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Author Topic: Figures for Sympathetic Magick  (Read 4826 times)

Elani Temperance

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Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« on: May 27, 2012, 03:52:32 am »
Hello all,

I'm not a big magick practicioner but I do use sympathetic magick on occasion. I've been using wire to make figureens but I've become a bit fed up with the method. I'm looking for a new substance to use, like clay or wax.

I would like to ask those practicing sympthetic magick what they use for figureens and how long those substances keep. I'm really looking for something which keeps for a while because I want a peice in my portable altar as well. Plus, like I said, I practise magick very sporadically.

Where do you buy the substance you use? I feel I should try out wax anyway but I don't know where to find white wax which you can mould when kneeding. Anyone any ideas? Especially those in The Netherlands?

Thanks so much in advance!
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Liadine (dragonflyeyes)

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2012, 04:18:17 am »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979
Hello all,

I'm not a big magick practicioner but I do use sympathetic magick on occasion. I've been using wire to make figureens but I've become a bit fed up with the method. I'm looking for a new substance to use, like clay or wax.

 
I don't make figurines that often, but when I do I tend to use a mixture of flour, any appropriate herbs, and just enough water so that I can mold it into whatever shape I want. As long as you don't use much water, you can dry it out easily by just putting it in a warm oven for a while.

That's not that useful for travel, though. Maybe blue or white tac (the kind used for hanging posters) would also work, come to think of it. It's not very easy to mold precisely, but it doesn't dry out and is relatively cheap.
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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2012, 08:20:36 am »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979
I would like to ask those practicing sympthetic magick what they use for figureens and how long those substances keep. I'm really looking for something which keeps for a while because I want a peice in my portable altar as well. Plus, like I said, I practise magick very sporadically.

I tend to use clay as it is easy to get at hobby/art stores (at least in the US). Two of the most interest ways of making poppets I've seen are rags and balloons. I'd think the balloons would be great if the spell is destructive as you can pop the poppet with a pin. :)
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Vale

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2012, 11:36:33 am »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979

Where do you buy the substance you use? I feel I should try out wax anyway but I don't know where to find white wax which you can mould when kneeding. Anyone any ideas? Especially those in The Netherlands?

Thanks so much in advance!


I'm happiest using textiles so I use plain ordinary felt ( for preference).  "Gingerbread man" shapes are easy to cut out and can be stuck or sewn together. I usually have some blanks lying around that I can empower as and when needed - just leave a gap in the head to stuff with appropriate herbs etc.

monsnoleedra

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2012, 12:09:29 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979
Hello all,

I'm not a big magick practicioner but I do use sympathetic magick on occasion. I've been using wire to make figureens but I've become a bit fed up with the method. I'm looking for a new substance to use, like clay or wax.

..

Thanks so much in advance!


For me it really depends.

If it is to be a corn dolly type thing I use actual corn stalks and, leaves and the lace from the ear of corn itself.  If not corn then some other type of plant that is easily weaveable of pliable so is easy to work with.  Cattails actually are relativley easy to work with.  The corn dolly type figures last quite a while, espcially if one is really skilled at weaving the stalk materials.

If it is more of a construct type item then I tend to use potatoes or soft soap for carving and figuring.  Potatoes work really well for placing a time line upon it and allowing the natural decay to give it a decay time.  Soap is also an easy item to work with if it is a soft soap.  I've had various results with different types of soaps so that one is sort of a hit or miss with regards to a particular brand.

If I use wax it's because i'm creating a voudon type poppet more so than just a general poppet associated with spell work.  Then it will also include fingernails, hair, perhaps a drop of blood or even a piece of skin.  Though to be honest this type is more malicious in nature.

yewberry

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2012, 12:41:46 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979
I would like to ask those practicing sympthetic magick what they use for figureens and how long those substances keep. I'm really looking for something which keeps for a while because I want a peice in my portable altar as well. Plus, like I said, I practise magick very sporadically.

I make a lot of semi-permanent clay/sand poppets and figures for a variety of things (offerings, display pieces, and, albeit rarely, bindings).  The ones I want to last a while I coat with a combination of beeswax and citrus essential oils.  I use citrus oils because they're cheap, biodegradable, and make a great thinner for the wax (helps it penetrate the surface and protect it).  They also smell nice.

Quote
Where do you buy the substance you use?


My husband's a potter, so we always have a variety of naturally colored clays around.  I also build with cob, and we keep a fairly large quantity of "blue goo" (our native gumbotil clay) on hand.  I also harvest clay when I see it on walks.  You can often find it oozing out of road cuts or stream banks.  You don't need pure clay, either, just soil with a high clay content.  You might even be able to find it by digging a hole in your yard.  ;)

Brina
« Last Edit: May 27, 2012, 12:48:32 pm by yewberry »

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2012, 12:46:17 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979



Great input already.
I just want to add, that if the spell requires burning, I make a rather little doll out of kitchen paper and wax.
\'You had to repay, good or bad. There was more than one type of obligation.
That’s what people never really understood.….Things had to balance.
You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked out for long.
All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.\'
Terry Pratchett \'Lords and Ladies\'

Confuzzled and proud. :p

yewberry

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2012, 12:47:33 pm »
Quote from: RandallS;56995
Two of the most interest ways of making poppets I've seen are rags and balloons. I'd think the balloons would be great if the spell is destructive as you can pop the poppet with a pin.


Balloons.  Now that's really interesting.  And biodegradable.  ;)

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Rhyshadow

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2012, 01:03:37 pm »
Quote from: yewberry;57028
Balloons.  Now that's really interesting.  And biodegradable.  ;)

Brina

 
If you can find it, or something like it over there, this stuff is great for a variety of things

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2012, 01:22:31 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979

Thanks so much in advance!

