Behind the Folklore - Playthings

by Crystalrach and Flipp

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QUINCUNX

The arrangement of five units in the pattern corresponding to the five-spot on dice, playing cards or dominoes. A Quincunx is often used in Hoodoo as a sort of “artificial crossroad” and can be created inside a room in the house. The quincunx or five-spot is generally used for sealing and fixing spells in place.


POPPETS

A doll used in European witchcraft made to represent a person, for casting healing, fertility, or binding spells on that person. These dolls can be made from carved root, grain, or corn shafts, a fruit paper wax, a potato, clay, branches, or cloth stuffed herbs. Whatever actions are performed upon the poppet are then transferred to the person. These dolls are often mistakenly called “voodoo dolls”, but Voodoo dolls are unheard of in the original Voodoo in Haiti, although some are used in New Orleans Voodoo, mostly to amuse tourists. Apparently, the term Voodoo doll was invented by an American writer who made up a story about Voodoo after hearing that it was witchcraft. The only “dolls” used in Voodoo are ones used on Voodoo altars, which are supposed to represent loa, the spirits of voodoo.


IMAGINARY FRIEND

An imaginary friend is an invented person, animal or character that is created especially by children, but sometimes by adults. The inventor will act as if the imaginary being is physically present by talking to it, playing with it, or even attempting to feed it. If told that the friend is non-existent, the inventor will often retaliate in a defensive manner by stating that the imaginary friend is invisible. It has been suggested that gods, deities, spirits, totems, angels, demons, and similar supernatural beings are somewhat related to imaginary friends;[dubious — see talk page] however, most imaginary friends are products of, and are believed in, only by an individual, and have no cultural relevance on a broader scale. Having imaginary friends at an advanced age can sometimes, but not always, be caused by mental, organic, or drug-related states such as psychedelic drugs, autism or schizophrenia. However, the development of imaginary friends by a person does not alone necessarily signify a problem or disorder.[1][2] Imaginary friends can become problematic if they begin to interfere with everyday social interactions. For parents, an understanding of a child's conversations with their imaginary friends can reveal a lot about the anxieties and fears of that child. It can also give an insight into the child's aspirations and perception of the world. Some children report that their "imaginary friends" manifest themselves physically, and are indistinguishable from "real" people, however it is unknown whether these cases correspond specifically to any condition. People may invent imaginary friends for companionship, as part of play, or for other reasons. Imaginary friends can serve as an important source of companionship to some children and adults. As an example, young children in boarding schools often develop imaginary friends to cope with extreme stress and separation from their family. Also, many lonely adults with little to no connections to people will create them, often giving them uncommon names. Children often use their imaginary friends as outlets for expressing desires which they would normally be afraid to engage in or for which they would normally be punished. For example, it is not uncommon for a child to engage in mischief or wrong-doing and then to blame the crime on their imaginary friend. Through the imaginary friend, the child is able to act out fantasies that they are otherwise restricted from experiencing due to societal constraints. It is common for children to give their imaginary friends personality traits that they themselves lack: shy children often describe their imaginary friends as playful and outgoing jokesters who are always making them laugh and who are very popular. In this way, children see their imaginary friends as ideal versions of themselves. Often children will dismiss the imaginary friend once they find living ones or become aware that it is fictional. Imaginary friends often help a child realize the difference between reality and fantasy, as well as give them some form of self-esteem.


GHOSTS

The existence of ghosts has been debated for centuries. It is only in modern times with technology having advanced to it's current stage that we may now capture on film and audio what many believe to be images of the supernatural.
The questions of why some can and yet others cannot see or sense the presence of these entities has been contested with numerous theories both for and against the subject of spirits. One such cause for thought is do our children see and sense what many adults either cannot or will not see! One theory is that children have not had years to adjust their thinking and have not had the time to train themselves as to what to accept or not accept as reality like adults have. Adults program their thinking and refuse certain images, noises, and feeling as real simply because in our minds we cannot accept impossible or unproven science.
Some parents unknowingly start to teach and train their children at a very young age to block these images. They do it out of protection and misunderstanding of the unknown. How many parents have tucked their children back into bed with the words that they thought were reassuring; there are no ghosts, you just had a nightmare, it was just your imagination, a lot of parents must be guilty of this. How many parents tell their children that their imaginary friend is not real, maybe not realizing that not only is that friend real but a ghost? I am sure it has happened many times.