Book of Witchery (33 page)

Arrange the herb and cards to your liking between the white and black candles. Set the gray candle, symbolizing neutrality, in its holder, in the center and directly behind the cards. The white and black candles symbolize balance and represent the two opposing forces that are at work.

If you choose, you can personalize this spell by adding an item of sympathy. If this is a legal matter, perhaps you could add a letter from your attorney. If it's personal, you could add an item that was given to you as a gift by the other party. Be creative! Take a few moments to ground and center. Calm yourself, and hold the idea in your mind for the fairest and best possible outcome. Repeat the following spell three times:

The Knight of Swords, a symbol for courage under fire
Hear my call for protection; it's justice I desire
The Two of Swords settles conflicts and does invoke peace so fair
Add Temperance for balance, and a bit of personal flair
Lord and Lady, hear my cry, defend and watch over me
Help me settle this fairly; as I will, so mote it be.

Close the spell by saying:

In no way will this tarot spell reverse
Or place upon me or mine any curse.

Allow the candles to burn until they go out on their own. When finished, straighten up your work area and tuck the Temperance card into your wallet, purse, or day planner. Carry it with you until the following Saturday, then return it to your tarot deck.

Daily Witch Craft

poppets

The poppet is one of the most misunderstood tools in witchcraft today. If you even mention poppet work to people, they get very nervous, very quickly. Personally, I don't see what the fuss is about. Using a poppet in protection magick is a practical and powerful way to bind a troublemaker. A poppet is a small cloth doll in the rough shape of a human. To me, it always looks like a gingerbread-man shape. It is sewn up by hand, leaving the side open to stuff the doll with natural materials, such as cotton batting or sphagnum moss. A simple face is drawn on to the doll, and then sympathetic items are added into the stuffing of the doll to link it to the individual who needs to be bound.

These items of sympathy may be shed hair, nail clippings, or a sample of the person's handwriting. This item creates a physical link to the miscreant. The doll is sewn closed, and then you ceremonially bind up the doll with white ribbons or a cord. You wrap the ribbon around the arms and hands, and then around the feet and legs, to symbolically restrict their movements. If the person who is causing all the trouble is running their mouth, then wrap the ribbon around the head and right over the drawn-on mouth too, effectively keeping all parts of the person bound from causing any more harm.

Some modern books on the Craft today recommend that you keep the doll very small so that you can keep it with you and keep an eye on it at all times. While I like the idea of a travel-sized poppet, hauling it around with you all the time, in my opinion, is a bad idea. Think of how much explaining you'd have to do if for some reason that bound poppet came out of your purse or pocket, or if someone else accidentally found it. Instead, I recommend tucking away the poppet somewhere safe in your home, where no one will find it and it's well out of the way.

Never Piss Off the Witch
A Poppet Magick Tale

So, if you are wondering when have I ever used poppet magick, I have a story for you. Many years ago, I had a boss at a little boutique where I worked who was the moodiest, craziest, meanest woman I have ever met in my life. She could be sweet, charming, and kind one moment, and the next she was screaming at you and accusing you of all sorts of things. She was an interesting and unpredictable character. She would be on a tear for a few days and make all the employees a nervous wreck . . . and then she'd be fine for a few weeks or so. Just about the time you had convinced yourself that you must have exaggerated how bad she was, things would flare up, and off she'd go. There was no rhyme or reason to her behavior; one day she treated you like family, the next she was hell on wheels.

Why did I stay? Well, the hours were great, it was close to home, and the pay was good. It was one of those situations where I needed to keep the paychecks coming in, so I kept working there while I started searching for a new job. However, I still had to deal with her and all her tantrums until I landed that different job.

One especially brutal day, I went to the bathroom to calm down and, yes, to get away from my boss and her screaming fits for a few moments. I had reached my limit, my nerves were shot, and my temper was up. I was literally shaking, I was that angry. That very morning, I had started to mentally plot and plan just what I could do, magick- wise, to quiet down the psychopath. I truly did not want to cause her harm, I only wanted the verbal abuse and screaming to stop.

