How To Make And Use Poppets In Your Witchcraft

A poppet is simply a figurine representing a person or animal. They are typically made from fabric cut into a humanoid form and stuffed with herbs, stones, powders, etc. Taglocks — something connected to the being you’re representing, anything from fingernails to just a photograph — are then added to form a link and voila, your poppet is complete.

If you only went by the movies, you’d believe poppets are for harming another and nothing else. Despite the item’s negative portrayal, this is not the case at all! They can be used for health, protection, love, luck, wealth — anything. You’d also have no idea that the use of dolls to magically represent someone else goes back as far as ancient Egypt and even Greece. The magic doll has a long tradition of use in many kinds of folk magic. Witchcraft cultures all over the world have incorporated dolls into their magic as a way to represent another and either control or make things happen to that individual. And though you might more commonly see fabric dolls or wax poppets, you can make a poppet out of almost anything, fill it with anything, and make it work in many ways.

Uses For Poppets

Because poppets represent a specific person or being, anything you’d like to happen to that person or animal can be done to the poppet doll instead. Protection, for example. If you know someone making bad decisions, taking a trip, or you’re just a worrier, you know that it’s impossible to physically keep that person safe at all times. However, you can make a poppet for that person and encircle it with protective magic. If you want someone out of your life, you can’t push them on a bus to nowhere, but you can make a poppet that represents them and send it down the river. You can create a poppet of the one you love and bind it to you, or make a poppet representing your lost pet to open their roads leading them safely back home. And yes, if someone has wronged you, you can use poppet magic as a way to seek revenge. One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is make poppets representing my family and dedicate them to luck and success for the coming year. Truly, you are without limitations and if you’re a crafty witch in general, poppets are a great way to use your imagination.

So You’ve Decided To Make A Poppet

A poppet, like most things in magic, requires specific ingredients for specific intent. Choosing the material with which to make the doll is as important as choosing which tools to use in any other spell, so before beginning make sure all the pieces are working together. If you’re making a poppet for your dog, break up one of his old toys and use that as the base of your poppet and some of his hair for the taglock. If you’re making one for your mother, you could melt down one of her candles, add some herbs to the wax and maybe a strand of her hair, then form a small doll out of that. The intent of the doll is to represent someone specific, so not only should you choose elements that correspond with what you want the doll to accomplish, but you should pick things that will make the doll represent the person as best as possible.

Poppets can be made out of food, roots, clay, soap, wax, wood, old clothes, curtains, bedding, mud, paper, etc. Because I like magic where there’s a transmutation, I’ve taken to making poppets out of bread or other dough so that they can bake and “come to life” using elemental change — in this case, heat. These poppets don’t keep, obviously, but I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to watch the birds peck away at a poppet representing a foe. As long as you don’t put anything toxic in the poppets, they can be buried, thrown into water, or left outside to simply rot away. If you want something more lasting, like a health poppet for a loved one, making them out of more stable material is a must. Poppets are a form of sympathetic magic, which means there is a connection between two things, and therefore if you want something to happen, you simply have to create another version of it or imitate it. When something happens to the object you’ve made, it happens to the being it’s connected to. The poppet is an imitation of the person it represents and is connected to the person via the taglock. Therefore it’s best to make this imitation as perfectly as you can to strengthen the connection. They say the more time you spend on the poppet, the more effective it is, so the creation of poppets should be carefully thought out and every step should be symbolic.  

Taglocks: The Secret To Success

Here’s an awkward conversation for you: “Hi, can I borrow some fingernails for a voodoo doll I’m making for you? No? What about some bodily fluid?”

The most effective taglocks are said to be things like hair, blood, fingernails, and other pieces from the target’s body. However, and this is especially true if the target is an enemy, these are not items easily attained. Thankfully, there are alternatives when snagging body parts isn’t an option.

Clothing or personal belongings: Slightly more convenient than obtaining a body part, but still not simple. If your poppet is for a loved one, this will make things easier, but if your target is an enemy some cunning may be necessary.

