Poppets

Question: What are poppets? How were they used? How might you use one? 

'Poppets' were/are figurines or small dolls used in sympathetic magic, which works on the principle of similarity/associated contact. They were/are often made of clay, wax, wood, or fabric. In order to represent a particular person, items would be included in the making of the poppet to signify that individual - a taglock, such as material taken from clothing once worn by the person, a sample of handwriting or a photograph, personal items such as a lock of hair or nail clippings, and even bodily fluids such as blood, semen or saliva. The important thing is to create a link between the poppet and the intended recipient of the spell or work. Once made and magically charged, any action performed upon the poppet is thought to cause or effect a similar reaction on the person or object it represents. The use of poppets in magic dates back to ancient times and occurrences of their use have be found in India, Babylonia (Chaldaea), Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. 

A poppet was/is often used to represent someone considered to be the source of some kind of trouble. Magic was/is worked against that person using the poppet, perhaps by binding or piercing it. Poppets were/are also used for healing and/or as protective charms, either carried on the person, or placed in the home, particularly by doorways and windows, although some were/are concealed and kept secret, or even destroyed. Poppets were/are also used to represent sacrificial offerings to the spirits/deities. Today poppets are more likely to be used for protection, prosperity, luck, love, health and happiness. However, as and when a need has been identified, they can also be used for banishing and binding to prevent harm. 

Egyptian poppets were commonly made of wax, which could be easily modelled into the required shape, although stone, wood, and clay were also used. Alternatively, two sticks tied together to form a cross, which was then padded with cloth to give the general shape of a human. Execration figures, such as inscribed kneeling clay figures representing enemy states, were used in official governmental magical ritual, and were broken at the end of the ritual. Figurines were also often included with grave goods, thought to offer protection and vitality for the after life.

In Mesopotamia, clay was often used for the figurines, which were then painted with coloured gypsum. Others were made of dough, wax, or tallow, and were burnt/melted on hot coals. And a third type were made of something edible, such as suet or dough, and, it is said, fed to dogs. 

In Greece, poppets might be made of clay, dough, wax, or lead. There is evidence that some were inscribed and others bound and/or pierced, while others were left unmarked. 

My initial reaction was that I would not use a poppet. However, I do see that I could perhaps use a poppet for beneficial purposes, especially regarding someone I have long been estranged from (their choice not mine). 

The taglock would need to be some of my own blood, as I have nothing else that now links me with the person, and the figure - made of cloth - could be stuffed with herbs and/or the stuffing infused with oils suitable for reconciliation, such as allspice (a catalyst), althea (persuasion), balm of gilead (protective healing), bay (protective and commanding), betony or geranium (to banish negative energy), borage (to conquer and restore), frankincense (for masculine energy), frangipani (to draw towards), hyssop and/or lavender (to cleanse), peppermint (to create change), rosemary (for binding memories), thyme (for positivity), vetivert (for uncrossing, cleansing, protecting, and refocussing), and violet (for truth).

To charge the figure, the following could be said: 

Small one, I made you

and now I give you life, naming you (persons name).

Their body is your body, their breath is your breath, 

their passion is your passion, their blood is your blood.

Though separate you were, now you are one.

Each day for 17 days, at the same time, a candle may be lit and the poppet held above it while the following is said:

I melt your heart as I melt this wax.

(Name), even as this wax flows,

so your brotherly love for me flows stronger.

I melt your heart as I melt this wax.

(Name), even as this wax flows,

so you remember your bond of kin-ship to me.

I melt your heart as I melt this wax.

(Name), I call you to forgive, I call you to truth,

I call you back to me.

I melt your heart as I melt this wax.

So mote it be.

A Purification Ritual

Items required - a bowl of water and a towel; a candle and incense, and matches to light them.

Standing, say out loud:

I call upon the Great and One Divine, the All Being, Source of Light and Truth,

of All that Is, All that has been, and All that will be,

before whom I acknowledge and repent of my actions and my inactions

that have not been in accordance with Thy will and law,

and which have not been for Good, Truth, or Love.