While hiding out in the bathroom, I tried to ground and center and calm myself down. I leaned my back against the door, took deep breaths, and considered my witchy options. It was then that I discovered my boss's makeup bag was open and lying right out and on the bathroom counter. It was definitely hers—she had top-of-the-line cosmetics in there and her name was embroidered on the bag. Inside of the makeup bag was her hairbrush, and it was full of hair.

I just stood there and grinned. I pulled a big wad of hair out of her brush, wrapped it in tissue, and tucked it into my pocket. Armed for the coming battle, I managed to quietly finish out my shift at work. That evening, I sewed up a small gingerbread-man-shaped doll, stuffed it full of cotton batting and that chunk of my boss's hair, and sewed it shut. I then tucked the little doll inside of a cloth bag and put it in the bottom of my purse. It made me a nervous wreck the day that I took it into work with me, but I disguised it as best I could and worked a charm to made my purse less noticeable.

The following Saturday when I went to work, I did my best to act nonchalant. The first chance I got, I took my purse into the bathroom with me and found the boss's makeup bag lying open and out on the counter again. So I locked myself in the bathroom, took out the little poppet from my purse, and fished out the eyeliner and lipstick from my boss's makeup bag. Using her own cosmetics, I drew eyes and a nose on the face of the doll, and then used her lipstick to draw a mouth on the doll. I was damn near cackling to myself. Think about it: these were her own cosmetics, so you know that they carried her saliva and skin cells. Now that's what I call a link to the troublemaker.

I carefully wrapped up the doll, stashed it in the bottom of my purse, put back all of my crazy boss's cosmetics in her makeup bag, and left the bag looking untouched. Then I went back to work. When I went home that night, I cast a ritual circle, took the poppet out of the cloth bag, and got busy working protection magick. That little poppet was bound up good and tight. And it worked like a charm. Not only did my boss stop the verbal abuse, she even stopped coming in on the days that I was scheduled, which made me very happy and made for a much more pleasant working atmosphere.

A few months later, I found a better job and turned in my resignation. Once I was happily employed at the new job, I unwrapped the doll that I had stashed in my house, removed all the stuffing, and burned all the components—the ribbons, stuffing, and hair—to end the spell and to release the magick.

So, yes, poppet magick can be safely used to stop troublemakers and abusive people. All you have to do is be creative and keep yourself calm and focused on the goal at hand. Here is the spell and the directions that I used.

• 2 pieces plain cotton fabric, 12 inches square
  
• Cotton batting to stuff the doll; cotton balls will work in a pinch
  
• White thread to sew the doll closed
  
• Items of sympathy
  
• A permanent marker to draw a face on the doll
  
• 1 yard of white ribbon or cord
  
• A black candle to stop the negativity and to end any harm that the troublemaker is causing
  
• A candle holder
  
• Lighter or matches
  
• A safe, flat surface on which to set up the spell
  

Draw a rough gingerbread-man-looking shape on the fabric, cut it out, and sew it together by hand with simple stitches. Leave a small section of one side of the poppet open for stuffing. Next, stuff the poppet full. Add any items of sympathy to the inside of the doll and sew the doll shut. Then, draw on eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Move to your work area. Set up the poppet, the ribbon/cord, and the candle. Take a few moments, and make sure you are calm and ready to go.

Light the candle. Cast a circle in whatever style you prefer. Now pick up the poppet and say these lines:

I now bind you, [Name], from doing any more harm
I halt your negative actions and words with this charm.

Wrap the ribbon or cord around the doll's arms, legs, and over its mouth. Continue with:

White ribbons and cords now tie your legs, mouth, and hands
Quickly bringing protection to me without end.

Set aside the poppet on the work surface. Place one hand on the poppet and focus your attention to the spell candle. Now say:

When you have learned your lesson, this spell will fade
Leaving us both free to enjoy better days.