Photograph: This taglock will work a little less well for your poppet but it is far less intrusive. It is still effective but there is a tradeoff.

Names: Simply write the person’s name on a piece of paper and add it to your poppet. This creates the least strong bond so any additional information you can add to this helps. The person’s date of birth, their birthplace, their home address, and the names of their parents such as “John Smith, son of Jill and Rob Smith” will strengthen the tie and help the magic work more effectively.

How To Make Your Poppet

Poppets are simple to make and it’s a fun, creative process. You don’t have to have any special materials. If you don’t have something, improvise. Making your poppet is part of your magical practice so you may want to create a sacred space in the area you’re planning on putting together your poppet. This can be done by using your preferred method such as casting a circle, using the LBRP, or using a visualization practice.

To assemble your poppet-making materials, head to your local craft store, rummage through your cabinets, or go for a walk to collect interesting looking sticks and leaves. The main thing is to select materials you think will support your purposes. If you’re looking to cast a quick spell, you can opt to shape a doll out of aluminum foil. Thinking of performing a banishing spell? Make a doll out of meat and feed it to your dog. The possibilities are endless.

Also, consider the way you’re planning on disposing of your poppet after your spell. If you’re planning on sending your doll away in running water, make it out of natural materials like sticks or corn husks. If you plan on keeping your poppet and using it for multiple spells, use more durable materials like felt and thread.

Think about what colors, herbs, crystals, and oils would strengthen the intention of your poppet. Other, more unconventional objects can also lend power to your poppet such as responsibly sourced feathers to draw on the element of air, graveyard dirt, fur from your favorite pet, or your favorite bottle of nail polish. Each item should hold some kind of meaning to you or lend its energy to your intended purpose.

Here’s a list of materials used to make poppets.

For the doll:

• Felt
• Cloth
• Old t-shirts or socks worn by the person being represented
• Burlap
• Needle and thread (or embroidery floss, yarn dental floss, etc.)
• Glue
• Clay
• Leaves
• Sticks
• Corn husks
• Wax
• Foil
• Meat
• Paper or cardboard
• Potatoes or other food

For the stuffing:

• Herbs
• Crystals
• Leftover spell candle wax
• Magical dirt
• Seeds
• Coins or paper money
• Glitter
• Cotton balls anointed with oil
• Ribbon
• Flower petals
• Tacks, safety pins, or other pointy objects for curses
• Tissue paper
• Dehydrated fruit or vegetables that support your intention (For example, use jalapeños for hexes and orange peels for happiness spells.)
• A picture of the person being represented
• Pieces of paper with sigils, incantations, or affirmations written on it
• Magical tools such as runes or pendulums
• Photos or images from magazines that support your intention

Assembling Your Poppet

You can find your own way of doing this, depending on what medium you’re using. For cloth, felt, or old clothes, you can follow this method.

1. Lay two pieces of fabric on top of each other.

2. Using chalk (or whatever works on your material), trace an outline of your poppet. Many times, this looks a bit like a gingerbread man, but if that doesn’t suit you, make it whatever shape you want.

You may want to use a piece of cardboard to become a template of sorts. Then you can trace around it to make more poppets in the future and have them all be the same size and shape.

3. Cut out your fabric.

4. Add any decorative stitching to the outside of your poppet, such as red embroidery floss for a mouth or sewing on two buttons for eyes.

5. Stitch along the outside edge of your poppet and leave an opening of an inch or two. It doesn’t matter if you hand sew your poppet or use a sewing machine. Use what you’re most comfortable with. Start anywhere you want along the border of your poppet, but take into account where you plan on stuffing the poppet.

Where you choose to stuff your poppet can add power to your intention. For a creativity or mental clarity spell, you might want to leave the opening by the head. For a healing spell, leave the opening nearest to the area in need of healing. For a fertility spell, leave a space between the poppet’s legs.

