Almost all of us have heard of the Voodoo doll. Many of us have heard of the Moppet doll. A few of us have heard of Wanga dolls too. Different cultures have different names for them - all belong to the same doll, and all used for the same purpose. I want to clarify to anyone who is even remotely a new-comer to the alternative life styles: These are NOT toys. In fact, they should not even be kept out where anyone else can get their curious hands on them. NO, nothing is going to happen to you if you unintentionally pick up a Moppet doll. You're not going to feel wretched, and most foul, stabbing pains all over your body. You are not going to turn into a zombie, and, you are not going to keel over and die from some horrible mutated form of the Bubonic Plague. Media wants us to believe that these dolls are used primarily for causing harm. There is some truth to this. OK, there's a tremendous amount of truth to this. Moppets can be made out of any material. They can have any types of physical looking features that the creator wishes them to have. They can be fashioned into other types of animals (meaning - other than human), depending on the overall intended use for the Moppet.
A Moppet can be a very powerful tool for Crafters. The general idea behind keeping your Moppets in a good nice 'hiding spot' is to store them with the same precautions as you would any other tool that you consider to be potentially harmful. As with anything having an unusual name or title, the Moppet is a term borrowed from old English, which means 'endearing sweet child'. In Voodoo, the voodoo doll is used for the same reason, but due to the religion, has simply kept the term 'voodoo doll' to denote the religion it belongs to. It bears no hint of the use, outside of the religion it is used in. The Wanga doll comes from the term 'Wanga' which is found in African cultures (on a global level). It is often also associated with the Obeah. Both words are used in the sacred text of Thelema, which was written by occultist Aleister Crowley, in 1904. The Moppet is the only one of the 3 primarily used dolls that actually have no occult origin, in name only. Moppet dolls that were used by northern European people were almost always used for good intent. Pagan mothers would fashion Moppet dolls as gifts to their children, so that not only could they teach the children about the Moppet doll's many uses, but also teach their children to take good care of the gifts they were given, so they could be enjoyed for many years - even into adulthood. It was not unusual in Pagan communities to see adults with a set of Moppet dolls that dated back to their early childhood (meaning, 2 years old and up).
Moppet dolls are intentionally made to look imperfect. One eye may be a sewn X, while the other one is a sewn on button. It may, or may not, have a mouth. Limbs may be longer, or shorter, than normal - or none of the limbs being the same size at all. The idea with a Moppet doll is to never buy one. They should be made. Of course, purchasing one just to have it around the house because you think it just looks so darn cute is totally acceptable. However, that one should never be used for anything other than looking so darn cute. Strict users of Moppets will often fashion their dolls out of natural materials they have collected on walks in nature. They understand that whatever natural materials these dolls are made from, still hold the natural energies given to them through their natural growing process. Never use materials that are still living. Use naturally felled materials only to make Moppet dolls. Nature will give you what she no longer has use for, and what is no longer living. Never take anything that is still in the ground, and/or attached to its main body (say, a pine needle swag from the branch of a pine tree - the pine tree being the 'main body'). Moppet dolls, within the Alternative life styles, are primarily used for good. Now, above I told you that media would have us thinking that these dolls are strictly used for evil purposes. And, I also told you that there was a lot of truth to this. There is. Unfortunately, like any belief system and/or life style, there are always those few bad apples that can make life a little bit macabre for the rest of the alternative communities. Thus, my word of warning to be extremely cautious when storing your Moppets.
Moppets that are used for the right reasons, are often used when an AP (that's Alternative Practitioner) is casting a healing spell and/or incantation. The doll is used as an 'aide', of sorts, to help the spell properly reach its 'final destination'. Moppets should be used only in the presence of the person being healed, and at no other time. The shape of the doll also means something. For example, if the AP is healing a person with 1 leg, then the Moppet will be made with one leg (or, altered by bending one of the legs backwards to denote that the person being healed only has 1 natural leg - key word: 'natural'). The same holds true for animals. Those APs who also heal animals will generally have a Moppet in the shape of the animal they are healing. Cats, dogs, rabbits, birds....etc.. Hat pins are traditionally used for the healing purpose. Any pin will do really, but the reason for the use of Hat pins is that they are longer, stronger and more durable than your average sewing pin. Needles can also be used, as can tacks or very thin nails (like the kind you would use to hang a light weight item with).
The use of the Moppet is fairly easy, and there is no ultra-long incantation that has to be spoken during the use of the Moppet. Simply put, it's used during the healing process. OK, so what is the 'healing process'? This is where the AP will quite literally almost turn into a GP (general practitioner) - like the one you go see at your local medical clinic or hospital. They will, however, tend to get far more detailed in their questioning. Therefore, if you go see an AP for a healing, of any kind, be prepared to answer quite a few questions, many of which can get fairly personal in nature. This is not because the AP is trying to pry into the darkest reaches of your life, but rather, because they are trying to make sure that you are healed properly, and as quickly as possible. Once the AP has determined the ailment, as well as the most probable cause for the ailment, the healing will begin. The Moppet will be brought out, blessed and then the process will begin. The pins are used to 'pin point' the location on your body that is making you feel ill, or, where you are experiencing 'unusual discomfort' or 'moderate pain'. The depth of the pin also matters in healing cases. If it is muscular tissue, the pin is only pushed in very slightly. If it is internal (meaning, beyond the muscular structure of the body), the pin will be pushed in farther.
In any case, Moppets are simply tools. They are powerful tools, but tools none the less. I can not stress enough that these dolls are not dolls to be played with - on any level, at any time. If you wish to make Moppet toys, then by all means do so, but never use those toys for any type of healing. A trained Elder AP will generally have one of two Moppet collections. Either just one (two at the very most) will be present, or, an entire shelf of them. I've seen Elder APs with entire cabinets full of differently made Moppets, just as I've seen Elder APs with only one prized Moppet that is used for all types of healing. Be sure that the Moppet pins are sterilized before, and after, using the Moppet. This has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that pins will pick up tiny microscopic threads and material fragments during the healing process. Therefore, it is just safe practice to sterilize your Moppet pins thoroughly. Dipping them in rubbing alcohol, and then letting them air dry is the easiest, and quickest way to sterilize your pins. Now then, grab some material, get your sewing kit out...and make some of your own Moppets! You'll probably be surprised as to how creative you really are!
Comments
Post a Comment