 
Salt dough. My mom made it for cheap sculpting stuff when I was a kid. You mold it, let it air-dry, and then bake it. As long as you don't get it super-wet, it won't mold. If you're patient you can get it into pretty damn fine details and whatever dries out can easily have water added to it and be reused.

And once you're done with the piece, it can be burned, buried, thrown into a river, etc. (though if you're going for the non-burnt disposal, I'd be careful to color it only with non-toxic things.) It can also have things like herbs, stones, and oven-proof gewgaws pressed or kneaded into for extra oomph.
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SkySamuelle

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2012, 04:43:06 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979
Hello all,

I'm not a big magick practicioner but I do use sympathetic magick on occasion. I've been using wire to make figureens but I've become a bit fed up with the method. I'm looking for a new substance to use, like clay or wax.

I would like to ask those practicing sympthetic magick what they use for figureens and how long those substances keep. I'm really looking for something which keeps for a while because I want a peice in my portable altar as well. Plus, like I said, I practise magick very sporadically.

Where do you buy the substance you use? I feel I should try out wax anyway but I don't know where to find white wax which you can mould when kneeding. Anyone any ideas? Especially those in The Netherlands?

Thanks so much in advance!

 
I usually sketch a figure and cut it out simple paper ... then write names or dates on the back of the figurines to 'identify' it better.
It is simple and cheap and it helps me to connect better with the person as sketching in a comics-kind-of-style henances the stuff that in that person I am representing stands out in my eyes.
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Annie Roonie

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2012, 08:20:40 pm »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;56979

I would like to ask those practicing sympthetic magick what they use for figureens and how long those substances keep.

Thanks so much in advance!


The corn husk dolls can last a long time. Making a simple poppet from any type of fabric lasts a long time too. What you stuff them with, depending on purpose and tradition can matter.

My gran made a poppet or two out of our outgrown clothing. And quilting squares. It was her way to teach us not to waste. Not sure what she did with the poppets but she let us play with them for a day after she made them. She stuffed them with more of the fabric from the old cloth that she'd shredded.

If you don't have clay around you, craft stores have clay that can be oven or sun baked. I've used it to make a statue before. The benefit to using it is that you can resoak the material and continue working on it until you get it right and when it is dry you can do some tiny spot smoothing/sanding to get the look you want. Have never glazed them, but have seen some items made with this craft clay painted quite nicely.

Elani Temperance

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2012, 10:41:03 am »
Thank you all for your wonderful reactions! This is far more than I had hoped for :) Let me address a couple of answers directly and then as another question.

Quote from: Liadine (dragonflyeyes);56983
Maybe blue or white tac (the kind used for hanging posters) would also work, come to think of it. It's not very easy to mold precisely, but it doesn't dry out and is relatively cheap.


This is certainly an option! The only thing I can think of that won't work with this is that it's very... plastic-y so burning might be a very bad (and smelly) idea...
 
Quote from: monsnoleedra;57024
If it is more of a construct type item then I tend to use potatoes or soft soap for carving and figuring.  

If I use wax it's because i'm creating a voudon type poppet more so than just a general poppet associated with spell work.


Potatoes are actually a really, really good idea. Not for the travel kit but for spell work at home, most definitely! Thank you so much for sharing this; I'll definitely use it in the future.

What type of wax do you use for your voudon poppets? Is it kneadable or do you have to melt it? Or do you carve out a figure?
 
Quote from: yewberry;57026
I make a lot of semi-permanent clay/sand poppets and figures for a variety of things (offerings, display pieces, and, albeit rarely, bindings).  The ones I want to last a while I coat with a combination of beeswax and citrus essential oils.  I use citrus oils because they're cheap, biodegradable, and make a great thinner for the wax (helps it penetrate the surface and protect it).  They also smell nice.


Thank you for these ideas concerning permanent poppets. I'll remember that coating :)

Quote from: Tana;57027
I just want to add, that if the spell requires burning, I make a rather little doll out of kitchen paper and wax.


A great solution! Like Monsnoleedra I would like to ask you what type of wax do you use for your voudon poppets? Is it kneadable or do you have to melt it? Or do you carve out a figure?
 
Quote from: Erinnightwalker;57032
Salt dough.


Not for the traveling kit, I wager, but I might use this idea for home spell work :) Thank you!


I think I should ask this over at the Kemetic part of the forum but I think some of the earliest Shabti were made of wax, right? Do you wager these were cut out or kneaded into shape? Or perhaps poured into a mold... Sorry for the vague questions and once more, thank you very much for your replies!
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yewberry

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2012, 10:42:10 am »
Quote from: Rhyshadow;57031
If you can find it, or something like it over there, this stuff is great for a variety of things  

Celluclay


I've never purchased it, but I've made paper clay myself.  I've also used pulped, shredded paper as a clay adjunct to make lightweight figures and other objects.

Brina

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Re: Figures for Sympathetic Magick
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2012, 10:47:14 am »
Quote from: LittleWitchMagazine;57209

A great solution! Like Monsnoleedra I would like to ask you what type of wax do you use for your voudon poppets? Is it kneadable or do you have to melt it? Or do you carve out a figure?


For the kitchen paper poppet, I just soak the paper with normal candle wax. As long as the whole thing is still warm, you can give it form.
\'You had to repay, good or bad. There was more than one type of obligation.
That’s what people never really understood.….Things had to balance.
You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked out for long.
All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.\'
Terry Pratchett \'Lords and Ladies\'

Confuzzled and proud. :p

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