Contagious and imitative Magic are the two forms of Sympathetic magic which is based on the foundation that things, through a secret sympathy, can act upon each other at a distance. Imitative magic acts through the Law of Similarity, i.e. things that are alike are connected. Voodoo dolls are “like” their target. In modern times photographs are often used. During some peoples imitative ceremonies meant to stimulate crop growth, women would sit in an inner circle while the men would dance around and take one after the other. “Fertility” for the crops. Women who had many children were good for planting crops while barren women were bad. Contagious magic acts through the Law of Contact, i.e. things that were once in contact continue to be connected. Finger nail clippings are still connected to the person from whom they came. Hair is very powerful. In Germany thousands of years ago, you would drive a nail into the footprint of a man to make him lame.
