River of life..., Why is using your OWN blood taboo? Options

Lets face it, blood is one of the most metaphysically powerful substances a witch has access to. And it is HERS (or his). So what is the hysteria that is so prevailent these days about using your OWN blood in rituals to add power to it. i can see in the old days when witchcraft was first struggling to come back and gain acceptance and they wanted to seem as bunny fluff as possible so that there would be no violent reprecussions. But we are past that stage now. i understand that wiccans don't want anyone to think that their Godess demands blood, but i am talking about witches. Blood freely and joyfully given is a powerful tool and i think it is a shame that we are letting fear ruin it for us. Now i know that it is a touchy subject for alot of people so, please, lets keep this as a friendly discussion. Thanks all

Ahhh...Finally there is one willing to talk about my forte! I have been a practicing Wiccan/Witch for about five years, and one of the first things I learned about was the tools. I never had any tools, but I did have my body; through different postures, gesures, and stances, I learned to work without tools. Along with working with my body, I learned about the magick inherent IN my body, thus blood magick. I see nothing wrong with it, just as long as it is your own. Many of the public associate Witchcraft/Paganism/Wicca (and on and on etc...) with animal sacrifice and sacrifice with blood. Many see blood as a taboo subject in a lot of arenas, so it is not to be unexpected that blood magick is a taboo subject.

Off topic, these are my three 'basics' of preforming blood magick.
1. Focusing the Pain to envision a result
2. The act of getting the blood out of the body (ie-needles, razors, etc...)
3. The blood itself. In the blood is your genetic line, genetic memory, and DNA. The embodiment of life, if you will.

~*~ Never shed more than a drop (unless otherwise directed, even then, be cautious)

~*~ Always, Always, Always use a clean needle or blade. Glass also works, but there is a risk of shards.

IMO, it's dangerous. You cannot tell me every person out there who decides to use their blood is going to know where, and how deep to cut. To sterilize the equipment, to bandage it properlly, etc etc.

Then there is the "Look at me! I use my blood because it's cool!" syndrome.

Then there is the people that find out and decide "Crap, this person needs some serious help" and throws them into a shrinks office.

Then there is the already stereo-typical responses that will only serve to give more hatred for people who aren't mainstream religious goers.

Then there is the thought "Your saliva, hair, and nails all contain the same DNA, and are much easier to access".

But then you have the female moon blood, which isn't dangerous by any means, and actually considered to be one of the most powerful substances. I've used it for Witch's Bottles, but I have NEVER cut myself on purpose for magick.

I come from a school of thought where the mind is the most powerful tool, and you don't need any of that other junk to get what you set out for. To me, blood magick as a whole regardless of moon blood or not, is completely ridiculous and overrated. But that is MY opinion.

Dollhouse, to adress some of your points. i think that the people you are describing are in no way ready to practice the craft, with or without blood. Anyone who doesn't know basic safety, sterility and in short have any common sense shouldn't be practicing the craft in the first place. WITCHCRAFT is dangerous to the undiciplined mind wether you use blood as a conduit or not. Neither is it 'cool' anyone who practices craft for the 'cool' factor also doesn't need to be doing it.
As for finding out. i agree that minors who are still under the 'protection' ie. legal jurisdiction of their parents should steer clear of using blood. It is likely that a parent will misinterpret and over react. However if you are an adult and have learned to "Keep Silent" then i don't see a problem.
And we are back to the whole lets let fear rule us thing. i don't think we need to give up a useful tool to pacify the radicals. If we did that then all sorts of groups would never have made any progress in areas of social acceptance. What would have happened if our Gay and Lesbian sisters and brothers had just hid in the closets and never fought for what they wanted. We can't let fear of voilent people rule our actions.
And for your point that other bits and pieces contain the same DNA. You are right, but thats not the point. The word sacrifice comes from the latin roots meaning 'to make' and 'sacred'. Using hair or saliva would definatly be using your own DNA but you are not giving anything up, you are not doing anything that would be at all a hardship to you. It would be like saying 'i don't care about this old beat up candle, i think i'll give it to the gods". It means nothing to you and so it is a meaningless and insulting gift. THAT is why we use blood, because it is a little bit hard to give, it means something to us, it is sacred. (Moons blood is great for fertility rites involving happy fluffy bunnies, but i would never use it for anything more serious. )
i understand that you may be afraid to give up such a gift, but i find it counter to the spirit of openmindedness that this forum is suposed to convey that you call my beliefs 'completly ridiculous and over rated.'
BLACKSTAFF
Hi, thanks so much for talking. i use blood mainly for boosting the power of my ceremony. For example i will use it to draw out the runes i need for a spell or to empower a candle prior to burning or to write something out on parchment for a burning spell, things like that. i don't really focus on the pain, just the gift that i am giving, to me pain is just sensation, no different from any other. Its just your body's way of talking to you. Thank you for illistrating the point that i was trying to make earlier; that you have learned to diciplin your mind to work without tools and you have learned about safety and sterility BEFORE attempting to work with blood, that's just what i was trying to say. Hope to talk to you again soon!

Very well put Gavriel. There is a book out, entitled simply "Blood Magick" (I can't remember the author) that is really good. I know and understand that the Charge of the Goddess states that she does not require sacrifice (I figured someone would comment on this, myself being Wiccan and a practitioner of Blood Magick). One thing that I don't think some people are getting is that blood magick is not some willy-nilly thing we do just for the sheer Hel of it. It is a sacred process of sacrifice to be used in magick, prayer, and ritual. It adds power not only because it is blood, but also because it is YOU! It forms one of the most sacred of sacred bonds, one that is never easily broken. Magick should *never* be taken for granted. Another thing that I highly recommend is finding a medical cross-cut of the area you are going to prick. The cut/prick does not have to be deep (the deeper it is means nothing. It's just the blood). Please, Please, Please do not read what we have written and think you know what to do. It does take a long time to do properly. Flamboyant flingings of blood is in no way safe, healthy, or even remotely the purpose of blood magick. Blood does tie you to whatever you use it for. If you put it on an herb, parchment, cloth, (or whatever) then I would recommend that once you are done you either bury the remains or burn them (if, of course, it is safe and you use standard caution with a healthy dose of common sense). The best information I can give when using blood magick is to err on the side of caution. Do not be stupid. Do not mix blood. Sterilize. Clean up with antiseptic and peroxide. Be safe.

Gavriel: When I mean the pain, I mean it not for pain's sake, but for the sake of placing youself in at a higher level. Much like the binding/rope tecniques used in Brittish Traditional Wicca. You use it as a catalyst to a higher level of focus.

Dollhousekitty: I understand that you think that it is overraded, but have you paused to consider that if blood magick is overrated, then what about raising energy inside of yourself and using that? There is not *much* of a difference, except the process.

I did make a blood glyph for blood magick, I will try to post it later.

~*~ Also, if you do prick yourself, cut yourself, or something, and you find that you are *not* bleeding, please do not attempt to make yourself bleed. I always took it as a sign from the divine that I wasn't meant to do blood magick at that time.

I have two things to say, one being I am NOT afraid to use my own blood, I simply choose not too. Fear has nothing to do with it. Understand?

Secondly, I've read all your opinions, and understand them. But I will not change my stance. I disagree with the use of blood in magick. I don't need to sit there and use it for any purpose other than to live. You can put it as groovy as you want and as persuasive as you want, but I will still not agree with it. And most definately not fear it.

Ok Kitty, i misspoke. i should never have said or implied that you were afraid to use blood, and i respect your path and applaud you willingness and strength in defending it. Perhaps i was reacting viscerally to your slurs about my path being "completly ridiculous", however that is no excuse and i apologize for the comment. Also it was never my intention to try to convert you, only to adress your concerns and illistrate to you that i have thought long and hard on the subject and done alot of research, i was not doing it for the 'coolness' factor but because my personal path led me there.
BLACKSTAFF
HI! As long as i am making ammends, i want you to know that i was in no way dis'ing your use of Pain. i agree with you and i think that Pain is a wonderful way to bring your mind into pinpoint focus. i was just trying to share with you what i do. Unfortunatly i have a mad high pain tolerance and in order for me to even feel it, i would have to do some major damage, and doing damage is not the purpose, right?
Also, i really apreciated the point you made that you should have some anatomical knowledge before setting out. i was a Pre-Med major in college so i have a pretty solid background.
And hey, i have a book for you too! i just found it on line and i havent read it yet, but i went to the authors website and he seems very down to earth and grounded. The book is called "Out of the shadows: an exploration of dark paganism and magick" by John J. Coughlin. BTW, he uses the term "dark" as more of and organic "entropy" definition rather than 'evil'. and PS. i think the author of 'blood magick's name is Seth. No last name. Talk to you soon, i hope

This post has been edited by gavriel: Sep 8 2005, 08:27 PM

Gavriel, I totally respect your views on it, you seem one of the few that I have met that knows their shit (pardon, lol). You have no need to apologize, because when I wrote that previous post I was in a very irritable mood due to some other person. I am the one who should apologize for being so curt.

My path has nothing to do with sacrifice in the form of blood, but I have studied a few denominations that do ask for it, and could never really understand why, y'know? The people I spoke to in the past influenced my opinion on the "cool" factor, and the search for understanding came to a seriously harsh stop after them. I still fall into the tendancy to expect those same people here, which I know is not groovy, lol. But I am catching myself! lol.

I'm also a stickler for safety, I've been called more often than not obsessive compulsive and anal retentive, which is a nature I've been in a constant battle for years, but that's a whole long boring story that I so won't get into. But that is partly due to my frowning upon such "extreme" measures of magick. So I ask my pardon if I get uppity about such subjects. Part of me seriously can't handle it, lol.

Namaste

Don't worry about it DollHouse. If I was rude or presumptious then I too apologize.

i was wondering were to cut for blood, i want to bake cookies with my own blood to use during ritual workings. Something to put me in the right state of mind, with a good power boost.

But i must admit, it sounds a little eerie to cut into myself, and i want to be sure that i don't harm myself. What is the best place to cut yourself?

Hi Fox, there are only two places i personaly use. The finger tip can be either cut with a tiny incision or pricked with a steril needle. The finger tip has alot of blood vessels so it will give alot of blood for a little prick. i also use the back of my forarm, it doesn't yield as much but it heals faster because there is no callus, also it usually leaves a scar so you might not want to use it (raises alot of unwelcome questions). All in all i would go with pricking the thumb or forfinger with a sterile needle and rinsing it in cool clean water to mix with the recipe, remember that with blood, it is quality not quantity. But i think that is a really interesting way to use it, i have only ever heard of blood being mixed with wine or water for drinking. It would be like traveling inward by following the drop of blood back into your body. Or replenishing your energy after a working, what a great idea!
KITTY
Sorry you were having a bad time with this other person, i have days like that too. But i was wondering something, and if the question is too personal please feel free to not answer. Why are you trying to battle with your nature? There is nothing wrong with being 'anal or compulsive' as long as you can embrace your nature and make it a strength, and you seem to have no shortage of strength. So why fight it? i also wanted you to know that i would NEVER ask for somone else to give blood. i would never be able to know for sure that it was joyfully given and that they didn't feel secretly pressured into doing it. That is part of why i am solitary i think, well that and the fact that i have never yet found anyone who shares all of my beliefs. Anyway, i hope we can put any misunderstandings behind us, agree to disagree and be friends anyway? Talk to you soon

I'm an advocate of lancets for the purposes of drawing blood. They can easily be picked up at a pharmacy, are quire sterile, and a box usually has enough that you can be safe and and follow a single-use policy, and still not run out for quite a while.

interesting, what are lancets?

Greetings Fox,
Lancets, as Doc said, are available at a pharmacy/chemists shop. I use them for diabetes blood sugar testing. The old fashioned lancets were a thin strip of metal (about 1-1/2 inches long) with a sharpened, triangular tip. You can sterilize a fingertip and then poke your finger. The shape of the lancet prevents it from piercing your finger very far. Newer lancets come in a 'pen' form. You can dial the depth of piercing, place the spring loaded pen against the surface of the skin, then push the release button and...viola! a blood droplet! Good luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

If you can get blood so easily doing it with a pen thing or a lancet, why do they still stick a needle in you in hospital to get blood when it is often hard to find a vein?

What advantages are there in using blood for your magick?

i wonder what these lancets are called in dutch, i think the local pharmacy won't know what to give me if i ask for a lancet in English.

Blood is a gateway substance. It opens paths to other realms. It can be used to put the mind in the right mood if one is focused on obtaining such a mood.
At least that is what i think.

If you can get blood so easily doing it with a pen thing or a lancet, why do they still stick a needle in you in hospital to get blood when it is often hard to find a vein?

It's a matter of quantity. Since lancets are used primarily for testing one's blood sugar, they are designed to yield a few drops, unless one milks the prick for all its worth (yes, I do know how that sounds).

What advantages are there in using blood for your magick?

Blood is the one substance with the most powerful symbolic link to power. That sort of link, as ancient as it is and as ingrained in the human psyche, is going to unleash all sorts of power, IMHO.

Well you guys must have been lucky! I went to a couple of drugstores trying to purchase lancets and they wanted to know which kind I wanted. I tried such things as "well those ultra thin one" or "the ones on sale". No such luck LOL. It was like they have them guarded against occultsts about to do a grimoirum verum working or something!
I finally did get my lancets, I had to ask to see the boxes so I could recognize which brand I usually buy, well this didn't work the first time, but did at the second drug store. <sigh>
Ah not up for the old slicing thy knife accross your chest and putting your cake of light there to stop the flow and get your blood in it? I really don't blame you on that one!
I have used play piercing needles affectively to draw blood, and those worked fine. I also tried to use a dagger, which took far too many tries as I was worried about injuring myself too much. Having to leave partway through the ritual for stitches just wouldn't have sufficed!
Well with the blood thing, women do have a decided advantage in case we don't feel like using lancets (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Athena

Well you guys must have been lucky! I went to a couple of drugstores trying to purchase lancets and they wanted to know which kind I wanted. I tried such things as "well those ultra thin one" or "the ones on sale". No such luck LOL. It was like they have them guarded against occultsts about to do a grimoirum verum working or something!