Lighting the candle, say out loud:

I light this light as a sign and symbol of Your eternal presence.

Turning to the four directions, say out loud:

I call upon the beings of North, East, South and West 

to witness this my confession and supplication.

Raising the candle (carefully) high and low, say out loud:

I call upon the Earth and the Sky to witness my petition and my penitence.

Kneeling, say out loud:

Forgive my self-ishness and my fear

which have caused me to be

less than your creature who I was born to be.

Forgive me that I have strayed from your Way,

and, in your mercy and compassion,

guide me again and bring me at last Home to You.

Washing the hands, say out loud:

By this Water, may I be made clean.

Lighting the incense, say out loud:

By this holy Fire, may I be re-made in Thy image.

Silence is kept.

At the right time, stand and, turning in a circle, lifting arms out to the sides, then above the head, down with the palms out, and then into the Namaste/prayer pose, say out loud:

It is done; I am re-newed.

By Water, Fire, Air, and Earth,

before the witnesses of North and West and South and East,

I am restored, to walk again the Way of Life,

seeking with thankfulness to live

not for my self alone, but to share Thy Light,

who art the Great and One Divine,

the All Being, Source of Light and Truth,

of All that Is, All that has been, and All that will be.

Peace be with us all.

Five Poems

First Poem

Sun-day sun-shine shine-ing down:

the day is bright with light and dew.

The earth awaits the fall of leaves,

as ploughmen turn the soil.

Second Poem

Take, take away, come take away

and hide away the pain, the dark, the fear;

and leave, leave in its place, here in this place,

this place that is my heart, my soul, my song,

instead leave love.

Third Poem

A sparrow sits and seagulls fly.

The earth turns

beneath the autumn sun

Fourth Poem

Forth-forth, forth-forth:

a mighty drum crashes,

the waterfall splashes,

fires burn to ashes,

and the wind blows north.

Fifth Poem

Make of my hand a quill, to spill

so many words upon the page,

to praise Thee and petition Thee,

to flow and grow

as yet I age.

Make of my mouth a song, to sing

so many sounds into the air

to hail Thee and to hasten Thee,

to rise and fall,

for Thou art all, and Thou art near.

Make of my heart a reed, to bring

a little of Thy light to shine,

that others in the dark may find

all that they need is near,

all that they need to praise and to petition Thee,

to hail and fail and hasten Thee,

to flow and grow, to rise and fall

toward the All that art the Thou and I.

(c) ZL 2018

The cosmology of Simon Magus

• Fire is the first, unbegotten, principle of all things, containing both male and female aspects, the male being hidden, the female being manifest in Silence.
  

• Through Silence, Fire created six roots/powers in three male/female polarities or syzergies: Mind/Power and Thought, Voice and Name, and Reason and Reflection/Plan
  

• Mind and Thought became separate beings forming an infinite 'Middle Space' between them. 
  

• Thought saw Mind and named his image 'Father'. This 'Father', resulting from the image of the Mind and the perception of Thought, is androgynous and sometimes referred to as Mother-Father. 
  

• The Mother-Father is manifest in six Aeons/Eternities, which parallel the roots of Fire: Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon, Air and Water
  

• Mind, who understood the will of the Father/Thought to create itself, descended to the lower/third world and produced the angels who created the Cosmos after the model of the six aeons. 

• Thought transported the Breath/Spirit of the Father into the Cosmos to rule it, thus creating Primeval Man as the male-female image of the father.
  

• The angels wished to rule the Cosmos themselves and therefore divided Primeval Man into two genders which, desiring to unit, increased their separation by multiplying their number. 
  

• Thought was captured, enclosed within human form, and undergoes endless reincarnation.

Rituals of Ancient Mesopotamia

The religion/s of ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akad, Assyria, Babylonia, Ebla, and Chaldea) influenced the subsequent religions of Canaan, Aramaea, and ancient Greece, including Christianity, Islam, and Mandaeism, and, despite the fact that much has been lost over time, has historically the oldest body of recorded literature of any religious tradition (including the Enuma Elish, or Epic of Creation) sufficient to gain a good overall image of the mythology, beliefs and practices (including astrology) of these polytheistic people. 

