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The Spiritual Magic of Dolls
Dolls have been beloved companions and instruments of magic for millennia. They are among the most ancient Egyptian and Roman artifacts. Not only playthings for children, they also provide lifelong comfort and companionship. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, dolls developed therapeutic uses, especially for traumatized children and people with dementia. But dolls also possess a long history as a tool of divination, witchcraft, and the occult. In The Spiritual Magic of Dolls, Najah Lightfoot bridges these two uses—companionship and magic—to enable readers to develop profound magical and spiritual relationships with their own dolls.
Many have beloved dolls displayed on shelves or sitting in boxes. What if you could do more with them? Najah Lightfoot shows you how. Perhaps you still have favorite childhood dolls or have been gifted with a doll or inherited one from a relative or friend. Many people are extremely attached to one or more dolls—this book teaches you how to take that attachment to the next level.
Najah Lightfoot teaches how to develop a magical and spiritual relationship with your dolls. Najah writes, “This book is crafted, written for the magical practitioner or the person who has a love of dolls, who would like to learn how to bring them comfortably, lovingly into a working and familial relationship. The Spiritual Magic of Dolls seeks to connect readers to the love of dolls, especially dolls that may have had a hard life before they ended up coming into the lives of the reader. It is written for those who find themselves drawn to dolls and wish to be closer to them in magical, loving ways.”
Many have beloved dolls displayed on shelves or sitting in boxes. What if you could do more with them? Najah Lightfoot shows you how. Perhaps you still have favorite childhood dolls or have been gifted with a doll or inherited one from a relative or friend. Many people are extremely attached to one or more dolls—this book teaches you how to take that attachment to the next level.
Najah Lightfoot teaches how to develop a magical and spiritual relationship with your dolls. Najah writes, “This book is crafted, written for the magical practitioner or the person who has a love of dolls, who would like to learn how to bring them comfortably, lovingly into a working and familial relationship. The Spiritual Magic of Dolls seeks to connect readers to the love of dolls, especially dolls that may have had a hard life before they ended up coming into the lives of the reader. It is written for those who find themselves drawn to dolls and wish to be closer to them in magical, loving ways.”
- GenresNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
Published November 3, 2025
About the author
Najah Lightfoot
14 books34 followersNajah Lightfoot is the author of "The Spiritual Magic of Dolls," ~ release date November 03, 2025, published by Red Wheel/Weiser Books.
She is the multi-award-winning author of the bestselling Good Juju: Mojos, Rites & Practices for the Magical Soul, and "Powerful Juju ~ Goddesses, Music, & Magic, for Comfort, Guidance, & Protection," published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
Najah is a regular contributor to the Llewellyn annuals and a contributor to Taschen, The Library of Esoterica -Volume III - Witchcraft. Her magickal staff is on display and part of the permanent collection of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft, located in Cleveland, Ohio.
Najah is an in-demand speaker and presenter for conferences, events, workshops, film and print media.
She lives in Denver, Colorado, where the blue skies and the Rocky Mountains uplift and fill her soul.
Find her online at www.instagram.com/NajahLightfoot, www.facebook.com/NajahLightfoot, and www.backstage.com/u/Najah_Lightfoot/
She is the multi-award-winning author of the bestselling Good Juju: Mojos, Rites & Practices for the Magical Soul, and "Powerful Juju ~ Goddesses, Music, & Magic, for Comfort, Guidance, & Protection," published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
Najah is a regular contributor to the Llewellyn annuals and a contributor to Taschen, The Library of Esoterica -Volume III - Witchcraft. Her magickal staff is on display and part of the permanent collection of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft, located in Cleveland, Ohio.
Najah is an in-demand speaker and presenter for conferences, events, workshops, film and print media.
She lives in Denver, Colorado, where the blue skies and the Rocky Mountains uplift and fill her soul.
