July 10th, 2015

My spell from yesterday manifested, so now I'm happy to share it with you all. I made a lot of it up on the fly, but it worked out even better than I had hoped! This was my first time trying a poppet spell, but I had read a lot about them and felt comfortable with the idea.

This spell was specifically geared towards helping my girlfriend get her hair cut how she wanted it, but could be easily adapted to any spell where the desire is to manifest a physical change in one's appearance. As such, it is not a glamour spell - this one is to change your appearance, not to change other people's perception of it. You can do it for yourself or for others, but the instructions here are written in the style of doing it for another person.

Because poppets are a particularly potent form of magick, I was careful to fully cleanse and consecrate my work space before even casting a circle. If you are experienced in poppet magick, then feel free to work at your own discretion. If you, like me, are new to the concept, cleansing the surrounding area with the elements is a good place to start. Without further ado...

~~~~~
Hummingbird's "Changing Your Look" Poppet Spell

Materials: 

• Fabric scrap
• Should represent the person in some way; it could be their skin color, favorite color, a scrap from an old shirt of theirs, or etc.
• Marker
• Gingerbread cookie cutter (optional)
• Needle
• Black thread
• Stuffing material
• Cotton balls work well for this
• Lavender (optional)
• Slip of paper
• Scissors
• Something to represent how the person looks now and how they want to look
• In my case, this was brown yarn for hair. 
• A picture of the person

Cast a circle. If you so choose, you can invoke a deity or deities at this time. Fold the fabric scrap in half and draw the poppet shape on it, either by outlining the cookie cutter or by free-handing a basic human figure. Sew about 3/4 of the way along the outline, leaving the last section open. As you do so, you might recite a chant of your choice. I used Starhawk's classic Kore Chant, since it is literally about changes. 

Carefully cut out around the poppet shape and turn it right-side out. Stuff it with cotton, and if you wish, add some lavender to ease any frustration or anxiety associated with making the change. Also, write the individual's name on the slip of paper and stick it inside the poppet*. Then, finish sewing the remainder of the poppet closed and tie off the thread.

At this point, you should add whatever decoration you're using to represent the person's current appearance. In my case, I sewed on several lengths of yarn to show my girlfriend's hair at its original length. Then, stating your intent out loud, ritualistically alter the appearance of the poppet to show the desired look. I did this by cutting the yarn into the hairstyle she wanted.

Finish up by tying the poppet to the image of the person and stating out loud that they are now bound together.

Thank any deities or spirits you have called, and release the circle.

To dispose of the poppet after the spell manifests, see this post.

*In this case, the paper is the taglock. Therefore, you're best off using the person's full name. Alternatives include adding a lock of hair, fingernail clippings, or etc. but unless you are doing the spell for yourself, these can be hard to come by. A second, small photo of the person would also suffice.

September 26th, 2014

I was reading through some things on Tumblr earlier this evening, and I noticed a few things. We are all constantly bombarded online, on TV, in newspapers, and in nearly every other form of media with a constant stream of stories about war, poverty, abuse, and environmental degradation, so much so that we begin to be afflicted by this miasma of anxiety and a sense of paralysis where the future of our society is concerned. At times, the daily injustices feel truly overwhelming. What these articles too often gloss over is the fact that we are not powerless. We do not have to wait for an ineffective government entity to get their adjectives together to make a difference.
There is a line which crops up with relative frequency in Pagan circles, whether it be in music or literature or ritual. "We are the people. We are the power. And we are the change."
Pagans and all the multifarious derivatives thereof are in a unique position to advocate and to manifest change in our lives.
We are the people.
If not us, then who? Pagans represent people of all genders, sexual and romantic orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, races, levels of physical and mental ability, religious upbringings, and geographic locations; we are quite probably members of one of the most diverse collections of religion in the world. If we will not advocate for equality between people, then who will? We all have suffered from prejudice in one way or another, and all too often we face many kinds of intolerance, for Pagans rarely fit the square peg of the traditional American (or European or Asian or African or etc.) lifestyle. It is in our hands to lessen that prejudice and to break down barriers. We may not always be able to alter people's minds where we ourselves are concerned, but we can absolutely stand up for the rights of others in our communities. If someone makes an offensive joke, call them out. If a person is getting picked on for who they are, help. You, you personally, as you are reading this, have that power.
We are the power.
Go back and reread that as many times as you need to. We are the power, and power is us. We work magick and enact rituals all the time. Who says rituals must be small? Who says that our power is finite, that we cannot stretch ourselves to the ends of the universe and back? I do not expect to do one spell and solve global warming. But I do expect that I can do a spell to solve global warming and know that my energies are going to further that cause. And if everyone does a similar spell of their own, think how much energy could be raised! Do big spells. Do little spells. Change the world one enchantment at a time. Bind and banish perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic abuse. Protect the victims. Do a finding spell to call home your neighbor's lost kitten. Enact a ritual to draw abundance into your whole community.
We are the change.
End of story. Remember that, when the negativity seems too dense. Through our efforts, magickal and mundane, we will and do change the world around us every day.