I recommend closing up this poppet spell with a tagline. The tagline reinforces that the magick you are doing is for the highest good and that it will not turn around and bite you in the magickal behind. Say:

This protection magick is just; now I close this charm
It will not reverse nor place upon me any harm.

Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place. Then pick up the poppet and wrap it in a plain piece of fabric or a paper bag. Put it in an out-of-the-way place and let the magick work itself out.

Custom-Made Daily Magick

Protection, removing negativity, justice, and balance have been the theme of this chapter. As we have just seen, you can indeed perform a binding and not cross the ethical line. Bindings are a more ethical route than cursing someone. But are there other options? Why, of course. I know of some Witches who, when they see a criminal's face on television or read about them in the paper, mentally paint a white
X
over a criminal's face while they say the phrase “I neutralize that person” with intention. This neutralizes the power and harm that the stranger causes.

If there is someone that you personally know who is causing you or your family harm, it is possible to use a photograph of the destructive person. Simply wrap white ribbon around their photo to symbolize you binding them up as you say, “I neutralize any physical or emotional harm that you are causing.”

But if you feel magickal bindings are the way to go, then perhaps your best course of action is to remove all emotion from yourself and the spell when you perform the binding. Just as I stated before, justice—like magick—is a neutral force. For lack of a better term, be businesslike. Wild swings of emotion only make for an uncontrollable magickal energy. Therefore, your best bet is to be neutral. If there was ever a time to be calm and in control, this is it. If you are not sure that you can pull off being neutral, then I suggest that you leave magick alone. It is essential to be in control. How much karma drama are you willing to pull into your life?

Bindings: A Commonsense Guideline

If you don't like the idea of poppets and have decided to work a binding, and you have a handle on your emotions, then here are some commonsense guidelines that I suggest you follow:

• Bindings are best performed on a Saturday.
  
• Work the binding at sunset and you pull into the spell the closing energies of not only the day, but of the entire week.
  
• Work with black candles; they coordinate with Saturn's energies and they are the classic magickal color for this type of witchery.
  

Finally, to be crystal clear, a binding is the act of psychically restraining a harmful person or criminal so that their actions cannot harm anyone else. The goddess to call on is Hecate, and she is a mighty magickal force. Consider your words and actions carefully when you call on her. How you choose to work a binding is up to you. At this point, I strongly suggest that you take a moment and draft out your binding spell on paper. Refer to the
spell worksheet
; it will help you. Go carefully, and remember to harm none.

You may experience some dramatic special effects when working with Hecate. Don't be taken aback if the wind picks up . . . if your candles flicker and snap . . . or if you begin to notice barking or howling dogs. The animals sense when Hecate is near. Yes, we have gotten very serious all of a sudden. That's because a binding is a serious matter. Surprised? Don't be. Just because I tend to look at things from a humorous perspective doesn't mean I am not serious when the situation calls for it.

This invocation includes some of the correspondences for Hecate. If you choose, you can add these to your spellwork. (This would also be a fine addition to the opening of the poppet magick spell.) A general invocation for Hecate follows.

Invocation to Hecate

Cauldrons, three keys, and black dogs that bay at the moon
Grant me wisdom and strength, pray hear this Witch's tune
Goddess of the crossroads, Hecate, I call on you
Come lend your magick to mine; my need is strong and true.

Note:
Remember to thank Hecate for her time and attention when you are finished with your witchery.

Ritual for Saturday

four crystals of saturn protection ritual

Try this final Saturday ritual to work for protection and a little help in boosting your personal shields. Sometimes we all need to boost our auras, or our personal energy shields. Whether you have a case of the magickal “blahs,” are recovering from being sick, or are just feeling emotionally vulnerable at the moment, this enjoyable witchery for a Saturday ought to do the trick.

For this ritual, the phase that the moon is currently in does not matter. If the moon is in a waxing lunar phase, then pull protection toward you. Consequently, if you are in a waning moon phase, then push away all negativity and bad vibes. If it happens to be a full moon or the new moon, then go for it and take advantage of all that extra magickal energy that's out there!