Find her online at www.instagram.com/NajahLightfoot, www.facebook.com/NajahLightfoot, and www.backstage.com/u/Najah_Lightfoot/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 22, 2026
Was intrugied to read this book as I feel uneasy and creeped out by dolls and wanted to listen to an book by a doll lover. Higly enjoyed it and was informative and got a bit more understanding about regular dolls and Haunted dolls.
May 10, 2026
In the past i have made my own dolls, giving them their own character and life through the creative process. Sadly i had lost some of the inspiration and connection to this craft. And this book has inspired me again, in the process of making but also connecting to my existing dolls.
I have been smiling a lot throughout reading this book. I could feel the love and warmth through the words of this author. That made this book a very special read.
I had however a very different expectation of this book. I thought it would have a heavier theoretical focus on the background of dolls in a spiritual context. Which at first saddened me, but in the end i think the focus on the love and magical connection with your dolls was exactly what i needed and has helped me to reconnect and deeply feel connected to my creative and spiritual craft. For that i am very grateful!
I have been smiling a lot throughout reading this book. I could feel the love and warmth through the words of this author. That made this book a very special read.
I had however a very different expectation of this book. I thought it would have a heavier theoretical focus on the background of dolls in a spiritual context. Which at first saddened me, but in the end i think the focus on the love and magical connection with your dolls was exactly what i needed and has helped me to reconnect and deeply feel connected to my creative and spiritual craft. For that i am very grateful!
April 10, 2026
💯💯💯💯💯
May 30, 2026
I have to say, when Weiser reached out asking if I would be interested in reading and reviewing The Spiritual Magic of Dolls by Najah Lightfoot, I was intrigued. As the introduction by Judika Illes states, there isn't anything else quite like this book on the market, but hopefully that changes as more people discover different ways to practice witchcraft and magic.
Lightfoot does a wonderful job introducing readers to the world of dolls and the ways they can be used in one's magical practice. I will say, I was disappointed that she didn't offer more concrete ways to use dolls in spells and rituals, but the foundation is certainly there. She covers everything from finding and connecting with dolls, understanding their energy, introducing them to your home, and initiating them into your practice if they desire to be a part of your work.
Apart from the basics of incorporating dolls into your practice, Lightfoot also explores dolls in popular culture, from the movies they have been portrayed in to places that have strong "doll magic." She discusses, at length, how the media has shaped our views and understanding of dolls, especially as they relate to the occult. This reminded me of the same influence the media has had on spirit or Ouiji boards. Unfortunately, the media is not always kind, and this skews viewers' perceptions in the wrong direction. I personally loved that on more than one occasion, she discussed how powerful energy is not necessarily bad, evil, or haunted energy. So many people have fallen into the trap that every weird or awkward doll is possessed or haunted, and that simply isn't the case. Like all objects, they can absorb the energies around them and often develop personalities of their own. Not all personalities jive, and just because you don't get along with a doll or because its energy is strong, does not mean the doll is bad. Lightfoot is sick of it. I am sick of it. I think many expert practitioners of magic are sick of it, too.
Woven throughout this guide to using dolls are numerous personal stories. I always enjoy reading about the living practices of others, including the unique stories that shaped an author's practice. There is no shortage of stories in The Spiritual Magic of Dolls. We are even introduced to some of Lightfoot's dolls, all accompanied by beautiful photographs. While I really enjoyed her stories, this does make it a little hard to find the information you may be looking for, especially if you are trying to come back to this book later. As such, I recommend taking notes or annotating the text (with sticky notes!). This will make it a lot easier to actually use the information later.
While I read, I couldn't help but think about my own dolls and the dolls I have met over the years. During one story, Lightfoot mentions finding a discarded baby doll in a construction zone, and I couldn't help but remember one of the little girls I used to nanny losing her favorite baby doll (named Baby Grandpa), which happened to look exactly like the doll Lightfoot found (there is a photo). While there is zero chance Lightfoot found Baby Grandpa, it did bring back those memories of searching high and low for a beloved doll and hoping that whoever found it would love it as much as my little girl did. I also cannot help but think about my very small porcelain doll collection, which I obsessed over as a child. I still have them, stored away lovingly in storage, but now I am wondering if I should pull them out once again and see if they would like to participate in some magic. Every year when I do a great purge, I unbox these dolls and wonder if I should let them go, but I have never been able to bring myself to part with them. I am not particularly fond of dolls, but I certainly love the 5-6 ones I have packed away.
