#what do yall think about this
DoNOT cast spells for positive effects that involve:
- Burning a picture of yourself*
- Burning a piece of paper that anywhere contains your name*
- Burning a piece of hair or other taglock*
*Unless you really know what you’re doing
I don’t know how sigil culture got people to think that burning anything = sending it off for spirits, but NO. Across pretty much every magical practice, burning involving a person = destruction. Burning as a means of generically sending things off is mainly used for offerings.
On a similar vein, do not cast spells for positive effects that involve taking a human figure and ripping up, burning, submerging in soil or water, or doing anything else to that figure that would maim or kill a real human. (unless you really know what you’re doing)
Remember the Law of Similarity. Destruction of an image = destruction of the thing itself.
I’ve left a group over this one. Though it was drowning not burning. To get rid of negativity in the group, we were supposed to make poppets of ourselves and then make a paper boat and put the poppets in the river. Where the river would carry them away as they sank. And drowned.
I said no. This refusal created more negativity. Okay, I may have also said something like “I don’t know what Ophelia shit you’re up to here, but I’m not doing the spell.” Which probably caused more negativity because the reference was probably went over some heads. But…
You do not create representations of yourself and destroy them. If anyone who thinks they should teach witchcraft or lead a group tries to get you to do that, you have every right to leave. Or to severely question what they think they’re up to.
(Need to get rid of negativity or excess energy? Get a good size rock. Not a fancy crystal, just a hunk of basic rock. Hold the rock and let your energy flow into it. Then put the rock outside on the ground and the energy will flow into the earth. This transfers the energy without destroying anything. I know witches who have a specific rock just for this purpose.)
I can’t believe they wanted you to make a poppet of yourself and sink it. Besides the environmental impact, based on what materials used put in the river, this feels more like a curse than a remove negativity spell. Did the person who put the spell together want yall to be miserable together, stuck in a river? What happens when the river floods…. I love the Ophelia comment because definitely that feel.
I like the rock idea, I’ve done this with negativity, with harmful spirits too. If you really want it gone gone for good, that’s when you throw that rock in the river that contains your negative energy, etc.
New witches, if you do not curse personally remember to research into what cursing holds! This is exactly why.
You can definitely make poppets of yourself for positivity but you should never EVER destroy or harm those poppets unless you have already removed all connections to you from them - or else you are essentially unintentionally setting up yourself for the possibility of allowing some very negative unexpect outcomes to rear their heads into your life.
Remember the aspects of cursing and what different steps in cursing means to avoid doing that to yourself.
Actions to avoid doing to yourself or a poppet of you (this includes anything with your name or photo or other taglock unless you are doing very specific spirit work contracts but that is a whole different thing):
1. Burning: burning brings not only destruction it is often done to poppets and items of people to represent anger, hateful energy, bringing complete chaos and ruining good things that they have. In cursing you burn poppets of others as one of the more severe types of curses and often to get very large outcomes.
2. Submerging in Water: as discussed above this represents drowning which isn’t literal in most cases but often represents anxieties, sinking emotions, flooding or drowning someone with negative emotions or misery, losing control of one’s life and paranoia. Drowning is usually connected to extreme punishment connected to another’s emotions and their own self-views.
3. Burying: burying a poppet represents caging, confining, repressing and smothering them. It can also be used to ‘bury a person away’ or toss them out of your life. Doing this to something strongly connected to you outside of a properly made witch’s jar or well researched ritual is not only environmentally bad if its not made out of safe materials but can repress yourself from achieving goals, reaching milestones or succeeding in things you do such as trying to improve upon something.
4. Cutting/Slicing: never cut or slice a poppet meant to represent yourself! This represents pain, bringing old wounds to the surface and suffering. I’ve seen way too many younger communities try to say cutting up something with your face or name on it is letting go - it can be but not in this context. Cutting things like strings, ribbons, tangled up knots, etc is much safer and proper without risk of the above.
5. Tying, Knotting, Hanging: using thread, ribbon or anything else to bind up a poppet or photo even if its in a pretty bow is the same actions done as in binding spells - which are meant to restrict and immobilize others. Make sure you do not hang your poppet especially not by the neck or limbs for this can also represent suffocation (usually not literally but emotionally or socially) and removing someone’s ability to protect themselves and making the vulnerable.
Remember intent only goes so far! You can put as much intent as you want into things but that doesn’t always ensure that they will happen - do your research! Research what correspondences are to everything you use, make sure any actions you are using are not going to counteract with the spell or worse possibly ruin the whole spell and make sure you are well researched in self poppet and taglock work!
Note: all craft is different, everyone walks their own path, just research before you try to tackle things that may go against what you are trying to do. As said intent only goes so far. If you are certain that you have a safe method for anything above and have done it before thats great! this is intended for witches who are new, finding their footing and may not realize how to properly protect themselves or master their craft yet. All craft is valid! We just want to make sure people do it safely and know the basics before they jump into things they aren’t prepared for
This addition is great. ^
