I have been all about moons and poppets this summer! I decided to combine my two summer interests into the Lammas holiday – the first of three pagan harvest holidays. Lammas celebrates Gaia’s harvest of grain. Since this year’s Lammas (often celebrated on August 1st) is close to the new moon on July 31st, I have made a Purposeful Poppet to manifest my intentions over the time period from the Lammas new moon through the winter months.
The idea just popped into my head in early July. And I am a firm believer that for magic and manifesting to be effective, our techniques must be inspired and inspire us! Then our passion fuels the strong and focused intentions we set.
So here is my poppet! Isn’t she pretty.
I chose a simple goddess pattern. I was able to cut fabric, hand sow, add beads, and stuff my poppet in about two hours. So this was not a daunting project. I plan to add more to her before Lammas, including braided wheat to connect her hands.
On the Lammas new moon, I will activate her with my intentions and “feed” my dolly up until the August 15th full moon. Feeding will include holding my goddess poppet and continuing to send my intentions into her, as well as other typical spirit feeding practices such as lighting a candle for her and offering sacred smoke.
On the full moon, I will then add an extra punch of power to manifest my poppet’s purpose by not only drawing down the moon into me, but into my dolly. My intentions for my poppet are abundance to reflect the harvest season. I will seek to manifest an abundance of love, harmony, joy, inspiration and strong healthy bonds to follow my family into the dark half of the year. That the harvest of the sun continues to shine on us as the sun’s strength wanes and we enter the dark night of the soul.
If you do not have time to make the type of poppet above, making a simple corn husk or grain dolly is very traditional. You can find corn husks at most supermarkets and wheat stalks at some local farms and farm stands. When all else fails, you can buy a corn or grain dolly online.
If you chose to sow a poppet, it does not need to be elaborate. You do not need to add a lot of outward decorations but instead can stuff the poppet over the waxing moon with various items to “feed” it – and therefore your intentions. One day add some cotton, another day an herb, the next a small crystal, so forth. Keep your poppet for all long as you feel called and trust that it is alive with your intentions. When you feel your poppet has accomplished it’s purpose or it is simply time to part ways, always burn the poppet to set free the energy and spirit of the doll as the Japanese do. Thank your poppet for its assistance in manifesting positive energy into your life.
Happy Lammas! Blessed Be.
Spirit Spindle & Root 