In terms specifically of their cultic practices/rituals: each city was home to a deity and would have had a ziggurat/temple as the dwelling place of their patron. This rose in a stepped form to the sky - a staircase for the gods to ascend and descend, and sometimes included a holy tree in a holy grove, which was the central point for the rites performed by the King, in his role as 'master gardener'. The presence of the deity was symbolised by an image in a separate, special room, the idols being consecrated by nocturnal rituals, including washing, believed to give them life and to open their mouths so that they could both see and eat. The idols were dressed and served food twice a day (possibly shared by the King and/or priests), as well as receiving sacrificial offerings, and were sometimes also taken out on hunting expeditions. The Priests included sa'ilu (askers) and baru (observers), as well as mahhu (ecstatic seers). The deity was also served by singers, craftsmen, swordbearers, and master-diviners.It was believed that the deities expressed their will through words (amatu) and commandments (qibitu), which were made manifest in events and things. As well as the deity in the Temple, individuals also paid homage to personal deities in private devotions, and practiced diviniation, through observing omens and rituals such as casting lots. Both individuals and Temple priests used incantations (šiptu) to ward off demons. Amulets and exorcisms were also used. 

Mesopotamian rituals are known to have included incantations (for example, for the removal of snake-venom), petition/letter-prayers (please for relief from illness), Ikribus (used in divining and as benedictions), and Šigû (lamentations). Namburbi were performed during rituals, especiallyto counteract an evil fate indicated by an omen, while the Maqiû series of incantation was intended to counteract kišpū (black magic). The incantation series Šurpu, inscribed on cuneiform tablets, consists of a long confessional of sins, ritual offences, and unwitting offences against the moral/social order and breaches of taboos. It begins 'Enūma nēpešē ša šur-pu t[epp]ušu' ('when you perform the rituals for Burning... '. The burning referred to is of dough which had been applied to or wiped over the person, thus transferring the sins to the dough which would be burnt. Other items such as garlic, onion peel, or red wool, representing transgressions, could also be thrown into the fire, while the following incantation was recited:

My illness, my weariness, my guilt, my crime, my sin, my transgression,

The illness that is present in my body, my flesh (and) my veins,
Be peeled off like this garlic so that
The fire-god, the burner, consumes (it) today!

May the curse leave so that I may see the light!

Another cuneiform tablet related to items used during purification, including the words, 'Your hands are washed... you are holy; your hands are washed... you are pure.'

Refs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Mesopotamian_religion

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mesopotamian-religion

What do you know about Spica?

• Spica is the brightest star of the constellation of Virgo, and one of the twenty brightest stars in the night sky. 
• Along with Denebola or Reulus and Arcturus, Spica is part of the Spring Triangle Asterism and, with Cor Caroli, is part of the Great Diamond. 
• Spica is believed to be the star that gave Hipparchus the data that led him to discover the precession of the Equinoxes. 
• The name Spica derives from the Latin 'spica virginis' - the virgin's ear of grain/wheat, or 'Virgin's Spike'. She is known in Arabic as Sumbalet - Corn Ear. 
• A temple to Menat at Thebes was oriented with reference to Spica when it was built in 3200 BCE, although over time Spica's location has of course changed relative to the temple. 
• Menat later evolved into the sky/solar goddess Hathor, mother and/or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god Ra, who carried a stalk of papyrus as her staff (hence the ear of corn/wheat/grain perhaps?) and helped the souls of the dead in their transition to the afterlife - a perfect role for a star! 
• (The term 'menat' became used for a protective necklace amulet, both worn and used in ceremonies.)

A bit about Freyja, Heimdallr, and Eir

Freyja is the most renowned of the Norse goddesses, one of the Vanir, whose name is Old Norse for 'Lady'. She is the sister of Freyr ('Lord'). Their father was Njord, the sea god, possibly by Njord's own sister, Nerthus, who is sometimes known as the Earth Mother. 