6. Turn your poppet inside out, so the seam is on the inside. (If you like the look of your poppet with the seam exposed, leave it as is.)

7. Once you’ve stitched your poppet, stuff it with whatever materials you’ve selected. As you add each ingredient, think about what kind of energy it will bring to your poppet. 

8. Add your taglock to the doll. I like to place taglocks inside the poppet but you may choose to attach it to the outside as well in some cases. You can also add a petition paper to define the purpose and intention of the poppet.

9. Sew up the top of your poppet.

Decorating Your Poppet

Decorate your doll with markers, paint, or attaching bits of colored fabric for clothes and hair. Draw sigils on your poppet or write out your entire intention along its body. If you’re familiar with runes, draw a rune on the doll. You can also use Tarot. Write the name of the card that holds the energy you’d like your poppet to take on. Traditionally, the cards in the Major Arcana are considered the most powerful but the symbols of the tarot suits (cups, pentacles, wands, or swords) can add energy to your poppet as well.

Activating Your Poppet

There are a variety of ways you can do this, but we’ll cover the most common methods. The first step when activating your poppet is to state your intention, aloud or in your head.

Here are some examples:

If the poppet is representing you, you can say something like, “I am in perfect health and move through my life with abundant energy.”

If you’re casting a spell to find your ideal home, you can say something like, “I live in a two-story log cabin in the mountains of western North Carolina, and everything fell into place with perfect timing.”

For a poppet representing someone else, you can state your intention in the third person. “My mom attracts an abundance of money through unexpected channels.”

Sometimes you won’t know who your poppet is representing. This happens if your intention is to send a curse back to its sender. In that case, you can say something like, “This person who cursed me will now feel the full effect of their curse. I am free to release the energy of their curse.”

Visualization

After you’ve stated your intention, you can hold your poppet between your palms and visualize a scene from your life once your desire has come true. If this poppet is for another person, visualize exactly what you’d like that person to experience because of your spell. In your mind’s eye, see where that person is when your spell manifests, what that person is doing, and how that person reacts to what he or she is experiencing.

Do this for about ten minutes, or until you feel you’ve fully communicated your intention and desired results to your poppet.

Ideal for: drawing spells, curses, hexes, and protection spells

Creating A Poppet Altar

Arrange a few magical tools around or on top of your poppet to activate it with your intention. Planetary pentacles, crystals, talismans, and other magical tools are all excellent choices for this. You can make your altar as simple or elaborate as you want. Sit at your poppet altar and meditate or leave your poppet on your altar until your spell yields results.

Ideal for: any kind of poppet magic

How To Dispose Of A Poppet

If your spell is complete or you no longer need to use your poppet, you can dispose of your poppet.

First, you must separate the poppet from your own energy or the energy of the person it represents. Sprinkling salt on the poppet is one of the simplest ways to accomplish this. Remember to state your intention as you’re doing this. You can say something like, “I am separate from this poppet, now and forever. Where once we were bound, now we are unbound”

Then you have a few options for disposing of your poppet. You can burn it if all the materials are safe to burn. Another option is to bury the doll.

If the poppet is made of materials you found in nature, you can send the poppet down a moving body of water.

The last option is to throw your poppet out in the trash. You should cut up or disassemble your poppet before doing this to ensure that it’s no longer recognizable as a poppet. If your poppet represents another person, I recommend you hold on to it in case you need to reverse or end that spell.

Poppets have an undeserved negative reputation, but like all magic, they’re only as malicious as the intent behind them. They can be used to bring joy, wealth, protection and love just as readily — it all depends on the witch. If you’re new to poppets, give it a try. If you don’t have a target in mind, just make one for yourself and shower it with good things. However you choose to use these powerful little dolls, adding them to your craft makes you part of the rich tradition of witches all over the world who have used poppets and figurines for thousands of years.

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Updated on April 28, 2025 by Avery Hart