My biggest complaint, however, was Lightfoot's stance on using dolls and poppets for harming others. Everyone is allowed to have their own moral/ethical code. I fully support others choosing to "harm none" or find other means of changing events that do not directly harm another. I also fully support doing what is necessary to protect and defend yourself, and cursing and hexing are two such weapons in my arsenal. I see nothing wrong with using dolls in self-defense and would have been interested to read more about their use for such purposes.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Spiritual Magic of Dolls and recommend it to those looking to add something new to their practice
Lightfoot does a wonderful job introducing readers to the world of dolls and the ways they can be used in one's magical practice. I will say, I was disappointed that she didn't offer more concrete ways to use dolls in spells and rituals, but the foundation is certainly there. She covers everything from finding and connecting with dolls, understanding their energy, introducing them to your home, and initiating them into your practice if they desire to be a part of your work.
Apart from the basics of incorporating dolls into your practice, Lightfoot also explores dolls in popular culture, from the movies they have been portrayed in to places that have strong "doll magic." She discusses, at length, how the media has shaped our views and understanding of dolls, especially as they relate to the occult. This reminded me of the same influence the media has had on spirit or Ouiji boards. Unfortunately, the media is not always kind, and this skews viewers' perceptions in the wrong direction. I personally loved that on more than one occasion, she discussed how powerful energy is not necessarily bad, evil, or haunted energy. So many people have fallen into the trap that every weird or awkward doll is possessed or haunted, and that simply isn't the case. Like all objects, they can absorb the energies around them and often develop personalities of their own. Not all personalities jive, and just because you don't get along with a doll or because its energy is strong, does not mean the doll is bad. Lightfoot is sick of it. I am sick of it. I think many expert practitioners of magic are sick of it, too.
Woven throughout this guide to using dolls are numerous personal stories. I always enjoy reading about the living practices of others, including the unique stories that shaped an author's practice. There is no shortage of stories in The Spiritual Magic of Dolls. We are even introduced to some of Lightfoot's dolls, all accompanied by beautiful photographs. While I really enjoyed her stories, this does make it a little hard to find the information you may be looking for, especially if you are trying to come back to this book later. As such, I recommend taking notes or annotating the text (with sticky notes!). This will make it a lot easier to actually use the information later.
While I read, I couldn't help but think about my own dolls and the dolls I have met over the years. During one story, Lightfoot mentions finding a discarded baby doll in a construction zone, and I couldn't help but remember one of the little girls I used to nanny losing her favorite baby doll (named Baby Grandpa), which happened to look exactly like the doll Lightfoot found (there is a photo). While there is zero chance Lightfoot found Baby Grandpa, it did bring back those memories of searching high and low for a beloved doll and hoping that whoever found it would love it as much as my little girl did. I also cannot help but think about my very small porcelain doll collection, which I obsessed over as a child. I still have them, stored away lovingly in storage, but now I am wondering if I should pull them out once again and see if they would like to participate in some magic. Every year when I do a great purge, I unbox these dolls and wonder if I should let them go, but I have never been able to bring myself to part with them. I am not particularly fond of dolls, but I certainly love the 5-6 ones I have packed away.
My biggest complaint, however, was Lightfoot's stance on using dolls and poppets for harming others. Everyone is allowed to have their own moral/ethical code. I fully support others choosing to "harm none" or find other means of changing events that do not directly harm another. I also fully support doing what is necessary to protect and defend yourself, and cursing and hexing are two such weapons in my arsenal. I see nothing wrong with using dolls in self-defense and would have been interested to read more about their use for such purposes.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Spiritual Magic of Dolls and recommend it to those looking to add something new to their practice
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews