For a few years I've been creating these little automatons that I call Homunculi, though I'm not sure if they're known elsewhere by another name.

The first time I made one was one day when I felt rather pissed and was looking for a way to calm down. I tried focusing all of my anger in a little mental image of a small, wild-haired caricature of myself, which paced back and forth in front of me before I decided to encase it in an amber pendant that I had nearby. It worked quite well, and the pendant dispersed the negative energy over a week or so.

There are many other uses for these. Another time, I was watching a man doing Tai Chi (sp?) and wanted to preserve the image, so I made a little homunculus of him that I keep in an egg-shaped orb and watch sometimes. I also have one of a priestess that I saw in a meditation.

My idea is that a homunculous is a small, simple image of a being that embodies a simple, powerful idea (like anger or Tai Chi). They can be kept with you, put away, or destroyed. I wouldn't say they are sentient, because they're very one-dimensional.

So, any other ideas about what uses Homunculi might have, or any experiences with similar things?