the pressure, feel the strain,

Each attempt will be in vain.

By this candle, black as pitch,

Your mouth shall twitch, your tongue shall stitch.

Silence now, hold your breath,

Speak of me and feel my wrath.

This spell I weave, this curse I cast,

Keep my name out of your fucking mouth,

Spirit Dolls - Dolls and Witchcraft

Dolls seem to get a bad rep when you put them in the same sentences with witchcraft and magic. Horror stories and Hollywood portrayals of demonically possessed dolls that kill people and destroy lives, and evil poppets covered in needles out to wreak havoc upon hapless individuals who had pissed off angry witches tend to come to mind.

Well, this is real life we're talking about here, in which things tend to be far simpler and much less macabre.

I've always been fond of dolls, especially rag dolls. I enjoy collecting them. My husband thinks they're creepy, but that's his opinion. I personally find them beautiful and charming. Not to mention, I'm the least crafty person I know. The folks who are able to create these exquisite works of art with their hands have my utmost admiration.

Spirit dolls aren't a new thing. Dolls have been used in spiritual works since way before Chucky, Annabelle, Sabrina and their various haunted associates drew public attention. Contrary to many contemporary beliefs, most dolls that have been used for spiritual purposes are harmless. Many have traditionally served as charms and amulets for protection, hope, luck, fertility, and prosperity, wards against evil, family talismans, guardians of children (such as Ukrainian Motanka dolls) in cultures around the world. Some are simply items of comfort. How many of us have kept stuffed animals from our childhoods because they hold sentimental values or sweet memories? Of course, in the wrong hands, dolls as much as anything else can be turned into conduits for sinister means. But that has way more to do with the owners of them than the dolls themselves.

Years ago I found this super talented lady who makes beautiful Raggedy Ann dolls with a shop on Etsy. Having always wanted a Raggedy Ann, I chose one of her creations that happened to come with an apron that has school supply pictures on it. Having been a teacher, I thought it fitting that this lovely little doll should have a home with me.

I named her Annabelle. Yes, I know, I was being smart with the name. And she became my witch's spirit doll, a familiar of a sort but in doll form. I think of her as a manifestation of me in a way. I shower affections on her, as a way of practicing self love. I take her to places, and she sleeps on the bed with me at night. Like my animal familiars, she's a witch's companion, albeit an (mostly, I think) inanimate one. And because I chose her specifically with a loving and adoring purpose, she is very special to me.