Freyja was a goddess of love, fertility, battle, and death. She is often depicted wearing a falcon-feathered cloak, riding or accompanied by a boar named Hildisvini ('Battle-swine') with golden bristles, and travelling in a chariot drawn by two cats - so both pigs/boar and cats are sacred to her. 

It was Freyja's privilege to choose half of the heroes slain in battle for her great hall in the Fólkvangar, the other half being taken by Odhinn to Valhalla. Described in some sources as the mother of the Valkyrie, Freyja is credited with teaching witchcraft to the Aesir, the other tribe of gods. She possessed the necklace Brisingamen, wrought by the dwarves in deep earth, which both symbolises her and embodies her power. It was stolen by Loki and recovered for Freyja by Heimdall.

There is some confusion between Freyja and Frigg/Frigga ('Beloved'), the Aesir wife of Odhinn, not least since, after the Aesir-Vanir War, Freyja, among others, received honourary membership of the Aesir tribe of gods. Freyja's husband is named in late Old Norse literature as Óðr, who, according to the Prose Edda, is often away on long journeys, causing Freyja to search for him and to weep tears of red gold.

Freyja's knowledge and power are said to be almost without equal. She can control and manipulate the desires, health, and prosperity of others, and she practices seidr, and first brought this art to the gods and thus, through them, to humans. Seidr is said by some sources to be a form of magic/shamanism, concerned with discerning destiny and altering its course be re-weaving part of its web. Those who practice seidr, including Freyja herself, are known as the völva - itinerant seeress/sorceress - a role often held within the Germanic/Teutonic tribes by the wife of the chieftain/warband leader (xarjanaz), known as the 'veleda', whose role was divination, influencing outcomes of action, and serving the special cup of power during the ritual feasts.

Freyja has at least four nicknames: Mardöll (Sea-brightener), Hörn (Flaxen), Gefn (The Giver), and Syr (Sow), and Friday is named for her (Freyjasdaeg).

Heimdallr is one of the Aesir, a son of Odin, and the watchman, or guardian, of the gods and of their stronghold, Asgard. He himself has his dwelling at Himinbjörg, the Sky Cliffs, at the top of the Bifrost Bridge (the rainbow) which leads into Asgard.

Heimdallr needs less sleep than a bird, is able to see for 100 leagues, both by day and by night, and has such acute hearing that he can hear grass grow in the meadows, and wool growing on sheep.

Heimdallr is the possessor of the Gjallarhorn (Resounding Horn) which can be heard throughout the realms, and which Heimdallr will sound in order to summon the gods when their enemies, the giants, draw near across Bifrost - the sign of the start of Ragnarök, the end of the world of gods and human beings. When that time arrives, Heimdallr and Loki (who is of the etin-kin, although a blood-brother, and perhaps shadow side, of Odin) will slay each other.

Some verses of the Eddas seem to indicate that Heimdallr was once considered to be the father of humankind, and he has been said to be associated with the Ram - perhaps because of the Gjallarhorn.

Eir, whose name means 'help', 'grace', or 'mercy', is the goddess of healing, patron of shamanic healers, and a companion, or handmaid, of the goddess Frigg, wife of Odin. She dwells at Lufjaberg, the hill of healing, with her helpful spirits, and is revered as a lifegiver, with power over life and death.

One of the ways in which Eir was able to heal was through a ritual involving a white flower, known, for that reason, as the Eirflower. When praying to Eir for healing it is common to light a red or a green candle.

Some sources also regard Eir as a forge goddess, although more on the artistic, creative side than actually making weapons and so on. This may be related to her role as the defender and aid of warriors.

It is generally agreed, however, that Eir was one of the Valkyrie, the shield maidens. According to Snorri Snurlsson (in the Gylgafinning) and the older Poetic Edda Fjölsvinnsmál, Eir was one of the 12 or 13 highest ranking goddesses, and was also an Asynjur - the females who lived together with the Aesir (males) - and possesses the ability to predict the future as well as being one of the best physicians among the gods and goddesses.