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

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.