My excuse when I purchased them was as follows: "I need to pick up a box for my grandmother, but I forgot which ones she uses, can I take a look at the boxes?" - something that worked very well. If I ever need to replace my supply, I know the brand and type.

Well with the blood thing, women do have a decided advantage in case we don't feel like using lancets

I think this would depend on the type of ritual/spell one is performing. In a fertility ritual, I'm sure this would work wonders. However, for a ritual like the one I did a few minutes ago (consecrating a blade in blood and darkness), blood drawn by an incision or piercing of the body would work much better (intent and all).

Hell, I just use a knife and make a cut in my left palm. Heals in no time.
The only time I do this is when I make a demonic contract. It is simply mandatory.

I didn't think it was taboo to talk blood when on the subject of magic. But then again, there is a related issue that is indeed taboo: Mental illness. I have seen many young women with scars across their arms I can't imagine how was possible. But these women cut to destroy. Poor souls.


-thief

Don't pity us too much. Mental illness comes in two types nowadays. Those who have had tragedy or abuse in their life that breaks their mind or spirit and those(like me) who have been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance of nurotransmitters in their brain. Really its no different than if you have an insulin imbalance or a vitamin deficency, just a medical condition and nothing to pity. We learn to deal. For a long time i did cut my arms or add piercings to alleviate my depression(probably why i have such a high pain tolerance now) but it wasn't a cry for help or anything so melodramatic. i just found that the endorphins caused by the pain totally over rode the lack of serratonin in my brain, in effect, poor mans antidepressives, restoring the balance of chemicals. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/33.gif) i have since learned to work through the worst bouts of depression(i have mild to moderate depression almost every day of my life) without the endorphins but it took alot of work and many really bad days since i could not thake the quick way out. i geuss what i am trying to say is, understanding is more helpful than pity. You probably know many people with the dreaded "Mental illness" lable slapped on them who you would never be able to tell if they didn't tell you. Thanks for listening! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thankyou.gif)

Gavriel, I totally didn't think that you were a woman. Ignorance on my part. If you ever do need to talk about stuff or need help, I'm sure we'd all be willing to help.

Blood is always good to make unbreakable pacts.
Lancets never really occured to me... good idea. It would really be safer, more sterile, and healthy.

Radiant Star: I've no idea why they use such big needles.

Does anyone have any specific feelings or visualizations they use when they do blood magick?

My opinion is that one should incorporate blood as a symbol or sacrifice the same way they would semen or spit, without the need to actively alter a ritual.

Everyone to their own I say.

I 'acquired' a liking to the taste of my own blood. Bad cuts and I would always taste the blood. I can kind of associate the buzzy feeling with a sensation of power so I can understand what folk are saying here

There's nothing strange with blood magic in my eyes (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif)

Even in theology at St. Thomas Aquinas in Houston they taught us the jewish belief that the life of a thing is in its blood, hence the sacrificing of the lamb to god.
So while saliva may have your dna, by there belief it doesn't hold the same concentration of life, otherwise they would have been happy to shave the lambs and offer god lamb hair, but there is no such presedence that I know of in Jewish/Christian mythos, and as I'm a catholic, I tend to fallow presedence of tradition when possible, but one can't help but expiriement, it helps us single out specific effects...
†Christoher Raven† (IMG:style_emoticons/default/butcher.gif)

I would only use blood to heal, or for casting a love spell. I don't like blood magic so much, at this point I would probably never use it. Of course, for a female blood magic may be more practical.

now we can all agree that there was no taboo on blood magick at all.

lovely...

i practice a form of traidtional witchcraft (famly thing) and i have used blood before
i would suggest you use an accue-check needle (the needles diabetics use to poke themselves) use only once after the area of the body has been sanatized (i.e. alcahol swabs etc) just use it on your finger as if you were just testing the sugar level in your blood



LVX
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/witch.gif)

If using blood is a powerfull boost to get result from your ritual, I am interested to hear how do you specificly use blood as a tool?

Wouldn't a highly condensed energy (like a concentrated psi ball) can also replicates the natural energies released by blood?

A SMOKING FOX
I am dying to know if you ever bought those lancets in Dutch? I looked in a dictionary, and couldn't find it... So maybe try asking for tools to test for diabetes or something...lol sorry this is so confusing...

My cousin uses sterelized razors. I would use the lancets, but I'm not into all that rebal stuff. And I dont want my parents to flip out...lol (IMG:style_emoticons/default/i_triangle.gif)